For the love of weather

In this special episode of For the Love of Weather, Gemma and Aisling head to the annual Blue Earth Summit for a series of inspiring conversations with people driving real environmental change.

They begin with Dan Bradbury from World Land Trust, who shares how the organisation protects and restores land in partnership with local communities across 33 countries. From community-managed forests in Tanzania to women-led tree planting initiatives,

Dan speaks passionately about putting people at the heart of conservation. His message is clear: don’t be paralysed by the scale of the crisis — just do something. Even small actions can have a powerful ripple effect.
https://www.worldlandtrust.org/

Next, they speak with Ellen Rickford from Rewilding Britain, who explains how rewilding restores entire ecosystems so nature can function and thrive again.

From reintroducing keystone species like beavers to stepping back and allowing landscapes to recover naturally, Ellen highlights how rewilding strengthens biodiversity, supports communities, and builds resilience to climate change. When nature is given space, it has an incredible ability to heal. https://www.rewildingbritain.org.uk/

Finally, Paola Hanley from The Green Runners explores the hidden environmental impact of running — from trainers to travel — and encourages runners to make small, practical changes that collectively make a big difference. https://thegreenrunners.com/

Across every conversation, one theme stands out: the challenges are huge, but solutions exist — and we all have a role to play. We really hope you enjoy this episode of the podcast, and leave loving the weather just a little bit more.

This material from this episode was recorded in October 2025.
If you want to hear a little more weather and climate chat - please hit subscribe, like and share with a friend. You can follow us on social media - @fortheloveofweather You can subscribe on Youtube - https://www.youtube.com/@ForTheLoveOfWeather
You can find a direct link to this episode here - https://youtu.be/iQnWfH07VVM

Meet Caroline Cox, Earth Observation Algorithm Scientist with RAL Space. She works on satellite missions that help us understand our planet better. From calibrating brand-new satellite instruments to turning raw space data into scientifically accurate images, she’s part of the huge team effort that makes those stunning satellite pictures possible.

Caroline's work often starts at least ten years before a satellite makes it into space. She works behind the scenes on satellite instruments to make sure that raw data that comes back from space is accurate so that scientists can better understand our planet.

She explains what exactly Earth radiance actually is and why it matters for measuring surface temperature and atmospheric gases, and how clouds remain one of the biggest uncertainties in climate science.

Caroline lead the ‘Cloud Catcher’ citizen science project and explains that thousands of people have taken part to help analyse satellite images.

Listen on to learn more about the cumulus cloud, desert textures seen from space, the magic of those first satellite images after launch, and just how much work goes into producing a single “pretty picture” from space.

If you would like to learn more about RAL Space you can find them here.
https://www.ralspace.stfc.ac.uk/Pages/home.aspx

And here are some of the satellite organisations mentioned on the podcast today.
https://www.eumetsat.int/image-week
https://www.copernicus.eu/en/media/image-day

If you would like to learn more about Caroline’s cloud catcher Citizen Scientist project you can find it here
https://www.zooniverse.org/projects/caroline-cox/cloudcatcher

We really hope you enjoy this episode of the podcast, and leave loving the weather just a little bit more.

If you want to hear a little more weather and climate chat - please hit subscribe, like and share with a friend.

You can follow us on social media - @fortheloveofweather
You can subscribe on Youtube - https://www.youtube.com/@ForTheLoveOfWeather

In this episode we meet Australian meteorologist and Nine News presenter Jessica Braithwaite. We discuss all things weather, climate and Jessica’s beautiful, heartfelt newly released book and song ‘Whatever the Weather, We’re in This Together.
This episode was recorded at the end of 2025 and our conversation is more relevant than ever as we have watched Jessica for the first time put an unprecedented 50 Celsius on a weather map.
Jessica takes us on a journey of her early love of weather, her passion for both journalism and environmental science and her experience of how the climate conversation has moved on in Australia She speaks from the heart about the emotional challenge of forecasting in unprecedented extremes such as The Black Summer bushfires, a prolonged marine heatwave causing toxic algae blooms as well as extreme heat and the anxiety that comes with witnessing climate change firsthand.
Despite these challenges, Jessica highlights the importance of hope and community action, as well as showcasing positive climate stories that might not otherwise make the news. We then focus on Jessica's new children’s picture book, Whatever the Weather, We’re in This Together and how we think this is a book for not just children but for adults too.
Listen on to learn about Indigenous Australian seasonal calendars and how they offer a deeper, place-based understanding of climate, why spring and autumn feel increasingly symbolic in a changing climate and so much more.
If you would like to follow Jessica, you can find her on TikTok and Instagram @jessica.braithwaite. Her book can be found in any book store and we cannot recommend it enough; it is simply beautiful.
We really hope you enjoy this episode of the podcast, and leave loving the weather just a little bit more. If you want to hear more weather and climate chat - please hit subscribe, like and share with a friend. You can follow us on social media - @fortheloveofweather You can subscribe on Youtube - https://www.youtube.com/@ForTheLoveOfWeather

Just when you think you know something about trees, you learn even more! Such an interesting episode with Dr Ruth Swetnam, Carbon & Research Manager for the Atlantic Rainforests Programme at the Wildlife Trusts. Ruth is a Chartered Geographer and Landscape Specialist with particular expertise in digital mapping (GIS), Environmental Science and Landscape Ecology.

Ruth tells us about temperate rainforests in the UK and her very important work in restoring these rainforests. Temperate rainforests in the UK are unique ecosystems that provide cooling effects, mitigate climate change, and reduce forest fire risk. They are more resilient to diseases and storms compared to conifer plantations. Temperate rainforests are full of deciduous trees, with their slower growth and deeper roots, are essential for carbon storage and forest regeneration.

We found this podcast fascinating and can't believe how important furry ferns actually are! If you would like to learn more about the work of the Wildlife Trust, here are the links.
https://www.wildlifetrusts.org/temperate-rainforest-restoration#:~:text=The%20100-year%20temperate%20rainforest,even%2C%20than%20its%20tropical%20counterpart.

You can also find a summary of the work being carried out on temperate rainforests in the UK here.
https://www.wildlifetrusts.org/sites/default/files/2024-08/Temperate%20Rainforest%20Programme%20Annual%20Report%202023-24.pdf
If you would like to chat to Ruth, please contact her through the Wildlife Trusts website.

We really hope you enjoy this episode of the podcast, and leave loving the weather just a little bit more.

If you want to hear a little more weather and climate chat - please hit subscribe, like and share with a friend.

You can follow us on social media - @fortheloveofweather

You can subscribe on Youtube - https://www.youtube.com/@ForTheLoveOfWeather

Gemma and Aisling were invited to speak to some of the incredible people behind the new Carbon Garden at Kew Gardens in London which opened in July 2025. This is part 2, part 1 was released on the 27th of August 2025.

This extraordinary new space explores the story of carbon and how important it is to life on Earth. More than just a beautiful garden, this project communicates the scale of the climate crisis while celebrating the remarkable power of plants and mycorrhizal fungi as our planet's natural allies. With 35 carefully selected trees and 6,500 beautiful plants, the Carbon Garden is one of Kew Gardens' most ambitious garden projects in recent years.

The garden is filled with lots of brilliant features including a rain garden and a stunning central pavilion, which has been inspired by fungi and made with natural materials. Some of the planting also takes inspiration from the climate stripes, which were created by Professor Ed Hawkins at the University of Reading.

This episode focus’ on carbon storage and LiDAR measurement and what the team hope to learn and understand about carbon storage.
Each of the guests were unique, fun and above all so passionate about what they do. It was lovely to hear their story in person.

In part 2 we talk to Professor Justin Moat, Senior Research Leader and Spatial Analyst and to Dr. Phil Wilkes, Research Leader.

You can find out more about the Carbon Garden at Kew here https://www.kew.org/kew-gardens/whats-in-the-gardens/carbon-garden

And if you would like to know more about Professor Ed Hawkins Climate stripes - https://showyourstripes.info/. We recorded an episode with Professor Ed on June 18th 2025 https://rss.com/podcasts/for-the-love-of-weather/2078913/ or search Professor Ed Hawkins, for the love of weather podcast.

We really hope you enjoy this episode and leave loving the weather a little bit more.
If you want to hear a little more weather and climate chat - please hit subscribe, like and share with a friend.

You can follow us here…
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Subscribe on Youtube - https://www.youtube.com/@ForTheLoveOfWeather