How to Save the Planet A Friends of the Earth podcast

Head of Political Affairs Dave Timms and Mattey Mitchell from Friends, Families and Travellers reflect on the dangers of the government's controversial new Policing Bill, including the risk it poses to peaceful protest and how the bill affects the rights of Gypsy, Roma and Traveller communities.

On 6 May, communities across Wales and much of England will be voting in a series of elections for their next Metro Mayor, local council and Senedd representatives.
We speak to Connie and Jackie, local campaigners in Friends of the Earth's network of grassroots groups, to find out what they want local candidates to prioritise and what they're doing to make sure climate is a priority for all parties.

A green, low-carbon future means new jobs and industries that are good for the environment and the people in them. But what counts as a green job, how do you get one, and what should government be doing to create more?

Louisa and Danny chat to Clare Linton from Urban Transport Group and Lola Fayokun from Teach The Future about how to get a green job.

Part of our plan for building a greener and fairer future as we recover from the pandemic is to fix the broken economy. But what's broken about it? What might a different approach look like? And what difference would that actually make to your life?

Fran and Danny talk to Adrienne Buller from think tank Common Wealth to uncover answers to all of these burning questions.

As we make our way through the COVID-19 pandemic, we've heard campaigners and politicians talking about a "green and fair recovery" and "building back better". But what do any of these things really mean? What parts of our society need to change? What would that look like in your life?
This podcast episode kicks off the new year with a new mini-series and new presenters. Join Danny and Isobel as they talk to Connor, a Friends of the Earth climate lead, about what a "Green and Fair Recovery" actually is, and outline the topics we'll be diving into over the coming months.

The holiday season is barrelling towards us, and it can be a stressful time of year, even as we try to relax.

So, Muna and Louisa speak to Tori Tsui, a climate and mental health activist who is loaded with tips on how we can look after ourselves, each other and the planet as we make it through the final hurdle of 2020.

You've signed petitions and shared posts, but what next? How can you help stop climate breakdown?

We speak to local campaigner Ian Bowler and Wigan Council's Climate Change Manager Kerrell Walley to find out what you can do in your local community to make a difference.

What is environmental justice? How are black and brown communities impacted by climate breakdown differently? Why do equality and anti-racism need to be central to the environmental movement?

Muna chats to MP David Lammy, MEP Magid Magid and activist Mikaela Loach about how climate and race are connected, and what we can do to make the environment movement more inclusive.

As fashion week draws to a close, we take a look at one of our most problematic faves – new clothes.

Muna and Louisa speak to fashion insiders Ros, from repairwhatyouwear.com  and Marie, founder of CONGREGATIONcollective , to find out what we can do as consumers to push the fashion industry to be better, and what companies and our government should do to make the important changes we need to see.

Outside of our major cities, we're mostly reliant on cars to get us around, despite their impact on climate breakdown. Could bike infrastructure and our public transport system ever be accessible enough to challenge the car's rule?

In this episode, Muna talks to Haf from Friends of the Earth Cymru , Ian from Transport for Quality of Life and Ridhi from Sustrans , all of whom are working on making our approach to transport that bit greener.

Caring about the climate doesn't mean it's easy to talk about, and conversations with friends and family can often get tricky.

Muna and Fran speak to Cassie Flynn  (Strategic Advisor on Climate for the United Nations Development Programme ) about key lessons she's learned from a long career of having those difficult conversations.

The UK claims to be a climate leader, but the truth behind where our tax money goes tells a different story.

Muna and Louisa are joined by Adam McGibbon, an investigator with Global Witness. They discuss how UK tax money is being used to damage our climate and destroy the communities and livelihoods of those most impacted by climate breakdown. They also hear from Ilham Rawoot of Friends of the Earth Mozambique, who's part of a team fighting a damaging gas project in Cabo Delgado.

The Islamic month of Ramadan has kicked off, and for Muslims around the world it's a time for fasting, reflection and community.

This week Climate Campaigner Muna Suleiman talks to 3 British Muslims – Magid Magid, Lamees Hafeez, and Zunaira Malik – about how the coronavirus lockdown has impacted their fasting, cooking channel addictions and advice for making Ramadan as eco friendly as possible.

The UN climate talks are postponed, but what really happens there anyway? And does the delay mean anything for climate breakdown?

This episode, Muna and Fran chat to Friends of the Earth's International Campaigner Rachel Kennerley. As a regular at the talks, she shares what really goes on there, the highs and lows of the conference, and the impact of a delay to COP 26. All whilst trying to avoid the endless acronyms.

Climate Campaigner Muna Suleiman catches up with a few Friends of the Earth staff to see how they're coping and staying connected as we enter life on lockdown.

We discuss how we're looking after ourselves, what social distancing means for activism, experiences with homeschooling, and of course what we're binge watching.

Our special bonus episode comes hot on the heels of Friends of the Earth's historic win in the Court of Appeal. On Thursday 27 February, government plans to expand Heathrow airport were ruled illegal, on the grounds that they did not full consider the climate impacts of the project.

But what happens now, and what does this ruling mean for holding the government to account on their promises to take climate action?

Muna and Louisa chat through some of the wider implications with Friends of the Earth lawyer, Katie de Kauwe, who has been working on the case.

With International Women's Day just around the corner (8 March), Muna and Fran meet with Helen Pankhurst to discuss how climate impacts women and girls, and why we're partnering with Care International on their annual March for Women.

We also hear from Sostine in Uganda about a grassroots movement to stop rural livelihoods being destroyed by sugar plantations.

From fires in Australia to floods in Indonesia, it's no wonder many of us are feeling more than a little on edge about the environment.

This episode Muna talks to producer Isobel, journalist Emma Beddington and psychotherapist Caroline Hickman about "eco anxiety", how to deal with stressful feelings, and why feelings of despair might actually be a good thing. For you, and the planet.

After a long and uncertain campaign, 2019 finally became the year the fracking industry fell. It's been a big win for local campaigning, and the environmental movement as a whole.

But why, and how?

Muna talks to Friends of the Earth's lead fracking campaigner, Jamie, and our web guru Fran about why fracking is bad for the climate, how the win happened (and how it was celebrated!), and why activism of all forms is needed to save the planet.

A general election gives us the chance to make our voices heard on the issues that matter most.

And with increased understanding of the climate emergency – and ever more frequent strikes – will this election turn out to be the UK's first climate election?

This episode Muna speaks to creative lead Louisa and political campaigner Rosemary about election fatigue, how to vote and what we should be asking our local candidates ahead of the 2019 election.

Muna is joined by DJ and radio presenter Erica McKoy as they delve into the world of music – and what the industry is doing to tackle the climate crisis.

The episode features interviews with the founders of Music Declares Emergency as well as Mercury Prize nominee Sam Lee.

On 20 September 2019 schoolchildren striking against the worsening climate crisis were joined by millions of adults for the Global Climate Strike.

Presenter Muna interviews the youth climate activists at the heart of the school strikes just days before the historic event.

Listen to their story.