Hears protest exploding? It’s all around us (12)
I believe the answer is:
stratosphere
'it's all around us' is the definition.
(the stratosphere surrounds Earth)
'hears protest exploding?' is the wordplay.
'exploding?' is an anagram indicator (I've seen 'exploded' mean this).
'hears'+'protest'='hearsprotest'
'hearsprotest' anagrammed gives 'STRATOSPHERE'.
(Other definitions for stratosphere that I've seen before include "High level above earth" , "Layer of high air around the earth" , "Atmospheric layer" , "Zone high above earth" , "Region about ten to fifty km above the earth" .)