Outrage and Optimism

This week we bring you a special episode featuring a conversation between Christiana Figueres and Prime Minister Theresa May. In her final weeks in office, Mrs May has introduced a target of net zero emissions by 2050 for the UK. In this exclusive conversation, we discuss with her why she has chosen to make climate such an important part of her legacy, and what her hopes are for the impact this will have on the international stage. Plus, we discuss the recent decision of the UK and Italy to...

Ahead of World Refugee Day on 20th June, we explore how climate change is magnifying the impacts of the refugee crisis around the world, and what the future solutions and challenges ahead of us might be. Christiana and Tom also talk with David Miliband, CEO of the International Rescue Committee and former Foreign Secretary of the UK. We ask him what routes he sees to addressing the rising challenges brought about by cross border migration, why he doesn’t like to make economic arguments in...

This week, Christiana, Tom and Paul explore the public health epidemic that is air pollution. We ask why it has taken so long for people to wake up to the fact that air pollution has such a devastating impact, especially on children, and we explore how climate politics are transformed if we bring air pollution into the discussion. We then talk to Dr Arvind Kumar, lung surgeon from New Delhi about finding black lungs inside non-smoking teenagers and what it will take to make a shift.

The Paris Agreement requires countries to increase their climate ambition every 5 years and the first test of that arrives in 2020. Christiana, Tom and Paul discuss the political outlook and which countries can lead this with the US so firmly out of the picture. Christiana then discusses the issue with Ben Rhodes, former Deputy National Security Adviser to President Obama, and specifically discusses his experience with Modi and Xi and what it will take for them to lead the world to greater...

On the day of the second global school strike, Christiana, Tom and Paul discuss momentum so far and the proposed shift to a general climate strike involving everyone on 20th September. We also dig into what happened in the Australian elections that had been dubbed “the climate elections” but then went badly wrong, and we talk to author and activist Bill McKibben about his decades of non violent resistance and what it’s going to take to move us forward.

On Friday 24th May the second global School Strike for the Climate will take place. In anticipation of this (and in support of it), we bring you a conversation between Christiana and Swedish teenager Greta Thunberg who started the school strike movement in 2018. This conversation was recorded in Davos at the World Economic Forum in January 2019.

Christiana, Tom and Paul discuss whether campaigning for strong action on climate change can now actually win elections. We look at what’s happening in Australia and the US in relation to this and we sit down with Jay Inslee. Governor of the State of Washington, Governor Inslee is running for President on a platform of climate action. We hear what his plans are, and why he feels the US is ready for that kind of campaign.

This week Christiana, Tom and Paul discuss what has been happening in the UK from mass civil disobedience to the declaration of a climate emergency and the first week without coal since 1882. We then discuss all this with William Hague, former Foreign Secretary under David Cameron and ask him how politicians on the right can get engaged in responding to the climate crisis, and whether he thinks the moment to take to the streets has now arrived.

A UN report has issued humanity with the worst news possible; that a massive extinction spasm is underway and unless we take transformative action, it will unfold in the coming decades. Christiana talks with Jane Goodall about how she has approached 60 years of conservation dealt with persistent set backs and takes inspiration for the task we now have before us.

Christiana and Tom meet with Ellie Goulding and discuss how she has worked to integrate her activism and her music, her latest song recorded for the Our Planet documentary, and how young people can manage their mental health in the context of a changing climate.

In this first episode, Christiana, Tom and Paul discuss why both outrage and optimism are needed to confront the issues of our time. Following on from this, Christiana and Tom have a discussion with David Attenborough about the school strikes, his career, and how we can use outrage to change the world.

A new podcast about solving the climate crisis and remaking the world. Hosted by Christiana Figueres, Tom Rivett-Carnac and Paul Dickinson