How can you reduce the environmental impact of your cat or dog? What’s the best way to prepare for climate breakdown? And how should you talk to children about climate? Christiana, Paul and Tom wrap up the year by answering an eclectic and insightful selection of your questions. 

Plus: they digest the fourth and final COP of the year, known as the Desertification COP, which took place in December in Saudi Arabia and reflect on their own feelings at the end of a challenging year for the climate movement.

Huge thanks to our community of listeners for all the great questions submitted and all the support this year. Apologies if we didn’t get to your question this time but do keep sending them our way.  See you in 2025!

NOTES AND RESOURCES

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Ben Rhodes—writer, political commentator, and former Deputy National Security Advisor under President Obama—joins the host team to dissect the challenges of a Trump 2.0 administration.

Rhodes issues a bold call for a new "climate populist" strategy, to redirect the populist right-wing outrage over climate action toward exposing the oil and gas industry's stranglehold on climate negotiations, as seen at recent COP summits.

Christiana, Tom, Paul, plus special guest Fi Macklin, invite Rhodes to explore themes of strong leadership, the shifting dynamics of geopolitics, Trump’s appeal to the U.S. electorate, and how the world could navigate global climate politics without the US over the next four years? NOTES AND RESOURCES

GUESTS

Ben Rhodes, writer, political commentator, and national security analyst

Website | Twitter (X) | Instagram

Fiona Macklin, Senior Advisor on Groundswell, Global Optimism

LinkedIn

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This week, Christiana, Tom and Paul tackle the latest on the global plastics treaty (known as INC-5), which ended last week without a deal. Why were countries unable to agree a deal despite the huge amount of public concern about plastic pollution? What pathways remain for an agreement in 2025? And why is it so important to maintain focus on plastic from a climate point of view?  Dive into the challenges and explore potential solutions with the team.

Continuing this critical theme, Ellen MacArthur, Founder & Chair of Trustees of the Ellen MacArthur Foundation, world record-breaking sailor and circular economy advocate, joins Christiana to share an exclusive conversation as part of a collaboration between The Circular Economy Show and Outrage + Optimism.   Together they consider what’s next for the global plastics treaty, get excited about the role of the private sector in tackling plastic pollution, and highlight how the visibility of plastics can help capture public attention on climate. Before you go…

Listener Survey

Help shape the podcast for 2025! If you haven’t yet completed our annual listener survey, we’d be so grateful if you can spare 10 minutes to complete it here.

Tell us what you like, what you don’t like, and what you want more of from Outrage + Optimism.

NOTES AND RESOURCES

GUEST

Dame Ellen MacArthur

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Ellen MacArthur Foundation

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The Foundation works to accelerate the transition to a circular economy, if you’d like to find out more, the Foundation’s podcast ‘The Circular Economy Show’ talks to experts from across industry, governments and academia to hear first hand about how the circular economy is being developed and scaled.

December Mailbag Episode 

We would LOVE to hear your questions for our end of year listener Mailbag episode. Whether it is your questions on our most recent How to Live a Good Life series, questions on the recent COPs or everything and anything in between. Please either: 

• Send us an email: [email protected] with Climate Questions: December Mailbag in the title.

• Visit our social media pages and drop the question in the comments. 

• Alternatively, if you want the chance for your message to be played on the show, record a message for us here

Learn more about the Paris Agreement.

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This week, the team dives into the dramatic highs and lows of COP29 in Baku. With negotiations stretching into the final hours, a hard-fought finance deal emerged to bolster climate action and support for the most vulnerable. Yet, Christiana describes the agreement as “paltry at best,” highlighting the yawning chasm between what was agreed upon and what is truly necessary to address the climate crisis.

For those advocating for an ambitious, needs-based outcome, this year’s COP was a bruising experience—marked by frustration, hurt, and disappointment. The hosts share their thoughts on the controversies surrounding Azerbaijan's COP presidency and the challenges faced by negotiators committed to transformational change.

Finally, the team welcomes a very special guest: superstar producer Clay Carnill. As Clay prepares to leave the show, the hosts reflect on his incredible contributions to Outrage + Optimism—from the early days to now. Known for his humour, joy, unparalleled talent, attention-to-detail, professionalism, musicality and general all-round awesomeness, Clay has been a cornerstone of the podcast’s success. He will be deeply missed by the entire team.

We send Clay off with all our love—and best wishes for him (and the Detroit Lions!) on the journey ahead.

🎧 Tune in for reflections, critiques, and heartfelt goodbyes.

NOTES AND RESOURCES

I’m glad we got a deal at COP29 - but western nations stood in the way of a much better one by Mukhtar Babayev

December Mailbag Episode 

We would LOVE to hear your questions for our end of year listener Mailbag episode. Whether it is your questions on our most recent How to Live a Good Life series, questions on the recent COPs or everything and anything in between. Please either: 

• Send us an email: [email protected] with Climate Questions: December Mailbag in the title.

• Visit our social media pages and drop the question in the comments. 

• Alternatively, if you want the chance for your message to be played on the show, record a message for us here

Listener Survey

Help shape the podcast for 2025! If you haven’t yet completed our annual listener survey, we’d be so grateful if you can spare 10 minutes to complete it here.

Tell us what you like, what you don’t like, and what you want more of from Outrage + Optimism.

GUEST

Clay Carnill

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This week, our hosts talk about what’s been happening - and not happening - in Rio and Baku.

Christiana clarifies the mandate of COPs  and advocates for COP processes and presidencies to be separate from national positions and interests while robustly defending multi-lateralism.

The hosts discuss how world leaders meeting in Rio for the G20 meeting have sent a powerful political signal to those meeting in COP29 in Baku: a need for "rapidly and substantially scaling up climate finance from billions to trillions from all sources".

The hosts are joined by Sue Reid, Climate Finance Advisor at Global Optimism who is on the ground in Baku. Together, they discuss what outcomes to expect as negotiators race towards the finish line in the second and final week of COP29.

Sue Reid shares her optimism at leading investors at the pinnacle of the finance food chain calling for the same commitments in climate and nature as leading civil society advocates and developing countries. The hosts and Sue talk about the critical importance of innovative mechanisms to achieve the climate financing needed and the outsized impact of public finance to leverage and enable private finance.

NOTES AND RESOURCES

G20 Rio de Janeiro Leaders Declaration

COP29 gets boost from Rio as G20 leaders back scaling up climate finance from ‘billions to trillions’

GUEST

Sue Reid, Climate Finance Advisor to Christiana Figueres at Global Optimism

Global Optimism Website | LinkedIn

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Recorded live from COP29 in the UK Pavilion in Baku, Bigger, Better, Bolder: Updating NDCs in Line with 1.5 Degrees captures an energetic dialogue on the crucial role of bold leadership in climate action. Moderated by Tom, this dynamic session dives into why governments must ambitiously update their Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs) to meet the 1.5°C goal, recognizing this decade as a pivotal chance to shape a sustainable future.

Kicking off with insights from Ed Miliband, the UK’s Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, we explore how the UK’s ambitious NDC exemplifies targets aligned with scientific guidelines, the public’s mandate, and the need for investment-ready, collaborative action.

Tom also welcomes Emma Pinchbeck, CEO, Climate Change Committee and Russell Read, Lead Delegate, We Are Family Foundation to unpack how real-economy and societal stakeholders can drive meaningful NDC implementation. He talks to Nigel Topping, non-executive Director of the National Wealth Fund and Diana Layfield, Chair of British International Investment about the critical role business plays in inspiring investment and innovation both domestically and internationally. 

The session concludes as Ana Toni, Brazil’s National Secretary for Climate Change, joins Ed Miliband in a live Q&A, discussing how partnerships between major powers, such as Brazil and the UK, can accelerate global climate progress before the mid-decade tipping point.

NOTES AND RESOURCES

GUESTS

The Rt Hon Ed Miliband MP, UK Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero

Website

Emma Pinchbeck, CEO of Climate Change Committee

Twitter (X)

Russell Reed, lead delegate for the We Are Family Foundation

Website

Nigel Topping, Non-exec director of National Wealth Fund and COP26 Climate Champion

LinkedIn 

Diana Layfield, Chair of British International Investment

Website

HE Ana Toni, National Secretary for Climate Change at the Ministry of Environment and Climate Change, from Brazil as COP30 Presidency

LinkedIn

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Recorded Live at the UK COP Pavilion and moderated by Tom, ‘From Call to Action: the Bridgetown Initiative and delivering Global Financial System Reform’ is an inspiring conversation between Barbados Prime Minister Mia Mottley and Foreign Secretary, UK, David Lammy.

Mia Mottley called the world to action when she released the initial Bridgetown Initiative at UNGA in 2022. Now in its third iteration, the Bridgetown Initiative brings together an ambitious and holistic set of calls for reforms to make the Global Financial System more inclusive, more shock-responsive, and better scaled to meet the financing challenges and needs for developing countries.

The UK is ready to stand up to face those challenges head-on. As a G7 country with the largest sustainable financial centre in the world, a track-record of delivering financial innovations and influencing the global debate, a key voice in the governance of the System, the UK has a strong track-record and platform to deliver.

And deliver we must: the global financial system needs to deliver a fairer deal for developing countries.

This conversation is a frank discussion between two leading voices to understand the problems, identify solutions, and drive reforms to create a world free of poverty on a liveable planet.

Huge thanks goes to UK COP Pavilion for allowing us to use their audio recording of this conversation. To watch more live events from COP 29 make sure to follow their YouTube channel here

NOTES AND RESOURCES

The Bridgetown Initiative

UK COP Pavilion

UK Government at COP29

GUESTS

The Honourable Mia Mottley, SC, MP, Prime Minister of Barbados

Website | LinkedIn | Facebook | Instagram | Twitter (X) 

The Rt Hon David Lammy, Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs of the United Kingdom

Website | Facebook | Instagram | Twitter (X) 

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This week, Paul and Tom are joined by Tony Goldner, from the Taskforce on Nature-related Financial Disclosures.

Tony helps make sense of what happened at the recent Biodiversity COP in Colombia and discusses the many ways that nature is starting to appear on business’ and regulators’ agendas. Companies are waking up to the fact that their resilience depends on the resilience of nature.

Many companies are in the process of developing and setting long-term transition plans to net-zero. Tony explains that as biodiversity and nature-loss risks mount, businesses need to also consider that nature-based dependencies, risks, and mitigations should be put in place.

NOTES AND RESOURCES

GUEST

Tony Goldner, TNFD Executive Director

TNFD Website | LinkedIn

Q&A The clock is ticking: finance sector deforestation action must now go mainstream with Stephanie Kimball, Senior Director of Climate Strategy at Conservation International and Sue Reid, Climate Finance Advisor to Christiana Figueres at Global Optimism

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As the news of Donald Trump’s 2024 US election victory makes headlines around the world, Christiana Figueres, Tom Rivett-Carnac and Paul Dickinson unpack Trump and Harris’s campaign and discuss the implications of a Trump-led administration on US climate ambition, both domestically and internationally. Or as Tom puts it, “What the hell just happened in the US?”

Join the hosts as they analyze potential shifts in policy, how business and finance could counterbalance federal setbacks, and what this means for COP29, NDCs, and global multilateral efforts. During their discussion, the hosts pose some crucial questions: how would a US withdrawal from the Paris Agreement impact global decarbonisation progress? What role will China play as the climate leadership landscape shifts? 

Amidst these turbulent times, we’re thrilled to inject a dose of much needed optimism by welcoming Congresswoman-Elect Yassamin Ansari to Outrage + Optimism. Fresh from her election to the US House of Representatives for Arizona’s 3rd District, Yassamin joins us with her inspiring perspective on leading progressive change at the federal level. Her election, which makes her the second ever Iranian American to be elected to Congress, brings hope for resilient climate leadership despite federal setbacks.

NOTES AND RESOURCES

GUEST

Congresswoman-Elect Yassamin Ansari

Website | LinkedIn | Facebook | Instagram | Twitter (X) 

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This week, Christiana has a fascinating window into the Biodiversity COP negotiations underway in Colombia. From Cali, she’s joined by Freya Newman and Irene Suarez Perez from the Global Optimism team who give us the lowdown into what’s going on inside and outside the negotiating rooms. They tell what’s unique about Colombia hosting, how it’s given a platform to indigenous and local community voices; and why business is talking about love as well as finance.

Also joining Christiana from Cali is Monica Medina, a fellow with Conservation International and the US’ first Special Envoy for Biodiversity. They have an animated chat about the essential interdependence of climate and biodiversity, and Medina shares her optimism about a new oceans fund. And they take a deep (and refreshingly nerdy!) dive into DSI - digital sequencing information - and how we can ensure lucrative genetic codes, often found in the Global South, are fairly compensated and reimbursed.

NOTES AND RESOURCES

GUESTS

Monica Medina, Arnhold Distinguished Fellow at Conservation International, former Assistant Secretary of State for Oceans, Environment and Science and the first US Special Envoy for Biodiversity and Water Resources

LinkedIn | Instagram | Twitter (X)

Irene Suarez Perez, Senior Advisor - Nature & Food System Transformation - Groundswell at Global Optimism

LinkedIn

Freya Newman, Advisor, Groundswell at Global Optimism

LinkedIn

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