Costing the Earth
Activity Overview
Episode publication activity over the past year
Episodes
Lungs, Lies and Automobiles
06 Oct 2015
Contributed by Lukas
Have we been lied to about the quality of the air we breathe? Do car manufacturers, regulators and farmers have some explaining to do about their emis...
Where Have All Our Gardens Gone?
29 Sep 2015
Contributed by Lukas
Urban Britain is paving over its front gardens. Lawns, hedges and hollyhocks are being replaced by tarmac and car ports. Each garden may be tiny, but ...
Oceans of Acid
22 Sep 2015
Contributed by Lukas
As the oceans absorb manmade carbon emissions a chemical reaction takes place which is making sea water more acidic. This subtle shift in pH level is ...
Britain Rules the Waves
15 Sep 2015
Contributed by Lukas
Britain still owns islands large and small across the globe, from Pitcairn to South Georgia and Bermuda to Ascension. Could we use the waters around t...
Sounds of the Seas
08 Sep 2015
Contributed by Lukas
How noisy is the underwater environment? Tom Heap dips beneath the surface to find out if man-made noise is affecting the marine life that lives below...
Electric Island
19 May 2015
Contributed by Lukas
The little Scottish island of Eigg is teaching the world how remote communities can power themselves with clean, green energy. Tom Heap meets the loca...
The Ozone Hole Thirty Years On
12 May 2015
Contributed by Lukas
In May 1985 Joe Farman, Jonathan Shanklin and Brian Gardiner of the British Antarctic Survey published their paper in the scientific journal Nature. I...
Britain's Environment: The Debate
05 May 2015
Contributed by Lukas
How will the next government tackle Britain's environmental problems? The politics of the environment and our food supply are vital for the future of ...
China's Water Revolution
28 Apr 2015
Contributed by Lukas
China has powered its development with water. When it needed energy for industry it built the largest hydro-electric dams in the world. When the farml...
Eco-Cities
23 Apr 2015
Contributed by Lukas
Tom Heap investigates whether eco-cities are living up to their promise.In years gone by, Costing the Earth has visited two eco-cities, which both pro...
Cycle City
14 Apr 2015
Contributed by Lukas
The bulldozers have already begun work on London's 'cycle superhighways' or 'Crossrail for bikes'. Cycling enthusiasts have declared these segregated ...
Reds Return
07 Apr 2015
Contributed by Lukas
Could the return of the Pine Marten mean the end of the Grey Squirrel takeover? Tom Heap examines emerging evidence that where Pine Marten populations...
Climate Change: Inconvenient Facts?
31 Mar 2015
Contributed by Lukas
With arctic sea ice shrinking and Antarctic sea ice growing, Tom Heap asks what is happening to the climate.Despite the consensus of scientists around...
The Price of Cheap Oil
24 Mar 2015
Contributed by Lukas
In this week's Costing The Earth Tom Heap asks what the falling price of oil means for the environment.First thoughts would be 'not good'. Lower price...
Lava: A Dangerous Game
17 Mar 2015
Contributed by Lukas
A report from the United Nations published this week highlights for the first time the international impacts of volcanoes. Previously regarded as a lo...
Greening the Green Belt
10 Mar 2015
Contributed by Lukas
The UK's housing crisis is acute. We need to build but where? Many critics point to the ample green space which surrounds some of our most overcrowded...
Hunting the Beefalo
03 Mar 2015
Contributed by Lukas
A failed breeding experiment has led to a hybrid creature running riot in the Grand Canyon. The Beefalo is now growing in number rapidly and causing d...
Bristol: Green Capital?
24 Feb 2015
Contributed by Lukas
Bristol has been named as Europe's Green Capital for 2015. Tom Heap finds out if local people will see real improvements in their city.Trapeze artists...
The Ice in Iceland
17 Feb 2015
Contributed by Lukas
Iceland is warming faster than most countries, two to four times faster than the global average temperature rise. A quirk of geography means that the ...
Taming Australia
10 Feb 2015
Contributed by Lukas
Australian Premier, Tony Abbott is determined to develop his Northern Territory. With the enormous markets of South-East Asia on the doorstep of Darwi...
Arctic Future
04 Nov 2014
Contributed by Lukas
The melting sea ice of the Arctic creates opportunities and threats for the people and wildlife of the region. This week the leaders of the polar nati...
Where Have All the Flowers Gone?
28 Oct 2014
Contributed by Lukas
Despite being protected on paper, many of the world's and the UK's rare plants and flowers are being targeted by thieves and smugglers. From the momen...
Making a Splash
21 Oct 2014
Contributed by Lukas
Tom Heap meets Darren Reynolds, a health and environment professor, who has developed a mini treatment plant that can turn dirty water into clean drin...
Scuba Squad: Cleaning the Ocean
14 Oct 2014
Contributed by Lukas
Cleaning the ocean floor, one dive at a time. Miranda Krestovnikoff reports from the sea bed as she joins a new marine clean-up squad.Miranda joins NA...
Saving the Caribbean
07 Oct 2014
Contributed by Lukas
The small islands of the Caribbean are acutely vulnerable to rising sea levels and a potential increase in the frequency and severity of hurricanes. T...
A Decade of Fracking
30 Sep 2014
Contributed by Lukas
After a decade of fracking, communities in Texas are still arguing about the pros and cons of the shale gas industry. With the industry ready to begin...
Power to the People
24 Sep 2014
Contributed by Lukas
There's no doubt that 'People Power' can transform a community, when keen volunteers come together to collectively improve their lot.But what happens ...
El Nino: Driving the Planet's Weather
16 Sep 2014
Contributed by Lukas
Meteorologist, Peter Gibbs investigates the global impact of the weather phenomenon El Nino. Forecasts predict El Nino will occur at the end of this y...
When Mosquitoes Attack!
09 Sep 2014
Contributed by Lukas
Jheni Osman investigates whether the threat of mosquito-borne disease is moving closer to home in the UK. She joins Public Health England's Medical En...
Texan Drought
02 Sep 2014
Contributed by Lukas
Whilst many parts of the United States have suffered drought this summer, for Texas it's been going on for years. Wells and reservoir levels are at a ...
The Diesel Decade
26 Aug 2014
Contributed by Lukas
The air quality in our towns and cities has remained stubbornly filthy over the last ten years despite tightening regulations on the poisonous emissio...
Britain's Overseas Wildlife
20 May 2014
Contributed by Lukas
Britain's Overseas Territories from the Caribbean to the Falkland Islands contain a treasure trove of wildlife. A new report from the RSPB reveals tha...
Energy Storage
13 May 2014
Contributed by Lukas
Massive batteries? Compressing or liquefying air? Moving gravel uphill on ski lifts? Tom Heap looks at some of the big ideas proposed for storing ener...
The Future of Our Food
06 May 2014
Contributed by Lukas
Costing the Earth debates one of the most important issues facing the planet that affects all of us: Where will our food come from in the decades ahea...
Chemical Weapons: 100 Years On
29 Apr 2014
Contributed by Lukas
With the end of April being the deadline for Syria's President Assad to sacrifice his entire arsenal of chemical weapons, Tom Heap finds out the nitty...
Power of Scotland
22 Apr 2014
Contributed by Lukas
Scotland is the principal source of Britain's renewable energy as well as its oil and gas. What would independence mean for the UK energy market? Woul...
Living It Small
15 Apr 2014
Contributed by Lukas
Did you have a tree house or a den as a child and think you could happily live there? What is the smallest space you could live in without being drive...
Flight from Disaster
08 Apr 2014
Contributed by Lukas
When millions of litres of poisonous sludge poured out of a zinc mine in Andalucia in 1998 wildlife was devastated for miles around. As the tidal wave...
A Resilient World?
01 Apr 2014
Contributed by Lukas
Following the publication of the latest report from the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, Tom Heap and a group of climate experts debate how ...
Britain's Green Capital 2015
28 Mar 2014
Contributed by Lukas
In 2015 Bristol will be European Green Capital. We discover exactly what the title means to the city and what makes Bristol so environmentally friendl...
Feeding the Crops of the Future
18 Mar 2014
Contributed by Lukas
Tom Heap looks at whether we're running out of phosphorus. It's an essential element in fertiliser and all life on earth depends on it. Nowadays we ge...
Future-proofing Forests
11 Mar 2014
Contributed by Lukas
Ash dieback was discovered in the UK in late 2012 and since then has been killing many of the UK's ash trees. But it's not the only threat - many pest...
Nuclear Waste's Final Destination
04 Mar 2014
Contributed by Lukas
Nuclear power is back on the UK's agenda, but what to do with the long-lasting radioactive waste remains the problem.Costing The Earth investigates th...
A Greener Way to Go
25 Feb 2014
Contributed by Lukas
Many of us are trying to lead a greener life, but how many of us will continue the trend to its logical conclusion... into death? On this week's Costi...
Britain Under Water
18 Feb 2014
Contributed by Lukas
It's time to fight back against nature. For two months great swathes of Britain have been paralysed by torrential rain, storms and flooding. Tom Heap ...
A Toilet for the 21st Century
11 Feb 2014
Contributed by Lukas
There are 2.5 billion people living on the planet without access to basic sanitation. As a result hundreds of children die from diseases such as diarr...
The End of Plastic
05 Nov 2013
Contributed by Lukas
Tom Heap meets a man on a mission: Eben Bayer is determined to eradicate plastic and polystyrene from the packaging industry and replace it with a bio...
Hot in the City
29 Oct 2013
Contributed by Lukas
Heatwaves and rising temperatures are killing thousands of people each year and that's expected to increase dramatically in the future. Tom Heap asks ...
Our Neighbours Are Elephants!
22 Oct 2013
Contributed by Lukas
Urban sprawl is now impacting on the habitats of wildlife in countries around the world, so how can wildlife and city dwellers live together?Reports f...
Mind the Gap
15 Oct 2013
Contributed by Lukas
Our energy needs are growing as our energy supply dwindles. Renewables have not come online quickly enough and we are increasingly reliant on expensiv...
CSI Landfill
08 Oct 2013
Contributed by Lukas
Tom Heap discovers landfill mining: finding value in what's been thrown away. He visits Belgium to meet the first prospectors digging for treasure in ...
Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change
01 Oct 2013
Contributed by Lukas
Tom Heap reports on the latest findings of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change.He's joined by a panel of top scientists and thinkers to pick...
Burn That Fat!
30 Sep 2013
Contributed by Lukas
Fighting the fat can be a difficult issue - and not just for our waistlines. Old cooking oil from our takeaways and roast dinners can cause major prob...
Sharks Attacked
17 Sep 2013
Contributed by Lukas
Ever since the film 'Jaws' hit the big screen, sharks have been portrayed as aggressive, indiscriminate killers. But in reality there are only a handf...
Waste Watchers
10 Sep 2013
Contributed by Lukas
In 2011 a major report involving 400 experts from 35 countries issued stark warnings about the future food supply. The Foresight report stressed in or...
The Palm Oil Palm Off
03 Sep 2013
Contributed by Lukas
In June this year a thick haze descended over Singapore, causing record air pollution levels which left streets empty and forcing children, the sick a...
Electric Cars Recharged
27 Aug 2013
Contributed by Lukas
It has been the Next Big Thing for longer than most people can remember but there are signs that the much-derided electric car may finally be poised f...
GM Update: Pig 26
21 May 2013
Contributed by Lukas
Tom Heap investigates the latest developments in GM technology.He visits the University of Edinburgh's Roslin Institute for the latest on precision ge...
The Cost of Cruising
14 May 2013
Contributed by Lukas
When the cruise ship Costa Concordia ran aground in January 2012 with the loss of 32 passengers and crew the environmental dangers to the Tuscan coast...
Bees Fight Back
09 May 2013
Contributed by Lukas
Much heat has been generated about about modern pesticides called neonicotinoids. Their supporters - the companies which make them, the farmers who us...
Amphibian Extinction
30 Apr 2013
Contributed by Lukas
Frogs, toads and newts are becoming a less frequent sight in our ponds and gardens. Globally 40% of amphibians - almost 2000 species - are threatened ...
Fish - The Next Fight
23 Apr 2013
Contributed by Lukas
Tom Heap meets the activists hoping to bring an end to illegal fishing by tackling the problem head on: by getting in the way of pirate fishermen.The ...
The Deepest Lake on Earth
19 Apr 2013
Contributed by Lukas
Russia's Lake Baikal is the oldest and deepest lake in the world, containing 20% of the world's unfrozen fresh water. Dr Anson Mackay from University ...
CSI Rhino
09 Apr 2013
Contributed by Lukas
Tom Heap discovers an unlikely battle in the war to protect remaining wild rhino populations being fought here in the UK. Rhino horn is now worth twic...
The Urban Farmers
03 Apr 2013
Contributed by Lukas
Alice Roberts revisits the - quite literally - ground breaking 'Incredible Edibles' concept of Todmorden and finds that their inspiration has spread a...
Exotic Pets
26 Mar 2013
Contributed by Lukas
The demand for exotic and unusual pets is growing. Reptiles and amphibians , including snakes, lizards and geckos are popular pets for those looking f...
Green Babies
19 Mar 2013
Contributed by Lukas
2013 is predicted to see the biggest baby boom in 40 years. Whether it's the Royal baby or an after effect of the Olympics nobody is certain. But what...
The House That Heats Itself
12 Mar 2013
Contributed by Lukas
Miranda Krestovnikoff looks at new building materials for environmentally-friendly houses and asks where you should start if you want to build your ow...
Electrifying Africa: Beyond the Grid
06 Mar 2013
Contributed by Lukas
Micro-solar lamps are now lighting parts of Africa that the grid cannot reach. Tom Heap investigates how the solar spread is emulating the wide reach ...
Electrifying Africa: The Power Beneath
27 Feb 2013
Contributed by Lukas
A geothermal revolution is set to electrify Africa. Tom Heap visits the Rift Valley in Kenya, a potential source of abundant energy to find out if pro...
Dash for Ash
19 Feb 2013
Contributed by Lukas
By 2020 the UK must significantly reduce its landfill habit. A recent government report warned that we would run out of landfill space by 2018 and a E...
When Nettles Attack!
12 Feb 2013
Contributed by Lukas
For years we've been warned that invaders from abroad are threatening the quiet majesty of the British countryside. But the latest evidence suggests t...
Robot Farmers
05 Feb 2013
Contributed by Lukas
Satellite technology and advances in robotics are set to revolutionise the future of farming. Out go the heavy, soil destroying combines and tractors,...
Berlin's Big Gamble
29 Jan 2013
Contributed by Lukas
It's an environmental experiment on an unprecedented scale. Germany's political parties have agreed to close the country's nuclear power stations and ...
Future Forests
13 Dec 2012
Contributed by Lukas
The crisis in Britain's ash forests came as a shock to public and politicians. But is it a vision of the future for our woodlands? Stressed by climate...
Tsunami Debris
09 Oct 2012
Contributed by Lukas
Since the Japanese tsunami 1.5 million tonnes of debris has been floating across the Pacific towards the West coast of North America. Despite predicti...
Wave Goodbye?
02 Oct 2012
Contributed by Lukas
In the choppy waters around Orkney the hopes and dreams of hundreds of scientists, engineers and investors are being pushed to the limit. At the test...
Apocalypse Then and Now
26 Sep 2012
Contributed by Lukas
During the Vietnam War two million tons of American bombs were dropped on the tiny nation of Laos, more than the combined weight dropped on Japan and ...
Cruel Harvest
19 Sep 2012
Contributed by Lukas
The disastrous global harvest of 2012 has slashed food supplies from the parched Mid-West of the USA to the dusty plains of Ukraine. In this time of c...
Chinese Salmon
11 Sep 2012
Contributed by Lukas
In January 2011 the Scottish Government announced a new deal to supply salmon to China. If only 1% of its population chose to eat it the Scottish indu...
People Power
04 Sep 2012
Contributed by Lukas
In the UK thousands of people spend many hours - and pounds - looking to burn off energy at gyms and while playing sports. Could that energy be harnes...
Britain's Wilderness
28 Aug 2012
Contributed by Lukas
The first attempt in England to turn a landscape back into a wilderness is 10 years old this year.In this week's Costing The Earth, Miranda Krestovnik...
Britain in 2060: The Seas
21 Aug 2012
Contributed by Lukas
Rising sea temperatures are already bringing new species to our shores. Sunfish, sea turtles and basking sharks are common sights. But what can we exp...
Britain from 2060: The Land
14 Aug 2012
Contributed by Lukas
According to the latest predictions on global warming Britain from the 2060s could begin to look rather like Madeira. In the first of a two-part inves...
Jellyfish Invasion!
22 May 2012
Contributed by Lukas
Jellyfish are taking over the world's oceans, eating baby fish and driving marine ecosystems back to the primitive Cambrian era. Or are they? Although...
Pushing Water
15 May 2012
Contributed by Lukas
There's a drought in most of England but plenty of water elsewhere. Why not move it? Yes, water is heavy, but it's also slippery and moves down hill. ...
Return of the king
08 May 2012
Contributed by Lukas
In the rush to come up with new, clean ways to produce electricity many people assumed that dirty old coal was a fuel of the past, a relic of the Indu...
Genetically Modified Brunch
01 May 2012
Contributed by Lukas
Genetically-modified crops provoked scepticism and outright objection from many environmentalists and food campaigners when they were first launched i...
Cruise Ships and Creeks
24 Apr 2012
Contributed by Lukas
It is the third-largest natural harbour in the world but even so, it isn't deep enough for modern ships. Falmouth in Cornwall wants to invest £100 mi...
Britain in Flames
17 Apr 2012
Contributed by Lukas
Last spring huge swathes of the British countryside, from Dorset to the West Highlands erupted in flames. In the wake of a dry winter and drought orde...
What lies beneath
11 Apr 2012
Contributed by Lukas
Mining is set to return to Cornwall as tin and tungsten prices continue to rise. Plus a rare earth metal called Indium, a key component in smart phone...
Frozen Fish
03 Apr 2012
Contributed by Lukas
The seas around the Antarctic contain some of our last healthy fish stocks. Tight regulation and vicious weather conditions have kept most trawlers ou...
Sands of Time
27 Mar 2012
Contributed by Lukas
Britain's sand dunes are running out of time. Coastal development and well-meaning conservation plans have locked them in place, frustrating the natur...
Outbreak
20 Mar 2012
Contributed by Lukas
The outbreak of Schmallenberg disease amongst sheep and cattle on British farms has provided a powerful reminder of how novel infections can develop, ...
The Power of Peat
13 Mar 2012
Contributed by Lukas
In the fight against climate change the peatlands of the British Isles are one of our greatest assets. A healthy peat bog can absorb more carbon dioxi...
Rebel Without a Car
06 Mar 2012
Contributed by Lukas
The car was once the symbol of youthful cool. From James Dean through Steve McQueen to Ayrton Senna the car was a symbol of freedom, daring and sexual...
Nuclear Power Without the Nasties
28 Feb 2012
Contributed by Lukas
The Fukushima disaster in Japan brought the nuclear revival to a juddering halt. But what if there was a cheaper, safer way to create nuclear energy?T...
Tunnel Beneath the Thames
21 Feb 2012
Contributed by Lukas
Every time more than two millimetres of rain drops onto the streets of London a combination of raw sewerage and rainwater overwhelms the Victorian sew...
Bambi Bites Back
14 Feb 2012
Contributed by Lukas
Bambi has never had it so good. Changes in farming fashion now provide deer with delicious things to eat and warm places to sleep all winter long. The...
Adapting Insects
07 Feb 2012
Contributed by Lukas
In the battle to protect crops and eradicate disease, scientists are turning to ever more ingenious ways to defeat the old enemy - insects. Instead of...