Uploaded July 2025 | Updated September 2026, 3 weeks ago
What if the key to solving our climate crisis lies beneath our feet? Could tiny fungal networks be the unsung heroes of carbon sequestration? And how might reimagining our relationship with fungi transform our understanding of life on Earth?
This week on Cleaning Up, Bryony Worthington sits down with Merlin Sheldrake, author of the bestselling "Entangled Life," to explore the extraordinary world of fungi. Sheldrake reveals how these remarkable organisms are not just passive participants in our ecosystem, but active innovators that have been shaping our planet for a billion of years.
From their crucial role in carbon cycling and soil health to their potential in creating sustainable materials, fungi may be a powerful solution to some of our most pressing environmental challenges. Sheldrake takes us on a journey through fungal networks, discussing their intelligence, chemical capabilities, and symbiotic relationships that challenge our understanding of life.
Leadership Circle:
Cleaning Up is supported by the Leadership Circle, and its founding members: Actis, Alcazar Energy, Davidson Kempner, EcoPragma Capital, EDP of Portugal, Eurelectric, the Gilardini Foundation, KKR, National Grid, Octopus Energy, Quadrature Climate Foundation, SDCL and Wärtsilä. For more information on the Leadership Circle, please visit https://www.cleaningup.live.
Discover more:
• Merlin’s Book, Entangled Life: merlinsheldrake.com/entangled-life
• youtube.com/watch?v=YCf7YywIBZ8
• Society for the Protection of Underground Networks: https://www.spun.earth
Chapters:
00:00 - Coming Up
2:00 - Who is Merlin Sheldrake?
5:00 - What is a Fungi?
07:19 - Carbon Sinks
09:30 - How Much Carbon?
11:00 - Entangled Life
13:00 - How Fungi Digest
16:10 - Mushroom Culture
17:00 - Zombie Mushrooms
19:30 - Are Fungi Intelligent?
22:40 - Society For Protection of Underground Networks
26:00 - Endangered Fungi
28:30 - Psychedelics
32:00 - Yeast & Preservation
34:30 - The Future of Fungi
37:00 - Packaging & Materials
41:30 - Working with Mushrooms
43:53 - Outro
What if the key to solving our climate crisis lies beneath our feet? Could tiny fungal networks be the unsung heroes of carbon sequestration? And how might reimagining our relationship with fungi transform our understanding of life on Earth?
This week on Cleaning Up, Bryony Worthington sits down with Merlin Sheldrake, author of the bestselling "Entangled Life," to explore the extraordinary world of fungi. Sheldrake reveals how these remarkable organisms are not just passive participants in our ecosystem, but active innovators that have been shaping our planet for a billion of years.
From their crucial role in carbon cycling and soil health to their potential in creating sustainable materials, fungi may be a powerful solution to some of our most pressing environmental challenges. Sheldrake takes us on a journey through fungal networks, discussing their intelligence, chemical capabilities, and symbiotic relationships that challenge our understanding of life.
Leadership Circle:
Cleaning Up is supported by the Leadership Circle, and its founding members: Actis, Alcazar Energy, Davidson Kempner, EcoPragma Capital, EDP of Portugal, Eurelectric, the Gilardini Foundation, KKR, National Grid, Octopus Energy, Quadrature Climate Foundation, SDCL and Wärtsilä. For more information on the Leadership Circle, please visit https://www.cleaningup.live.
Discover more:
• Merlin’s Book, Entangled Life: merlinsheldrake.com/entangled-life
• youtube.com/watch?v=YCf7YywIBZ8
• Society for the Protection of Underground Networks: https://www.spun.earth
Chapters:
00:00 - Coming Up
2:00 - Who is Merlin Sheldrake?
5:00 - What is a Fungi?
07:19 - Carbon Sinks
09:30 - How Much Carbon?
11:00 - Entangled Life
13:00 - How Fungi Digest
16:10 - Mushroom Culture
17:00 - Zombie Mushrooms
19:30 - Are Fungi Intelligent?
22:40 - Society For Protection of Underground Networks
26:00 - Endangered Fungi
28:30 - Psychedelics
32:00 - Yeast & Preservation
34:30 - The Future of Fungi
37:00 - Packaging & Materials
41:30 - Working with Mushrooms
43:53 - Outro
