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 Roach

Executive Producer Andy Taylor - Bwlb Limited

With thanks to Alastair Chisholm

Honorary 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 here

Read the Guardian article on bird migration here

Credits

Presented & Produced by Niki Roach

Executive Producer Andy Taylor - Bwlb Limited

With thanks to Alastair Chisholm

Honorary Executive Producer Jane Boland

Lord Zac Goldsmith has been a voice for environmental issues throughout his political career. He has held vital positions of power in government that have made him able to move the needle on climate and nature. His insights take us inside the cabinet meetings, international negotiations and global summits where progress can be encouraged and delivered... but also stifled.

In this wide-ranging interview he talks candidly about:

• His opinion on current Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch's desire to repeal the Climate Change Act
• Why he felt he had to resign from the Rishi Sunak-led Conservative government over a move away from green issues
• How he judges the current UK government to be doing on climate, nature and water
• What the biggest global challenges are and how to solve them
• How - done right - governments and campaigners can work together to bring about meaningful change
• What he thinks lies behind the current trend for right-leaning political parties to de-prioritise the environment
• Why he believes it is possible for us to make the progress we need to on the environment

Credits

Presented & Produced by Niki Roach

Executive Producer Andy Taylor - Bwlb Limited

With thanks to Alastair Chisholm

Honorary Executive Producer Jane Boland