Hotter Than Hell

Hotter Than Hell

From Rare Earth by BBC Radio 4

June 12, 2026 · 52 min

About this episode

The episode discusses how Britain and the world can prepare for extreme heat, featuring insights from experts and individuals facing high temperatures.

How can Britain- and the world- prepare itself for extreme heat? Tom Heap and Helen Czerski hear from the experts and from the people facing up to the hottest temperatures on the planet. David Shukman, former BBC Science Editor asks how Britain should react to the threat in his new book, The Response, while Alex Riley, author of Super Natural guides us through the strategies used by animals that thrive in the hottest places on Earth. Tom and Helen are also joined from Bangalore by Chandni Singh of the Indian Institute for Human Settlements who shares her knowledge of the Indian response to heatwaves that can push the mercury to 48 degrees centigrade and make human life impossible to sustain. Producer: Alasdair Cross Assistant Producer: Toby Field

People in this episode

Hosts: Tom Heap, Helen Czerski

Guest: Chandni Singh

Topics covered

  • extreme heat
  • climate change
  • animal adaptation
  • heatwaves
  • human response

Keywords

  • extreme heat
  • climate adaptation
  • heatwaves
  • animal strategies
  • India heat response

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: Indian Institute for Human Settlements

Books & works: The Response, Super Natural

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