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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This week, as part of our focus on biodiversity during COP 16, we're excited to share a special crossover episode! In the first part of this exciting episode, join Christiana, Tom, and Ben Goldsmith for an insightful conversation about rewilding and its global impact, followed by a full episode of Ben's inspiring podcast Rewilding The World featuring UK national treasure, writer and actor, Stephen Fry.

In his conversation with the hosts, Ben explores the concept of rewilding, its potential to reshape ecosystems worldwide, and the critical role grassroots community projects play in this movement.

Ben Goldsmith is a pioneer in green investment and a driving force behind the rewilding movement in Britain and across Europe. Don't miss this thought-provoking discussion on the future of biodiversity and rewilding!

 

NOTES AND RESOURCES

 

GUEST

Ben Goldsmith, co-founder and board member of Nattergal and host of Rewilding the World podcast

Website | Nattergal | Rewilding the World podcast

 

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This week, our hosts dive into The Rio Trio! No, this is not the name of a new cocktail but three COPs (Biodiversity in Colombia, Climate in Azerbaijan and Desertification in Saudi Arabia) which are about to happen back-to-back. Plus the plastics treaty negotiations in South Korea.

Join our hosts for their take on the history of these three different but interrelated COPs, all conceived in the Earth Summit in Rio in 1992. How have they evolved, and how might they continue to evolve to be fit for purpose in a changed world? Since this subject is complex, Christiana uses her get-out clause and phones a special friend for much-needed clarity.

Christiana also asks the question: If we had a blank slate now, would it make more sense to kick start a process based on all nine planetary boundaries? Would this help us focus holistically on the interconnected challenges we face? Sit back and listen as the hosts try to make sense of this negotiating super season for the planet and all its peoples.

Please keep tuned for special and in-depth coverage from the Outrage + Optimism team to guide you through each of these key moments. 

 

NOTES AND RESOURCES

How COPs are organised - Questions and answers 

From Cancun to Durban: Implications for Climate and Multilateral Diplomacy by HE Patricia Espinosa

COP16 host Colombia pushes for unified UN climate and nature pledges

COP Presidencies Launch ‘Rio Trio’ 

Biodiversity COP

Climate COP

Desertification COP

 

GUEST

Richard Kinley, President, Foundation for Global Governance and Sustainability and former senior official at the UN Climate Change Secretariat (UNFCCC) from 1993 to 2017. He served as Deputy Executive Secretary from 2006 to 2017 and was intimately involved in the development of UNFCCC as an organization from its establishment and in its management and operations.

 

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In the final episode of our How to Live a Good Life series, Tom, Paul and Christiana discuss the personal quandary of whether or not to have children in the midst of what appears to be significant climate breakdown.

The questions they ponder are complex and philosophical: should we bring children into a world that is, some might say, collapsing? Would you consider having children is immoral, since more people living on the planet leads to greater consumption and emissions, thus exacerbating the problem? Or is having a child the greatest act of hope for the future that anyone can choose to make?

The hosts approach this issue from different perspectives, opening up about their personal lives and addressing questions and comments sent in by listeners. We hope to offer you some clarity on this topic, or at least some comfort that even the greatest minds in the climate space sometimes have to take leaps of faith.

This is the final episode in the series. We really hope you have enjoyed these episodes. As always, we would love to hear from you so please get in touch.

 

NOTES AND RESOURCES

 

• Your Kids are Not Doomed by Ezra Klein, NY Times, June 2022

• Four in 10 young people fear having children due to climate crisis The Guardian, September 2021 

• ‘I am starting to panic about my child’s future’: climate scientists wary of starting families, The Guardian, May 2024

• Masters of War - Bob Dylan

• Resources and Consumption: Data from Population Matters

• The Whirligig by Paul Fleishman

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Newsflash: In this urgent episode recorded on Friday, October 11th, Tom, Paul, and Christiana come together to discuss the devastation caused by Hurricanes Helene and Milton. The hosts express their frustration with the conspiracy theories circulating in the wake of the latest hurricane Milton - at a time when solidarity is needed most. They also dive into the harsh reality that the fossil fuel industry lies at the heart of the destruction. In This Episode:

• The hosts break down the undeniable science linking man-made global warming to the increasing intensity of hurricanes around the world.

• As private insurers withdraw from Florida, leaving homeowners and businesses without coverage, the hosts examine the crisis' wide-reaching effects, particularly on the most vulnerable populations.

• A deep dive into the dangerous disinformation spread by key Republican figures, tracing the real cause of man-made extreme weather back to the fossil fuel industry.

• The episode closes with sincere condolences for those across the globe who have lost lives and livelihoods due to extreme weather events.

Join us for an insightful conversation on climate accountability, disinformation, and the forces fueling these devastating changes to our environment.

NOTES AND RESOURCES

Weather Catastrophes and Climate Change: Is There Still Hope for Us? The People of the State of California vs. Big Oil Learn more about the Paris Agreement. It’s official, we’re a TED Audio Collective Podcast - Proof! Check out more podcasts from The TED Audio Collective Please follow us on social media! Twitter | Instagram | LinkedIn

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SHOW NOTES: 

In the penultimate episode of our How to Live a Good Life in a Climate Crisis, our hosts talk about food and food systems. How can we enjoy meals while eating responsibly? 

Tom, Paul and Christiana find it difficult to digest our lopsided relationship with food, in which more than two billion people face food insecurity and a third of all food goes to waste. 

The conversation is free-range - the hosts reveal what shaped their own rituals around eating. They look at how humanity’s relationship with food went from trust to anxiety, from abundance to scarcity. They argue the merits of different veggie burgers.

About a third of all human-caused greenhouse gas emissions is linked to food. To limit global warming while feeding a growing population, every part of the food system - from farming to refrigeration - must become cleaner and more efficient.

NOTES AND RESOURCES

 

Global Nutrition Report

More than a billion people obese worldwide, research suggests

Outrage + Optimism: Our Story of Nature, From Rupture to Reconnection

Outrage + Optimism: Yuval Noah Harari on the History of Our Future

Outrage + Optimism: 2% for 1.5 with Yuval Noah Harari

Drivers of Deforestation

Outrage + Optimism: Going Beyond Meat with Ethan Brown

Outrage + Optimism: Hungry for Alternatives?

How to Grow Your Own Food

Environmental Impacts of Food Production

42% of consumers worldwide think most people will likely be eating plant-based food instead of meat in the next ten years

Implementing land-based mitigation to achieve the Paris Agreement in Europe requires food system transformation

The carbon footprint of foods

How to reduce the carbon footprint of your food

Hope Farm Statement

Fishing boat caught with Illegal 18-mile-long nets

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Welcome to the third episode in our How to Live a Good Life in a Climate Crisis series, where our hosts grapple with some of the fiercest climate conundrums we face.  This week, Tom, Paul and Christiana look at the issue of careers and ask - would you move jobs in response to the climate crisis? Is changing your job your most effective form of climate action? They explore what to look for if you’re attempting to use your career to scale up climate solutions. And they pose the biggie: is there even such a thing as a climate change job and a non-climate change job? Taking a moment to discuss their own careers, the hosts share what they’ve learnt about innovation, interns, and how chair-making can pave the way to the UN! We’d love to hear what your experiences are… Please do get in touch.  NOTES AND RESOURCES ‘Thuto ya Batho’ Teachings from the People: Women Adapt to Climate Change by Maite Nkoana -Mashabane Outrage + Optimism: BP’s Road to Rebuilding Trust with CEO Bernard Looney Cardiff Freight Company Wins NatWest Cymru’s ‘Green Business of the Year Award’ Gen Z seek ethical workplaces as environ-mental health burden bites (Bupa, 2021) 2024 Gen Z and Millennial Survey: Living and working with purpose in a transforming world (Deloitte, 2024) The Undercover Activist Creatives for Climate Learn more about the Paris Agreement. It’s official, we’re a TED Audio Collective Podcast - Proof!Check out more podcasts from The TED Audio Collective Please follow us on social media!Twitter | Instagram | LinkedIn

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Is it OK to Fly in a Climate Crisis?

In episode 2 of our How To Live A Good Life in a Climate Crisis series, the hosts grapple with one of most divisive issues for those concerned with climate change - is it ok to fly, when flying is responsible for the bulk of our personal carbon footprints, and when 80% of the world never sets foot on a plane?

Tom, Paul and Christiana dive into this thorny issue from three different perspectives. Putting forward the case for and against flying, the hosts touch on the miracle of flying, the potential of sustainable aviation fuels and offsets, and the joys of train travel! They hope that these tricky conversations will be a springboard for further and deeper conversations for listeners.

 

NOTES AND RESOURCES

 

How much does aviation contribute to climate change? How will this change in the future?

Why do aircraft leave contrails in the sky?

Europe Talks Flying: navigating public opinion on aviation and climate

 

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