Environmental Politics

This week on Environmental Politics I speak Sophie Marjanac, a lawyer with ClientEarth. In the decade since its founding by James Thornton, ClientEarth’s rise has been meteoric. The organisation is a charity that uses law as its tool for protecting the environment. Their litigation has worked to change the behaviour of polluters and of legislators. My conversation with Sophie serves as an introduction to both the field of environmental law and the work of ClientEarth, revealing both the frustrations and the opportunities in tackling environmental crises through law.

This week on Environmental Politics I speak with Tom Bigg, director of Strategy and Learning at the International Institute for Environment and Development (IIED). IIED is one of the world's biggest names in promoting sustainable development, accruing an enormous amount of insight and influence in the nearly fifty years since its creation. My conversation with Tom covers the challenges and successes in promoting a sustainable development agenda in a world that displays the ever-increasing need to balance economic growth with environmental protection.

This week on Environmental Politics I speak with Dr. Bryce Stewart of the University of York. In the UK, resentment towards the EU’s Common Fisheries Policy (CFP) is part of the public consciousness and undoubtedly played a role in the Brexit referendum ‘Leave’ vote. Yet, as my conversation with Bryce makes clear, through its process of regimented and cyclical reform, the CFP has been improved by scientific advice. Advice from academics and researchers has been shown to be vital to developing successful policy. As the UK begins to consider its post-Brexit fisheries policy, it is turning to experts for advice. Having made appearances at Select Committees, spoken with key politicians, and written influential reports, Bryce is one of the individuals who is working to shape the future of the UK’s fisheries policy. He provides great insight into what it means for academics to try and create impact with their work.

This week on Environmental Politics I speak with environmental journalist and editor of Climate Home, Karl Mathiesen. My interview with Karl about international climate change negotiations is a particularly topical one. The 23rd annual Conference of the Parties (COP) has just taken place in Bonn, Germany. Karl was there, covering the meeting that’s part of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) process. There’s a huge amount of pressure for international climate negotiations to succeed. Yet, as the conversation with Karl makes clear, currently the process is not creating the action needed to stop climate change.

This week I speak with Jake Sumner, co-chair of SERA - Labour’s Environment Campaign. Jake has a long history working on climate change and broader environmental concerns with the Labour Party. In his work with SERA he is continuing to push Labour to adopt ambitious climate action. He provides great insight into the motivations and realities of mainstream political parties working on the issue. As this episode reveals, getting climate change on the political agenda is a story of highs and lows, successes and challenges, and one that is far from over.

This week on Environmental Politics, I'm joined by Ola Mirowicz. Ola works for Sandbag - a prominent climate policy think tank. Our conversation covers the different policy styles and instruments that are deployed by the European Union and in EU Member States. Theodore Lowi has argued that 'policies determine politics', so understanding the development and success of environmental policies is key to exploring environmental politics. As our conversation reveals, environmental policy must impact all policy areas if it is to be effective. Yet, with economic considerations dominating policy development, environmental solutions are difficult to attain.

This week on Environmental Politics I speak with Emi Murphy, who heads Friends of the Earth's campaign to save bees - The Bee Cause. We talk about how Emi and FoE decide what are the best tactics for campaigns, how we should measure the success of those campaigns, and how environmental protest groups can stay close to their principles as they grow.

This week on Environmental Politics I speak with Brighton & Hove Green Party Councillor, Leo Littman. In 2011, Brighton & Hove became the first Green-led local authority after the party narrowly beat Labour in the elections. Although they were the biggest party, they were five seats short of a majority. I talk with Leo about the trials and tribulations of minority governance, trying to create radical policy change, and how the Greens became such an established political force in the municipality. Leo speaks candidly about his experiences, providing insight into a level of governance that is all-too-often ignored.

This week on Environmental Politics, I speak with Dutch MEP and Vice-President of the European Parliament's Green group, Bas Eickhout. Bas gives brilliant insight into the path that led him to becoming one of Europe’s most influential green politicians and the tensions that inevitably come with the role.

In this week's Environmental Politics I interview Kate Metcalf, the co-director of the Women's Environmental Network (WEN). We discuss ecofeminism - the concept that identifies connections between the causes of prejudice against women and the causes of environmental degradation. As our conversation reveals, ecofeminism has developed from its early years of essentialism. WEN has taken the concept and applied it to its environmental action, leading to practices that reflect a markedly different approach from some of the more dominant environmental groups. This is a fascinating look into how the ideas surrounding ecologism can transform into practical and effective programmes for action, whilst also balancing the needs of people and the environment.