Planet Possible

In this episode, host Niki Roach travels to Tortugero National Park - 77,000 hectares of tropical rainforest, plough forest and marine protected area.And Monteverde Institute - a 38-acre campus, and part of 65,000 acres of endangered tropical forest.Niki’s guests are Andres Gonsalez and Alejandro Torrentes (Tortugero National Park who work alongside SINAC).They share how the country balances economic growth and nature, and the connection between nature and the Costa Rican culture.Niki also chats to with Anibal Torres (Director for Community Initiatives, Monteverde Institute) and discovers how the institute supports sustainable tourism, delivers training and research, whilst supporting the local community.Find out more about Tortugero National Park hereFind out more about Monteverde Institute here Credits Presented & Produced by Niki RoachExecutive Producer Andy Taylor - Bwlb LimitedWith thanks to Alastair ChisholmHonorary Executive Producer Jane Boland

In this episode, Niki Roach chats to our expert guests - Jonathon Porritt (author and campaigner) and Niamh Lynch (Just Stop Oil activist and campaigner) who share their insights, motivations, hopes, fears and expectations on climate change.A sobering and insightful listen for anyone who lives on planet Earth. Two campaigners of different generations, they also share their thoughts on inter-generational justice when it comes to climate.Read the UN's 'Limiting Overshoot' report hereFind out more about Jonathon Porritt's new book 'Love, Anger & Betrayal' here Credits Presented & Produced by Niki RoachExecutive Producer Andy Taylor - Bwlb LimitedWith thanks to Alastair ChisholmHonorary Executive Producer Jane Boland

In this episode, Niki Roach is joined by expert guests: Davey Jones - Professor in Environmental Science & Public Health at Bangor University and Dr Helen Howard-Jones - Research Project Manager (Wastewater) at Bangor University. Sewage contains a whole lot of substances and a whole lot of data. Pathogens, pollution, illicit substances... even human DNA. Analysing sewage, detecting what's present in it, tracking and mapping it - this is an emerging science that holds a lot more potential than has yet been harnessed.  First tried back in World War 2, the techniques have modernised and came to the fore during the COVID pandemic. Now, there is an opportunity to collect more data, better analyse it, and create a kind of national health early warning system that is cost effective, and works across the country. Credits Presented & Produced by Niki RoachExecutive Producer Andy Taylor - Bwlb LimitedWith thanks to Alastair ChisholmHonorary Executive Producer Jane Boland

Katie Hargrave-Smith sits in for Niki Roach as host for this August 2026 edition of Planet Possible News - 3 stories making the headlines in water, nature and climate in the UK and around the world. Al Chisholm (Policy, Regulation and Governance lead for Water at ARUP) joins as our expert guest. The three stories being discussed are: The latest UK Water Environment (Water Framework Directive) Regulations (WFDR) classifications - published by the Environment Agency - have been released. These stats are published every 6 years and tell us the quality of water bodies in the UK. Al gives his analysis. UK Drought - what are the patterns underneath the heatwave dry summer we have experienced in the UK and what does it tell us about the pace of climate change (and our pace of adaptation in response)? Plus, why have the new terms "flash drought" and "whiplash weather" had to be coined? El Niño - what is it, what are the latest predictions of the scale and impact of this iteration... why are financial markets and hedge funds hopeful of making profit out of it... and what does this all say about climate justice? Credits Presented & Produced by Niki RoachExecutive Producer Andy Taylor - Bwlb LimitedWith thanks to Alastair ChisholmHonorary Executive Producer Jane Boland

Welcome to the first of two 'Best Of' compilation episodes we will make this year (one in the summer and one at Christmas).  This collection of highlights covers the first half of 2026, and features some incredible guests.  A great chance to catch-up on some of our most-listened-to, and most-talked-about, episodes that you may have missed first time around. The three guests featured here are... Mónica Feria-Tinta - the "Barrister for the Earth" who has moved the law forward by representing the interests of indigenous populations, coastal communities, and even nature and the climate themselves, in international courts of law. A fascinating discussion on how the law is changing, and how that could enable breakthroughs on environmental progress. Vincent Lee (ARUP) - a native New Yorker who has worked on some of the most ambitious projects in the Big Apple, that have attempted (and succeeded) in enabling the city to become more sustainable, work more with nature and water... and be better adapted to (and prepared for) climate change. Lizzie Frost - a UK water professional at Anglian Water, giving her honest reaction to the Channel 4 docudrama 'Dirty Business' which portrayed a challenging depiction of the UK water sector, and its environmental performance. We hope you enjoy this look back at some of the best bits of 2026, so far. Credits Presented & Produced by Niki RoachExecutive Producer Andy Taylor - Bwlb LimitedWith thanks to Alastair ChisholmHonorary Executive Producer Jane Boland