Planet: Critical

Planet: Critical is the podcast for a world in crisis. We face severe climate, energy, economic and political breakdown. Journalist Rachel Donald interviews those confronting the crisis, revealing what's really going on—and what needs to be done.

www.planetcritical.com

Recent Episodes

Confronting Collapse | Vanessa Machado de Oliveira
May 8, 2025 – 01:06:15
Resource Scarcity and Eco-Fascism | Antonio Turiel
May 1, 2025 – 01:07:05
Carbon is Not Our Enemy | Mongabay
Apr 24, 2025 – 01:08:04
Popping the Tech Bro Bubble | Molly White
Apr 17, 2025 – 01:07:07
A World of Contradictions | David Edgerton
Apr 10, 2025 – 59:52
Collapse: What It Is — And What To Do | Sarah Wilson
Apr 3, 2025 – 51:01
How To Do The Right Thing in Business | Brad Vanstone
Mar 27, 2025 – 01:08:47
The "Energy Transition" is a Pipe Dream | Jean-Baptiste Fressoz
Mar 20, 2025 – 51:51
States, Markets, and the Rest of Us | Grace Blakeley
Mar 13, 2025 – 45:52
The Age of Territorial Expansion | Michael Albertus
Mar 6, 2025 – 48:41
Animal Agriculture Exceptionalism | Kenny Torrella
Feb 27, 2025 – 54:19
How to Cool the Planet | Sailesh Rao
Feb 20, 2025 – 50:46
The B******t Stinking Up Silicon Valley | Ed Zitron
Feb 13, 2025 – 57:04
The Smallest Parts | Craig Slee
Feb 6, 2025 – 01:09:27
Climate Violence | Peter Schwartzstein
Jan 30, 2025 – 57:25
Israel's Campaign To Destroy Life | Samaneh Moafi
Jan 23, 2025 – 42:45
Planetary Solvency | Sandy Trust
Jan 16, 2025 – 51:19
Climate Criminals | Aaron Regunberg
Jan 9, 2025 – 01:05:44
Scale Out in 2025 | Rachel Donald
Jan 2, 2025 – 51:29
The Need for Roots | Nathalie Nahai
Dec 26, 2024 – 01:02:16
Exposing the Imperial Class | Matt Kennard
Dec 19, 2024 – 01:00:23
Language and Violence | Sunil Amrith
Dec 12, 2024 – 54:34
From the Ashes | Dana Fisher
Dec 5, 2024 – 50:36
Civil Resistance | Pasha Bell
Nov 28, 2024 – 51:13
Climate Litigation Breakthroughs | Nikki Reisch
Nov 21, 2024 – 01:02:27
Hurt People Hurt People | Kosha Joubert
Nov 14, 2024 – 01:00:37
WTF | Emily Atkin
Nov 7, 2024 – 43:32
The Renewables Solution | Auke Hoekstra
Oct 31, 2024 – 01:47:30
Nuclear and Justice | Jessica Lovering
Oct 24, 2024 – 55:18
Decarbonising the War Machine | Sherri Goodman
Oct 17, 2024 – 38:06
How Net Zero Killed 1.5 | James Dyke
Oct 10, 2024 – 58:48
The Plastic Crisis | Jane van Dis
Oct 3, 2024 – 01:06:09
The Green Washing Machine | Veronica Bates Kassatly
Sep 26, 2024 – 56:02
The Energy Collapse | Louis Arnoux
Sep 19, 2024 – 01:30:31
E-Topia | Deep Dhillon
Sep 10, 2024 – 01:24:06
The Rights of Nature | Mongabay Newscast
Sep 5, 2024 – 46:26
Sick People or Sick Society? | Steffi Bednarek
Aug 29, 2024 – 59:51
We Deserve Better Certainties | Natasha Lennard
Aug 22, 2024 – 46:42
Low Tech Life | Kris De Decker
Aug 15, 2024 – 01:02:16
Crisis of Mastery | Bayo Akomolafe
Aug 8, 2024 – 51:58
Building Trust | Nate Kinch
Aug 1, 2024 – 01:07:26
Climate Change as Class War | Matt Huber
Jul 18, 2024 – 01:12:56
The Sixth Mass Extinction | Peter Brannen
Jul 11, 2024 – 01:00:43
How A.I. is Driving Policy | Paul Schutze
Jul 4, 2024 – 49:59
Climate Reparations | Esther Afolaranmi
Jun 27, 2024 – 36:29
Doing the Right Thing | Gianluca Grimalda
Jun 20, 2024 – 01:06:21
The Body Politic | Ranu Mukherjee
Jun 13, 2024 – 01:02:04
The Symbolic Species | Terrence Deacon
Jun 6, 2024 – 59:36
Energy Wars | Art Berman
May 30, 2024 – 01:13:26
The Thermodynamics of Degrowth | Tim Garrett
May 23, 2024 – 01:33:12

Recent Reviews

Manolunga

Green Pill 💊 podcast

The best resource to take the green pill and see the reality of the urgency of our moment.
IFYTIT

Podcast: catastrophizing

Ideologically captured host
lynnharding

Earth is a Heat Pump

I think this is the best explanation of how thermodynamics works in the world. It is the best I have heard since Flanders and Swan put it to music in the 1960s “work is heat and heat is work…….yeah that’s entropy man!”
the redtail-hawk

best podcast but the worst guest

I do not disagree with Arnoux basically but he deserves the worst communicator award. Even your sparkle was dimmed by his hesitant, uninformative, and lugubrious presentation. You are still the best. All stars go to you. Paul
El Phantsmo

Great Journalism

And important work.
JVDMD

Best Podcast

One of the top podcasts on the climate, biodiversity, overshoot and planetary boundary crisis. Rachel is such a sharp, intelligent interviewer!
Ryan A Pickering

Tough Questions

Loved Rachel’s line of questioning with Mark Nelson to get to the real physics of our energy systems.
TudorEynon

Refreshing

Open to new ideas, smart and gives hope for the future.
nancylaplaca

Great podcast - listen to understand our world

This is an outstanding podcast. Rachel does a great job finding interesting and world changing people, and she’s asking questions that few seem to be asking with her incisive reporting and interviews. Thank you, Rachel!
becky0237

👍👍👍

Just listened to your interview with Jason Hickel. Great questions, world changing content.
Dan1777999877

So insightful!

It’s obvious Rachel puts extraordinary effort into every single episode of Planet: Critical. But what makes this show a true standout is the quality of the guests, stories, and tactics. Rachel finds speakers that truly care about being a positive force in the sustainability space, and shares insights that only a true practitioner can unearth. Don't miss it!
KN757

Excellent

Glad I found this program. Rachel is having important discussions about the sustainability of human civilization which are rarely had in public discourse. High quality slate of interviewees. Rachel asks pointed questions and comes well prepared.
BeaMindful

How to save the world

Highly recommend! Insightful and entertaining. Great way to start Earth Week!
The Hydrologist

Must listen to all these stories

Each story is amazing and truly love the “how to save the world” episode. Plus Rachel is an excellent interviewer who not only brings the best out in her guests but also shares amazing insight from her own perspective.