Hello, it's Manvine bringing you an episode from a new podcast series from The Times in partnership with Rolex and its perpetual planet initiative, Planet Hope.

In this series, Adam Vaughn, the environment editor for The Times, asks why our planet is changing so rapidly and meets leading experts from around the world who are trying to turn the tide.

Through its perpetual planet initiative, Rolex supports individuals and organizations who go above and beyond to safeguard and preserve our planet for the next generation.

Volcanoes. Without them, we almost certainly would not be living in the same world we know today.

Gaseous emissions from volcanic vents, over hundreds of millions of years, formed the Earth's earlier stations and atmosphere, supplying the ingredients that were vital in evolving and sustaining life.

And their countless eruptions of lava molded more than 80% of the Earth's surface into mountains, plateaus and plains, which over time weathered into beautiful landscapes and formed fertile soils.

But despite volcanoes giving us one of our greatest gifts of life, they have an equal measure caused cataclysmic devastation and ruin in their wake.

Today, there are 1500 active volcanoes scattered around the Earth, putting approximately 500 million people living in volcanic zones at extreme risk of their wrath.

In 2022, we saw 85,000 people fall victim to the volcanic eruption at Hunger Tonga Hunger Harpai, and this isn't the only example.

In fact, on average, it's reported that 1,000 people die every year from volcanic activity.

In the face of one of the world's most deadly and erratic giants, it's easy to feel helpless at their mercy.

But there is hope, with innovative individuals making it their life's work to help protect those who live in the shadows of active volcanoes.

It's almost like you're breathalyzing the volcano. I really need to try and figure out how it had too much to drink.

But maybe to push that a little bit further, it's not just about working out how it had too much to drink, i.e. what is the gas composition of its breath.

It's also trying to work out its breathing patterns, because volcanoes, how they breathe, is very important to work out, for example, how the volcano held its breath for too long.

I'm Adam Vaughn, the Environment Editor for the Times, and this is Planet Hope in partnership with Rolex, and its perpetual planet initiative.

Today, we hear from the man who's using technology to help predict future volcanic eruptions.

In this episode, we're connecting to Sydney, Australia.

Famous for its harbor bridge, distinctive sound like opera house and iconic Bondo beach.

It's no wonder that more than 58,000 bricks moved to Sydney each year.

And I guess today, from the sounds of things, it's pretty pleased with his decision to migrate.

Hello, I'm Andrew McGonagall. I'm a Rolex Laureates, and I'm interested in developing technologies that can solve problems, particularly in the context of volcanology.

...