With Parliament back from recess, the Labour government enters its second year facing climate and net zero as both a defining priority and a contested political battleground. Public attention is divided by global insecurity, the cost of living crisis and political polarisation, making the way we talk about climate more important – and more difficult – than ever.

In this episode of the Green Alliance Podcast, deputy director of politics Holly Brazier Tope is joined by Fiona Harvey, environment editor at The Guardian. Drawing on more than two decades of reporting, Fiona reflects on the narratives that resonate with the public, the role of the media in shaping debate, and how government can avoid the pitfalls of weak communication in the months ahead.

In this episode, Liam Hardy and Heather Plumpton, heads of research at Green Alliance, unpack some of the key issues in the debate around carbon capture and storage (CCS), the technology many see as essential for meeting climate targets and others call an expensive lifeline for fossil fuels. From cement plants to gas power stations, they discuss where CCS might genuinely cut emissions, where it risks locking in oil and gas, and why households could end up footing the bill. 

With a focus on fairness, strategic investment and making polluters pay, the conversation comes as Green Alliance publishes a new briefing that delves deeper into these themes, putting forward some recommendations for what government can do.

In this episode, Alice Stafford, communications officer at Green Alliance, speaks to Molly Easton and Layla Mapemba from Youngwilders, a youth-led non profit working to make nature recovery more inclusive. From local rewilding initiatives to influencing national policy, they explore how young people are creatively restoring nature in their communities and why rewilding should be accessible to everyone, wherever they live. With a focus on access, equity and meaningful change, they reflect on the potential of youth-led projects to reshape our relationship with the natural world.

The UK government banned disposable vapes in June 2025, a major win for health, environment and campaigners across the country. But has the problem really gone away?

In this episode, Green Alliance's senior fellow and head of resources Libby Peake speaks to the experts and activists behind the campaign to ban these devices. She’s joined by Scott Butler of Material Focus, climate campaigner Laura Young and Dr Michael McKean of the Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health.

They discuss the lasting damage disposable vapes still cause, from toxic waste and discarded lithium to misleading new products and weak enforcement. And with new threats like nicotine pouches on the rise, the pressure on regulators is far from over.

It’s been a year since Labour’s landslide victory in the 2024 UK general election and we’re diving into what that’s meant for climate and nature. From bold moves on clean power and nature friendly farming to economic roadblocks and rising political division on net zero, this episode brings together voices from Green Alliance, Friends of the Earth and the National Trust to unpack Labour’s first 12 months. 

This episode explores the government’s new IT reuse for good charter and the broader Digital Inclusion Action Plan, which aim to get unused devices into the hands of those who need them most. The discussion highlights the scale of the UK’s e-waste problem, the persistent digital divide and the critical role of device redistribution in addressing both challenges.

Presented by Emily Carr, policy adviser and author of our recent report Making the connection: ending digital exclusion with reused devices, this episode features Stuart Dossett, senior policy advisor and co-author the report; Sam, an asylum seeker whose life was transformed by receiving a donated laptop through Screen Share; Megan Barrett chief executive officer of Power to Connect, a charity working to bridge the digital divide in London through device redistribution and digital skills training; and Natasha Early, business development and partnerships manager at Good Things Foundation, a national digital inclusion charity, responsible for the National Device Bank. Their stories and insights underscore both the life changing impact of digital access and the ongoing barriers like limited device supply, data security concerns and funding constraints that must be overcome to achieve true digital inclusion.

In this episode, Libby Peake, senior fellow and head of resource policy, speaks to Patrick Grant, clothing designer and BBC's Sewing Bee judge, discussing Grant's book "Less." They delve into the shift taken over the last century from quality manufacturing that benefited communities to a fast fashion model that generates enormous waste and minimal value. 

In this conversation, Patrick Grant advocates for a "lower consumption, higher value economy," where people buy fewer but better quality items that last longer, create local repair economies and generate more satisfaction. He highlights how many consumers today lack a frame of reference for quality goods, having grown up with synthetic materials, and emphasises the distinction between enduring "clothing" versus disposable "fashion." The episode concludes with both speakers agreeing that while fashion has cultural value, the current system of AI-designed, oil-based disposable fashion is unsustainable and requires policy intervention to incentivise quality and local production.

Five years after Brexit, we take a moment to reflect on its impact on environmental protection. This episode of the Green Alliance podcast explores the fate of environmental laws inherited from the EU and the new systems put in place to watch over them.

Ruth Chambers, Green Alliance senior fellow, is joined by Professor Maria Lee, an expert in environmental law, and Dame Glenys Stacey, Chair of the Office for Environmental Protection, for a discussion on the challenges and progress of the last five years. Together, they reflect on how our new environmental governance systems provide important checks and balances to bolster environmental protections through short term political cycles. 

Read our related report here.

In this episode, you'll hear highlights from our recent "in conversation" event with Guy Shrubsole where he and our head of natural environment, Lydia Collas, discussed his latest book “The Lie of the Land: Who Really Cares for the Countryside?”.

The book examines some of the most dramatic failures of land stewardship in Britain’s recent history. But also tells the story of the people trying to pick up the pieces, the small scale farmers, community groups and members of the public who seek to be the custodians of land, whether or not they own it.

Some other topics covered in the discussion include:

• Differences between Britain and other countries' land ownership
• The role and balance of private and public investment in nature restoration
• The power and resources of National Parks
• A right to roam/right to responsible access

The discussion concludes with an audience Q&A.

In this week's episode of the Green Alliance podcast, we dive into the UK’s evolving transport policy discussion with Green Alliance's head of climate, Nick Davies. The conversation covers recent developments on the Zero Emission Vehicle (ZEV) mandate and the launch of the Integrated National Transport Strategy.

Nick chats with experts including Michael Solomon Williams from Campaign for Better Transport, cycling journalist and author Laura Laker, and Green Alliance's Johann Beckford and Rosie Allen. Together, they explore the challenges and opportunities in decarbonising transport, from electric vehicles to active travel and the future of public transport. Tune in for expert insights on the policies shaping a cleaner, more sustainable transport system.