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Ten Fights That Made the Green Movement: 6. Arctic 30 Jul 13, 2026

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“Helicopter” - an activist yells. Then gun-wielding agents in balaclavas abseil down, onto the Greenpeace ship, to tow it to Russia.

This is the story of a campaign against oil drilling in the arctic that takes a dangerous turn. And the debate it sparks within the movement - should the organisers have better anticipated the risks of their campaign? Who is responsible for activists’ safety?

Presenter: Justin Rowlatt Producer: Alix Pickles Series Producer: Ellie House Editor: Matt Willis Sound Design and Mix: James Beard Production Coordinators: Maria Ogundele, Brenda Brown, Sabine Schereck Commissioning Editor: Dan Clarke

Archive: Prirazlomnaya Gazprom Oil Rig Protest in the Pechora Sea, Russian Investigative Committee, 18/9/2013 Other archive footage provided by Greenpeace

Ten Fights That Made the Green Movement: 5. Brokenhagen Jul 13, 2026

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Hundreds of world leaders are gathered in Copenhagen, 2009, with high hopes of securing a historic climate deal. And the Chinese premier has gone missing. US President Obama rushes through the corridors of the conference centre - on a mission to gatecrash China’s secret rendez-vous with its allies.

This is just the final day of a two-week conference that has felt more like a thriller movie than an exercise in diplomacy.

How did one global conference expose the faultlines in international climate collaboration that are still seen today?

Presenter: Justin Rowlatt Producer: Rachel Naylor Series Producer: Ellie House Editor: Matt Willis Sound Design and Mix: James Beard Production Coordinators: Maria Ogundele, Brenda Brown, Sabine Schereck Commissioning Editor: Dan Clarke

Ten Fights That Made the Green Movement: 4. Terror Jul 06, 2026

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A pair of radical activists drives east, from the West Coast of the US to a quaint skiing town in Colorado. They’ve watched as local environmental groups tried - and failed - to prevent the expansion of a ski resort into pristine forest land. And they’ve had enough. Their plan? To burn the resort down.

This group will go on be named the number one domestic terror threat in the United States. And the green movement is split about whether their actions went too far.

Presenter: Justin Rowlatt Series Producer: Ellie House Editor: Matt Willis Sound Design and Mix: James Beard Production Coordinators: Maria Ogundele, Brenda Brown, Sabine Schereck Commissioning Editor: Dan Clarke

Ten Fights That Made the Green Movement: 3. The Ecologist Jul 06, 2026

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It’s the 1990s - and in a tiny office in Charing Cross, a group of big thinkers is publishing some radical ideas…and about to have a very public falling out.

This is the story of an influential green magazine and the man who created it: Teddy Goldsmith. He believed the cause was so grave it stood outside of left-right politics. Not everyone agreed.

Archive: Margaret Thatcher speech to the United Nations General Assembly, C-SPAN, 8/11/1989

Ten Fights That Made the Green Movement: 2. The Greenpeace Jun 29, 2026

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Somewhere in the North Pacific, 1971. A ragbag crew of environmentalist hippies sets sail on a rickety fishing boat in a last ditch effort to stop a nuclear weapons test. Their tumultuous voyage would birth the modern green movement. The men on board wanted to save the world, but spent much of their time at each other’s throats.

Archive: Irving Stowe announcing Greenpeace concert, provided by Robert Stowe ‘The birth of Greenpeace’, CBC Radio Canada, 11/10/1971 Argument on Greenpeace boat, AM925 , City of Vancouver Archives

Ten Fights That Made the Green Movement: 1. Rebellion Jun 29, 2026

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We follow Extinction Rebellion on one of its first ever actions. Before the rebels shut down London, before they became a household name, they occupied an office building in Islington. Their target? Not a fossil fuel company or government, but Greenpeace - perhaps the world’s most high profile environmental campaign group.

Archive: ‘Extinction Rebellion occupy Greenpeace HQ’, Real Media, 18/10/2018 ‘LONDON Walk TOUR - Extinction REBELLION Protest PINK BOAT at Oxford Circus - England’, Walking Tour, Walking Tour, 16/4/2019

Ten Fights That Made the Green Movement: Trailer Jun 24, 2026

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The modern green movement has been shaped not only by protest, but by conflict within the ranks.

Shared ideas are forged through friction - battles over tactics, solutions, or who gets a voice.

Justin Rowlatt goes to the heart of these battles - to learn about these dramatic moments from the people who were there. Friends, or sometimes enemies, hashing out big ideas that help define what it means to be green.

Rinsed: 10. New Tricks Jun 08, 2026

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Could the water industry be nationalised? Should the water industry be nationalised? And who will bear the ultimate costs for cleaning up our rivers?

Reported and presented by Kate Lamble Series Producer: Elle Scott Sound Design: Andy Fell Researchers: Isaac Fisher and Amy Woods Production Coordinator: Juliette Harvey Production Manager: Debbie Waddell Executive Producer: Joe Kent Head of Audio of Audio (BBC Studios): Richard Knight Assistant Commissioner: Chris Walsh-Heron Commissioning Executive: Tracy Williams Commissioning Editor: Dan Clarke

Rinsed is a BBC Studios production for BBC Radio 4

Rinsed: 9. Vultures Jun 08, 2026

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As Thames Water’s finances deteriorate, “vultures” circle.

Reported and presented by Kate Lamble Producer: Elle Scott Sound Design: Andy Fell Executive Producer: Joe Kent Commissioning Executive: Tracy Williams Commissioning Editor: Dan Clarke

Rinsed is a BBC Studios production for BBC Radio 4

Rinsed: 8. Sorry? Jun 01, 2026

Show notes

New legislation promises to slash the sewage released into rivers, but will it become law?

Reported and presented by Kate Lamble Producer: Elle Scott Sound Design: Andy Fell Executive Producer: Joe Kent Commissioning Executive: Tracy Williams Commissioning Editor: Dan Clarke

Rinsed is a BBC Studios production for BBC Radio 4

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