Episode

Are insects the answer?

Podcast
Rare Earth
Published
May 30, 2025
Duration seconds
3204
Processing state
not_requested
Canonical source
http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m002cq4z
Audio
http://open.live.bbc.co.uk/mediaselector/6/redir/version/2.0/mediaset/audio-nondrm-download-rss/proto/http/vpid/p0lf6rj8.mp3
JSON
/v1/public/podcasts/rare-earth-6755507/episodes/are-insects-the-answer
Markdown
/podcast/rare-earth-6755507/are-insects-the-answer.md

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Summary

Insects are the quiet engineers of the environment - pollinating our plants, balancing our ecosystems and clearing up our waste. Some insects can digest plastic, and they play a vital role in crop production. At the same time their populations are under threat from pesticides, habitat loss and climate change. In this programme, Helen Czerski and Tom Heap explore the largely ignored world of insects. Could they be the answer to some of the environmental problems we have created? Would eating them help lower our carbon footprint, and will the western world ever overcome its squeamishness to the idea? Helen and Tom explore the weird and wonderful world of insects with a panel of experts. Producer: Emma Campbell Assistant Producer: Toby Field Rare Earth is produced in association with the Open University