Advertise on podcast: 7th Generation

On June 21st of this year, Friends of the Cam issued the Declaration of the Rights of the River Cam. This month’s show explores Nature’sRights, with Paul Powlesland, barrister and founder of Lawyers for Nature, Tony Booth of Friends of the Cam, and Jojo Mehta, whose group Stop Ecocide has just come up with a definition for a new international crime of Ecocide.

The Oxford-Cambridge Arc is an ambitious plan to better link together the two university cities. But the development, including the East-West Railway, new roads, and up to a million new homes bring with them a massive environmental impact. South Cambs District Council leader, and OxCam Arc environment leader, Bridget Smith, Richard Astle, the chair of Natural Cambridgeshire, and Oxford ecologist David Rogers give their contrasting views.

The Environmental Impact of Pets. Pet ownership has boomed during lockdown and so has their environmental impact. 7th Generation explore the effects pets are having on wild spaces, including the chemical impact of flea and worm treatments, with Stephanie Morren of the RSPB and Clare Shand of Westgate testing labs, and find out about the history of pets and pet products from "animal geographer" Dr Philip Howell of Cambridge University. Plus tips on reducing your pet's paw-print!

This November the UK will host the 26th Conference of Parties on Climate Change. We find out what a COP is, why they haven't worked so far, and what locals are doing to take part. With Nathan Thanki of the Global Campaign to Demand Climate Justice, Quan Nguyen of the UK COP26 Coalition, and Jill Eastland of the Cambridge COP26 Coalition group. With music from Spell Songs.

Writer, and three-time mayor of Ely, Mike Rouse and South Cambs resident John Baker join the 7th Generation team this month to share memories and lore of childhood and nature in the fens. We also meet academic Nicola Walshe and Ruth Sapsed of Cambridge Curiosity and Imagination and find out how Robert Macfarlane's book The Lost Words is being used to inspire local children.

New Ideas for a New Year: solving the environmental crisis is going to take new ways of thinking. This month, the team explores two 21st Century ideas which approach the problem and finds out about Doughnut Economics from Geraint Davies and Diner Ismail of the Cambridge Doughnut Economic Action Group and talk to both Sarah Allan, who helped lead the organisation of the UK's first Climate Assembly, and Liz Roman, who was part of it.