Rare Earth

Latest Episodes:

Leaving Fossil Fuels Behind May 30, 2026

Show notes

Is the conflict in Iran, with its knock-on effect on oil supplies, accelerating the shift away from fossil fuels? Tom Heap and Helen Czerski debate the issues with a panel of experts: Josh Gabbatiss from the environmental journalism website Carbon Brief; Helen Thompson, Professor of Political Economy at Cambridge University; and Cornish farmer Stuart Oates.

Producer: Emma Campbell

World of Flowers May 22, 2026

Show notes

Tom and Helen explore why the evolution of flowers created the world we know today, uncover some of the fascinating ways flowers use shape, colour and scent to bewitch pollinators, and dig into how pollen can reveal the secrets of ancient crime scenes and help us restore lost landscapes. Guests will include writer David George Haskell, pollen expert Michelle Farrell and botanist Sandra Knapp, Director of Research at the Natural History Museum.

Presenters – Tom Heap and Helen Czerski Producer – Beth Sagar-Fenton

Produced in association with the Open University

The Joy of Soil Apr 03, 2026

Show notes

Beneath our feet is a world wide web that keeps us all alive. Estimated to be the origin of about 97% of the calories we eat, soil is fundamental to life. But it's a whole living world of its own. A biological engine, a carbon sink, and home to an abundance of bacteria, insects and worms. Tom Heap and Helen Czerski find out how soil is made, how it's faring in a world of intensive farming and how to get it back to full health.

Joining Tom and Helen to dig into the hidden drama of soil are:

Jack Hannam, Professor of Sustainable Agriculture & Biodiversity at the University of Greenwich’s Natural Resources Institute Duncan Farrington MBE, farmer and founder of Farrington Oils Simon Jeffery, Professor of Soil Ecology at Harper Adams University Dr Rachel Cassidy, lead scientist on Northern Ireland's Soil Nutrient Health Scheme. Andrew Baker, Soil Acoustics.

Producer: Beth Sagar-Fenton

Assistant Producers: Rebecca Rooney and Toby Field

Rare Earth is produced in association with the Open University.

Hot Sport Mar 27, 2026

Show notes

The 2026 World Cup is expected to be the most environmentally costly yet. But are there alternative models that provide sporting thrills without the carbon cost?

Helen Czerski and Qasa Alom consider the climate impact of the biggest events and the impact of climate on sport at every level. Whether you're a hugely rich footballer sweltering in a World Cup final or a kid who can't play on a waterlogged pitch, the problem- and perhaps the solution - are the same.

Qasa and Helen are joined by Norwegian international footballer Morten Thorsby and Claire Poole of Sports Positive to discuss the upcoming World Cup in the US, Canada and Mexico. Professor of Global History at Oxford University and batsmen for the Croatian national cricket team, Peter Frankopan and Indian cricketer and commentator Abhishek Jhunjhuwn consider the impact of a warming climate on players, professional and amateur, who play their sport in the full glare of the sun for up to eight hours.

Producers: Alasdair Cross and Robin Markwell

Assistant Producers: Toby Field and Rebecca Rooney

Rare Earth is produced in association with the Open University.

America and the Planet Mar 20, 2026

Show notes

President Trump has been very clear in his views on climate change but how much of his rhetoric will have real impacts on the environment in the US and worldwide? Tom Heap and Helen Czerski are joined by an expert panel to examine the consequences for the planet's temperature and its wildlife of the second Trump administration.

Producer: Beth Sagar-Fenton

Assistant Producer: Toby Field

Rare Earth is produced in collaboration with the Open University

Lakes, Lochs and Loughs Mar 13, 2026

Show notes

Plunge into the chilly embrace of the UK's lakes and you enter troubled waters. They're a place for recreation and an inspiration for our greatest poets but they're also on the frontline in the battle against pollution. The biggest lake in the British Isles, Lough Neagh, is plagued with toxic green algae that sucks the life out of its waters, but nobody seems able to stop the relentless flow of agricultural, industrial and domestic pollution that feed it. Meanwhile, Lake Windermere, birthplace of the Romantic movement, is suffering from a record number of illegal sewage spills that make wildwater swimming a dicey business.

Tom Heap and Helen Czerski paddle through the history and legends of our lakes and lochs, search for solutions to their present day problems and celebrate the natural life that still flocks to these beautiful places.

Producer: Emma Campbell

Assistant Producers: Rebecca Rooney and Toby Field

Rare Earth is produced in association with the Open University

Should we still have zoos? Mar 06, 2026

Show notes

This year London Zoological Society marks its 200th anniversary. Established in 1826, today it has around 8000 animals and claims to be "the original scientific zoo". In this programme, Helen Czerski and Tom Heap look back at the role of zoos across the centuries and ask where their future lies. From public entertainment to conservation projects, do they have a part to play in an age when technology means we can see animals virtually, up-close and in high-definition, without having to keep them in captivity? Tom and Helen visit the former site of Bristol zoo in Clifton, now awaiting development, and are joined in the studio by a panel of experts to discuss the history, future and philosophy of the zoo.

Producer: Emma Campbell Assistant Producers: Toby Field and Rebecca Rooney

Rare Earth is produced in collaboration with the Open University

Ocean Explorers Feb 27, 2026

Show notes

150 years ago the British research ship Challenger returned from a three and a half year voyage that changed the world. Plucking species from every ocean, at depths never explored before, the Challenger kick-started the science of oceanography and paved the way for a world connected by undersea communication cables.

To celebrate the Challenger's legacy, Helen Czerski and Tom Heap are at the world's biggest ocean science conference in Glasgow to ask what the next 150 years may hold. Is the age of the human explorer over, replaced by robots and DNA sampling, or is there still a space for wonder as we explore the depths of our planet's oceans?

With Tom and Helen at the AGU Ocean Sciences Meeting are three top ocean explorers- Kirsty McQuaid from Nelson Mandela University in South Africa, Murray Roberts of Edinburgh University and Sofie Spatharis of Glasgow University.

Producer: Alasdair Cross Assistant Producers: Toby Field and Rebecca Rooney

Rare Earth is produced in collaboration with the Open University

Love of a Cold Climate Dec 19, 2025

Show notes

What does the arrival of winter mean for plants and animals? In this programme Tom Heap and Helen Czerski find out how wildlife survives the freezing temperatures and short days of the winter months. In a time of climate change, they also ask how warmer weather patterns are affecting the natural world at this time of year. Do we have to get used to the idea of winters without snow and ice, and will winter scenes of robins on snowy branches and children sledging down hillsides only exist on Christmas cards?

Panel: Hugh Warwick, John Hammond, Val McDermid

Producer: Emma Campbell Assistant Producer: Toby Field

Produced in association with the Open University

City Transport: Faster, Cheaper, Greener Dec 12, 2025

Show notes

How we get around town has never been more political, with controversies over low traffic neighbourhoods and 15 minute cities, and rows about congestion charging and public transport breaking out all over the country. Tom and Helen are in search of the kind of consensus that makes things faster, cheaper and smoother for all of us. What works and what’s been a complete flop? Should we all stop moaning and get on our bikes? Who is the reshaping of traffic flows working - and not working - for? And could Milton Keynes have all the answers?

With contributions from:

Chris Boardman, Commissioner of Active Travel England. Stephen Potter, Emeritus Professor of Transport Strategy at the Open University Karen Lucas, Professor of Human Geography at the University of Manchester and Director of the Manchester Urban Institute Natalie Ashton. Senior Engagement Officer (North) at Transport for All

Presenters: Tom Heap & Helen Czerski Producers: Beth Sagar-Fenton & Alasdair Cross Assistant Producer: Toby Field Editor: Alasdair Cross

Rare Earth is produced in association with the Open University.