Planet Possible

In this episode of Planet Possible News, Niki Roach and Jo Caird chat about these UK focused stories:
Fridge mountains - how piles of unwanted fridges are appearing at recycling centres, across Wales and England.
Our overheating cities - some new data reveals how our cities are heating up.
National Trust plant-based food - how a major UK charity has switched the food in their cafes, to 50% plant based.
Find out more about The Guardian's fridge mountain story here
Find out more about Ordinance Survey's research into overheating cities here
Find out more about The National Trust's plant food policy here

Credits

Presented & Produced by Niki Roach
Executive Producer Andy Taylor - Bwlb Limited
With thanks to Alastair Chisholm
Honorary Executive Producer Jane Boland

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 here
Find out more about Monteverde Institute here

Credits

Presented & Produced by Niki Roach
Executive Producer Andy Taylor - Bwlb Limited
With thanks to Alastair Chisholm
Honorary 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 here
Find out more about Jonathon Porritt's new book 'Love, Anger & Betrayal' here

Credits

Presented & Produced by Niki Roach
Executive Producer Andy Taylor - Bwlb Limited
With thanks to Alastair Chisholm
Honorary 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 Roach
Executive Producer Andy Taylor - Bwlb Limited
With thanks to Alastair Chisholm
Honorary 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 Roach
Executive Producer Andy Taylor - Bwlb Limited
With thanks to Alastair Chisholm
Honorary Executive Producer Jane Boland