Problem Busters

In 2016 teenager Hakim Evans was one of a handful of young people to witness the signing of the Paris Climate Agreement in New York City. Hakim shares with the Problem Busters how hurricane Sandy inspired his becoming a climate advocate and tells the story of how he came to rub shoulders with world leaders on that auspicious day.

We chart the rise and fall of Trump, the subsequent exit from the Paris Climate Agreement and Hakim describes how this shift in policy away from the environment during from 2016-2020 helped fuel the growth of the youth climate movement globally.

Climate change is one of the defining problems of our age and yet we don't yet understand as a population what is driving so many young people to take a stand for what they see happening around them.

Hakim's account is refreshingly honest, raw and logical and via describing why he joined the movement, he shares in simple terms why now is the time and how we all have a part to play in helping solve this global problem.

His approach is inclusive, understanding and seeks to educate the people around him, people from all walks of life, to the need to clean up our act.

About the show:

Problem Busters is a show that explores solutions to the biggest and the smallest of problems. Hosts Jonathan Goodwin and Oliver Happy discuss making the world a better place with guests from far and wide.

About our guest:

Hakim Evans is a Youth Ambassador for climate change and through his involvement in ACE (Alliance for Climate Education), is a member of the Your Advisory Board in New York City. Inspired by President Barack Obama for his leadership on climate change, Hakim decided to pursue his interest in climate leadership by joining the ACE Action Fellowship. Hakim has a deep interest in public health, and the intersections of climate change and environmental justice. Hakim played a role in NYC Climate Week, joining Presidents, Prime Ministers, and other world leaders at UN Headquarters in New York City for the UN Paris Climate Change Agreement Ratification Ceremony.

Show mentions:

• ACE: Alliance for Climate Education
• The climate crisis and how it impacts communities
• Hurricane Sandy in 2012, a highly-politicised climate event
• 04:00 hurricane sandy and the impacts on NYC and far occaway
• the water reservoir crisis in London and a ban on hose pipes
• snow in colorado and wildfires in california at the same time
• 08:20 the climate crisis and specifically, how we get involved <----
• Lower income communities being affected more heavily by health, pollution and climate change
• 09:30 what climate change actually means - extreme events <----
• 12:00 the most affected people by climate change are those with no power
• climate racism
• 13:40 civic engagement and how to not just educate, but get people engaged
• holding elected officials accountable and changing who represents them
• Obama and personal experience of the climate crisis as the genesis of getting involved
• 15:00 climate change disrupting your flow and getting educated about how to get involved.
• John Carey and Leonardo Di Caprio
• Jamie Patel, Greta Thunberg and people working to help us reclaim our future
• 17:30 people speaking out, taking back control and getting involved
• 19:00 Trump's poplulist approach to climate change vs Biden on the left and a more centrist approach to climate action, due to pressure groups
• 20:30 Biden's route to office being aided by environmental groups applying pressure and being heard
• 22:00 Environmental groups continuing to lobby as the final vote counting continues, ahead of the 1 January final election result
• 25:00 How ACE works, what they do and why. The just and equitable transition to a more renewable world that they seek.
• A just and equitable transition to renewable energy without disparaging anyone else.
• 25:00 there is no climate justice without justice for women, justice for youth, justice for race.
• 26:30 the blame game as a comfortable approach for developed countries to justifying that they are cleaning up, developing countries blaming developed countries. A pointing game that is just convenient for everybody
• New York state's offshore wind masterplan and initially planning to have 45% generated by offshore wind
• 31:00, 32:30 New York Renews and the climate and community protection act as a means to push towards renewables
• 34:00 being one of two young people in the room during the ratification of the Paris Climate Agreement in NYC and seeing world leaders take action and making commitments
• 35:45 Youth can be a successful pressure group
• 37:00 the end of coal as a step on the path to a just and equitable transition to renewable energy, skills training, jobs training
• Telsa and leading the car industry away from gasoline
• 40:30 Moving out of dirty energy and taking time in order to reduce the shock
• 43:00 - 46:00 the paris agreement to the USA dropping out, to the rise of youth climate justice
• This is zero hour
• Fridays for Future
• The 2018 youth climate summit and feeling disenfranchised by an empty showing
• 45:00 money as a tool to promoting the environmental movement for a noble cause
• Dave Chappelle and money giving you more decisions
• The importance of peers talking to their peers about issues, and how much more that effect that has
• 49:00 leading the way at school, showing that it is possible to bring change
• The march for our lives taking the U.S. by storm
• 50:00 the role parents have in answering their kids' questions about climate and supporting their desire to learn about it
• Parents having to get educated and stay a step ahead, because the world is changing so fast
• Video: Our climate, our future by ACE: https://ourclimateourfuture.org/
• NASA's website as a source of education about science
• 58:00 Who will be the first country to move to 100% renewable energy?
• Sub-Saharan Africa as a place developing at such a rate, that if a sustainable route is taken, the infrastructure can be laid into place right now
• Movie: I am greta documentary
• Movie: An inconvenient truth with Al Gore
• Movie: An inconvenient sequel
• Book: Jamie Margollan - Youth to power
• 01:02:00 everyone has a part to play in the environmental movement

Logo and concept by Christy O'Connor

Author Sophia Wilson and Illustrator Earl Wilson help the Problem Busters see the world through the eyes of a little left-handed boy in a right-handed world. We discuss differences including handedness, race and gender and are inspired by how Sophia helped her son overcome his challenges.

This discussion turns to parenting more generally, to how society's views of left-handedness have changed in the last hundred years since Ollie's grandmother was at school as a leftie in London.

Problem Busters podcast is about highlighting people solving problems and this episode soon turns from left-handedness to discuss race and equality. The team then move on to how Sophia's journey with the book has given her the chance to share so much with so many parents and to help them with their parenting of their little superheroes.

Left-handed champ is an inspiring and beautifully illustrated story about a boy named Callum who overcomes challenges and achieves his dreams by using his imagination and belief that he has a superpower. This book is a perfect blend of teaching self belief and helping children to be familiar with the difference between their left hand and right hand while having fun. Families can use this book as a tool to build self esteem in children and it is a great book that can be used by teachers to explore culture and diversity within classrooms.

About the show:

Problem Busters is a show that explores solutions to the biggest and the smallest of problems. Hosts Jonathan Goodwin and Oliver Happy discuss making the world a better place with guests from far and wide.

About our guests:

Sophia Wilson is a writer, mum and author of Left-handed champ and other stories. Sophia lives in London UK with her left-handed son Callum. Earl Wilson is an illustrator and works with children to help them express themselves through art and creativity. Earl also lives in London UK.

• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/lefthandedchamp/

Show mentions:

• Book - Left-handed champ by Sophia Wilson and Earl Wilson
• Left-handedness
• vogue magazine
• 6:40 left-handed child felt the difference
• 07:35, 09:00 bed time stories
• 09:30 working with kids
• 10:40 being special and not feeling different
• 10:55 people don't realise but being left handed can get connotations
• 12:20 a mother with 3 left handed children
• left-handed champ
• 13:00 experiences of being a left-handed person
• 14:35 left handed needs overlooked in class
• 15:30 the unsung kids <------
• 16:15 the relevance of the book - championing children with challenges
• 17:00 the book is touching children with autism
• SEN special educational needs children
• samsung art classes
• 19:30 we want differences
• clint eastwood
• finding nemo
• 21:00 books with black children were not around at 5yo <-----
• black panther
• falcon movie
• BLM black lives matter
• autism in children
• powerman
• black lightning
• 24:00 diversity in character races
• 24:30 the main character looked like me
• 26:30 if stuck and facing a challenge, use imagination
• 27:20 a book through a child's perspective
• 30:15, 31:35 true story about the table tennis
• raising dion tv show
• static shock
• superman
• www.callumandtreasures.com
• 45:20 kids in art space and reading spaces are best of friends
• 47:00 what would you say to people who feel different?

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Logo and concept by Christy O'Connor

Nik Haidar of Consultancy Four23 takes the Problem Busters through the Brexit issue and explains what it really means to businesses both in the UK and in European nations trading with the UK.

He then outlines a Brexit survival guide for both businesses and indviduals and finally explains how to make the best of this moment of great change and opportunity.

The UK has now officially "Brexited", yet the year of grace that began at the start of 2020 draws to a close on 1 Jan 2021 - this is the date we will really feel Brexit for the first time. What does Brexit mean for your business? How will it affect our lives as the effects of a hard Brexit are felt? And what do businesses need to do to prepare themselves for the years ahead?

Nik covers this and more in a surprisingly positive episode about making the most of a difficult situation (and how we can get through this together).

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About the show:

Problem Busters is a show that explores solutions to the biggest and the smallest of problems. Hosts Jonathan Goodwin and Oliver Happy discuss making the world a better place with guests from far and wide.

Show mentions:

• Free Brexit readiness checklist: https://www.four23.com/your-brexit-readiness-analysis/
• Four 23: https://www.four23.com
• Gov.uk transisiton site: https://www.gov.uk/transition
• Amazon online shopping: https://amazon.co.uk
• Book - Andrew Carnegie, Autobiography: https://www.carnegie.org/news/articles/the-autobiography-of-andrew-carnegie-with-an-introduction-by-vartan-gregorian/
• Book - Drive by Daniel Pink: https://www.danpink.com/books/drive/
• Book - The Prophet by Khalil Gibran: https://the-prophet.com/

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About our guest:

Nik Haidar is a founding partner at Four 23, a Growth Consultancy specialising in cross-border trade and Brexit readiness for businesses small and large. A Lebanese Londoner, Nik has lived and worked in economies as diverse as Russia, Italy, Lebanon, the UK and most recently, France. Nik is a passionate advocate for UK businesses both in the UK and abroad and is determined to help exporters and importers to prepare themselves for Brexit.

• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/nhaidar/
• Website: https://www.four23.com

Logo and artwork concept by Christy O'Connor

In the first episode, Edward Fenech takes the Problem Busters on a tour of why we all need a low carb diet in order to tackle climate change. And he's not talking about carbs as we know them, rather our personal carbon emission footprint and a simple solution to this being too high for each individual.

If Edward's CARBZ carbon emission trading scheme, as proposed in his paper "Clean New World" was adopted, we could all bring the climate crisis under control, together.

His market-led approach to developing a Citizen’s Carbon Credit Currency (CARBZ) is exactly the kind of thinking we need to leverage to survive and thrive in the 21st century and beyond.

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About the show:

Problem Busters is a show that explores solutions to the biggest and the smallest of problems. Hosts Jonathan Goodwin and Oliver Happy discuss making the world a better place with guests from far and wide.

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Show mentions:

• Clean New World (Carbz) paper: https://tinyurl.com/yxzy32pn
• Greenpeace: https://www.greenpeace.org/international/
• Extinction rebellion: https://rebellion.global/
• Amazon plc: Amazon.co.uk
• Greta Thunberg: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Greta_Thunberg
• Elon Musk: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Elon_Musk
• The United Nations: http://www.un.org/
• What is Carbon trading? https://www.fern.org/publications-insight/what-is-carbon-trading-584/

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About our guest:

Edward Fenech is an Accountant with a passion for environmentalism. He works in Fintech and lives with his family in London England. Originally from Malta, Edward has long been concerned with climate change, but takes a practical and logical approach to the challenge of changing behaviour.

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/edward-fenech-8197629/

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Logo and concept by Christy O'Connor

A trailer for something new: The Problem Busters podcast. A show that explores simple solutions to complex problems, sharing the ideas of people who are improving the world around them.

Join hosts Jonathan Goodwin (of Bouyon Boys) and Oliver Happy (of Old Fox Young Fox and Gone Workabout) on this journey of discovery which is at times slapdash, sometimes humorous but always focused on making the world a better place.

We believe in ideas worth sharing and in inspiring others to do their part. Problem Busters is our way of giving back, by sharing these ideas to inspire others.

So join us on this adventure and trace our journey to getting Elon Musk to appear on the show!!

Show mentions:

• Why Problem Busters and why now?
• Show concept and goals
• Our dream - to have Elon Musk guest on the show

Artwork photo by Oleg Ivanov on Unsplash