39 Ways to Save the Planet

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Tom Heap and Dr Tamsin Edwards uncover fresh ways to save the planet from climate change.

BBC Radio Four, in partnership with the Royal Geographical Society, presents 39 ideas to relieve the stress that climate change is exerting on the planet.

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39 Ways to Save the Planet: The Legal Fight

The Legal Fight

BBC Radio 4 - 39 Ways to Save the Planet, The Legal Fight

Taking Governments and organisations to court enforce environmental law.

Is it better to take to the courts than take to the trees? Legal organisation Client Earth are taking governments and business to court to get environmental laws taken seriously.

Campaign and protest have been the traditional tools of environmental action in the UK. American lawyer, James Thornton, set up Client Earth to defend the planet in a different way- by using the courts. Using local laws to challenge governments and businesses they've had success across Europe and beyond, preventing the construction of coal-fired power stations and challenging the curse of air pollution. As well as enforcing environmental laws they're helping get new laws written. 

Tom Heap meets James and discusses the carbon implications of his ideas with climate scientist, Dr Tamsin Edwards.

Producer: Anne-Marie Bullock

Researcher: Sarah Goodman

Produced in association with the Royal Geographical Society. Special thanks for this episode to Professor Pavlos Eleftheriadis from the University of Oxford and Professor Stephen Peake from the Open University.

Photo of James Thornton by Dan Wilton.

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39 Ways to Save the Planet

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