From Greece’s Gaia to the Inca’s Pachamama, from the Norse Jörð to the Hindu Prithvi, many cultures have seen the Earth as a divine being. Christianity and Western culture however removed god from nature deriding such outlooks as 'pagan'. In its place the earth was recast as a resource for humans, to be conquered, settled and tamed. Now it seems the tides may be changing again. Nature for a growing number is the new god. Rivers and rainforests are being given legal rights and some philosophers go further arguing that the planets of the solar system should be seen to have rights independent of any human engagement with them.

Might re-embracing Mother Earth be just what we need to prevent environmental catastrophe and self-annihilation? Or is the return to the gods of nature a dangerous step that undermines human goals and values and threatens a return to superstition and fate?

Psychedelic philosopher Peter Sjöstedt-Hughes, internationally renowned climate scientist Tim Palmer, and author-poet-podcaster Melanie Challenger test each other's beliefs about nature and god.