Earth Radio

August 2026 went down in history as the hottest month ever recorded, tied with July 2023. The global average surface air temperature was 1.65C higher than the pre-industrial baseline – the first time since November that it exceeded the 1.5C warming limit set in the Paris Agreement more than a decade ago.

We also cover a new study on the impacts of human actions on migratory birds. According to the report,one in nine migratory...

Global warming will reach at least 1.8C, well beyond the Paris Agreement goal of 1.5C, the United Nations said, adding that every fraction of warming means climate impacts will intensify and compound over time. While surpassing 1.5C  must not mean abandoning the Paris goal, the UN also warned that falling temperatures will not bring the world back to "normal". Here are 5 takeaways from the report.

Also this week, a federal judge ‌ru...

This week on Earth Radio, an update from the devastating floods that swept through Nepal and China last week, killing hundreds and leaving thousands missing. We also look at a new study investigating how climate change is supercharging El Niño events, and a new lawsuit challenging the EPA’s fast-tracked approval of toxic data center chemicals linked to "sudden death" and severe health risks.

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Earth Radio is a podcast by Ear...

This week on Earth Radio, we look at what's behind the huge drought currrently affecting more than half of England, including the whole of London, as well as the US Environmental Protection Agency's move to loosen pollution rules for data centers.

Meanwhile, July 30 marked Earth Overshoot Day - the date when humanity has exhausted nature’s budget for the year. It means that for the rest of the year, we are using resources bey...

This week on Earth Radio, France and Spain are battling what officials call the worst wildfire season in modern history, as blazes threaten Madrid and Bordeaux and displace hundreds of thousands of residents. Hundreds of wildfires are also raging across Canada, with toxic smoke filling skies as far south as Florida.

Meanwhile in the UK, new Prime Minister Andy Burnham has sparked controversy after announcing plans for new oil and g...

This week on Earth Radio, the ongoing, record-shattering European heatwave would have been "virtually impossible" just 50 years ago, and a Paris court found TotalEnergies liable for the emissions linked to the products it sells.

Meanwhile, none of the United Nations 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) is on track to be reached by the 2030 deadline, and the US Senate blocks efforts by the Trump administration to dismantle a key ...

This week on Earth Radio, scientists identify three times as many climate-resilient coral reefs as previously thought. Meanwhile in the US, the Trump administration is intervening in a lawsuit over claims that Elon Musk’s AI company is polluting neighborhoods in South Memphis, Mississippi. Finally, the National Oceanis and Atmospheric Administration said that El Niño is officially here.

Read this week's stories at the links b...

This week on Earth Radio, a new UN report exposes the unfathomable footprint of data centers as AI booms, and the Trump administration moves to dismantle a decade-old, deep-ocean observation network that scientists have used to track changes in the ocean and monitor marine heatwaves and coastal flooding. Meanwhile, the UN warns that El Niño could arrive as early as this month.

Read this week's stories at the links below:

• UN ...

This week on Earth Radio, an exceptionally early summer heatwave scorched much of Western Europe this week, breaking temperature records and resulting in over a dozen fatalities. The UK climate adviser has called on the government to install air conditioning in all care homes, hospitals and schools in the next 25 years.

These heatwaves are becoming more frequent and intense because of climate change, with the UN warning that the Ea...

This week on Earth Radio, the UN General Assembly backs a historic world court ruling on countries' obligations when it comes to climate change, and chances for a "super" El Niño rise. We also look at the US Environmental Protection Agency's rollback of limits on toxic chemicals in drinking water, and an investigation revealing that Trump-appointed EPA officials accepted $1.8 billion from chemical companies and groups before taking...

This week on Earth Radio, World Cup players and fans could face dangerous levels of heat, and a report calling for the overhaul of the US disaster response agency only mentions "climate" once. Meanwhile, New Zealand is considering passing legislation that would ban lawsuits against polluting companies.

Find this week's stories at the links below:

• ⁠World Cup 2026: 1 in 4 matches could take place in dangerous heat conditions, anal...

This week on Earth Radio, scientists say that last year's mega tsunami in Alaska is a stark warning of the risks of coastal rockslides and glacier retreat fueled by the climate crisis. Meanwhile, climate protesters gathered outside Shell’s London HQ to protest against the company’s better-than-expected profits amid the war in Iran, and rising water levels are beginning to revive Iraq's wetlands after years of drought le...

This week on Earth Radio, soil-dependent species are at risk of extinction, the Trump administration deals another major blow to science and an Italian city takes an important step away from fossil fuels.

Find these week’s stories at the links below:

• Record Heat, Vanishing Ice: New Report Charts the Accelerating Climate Crisis Across Europe
• Coalition of ‘High Ambition’ States Calls For Legal International Instrum...

This week, our host Rebekah Hendricks speaks with Dr. Oliver Selmoni, a Spatial Geneticist at the University of Zurich, for a special episode about how coral reefs are responding to climate change.

In late 2025, the Global Tipping Points report showed that ocean temperatures have crossed a critical threshold for coral reefs. The heat stress has caused huge swaths of coral reefs to become bleached ghost towns.

Luckily, Dr. Selmon...

This week on Earth Radio, summers in Sydney are 50 days longer than they were three decades ago as global temperatures rise worldwide. We also look at two new studies that have re-examined the risk of birds entering in collision with rotor blades of wind turbines, and India's quiet withdrawal of its bid to host the UN's top-tier climate conference COP33.

Find these week’s stories at the links below:

• Sydney summers have...

This week on Earth Radio, March's near record high sea surface temperatures pave the wave for the return of El Niño, a weather pattern drivingtemporary spikes in global surface temperature, and a new report looks at "overlooked" and "emerging" sources of microplastics.

We also look at why the reasons behind the International Union for Conservation of Nature's reclassification of emperor penguins andAntarctic fur seal as "endan...

This week on Earth Radio, renewables hit nearly half of global energy capacity, the Trump administration is granted an exception to the Endangered Species Act to expand drilling in the Gulf of Mexico, and Italy delays the closure of its coal-fired power plants by nearly two decades. 

We also explore the consequences of the US EPA’s decision to remove restrictions on mercury pollution. A coalition of health and environment...

This week on Earth Radio, as the UN confirms the warmest decade in recorded history, we examine a sobering new study revealing how heat-related mortality will disproportionately impact the world's poorest nations.

We also look at the Trump administration's controversial $1 billion deal to end offshore wind projects in the country, despite the US-Israel war on Iran causing the worst energy crisis in history. Finally, more than 160 or...