39 Ways to Save the Planet

Climate change is real. It's happening. But it's not the end of the world. Beating climate change takes the best ideas from the smartest minds, and in this programme, Tom Heap reveals 39 ways to relieve the stress that climate change is exerting on the planet. Our brightest brains are developing potent carbon-cutting ideas - from the paddy fields of the Punjab to the Siberian permafrost. We hear about incredible new solar panel materials and robots repairing wind turbines, as well as thinking about biodiversity, trees and blue carbon - the marine and coastal ecosystems that are so important for storing carbon and preventing coastal erosion. There isn't going to be just one solution. We're not going to discover one new energy source that will solve the whole problem. But it all adds up. And one thing that all these solutions have in common is that the people working on them believe they can make a big difference. All of these different solutions, with all of their different pros and cons, will at some point get us to our net zero target. This is a golden opportunity to pause, and design a better future. We made this mess, but we can clean it up. Presented by Tom Heap, with Dr Tamsin Edwards Produced by Alasdair Cross and Anne-Marie Bullock Researcher: Sarah Goodman Produced in partnership with the Royal Geographical Society © 2021 BBC Studios Distribution Ltd (p)2021 BBC Studios Distribution Ltd