Representatives from nearly every country in the world are in Egypt right now for COP27, the annual climate conference hosted by the United Nations. The overall goal of each COP is to make progress on climate; to get all countries moving in the same direction, toward a decarbonized world, in an equitable way, based on the best scientific information available. But some are now saying that we should abandon hope of holding global average temperature rise to 1.5 degrees Celsius over pre-industrial temperatures.

But we don't think that. And here's why.

Threshold's year-end fundraiser is underway right now. Donate today to keep Threshold going strong. Our listeners make this work possible. 

Sign-up for our newsletter

In many ways, the climate crisis is an identity crisis. As we reckon with the damage we’ve done, we’re being forced into a massive confrontation with the powers, limitations, and essential nature of our species. How do we even process the notion that we can do—that we are doing—so much harm to ourselves and to all life on Earth? What is it about us that led us into this mess, and do we have what it takes to get ourselves out of it? Who are we? And who do we want to become? 

This is Threshold Season 4: “Time to 1.5.” In this episode, we explore what we learn about ourselves from bonobos, the necessity of getting everyone on the planet in the same boat, and the power of stories to shape our future. 

This work depends on people who believe in it and choose to support it. People like you. Join our community at thresholdpodcast.org

The climate crisis is not just a problem of carbon emissions: it's one of inequality. In fact, global warming and global inequality are the same problem manifesting in different ways. And one of the places we see this connection clearly is at COP26. 

This is Threshold Season 4: “Time to 1.5.” In this episode, we follow the conflict over loss and damage, mitigation, and finance in the negotiating room. Who wins and who loses in the making of an international climate pact? 

This episode contains strong language that may not be suitable for all listeners. 

This work depends on people who believe in it and choose to support it. People like you. Join our community at thresholdpodcast.org

The UN climate talks, or COPs, are attempting the biggest, most complicated, highest-stakes group project humanity has ever known. They are, in a sense, an attempt to design a revolution—to help guide a massive societal transformation that needs to happen all around the world, all at once, to curb climate chaos.

But design and planning are rarely how paradigm shifts actually happen. So how do we actually make it happen? And can we do it fast enough? 

This is Threshold Season 4: “Time to 1.5.” In this episode, we continue our journey at COP26 in Glasgow to see what the process for organizing a social and economic revolution really looks like and explore what kind of collaboration this kind of climate transformation asks of all of us. 

This work depends on people who believe in it and choose to support it. People like you. Join our community at thresholdpodcast.org

The UN climate talks, or COPs, are a lot of different things: they're confusing, bureaucratic, inspiring, boring, infuriating, and exhilarating. They are also the only thing we’ve got to deal with climate change on a scale that matches the problem—that is to say, globally. 

The overall goal of each COP is to make progress on climate: to get all countries moving towards a decarbonized world—as equitably as possible and based on the best scientific information available. But of course, every country has a different idea of what that looks like and how we should get there. 

This is Threshold Season 4: “Time to 1.5.” In this episode, we take you into the trenches of COP26 in Glasgow, Scotland, to explore how the process of climate negotiation works and what’s at stake for every human on the planet.

This work depends on people who believe in it and choose to support it. People like you. Join our community at thresholdpodcast.org

If the steel industry were a country, it would be the world's third-largest emitter. So to prevent a climate catastrophe, this industry has to change. And not just a little bit: we have to fundamentally transform how we make one of the most versatile, durable, widely used materials human beings have ever created. That's exactly what a group of companies in northern Sweden is aiming to do. 

This is Threshold Season 4: “Time to 1.5” In this episode we travel to northern Sweden to explore how a greener process could revolutionize the iron and steel industry, dramatically reduce fossil fuel emissions, and make life better for people in industrial communities.

This work depends on people who believe in it and choose to support it. People like you. Join our community at thresholdpodcast.org

Listening to Threshold is free, but creating it is not.

We have always been committed to making the best show we can—and making it available for free.

But that's not possible without financial support.

We’re a 501c3 nonprofit organization, and our work is funded entirely by gifts and grants. When you make a donation to Threshold, you’re directly supporting our independent nonprofit journalism.

 Join our community at thresholdpodcast.org

For centuries, we have been willing to sacrifice places, ecosystems, and entire species for industries like steel. While steel is one of the most useful materials humans have ever created, it’s also one of the most damaging to the climate and to the people who work in and live near these mills. These conditions help explain why the workers in the steel mills of Gary in the first half of the 20th century came from two main groups: newly arrived immigrants and African Americans who had moved up from the southern United States.

This is Threshold Season 4: “Time to 1.5.” In this episode, we explore the intersection of racism, industrialization, and climate change in Gary, Indiana. Also Michael Jackson.

This work depends on people who believe in it and choose to support it. People like you. Join our community at thresholdpodcast.org

Steel is the signature material of the Industrial Revolution. It’s also an essential component of the wind turbines, electric cars, and climate-friendly buildings we’ll need in a decarbonized world. But making steel requires mountains of coal. So we both really need steel and really need to stop making it the way we’re doing now.

This is Threshold Season 4: “Time to 1.5.” In this episode, we explore the costs and benefits of our industrial processes on people, communities, and the climate through the story of Gary, Indiana.

This work depends on people who believe in it and choose to support it. People like you. Join our community at thresholdpodcast.org

One of the most challenging aspects of the climate crisis is that we have to do everything at once - transition the entire global economy away from fossil fuels AND deal with the warming that’s already happening. In climate-speak, these two things are called mitigation and adaptation, and one of the places where you can see this playing out is Lagos, the largest city in Nigeria and one of the most important ports in Africa. It’s a city that’s flourishing and also one that is facing a huge problem as the world warms and the ocean encroaches. 

This is Threshold Season 4: “Time to 1.5.” In this episode, we pay a visit to two communities in Lagos, just a few miles apart, responding to climate change in very different ways.

This work depends on people who believe in it and choose to support it. People like you. Join our community at thresholdpodcast.org