Off the Record

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Host Tony Long sits down with Tarja Halonen, Finland’s first woman president (2000–2012) and former co-chair of the UN Secretary-General’s High-level Panel on Global Sustainability. She talks about leading on sustainability and social welfare after Finland’s new constitution limited the presidency, and what the panel got right. Looking back, she says it underestimated peace as the foundation for sustainable development. She also discusses protecting the fragile Baltic Sea through regional cooperation, why decent work had to be part of the global goals, and how gender equality, human rights and the welfare state tie into climate action. She closes with advice for young advocates who feel the system is too slow: “be brave, be patient, and go on.”

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In this episode of Off the Record, Tony Long sits down with Kgalema Motlanthe, former President and Deputy President of South Africa. He talks about how a prison literacy class first showed him the Earth’s delicate balance, what made South Africa’s Just Energy Transition Partnership possible, and the double standards wealthy nations apply to climate commitments. The conversation also turns to South Africa’s unequal education system and his foundation’s work bringing digital skills to public school students. He closes with a message for young leaders: Mother Earth looks after us, so we must look after Mother Earth.

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In this episode of Off The Record, Tony Long sits down with the Right Honorable Kim Campbell, Canada's first and only female prime minister, for an honest conversation about climate change, global leadership, and the responsibility we all share in building a better future. From what world leaders really say about climate change behind closed doors, to the role of insurance markets in forcing action, to why it's never too late to respond — Prime Minister Campbell delivers hard truths alongside a powerful message of hope. She also reflects on her decades of experience mentoring the next generation of leaders and why young people today may be facing the most challenging moral environment of any generation in modern history.

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Host Tony sits down with former Norwegian Prime Minister Erna Solberg to talk climate policy, global leadership, and sustainable development. They cover Norway's bet on carbon capture, the EV revolution, ocean sustainability, and the hard political realities of pushing long-term climate action.