Today, Friday 7 June, the OU/BBC co-produced radio series Rare Earth returns for a second season, presented by environmental journalist Tom Heap and physicist Helen Czerski.
The new season begins on BBC Radio 4 at midday and listeners can continue to tune in weekly on Fridays at 12pm. The series will also be available on BBC Sounds.
Each week, Rare Earth tackles a major topic within our environment and wildlife and considers what has led us to this point. Listeners also meet some of the brilliant minds with fresh ideas to help us – and nature – thrive.
This isn’t a weekly dose of doom-laden predictions, instead Rare Earth is here to celebrate the wonder of nature and meet the people determined to keep it wonderful.
Kicking off the new series is an investigation into the new phenomenon of Greenhushing – silence from both corporations and green activists alike on the environment due to worry about how they will be perceived. Do what you were going to do – or what you’re legally obliged to do – but keep it all very quiet.
Tom and Helen investigate if this policy poses an existential risk to climate action by big business. Other episodes in this series will explore nature writing, wildfires, urban flooding, and cultured meat.
This season of Rare Earth has been supported by academic consultants from the OU, Dr Martin Braun, Dr Kadmiel Maseyk, Dr Emma Dewberry, and Dr Vicky Taylor.
Dr Martin Braun, Staff Tutor in Physical Sciences at the OU, commented on the series:
“As climate change affects our daily life more and more through things like extreme weather, I am very pleased that such aspects have been included in this series. Together with the other up-to-date discussions in the Rare Earth programme, I feel, that also this series is a very valuable contribution to the sustainability discourse.”
Further information
This programme was commissioned by Broadcast and Partnerships and is supported by the Faculty of Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics, with particular relevance to R58 BSc Biology, Q52 BSc Environmental Science and Q61 BSc/BA Design and Innovation.
- Commissioned by Dr Caroline Ogilvie, Head of Broadcast and Partnerships
- Academic Consultants – Dr Kadmiel Maseyk, Dr Emma Dewberry, Dr Vicky Taylor and Dr Martin Braun.
- Media Fellows – Andrew Norton
- Broadcast Project Manager – Jo Shipp / Poppy Ross
- Digital Content Producer – Xinmiao Zhang
Supporting Online content:
Visit our Broadcast and Partnerships site OU Connect to explore interactive content on adapting to the changing environment. Over the coming weeks, you’ll find information on coping with extreme weather worsened by climate change and can test your knowledge about ocean ecosystems with a quiz.
