Planet Possible

Our last Minipod of 2025 welcomes John Curtin, the president of CIWEM. John joins Niki Roach in this 15 minute episode, to discuss the following 3 current stories in Water, Climate and Nature:Infrastructure Risks - How should we approach building new infrastructure in a world shaped by climate change, and shifting environmental issues and politics? And how do we move beyond short-term fixes and improve our acceptance of the need to build for 2050 and beyond?A piece of research, supported by the natural science foundation of China, shows a new technique that could let us generate electricity from water in an entirely new way. With the potential to scale, and real promise for countries with large water masses, such as the UK.John Curtin explains the new CIWEM presidential theme of “Green Roots, Growing Prosperity” policy and why protecting the environment, and growing the economy, don’t have to be opposing forces despite how they’re often framed in politics and the media.  Credits Presented & Produced by Niki RoachExecutive Producer Andy Taylor - Bwlb LimitedWith thanks to Alastair ChisholmHonorary Executive Producer Jane Boland

In this month’s Planet Possible, we’re going beyond the specifics of COP30 and reflect on the shifting geo politics of climate leadership, and what it could mean for our future generations.Niki Roach is joined by two experts in this field - Dr Clare Richardson-Barlow, a Political Economist with a focus on the Asia specific region, and Professor of International Politics at the University of Leeds - Richard Beardsworth.Together, they discuss:COP30 - The climate change conference that has just taken place in Brazil,  why it matters so much and the context in which it’s happening, as emissions continue to rise.  How are the road maps going to be implemented, and where are the delivery on targets that have been set for the countries in attendance?China - The world’s largest emitter and how its leadership responds to those emissions. The country is also the largest investor in renewables, and the largest manufacturer of clean technology.The challenges around a just transition here in the UK, from fossil fuels, and the political recognition required regarding how difficult it will be to move towards a greener future. Credits Presented & Produced by Niki RoachExecutive Producer Andy Taylor - Bwlb LimitedWith thanks to Alastair ChisholmHonorary Executive Producer Jane Boland

In this MiniPod episode, Niki is joined by freelance environmental journalist Jo Caird, whose portfolio includes Editor of The Environment Magazine - a CIWEM publication.They discuss:1) Using geoengineering to repair the climate, and how the technology has the potential to adjust global temperatures. The process of solar radiation modification could see injecting aerosol compounds and potential refreezing of the arctic.2) The unprecedented drought impacting Tehran, Iran, where the main source of drinking water for residents is at risk of running dry within a matter of weeks. 9 million people may need to be evacuated from the city.3) The Tropical Forests Forever Facility - The facility’s mission is to protect tropical forests for indigenous peoples and future generations. It will create long-term financial stability for countries that commit to lasting forest protection, linking economic opportunity with conservation. Credits Presented & Produced by Niki RoachExecutive Producer Andy Taylor - Bwlb LimitedWith thanks to Alastair ChisholmHonorary Executive Producer Jane Boland

On this month’s Planet Possible, Niki is joined by co-host Polly Cook - Chief Officer for Climate, Energy and Green Spaces at Leeds City Council. And for our deep dive interview, on this episode into Heat Networks, Niki and Polly are joined by David Riley - Head of Carbon and Climate Adaptation within Anglian Water and Michael Avant Smith - Senior VP for Decarbonisation at BMA. This Episode is an introduction to Heat Networks and a look at an innovative plan to harness waste heat from sewers: We’re going to hear about the innovative TORCH Project which is a research and development initiative focused on assessing, and promoting, the viability of recovering heat from urban sewer systems in the UK. It aims to address the current evidence gap and de-risk the concept for wider adoption.   We find out: • What TORCH stands for and what’s it aiming to achieve and by when.• What’s going to happen in practice.• How far along the project is and who’s involved.• What makes it so innovative.• If successful, what scaling looks like and what the enablers, and barriers, are to implementation. As we think about the energy mix we want in the UK, moving forwards, heat networks could play a really interesting role.   Credits Presented & Produced by Niki RoachExecutive Producer Andy Taylor - Bwlb LimitedWith thanks to Alastair ChisholmHonorary Executive Producer Jane Boland

The stories on this week's Minipod are:Finnish researchers have been exploring what happens when we bring a little more wild back into our everyday lives. Their “rewilding” experiment shows the link between increasing our nature exposure and better microbiome biodiversity.There’s good news, and perhaps some not so good news, about renewables. Solar power has now been the largest source of new electricity globally for three years in a row. Some nations are increasing their reliability on fossil fuels. However, solar prices have fallen making it more much accessible for lower income countries.Why the changing migration routes for birds, once defined seasons, are bending, shifting north, skipping stops they’ve made for centuries. Each altered flight path is a living chart of how fast habitats are shrinking and ecosystems are changing.Show Notes:Read the BBC article on renewable energy hereRead the Guardian article on bird migration here Credits Presented & Produced by Niki RoachExecutive Producer Andy Taylor - Bwlb LimitedWith thanks to Alastair ChisholmHonorary Executive Producer Jane Boland