In this episode of Shaken Not Burned, Felicia Jackson speaks with Rob Cobbold, founder of Native Squared, about what credible nature finance looks like when you start from land, communities, and long-term stewardship — rather than carbon metrics and abstract credits.

They unpack why many current funding models for nature protection struggle to deliver durable outcomes, how carbon-first and uplift-based approaches can exclude the ecosystems most worth protecting, and why intact nature often fails to qualify for finance at all.

Trust — between funders, communities, companies, and ecosystems — is the missing infrastructure in nature finance: benefit-sharing, governance, and time horizons matter more than ever. Importantly, Indigenous and local communities are among the most effective stewards of ecosystems.

The conversation reaches a surreal but revealing point when Rob explains that, in some cases, the most legally robust way to protect a forest may be to buy the logging rights – and then not log it. It seems that it’s easier to use the same legal tools designed for extraction for protection, compared to the systems supposedly built for conservation. It’s hard to think of a clearer illustration of how upside-down current models have become.

Rather than offering a new “solution,” this episode focuses on judgment: how different models define value, who benefits, where responsibility sits, and how to distinguish genuine stewardship from compensation dressed up as impact.

Nature is foundational to climate, economies and human wellbeing, not an optional add-on: biodiversity loss and climate change are deeply interconnected and mutually reinforcing.

Unfortunately, carbon-centric funding models can undermine nature protection rather than support it. Damaging behaviour can be perversely rewarded because it shows that action is needed: if a forest is being logged, the current system can ensure that funds are directed to that area to avoid logging. At the same time, pristine forests are not legally entitled to funding because it is assumed they don't need protection. Intact rainforests, coral reefs, mangroves – essentially, those ecosystems doing well – often can’t access finance because they aren’t “additional” enough.

Outcomes matter more than processes, even when certainty is impossible.

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What happens when the world is on fire – and someone tells you the solution is a financial instrument?

In this episode of Shaken Not Burned, Felicia Jackson speaks with Sean Kidney, co-founder and CEO of the Climate Bonds Initiative, about how green, climate, and resilience bonds went from a niche idea to a multi-trillion-dollar global market, and why that matters now.

This isn’t a technical deep dive into taxonomy footnotes or ESG compliance. It’s a conversation about how capital actually moves, who it serves, and what it takes to redirect finance toward climate action, adaptation and resilience at scale, without pretending markets are driven by sentiment alone.

Sean explains why long-term investors such as pension funds and insurers are central to climate finance, why bonds unlock scale, and how adaptation and resilience investments can be financed even when they don’t generate obvious revenue streams. 

Along the way, we unpack the myths around “financialising” resilience, the role of labels and taxonomies, the political and social limits of climate finance, and why trust and legitimacy may be just as important as clever instruments.

As we figure out the markets of the future, we must remember that green finance today is sensible long-term planning. That shift, from should we? to how fast can we?, may be the most hopeful signal of all.

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At last week's 2026 World Economic Forum meeting in Davos, the language of cooperation and resilience may have been everywhere, but the world seems to feel more fragmented, more uncertain and more politically charged than ever.

In this episode, Felicia Jackson is joined by Sherry Madera, chief executive of CDP, to unpack what Davos revealed about the shifting risk landscape,  and what businesses are actually doing about it.

Drawing on CDP’s latest Corporate Health Check of 10,000 companies, the conversation explores why the focus is moving away from ambition and targets toward preparedness and resilience. Only a small number of companies are genuinely ready for physical climate risk, transition risk, water stress and nature loss and those that are prepared are quietly outperforming.

Felicia and Sherry discuss why waiting for political clarity is no longer a neutral choice, how insurers, lenders and investors are already pricing physical risk, why ESG language is fading while resilience and adaptation rise, and how AI has unexpectedly pushed water to the centre of boardroom decision-making.

This episode is about risk, resilience, and what it really takes to build long-term value in a fractured world — when the physics keeps moving, whether politics agrees or not.

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In this episode of Shaken Not Burned, Felicia talks with Francisco Martin-Rayo, chief executive of Helios AI about the uncomfortable truth behind today’s food prices: climate volatility is no longer a future risk — it’s already reshaping what we can grow, where we can grow it, and whether certain foods show up on our shelves at all.

This isn’t just about floods and fires. It’s about quieter, more destabilising shifts in seasons, rainfall patterns, pests and temperature thresholds that are undermining harvests and driving volatility through the global food system, often long before anyone notices the impact in the supermarket aisle.

Francisco explains how Helios uses artificial intelligence to forecast climate risk and price volatility across agricultural commodities and countries, and why the real problem isn’t a lack of data but a lack of decision infrastructure. Together, they unpack why food systems are uniquely fragile: from rural data gaps and long investment cycles to finance, procurement, and policy rules that lock farmers and buyers into crops that no longer make sense in a changing climate.

As always, at Shaken Not Burned we're not about having all the answers. What we believe matters is building the knowledge we need to ask better questions, in order to understand what’s actually breaking, why it’s breaking, and how better information — used well — could change who holds power in the food system and how resilient it can become.

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In a world obsessed with financial capital, what if the assets that matter most for resilience don’t show up on a balance sheet at all?

In this episode of Shaken Not Burned, Felicia talks to Sallyann Della Casa, founder of the mentorship and learning platform GLEAC, to explore the idea of quiet capital, the invisible forms of value that increasingly determine who adapts and thrives in an AI-driven world.

Quiet capital includes trust, networks you can actually mobilise, deep contextual knowledge, purpose, and community. These are the human assets that can’t be automated away — and yet are consistently undervalued because they’re hard to measure.

Together, Felicia and Sallyann discuss why experience and judgment matter more as intelligence becomes cheap, why so many digital and AI transformations fail despite “working” technology, and how organisations quietly undermine resilience by treating people as interchangeable. They also explore why Gen X may be one of the most overlooked — and exposed — generations in the current transition, and why trust may be the most critical form of capital we have left.

This is a conversation about resilience, relevance, and redefining wealth in a world of accelerating change.

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2025 hasn’t been the easiest year. Amid ongoing genocides, Trump becoming US president again, and the EU backtracking on some of its most innovative policies, it feels like progress on sustainability matters has been slow, even non-existent.
Meanwhile, billionaires are becoming richer, artificial intelligence is taking people’s jobs and attention spans, and the climate breakdown continues at a pace. Notably, last year the Earth reached its first tipping point, meaning that warm water coral reefs are unlikely to recover from the damage seen so far unless we drastically reduce greenhouse gas emissions.

All this begs the question: are we f***ed? Many people are feeling hopeless: it’s undoubtedly frustrating to put effort into a cause that feels like emptying the ocean with a spoon. For those who have joined the sustainability scene in the past five years or so, it may look like we will never achieve any meaningful change – but is this really where we are?

In the first episode of 2026, Giulia speaks to two seasoned sustainability professionals: Shaken Not Burned co-host, journalist, entrepreneur, and academic Felicia Jackson, and Mike Scott, writer, journalist, and director at Carbon Copy Communications.

In an attempt to assuage her concerns, which are shared by many listeners, Giulia asks the guests how bad the situation really is, and whether history can provide some reassurance that things can be salvaged. Spoiler alert: we have been here before, and somehow made it through.

If you are feeling hopeless in these early days 2026 – and we can’t blame you – look at what’s been achieved so far. For example, renewables were previously labelled as expensive and unreliable, and now account for huge chunks of the energy mix of many countries. Electric vehicles are a normal sight on the road. Companies and consumers alike are valuing sustainable products. Just a decade ago, all of this would have been unthinkable.

As we start the new year, let’s dream big. Let’s set goals that feel completely wild and unattainable. Let’s get together and continue fighting the good fight. Hopefully, we will look back in 10 years’ time and realise all of this was more than doable.

We at Shaken Not Burned will be here, every step of the way. Thank you so much for being a part of our community, and let’s make 2026 a year to remember!

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Water scarcity is already one of the world’s biggest risks — so why do we treat long showers as inconsequential?

In this episode of Shaken Not Burned, Felicia talks to Carly Hunt, head of strategic partnerships at Showerkap, about how everyday behaviour shapes water resilience. They explore why most water solutions overlook human habits, how behavioural nudges can cut water use without forcing change, and what early pilots in hotels and universities reveal about the power of small shifts.

The conversation also challenges the idea that individual actions don’t matter. Carly shares how one user cut their water use by around 50% — saving 54 litres a day, or roughly 20,000 litres a year — simply by changing shower habits. Scaled across households, campuses or hotels, those “small” changes quickly become market-level impact. 

From seven-minute showers to real-time tracking of water, energy, and carbon, this conversation shows how smart design and behavioural science can quietly drive large-scale impact — and why resilience may start with the most ordinary moments of daily life.

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We are a podcast, but we have to admit: images can speak more than words. A powerful visual can tell a story, evoke sensations, and even inspire action. And isn’t that an essential tool in communicating about climate and sustainability?

Yet, for one reason or another, we resort to cliches: a polar bear on melting ice, a blue marble image, hands joining together over some greenery. Sure, they are cliches for a reason – but which are the alternatives, and how can they capture the attention of our audience?

In this week’s episode, Felicia interviews Dr. Rebecca Swift, SVP creative at Getty Images, to explore the fascinating world of visual communication. They discuss how iconic visuals shape public perception, the emotional connections brands can create through imagery, and the importance of authenticity and transparency in messaging.

Rebecca talks about how the advent of artificial intelligence risks eroding trust, how humour resonates across all ages, and provides tips on how to create imagery that is honest and free of cliches for corporates.

Imagery depicts reality, while simultaneously shaping our view of the world. For sustainability, this means providing an example of how change can look like, making us believe it will be possible. 

Getty Images' "Visualizing Sustainability" report: http://reports.gettyimages.com/VisualGPS-Visualizing-Sustainability-Report.pdf

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PFAS, or forever chemicals, are one of the most urgent but misunderstood issues in environmental health. 

This group of nearly 15,000 man-made substances are used to make many products more durable or waterproof, but they don’t break down. Instead, they accumulate in our water, our soil and even our bodies. 

While we don’t yet have a full picture of their impacts, we know that they have been linked to health issues, such as increased risk of cancer and immune disorders. So, how do we deal with them?

This week, Felicia speaks to Anoosheh Oskouian, president, CEO and co-founder of Ship & Shore Environmental, a company that produces systems for industrial air pollution control.

They talk about the historical context of PFAS, how they end up being released in the atmosphere at the manufacturing level, and, most importantly, how this can be prevented. The conversation highlights the challenges in enforcing prevention measures, the need for global standards, and the future of PFAS management and awareness.

Awareness and education about the forever chemicals are essential for public health and safety. We need policymakers to tighten regulations because prevention is crucial, and also more cost-effective than remediation when it comes to our health.

Note: the inventor of chlorofluorocarbon (CFC) refrigerant who added lead to gasoline, mentioned by Felicia, is Thomas Midgley Jr.

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Carbon markets are intended to be the backbone of climate finance – but they’re often criticised for being opaque, inefficient, and riddled with credibility issues.

 This week, Giulia talked to Alex Taylor, co-founder at KlimaDAO and Carbonmark, about the messy reality of the voluntary carbon markets, from opaque pricing, questionable credit quality, middlemen capturing most of the value, as well as why so many people doubt the whole system.

KlimaDAO tried to use blockchain to make the market more transparent and efficient by tokenising carbon credits and putting them on-chain, exposing real prices, cutting out intermediaries. That is the sort of move expected to result in more transparency, liquidity, and, crucially, accountability.

Yet, there are always challenges in new approaches, and the conversation doesn’t dodge the 2022 ‘zombie credits’ controversy: when older and largely inactive credits bridged via Toucan ended up dominating KlimaDAO’s early pools, raising concerns from independent analysts about quality and integrity.

Alex talks candidly about what went wrong, why it happened, and how they’ve redesigned their systems to focus on higher-quality and removal credits. This could be a case study in what it takes to rebuild trust in a market many people already see as flawed, and the role technology can realistically play in cleaning it up.

The real question is: will it deliver? And what does it mean for the future of climate finance if the markets themselves are being rebuilt from the ground up? 

This episode examines the integrity challenges across voluntary carbon markets, why additionality and credit quality matter, and how efforts like KlimaDAO aim to fix long-standing problems. It revisits the ‘zombie credits’ controversy and explores the regulatory questions shaping the sector’s future.

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