Outrage + Optimism

COP26 saw announcement after announcement from the financial sector, but we have questions. First off, why the sudden wake-up? What will follow? And, critically, will it be enough to address the climate crisis?

Here to help us make sense of the fast-moving developments is Hiro Mizuno, Special Envoy of U.N Secretary-General on Innovative Finance and Sustainable Investments. Hiro shares his deep insights into the financial landscape since the shift towards recognition of the systemic risk posed by the climate crisis.

Reaching back to the Industrial Revolution, Hiro talks us through the role of the finance industry in accelerating change. Financial institutions’ competitive nature may well drive their transition to net-zero business models and portfolios – but it’ll be the next twelve months that prove the worth of the COP26 announcements, Hiro reminds us.

Covering regulation, GFANZ, public trust, carbon pricing, and much more, this is a wide-ranging conversation not to be missed.

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Thank you to our guest this week, Hiro Mizuno!

Hiro Mizuno

Special Envoy of U.N Secretary-General | Innovative Finance + Sustainable Investments

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Countries have stepped up. Projected emission trajectories have come down. But let’s be real for a moment- We are still not doing enough, fast enough. So what did this year's host of the COP26 get right, and what is still in play as we prepare for COP27? Today we talk with Alok Sharma, President of COP26 and the man in the spotlight of the Glasgow negotiations just a few weeks back.

As Alok takes us back through his experience at COP26 keeping 1.5°C front and center, the grounding truth of how The Glasgow Pact directly impacts the lives and livelihoods of millions of people becomes crystal clear. In this episode we hear from his perspective how fighting climate change must be both a personal experience and global effort, and how building trust was a precious commodity in the discussions, holding the key to all the parties mutually agreeing to get an agreement over the line.

But, how is this hard-earned political trust perceived outside the negotiation halls? It seems an increasingly challenging task to ensure that this is communicated in a digestible way to all the stakeholders working tirelessly for the phasing out of fossil fuels, climate justice, adaptation, as well as loss and damage.

Listen in to discover the presidency’s plans on how to ensure that no small piece of the process allows it all to tumble down like a big jenga tower.

And stick around after the conversation for a cinematic musical experience with Sarah Class!

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Mentioned links from the episode:

WATCH: Sister True Dedication’s TED Talk

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Thank you to our guest this week, the Right Honorable Alok Sharma MP!

Rt Hon Alok Sharma MP

COP26 President

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Sarah Class is our musical guest this week!

Sarah Class

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WATCH: ‘Resonate’ Official Music Video

DONATE: The World Land Trust

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¡Feliz Día de la Abolición del Ejército en Costa Rica!

Happy Military Abolition Day in Costa Rica!

Every year on December 1st, the country of Costa Rica celebrates the day that Christiana’s father and former Costa Rican president, José Figueres Ferrer, abolished their national army and redirected that part of the national budget to biodiversity and education. This year marks the 73rd anniversary! 

So with that in mind, we take a break from our COP26 reflections to speak with President Carlos Alvarado of Costa Rica! With over 50% of their country re-forested, an energy grid that is 99.5% renewables, and ZERO investments in weapons or military, Costa Rica is a model for how to lead sustainably in a world of compounding crises. How does Costa Rica do it, and what can other countries learn from this example?

May we all be more like Costa Rica!

And! Stick around ‘til the end for a soulful tune from musical artist Bobby Bazini!

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Christiana + Tom’s book ‘The Future We Choose’ is available now!

Subscribe to our Climate Action Newsletter: Signals Amidst The Noise

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Mentioned links from the episode:

Listen: The Way Out Is In Podcast

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Thank you to our guest this week:

Carlos Alvarado Quesada

President | Costa Rica

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The incredible Bobby Bazini is our musical guest this week!

Bobby Bazini

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With the ink still drying on The Glasgow Pact, we’re already hearing the results from Glasgow being labeled in binary terms like “Success” and “Failure” While we know that some stunning pledges and progressive language in the Pact came from some of the negotiations, it is also true that historically these pledges have not been met completely, or have been missed entirely. Full stop.

So with millions of humans suffering under the systemic injustice of rising global emissions, how do we meet this moment to reduce those global emissions and break those unjust systems of oppression? And how does the COP process make those necessary changes politically possible? And in the next eight years?!

Maybe it’s as simple as starting with silence.

This week we speak with Elizabeth Wathuti, environmentalist and climate activist from Kenya. She is the founder and president of Green Generation Initiative, and Head of Campaigns and Daima Consortium Coordinator for the Wangari Maathai Foundation.

Elizabeth brought the house down at COP26 this year with her speech in which she led a moment of silence followed by the urgency to every Head of State in the room to “ please open your hearts”. You won’t want to miss what she has to say to us on the show!

Stick around ‘til the end for an incredible music track from Knomad Spock!

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Excerpt from Elizabeth Wathuti's speech at COP26, reproduced courtesy of the UN.

Excerpt from the Opening Ceremony of the World Leaders Summit at COP26, November 2021.

Available here: Elizabeth Wathuti at COP26 “Please Open Your Hearts” Speech

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Christiana + Tom’s book ‘The Future We Choose’ is available now!

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Mentioned links from the episode:

Read: Martin Wolf’s piece in The FT

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Thank you to our guest this week, Elizabeth Wathuti!

Elizabeth Wathuti

Environmentalist | Climate Activist

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The incredible Knomad Spock is our musical guest this week!

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Yesterday, nearly 200 countries agreed to adopt The Glasgow Climate Pact after a roller coaster of a COP26...and this is a really big deal. From agreeing to reduce global dependence on coal, to speeding up the end of fossil fuel subsidies, this is progress on paper. But how far does it go to keep our 1.5C target front and center?

This week, our hosts dig through a few key details of the agreement, including the new commitment for every country to revisit and strengthen their emissions reductions plans together at COP27, instead of in 5 years time as previously required.

So let’s take a collective breath, get a good look at this thing, and find out where we go from here.

Stick around to the end for a special “Pass The Mic” segment we are sharing, which highlights some of the voices we heard around the corridors and in the streets of Glasgow during COP26.

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It's the halfway point of the COP26 climate discussions in Glasgow, UK! Pledges over the past week from world leaders could be transformational, keeping the Paris Agreement's ambition in reach. The devil is in the detail of delivery and, As we head into the second week of the negotiations, government Ministers and negotiators get down to business, with final agreements due to land on Saturday this week. Momentum from the pledges of the past week reverberated around the world, yet the youth movement, alongside many of the most vulnerable nations showed  how much further we have to go. 

On this episode we take stock with a great friend of the show, the UK's High Level Climate Action Champion, Nigel Topping.

Start your week with our digest of what's happened and what needs to happen next.

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WATCH: Livestream COP26 from anywhere

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Nigel Topping High Level Climate Action Champion for COP26

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Race to Zero

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Coming to you LIVE from Energy Day at COP26!

So, energy and climate change. Where should we start?

With both the IEA World Energy Outlook and the IPCC AR6 Scientific assessment that came out this year declaring that coal has peaked, we also know that gas and then oil must also peak and see their way to the museums, as Christiana would say. 1.5C has been the only north star at COP26 to doing things like consigning coal to history, and every step towards decarbonizing our economy paints a clearer and clearer understanding more than ever before that we have to start now to cut emissions in one half by 2030 and restore and protect nature, at the same time.

But how does this apply to the developing world? The right to development is unquestionable, morally and also economically. But whilst those in rich and middle income countries received energy from fossil fuel sources that enabled their development, the situation that put us in is forcing us to think differently about providing clean, low carbon, and affordable energy to ensure societies that are bearing climate impacts the most harshly are also given an equal and equitable pathway to develop.

So where do we begin to provide accessible, clean, affordable energy to all? What are the challenges, what are the benefits, how will this new fund support billions of people to live better lives - and how fast can it be achieved?

Tune in to find out!

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Links Mentioned in the Show:

LISTEN: Check out our new Shortcast with Blinkist!

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Thank you to our Guests this week!

Rebekah Shirley

Director of Research, Data & Innovation, World Resources Institute Africa

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Andrew Steer

President & CEO, Bezos Earth Fund

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Rhajiv Shah

President of the Rockefeller Foundation

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Per Heggenes

CEO of the IKEA Foundation

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The World Leaders Summit at COP26 has happened...So what happened, exactly?

A LOT.

This week, we cover it all in a laid-back-waiting-for-takeaway-to-arrive style conversation with our hosts.

We’ll cover updated pledges and commitments on:

• An End to Deforestation by 2030
• Methane reductions
• India’s Net Zero 2070 target

We also get into inclusion and representation of the Global South, and how we went from 50% of global emissions covered by a Net Zero target at the beginning of this year, to yesterday it being 89%.

So sit back, relax, and dig in!

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Christiana + Tom’s book ‘The Future We Choose’ is available now!

Subscribe to our Climate Action Newsletter: Signals Amidst The Noise

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Links Mentioned in the Show:

READ: Vanessa Nakate for TIME

READ: Beware: Gaia may destroy humans before we destroy the Earth by James Lovelock

READ: The Case for Climate Reparations by David Wallace-Wells

WATCH + READ: COP26 Must Keep 1.5 Degrees Celsius Goal Alive by UN Secretary-General António Guterres

WATCH: Pope Francis says Costa Rican coffee “is the best in the world.”

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Race to Zero

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The way to Net Zero is through the bank.

One of the major questions at COP26 is, “How are we going to finance the transition to Net Zero?” From shifting investments away from fossil fuels, to boosting the speed and scale of green companies bringing forward the necessary solutions to creating a sustainable future for people and planet.

...And profit.

This week, we’re joined by Group Chief Executive of HSBC, Noel Quinn. He recently committed HSBC, with an impressive $3 trillion balance sheet, to have a completely Net Zero portfolio by 2050, and have their own supply chain and operations Net Zero by 2030. All the while significantly expanding their investment in green finance, creating a philanthropic program and clean technology venture fund.

We are also joined this week by guest co-host Kelly Clark, Director of Finance & Capital Market Transformation at The Laudes Foundation. Her day job is reimagining our current economic system and redefining value to go beyond shareholder interest.

It’s a fascinating conversation and essential to bring about the radical systems change we need to see.

Join us!

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Christiana + Tom’s book ‘The Future We Choose’ is available now!

Subscribe to our Climate Action Newsletter: Signals Amidst The Noise

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Links Mentioned in the Show:

LEARN: GFANZ

WATCH: Livestream COP26 from anywhere

READ: Noel Quinn’s letter on Net Zero

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Thank you to our Guest & Guest Co-host this week!

Noel Quinn

Group Chief Executive | HSBC

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HSBC

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Kelly Clark

Director Finance & Capital Market Transformation | Laudes Foundation

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Laudes Foundation

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Race to Zero

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China. 

On one hand, the country is the world’s largest source of carbon emissions, an economic and political powerhouse resting on a thick cloud of hydrocarbon pollution, contrary to the goals of the Paris Agreement. On the other hand, President Xi Jinping has set the stage for China to emerge as an environmental leader, with the highest reforestation rate in the world; it makes and buys more electric cars than any other country by far; and is the world’s top renewable energy investor for the eighth consecutive year, including manufacturing 80% of solar cells globally.

It is clear that China has the power to determine whether we can limit global temperature rise  to 1.5 degrees celsius. As we head into the COP26 international climate discussions, all eyes will be on the indomitable diplomatic skills of China and America’s special envoys for climate, Xie Xanhau and John Kerry, who brought about significant pact between the world’s two top polluters that significantly influenced the success of the Paris Agreement. 

This week we talk with Peggy Liu, a leading catalyst of a greener China and Former Prime Minister of Australia and President of the Asia Society, Kevin Rudd, who offers deep insight into China’s climate goals and trajectory of travel, gleaned over 35 years of working with the Chinese Government.  

Enjoy the show!

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Christiana + Tom’s book ‘The Future We Choose’ is available now!

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Thank you to our guests this week, Peggy Liu and Kevin Rudd!

Peggy Liu

Chair of JUCCCE, board member of Drawdown, Governor of Hillary Institute

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JUCCCE

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Kevin Rudd

Former PM of Australia, President of the Asia Society.

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Asia Society

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Asia Society Policy Institute

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