The Earth Transformed by Peter Frankopan

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The Earth Transformed by Peter Frankopan: Episode 5: The Sharpening of Anxieties

Episode 5: The Sharpening of Anxieties

BBC Radio 4 - The Earth Transformed by Peter Frankopan, Episode 5: The Sharpening of Anxieties

In the 20th century, conflict and environmental degradation redefine global concerns.

Hugh Bonneville reads Peter Frankopan's epic new history. Today, we reach the 20th century, when conflict and environmental degradation redefine global concerns.

Hugh Bonneville reads Peter Frankopan's epic history. Today, we reach the 20th century when conflict and environmental degradation redefine global concerns.

In his acclaimed new history Peter Frankopan takes us from the Big Bang to the present and beyond.  Here he shows us that the natural world has always been a defining factor in the twists and turns that global history has taken since the beginning of time.  We'll discover the role that volcanic eruptions, oceanic shifts, rainfall and solar activity have played in physically, economically and politically shaping our world.  In later episodes we'll explore how the evolution of religion; the rapacious colonial appetite for commodities, and technological interventions in weather patterns have shaped societies and cultures all over the world. As the planet heads towards a future defined by global warming, this book offers up salutary reflections.

Peter Frankopan is Professor of Global History at Oxford University and Senior Research Fellow at Worcester College.  The Earth Transformed went straight into the best-seller lists following publication. His 2015 book, The Silk Roads: A New History of the World was named one of the 'Books of the Decade' 2010-2020 by the Sunday Times. Published in 2018 The New Silk Roads: The Present and Future of the World won the Human Sciences prize of the Carical Foundation.

Hugh Bonneville is an award-winning actor. He recently appeared in the BBC TV series, The Gold, and is well known for playing Robert Crawley in the long-running series Downton Abbey, as well as Ian Fletcher in W1A and Twenty-Twelve. His film work includes the Paddingtons 1 and 2, and The Bank of Dave.

Abridger Katrin Williams
Producer by Elizabeth Allard

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Factual: Science & Nature: Nature & Environment

An epic history of how the changing climate has shaped the rise and fall of civilisations.

Book of the Week. Peter Frankopan's epic history of how a changing climate has dramatically shaped the development-and demise-of civilisations across time.

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Episode 5: The Sharpening of Anxieties

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