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Out of The Tunnel at last: What have we learnt? What will COP26 give us? What will the next election give us? Which ‘climate story’ will win peoples’ hearts and minds? Are we approaching a social tipping point? This is what episode 387 on The Sustainable Hour’s 8th birthday sets out to explore.

[07:35] Our first guest today is Simon Holmes á Court. Simon is senior advisor to the Climate and Energy College at Melbourne University and sits on the board of the Smart Energy Council. We learn all about his latest project, Climate 200 – Fighting for science-based climate policy. The intention isn’t to start a new political party, but to support independent candidates who are strong on science-based climate policy. This they believe will break the barriers that party loyalty has inflicted on us for the last years in Australian politics. Climate 200 have been raising funds – so far $3 million by 5,000 donors – that will be allocated to suitable independent candidates in key seats. This is a true political revolution in Australia. Giving even just a five dollar donation to Climate 200 is a revolutionary act.

[34:36] Our next guest is arguably Australia’s key climate scientist: Professor Will Steffen from the Climate Change Institute at the Australian National University in Canberra. He is also a councillor at the Climate Council. Will doesn’t discuss the science at all, as it’s a given. Rather he tells us his strong feelings about what needs to happen. The interaction between Simon and Will at 46:00 makes this hour particularly interesting.

Colin Mockett‘s Global Outlook begins this week predictably in Europe where the COP26 world climate meeting opened at the weekend. It was also where Russia temporarily closed its gas pipeline and even reversed its flow for a matter of hours without any explanation. Informed sources rate it as a reminder to the EEC where a lot of its power comes from at present.A nation not represented in Glasgow, New Zealand, announced firm commitments to halve its net greenhouse gas emissions by 2030, in another unspoken message to Scott Morrison, who is in Glasgow with a vague plan and his personal photographer.

At the talks a new report found that the United Kingdom pensions industry enables more CO2 than all the country’s carbon emissions. British pension schemes are estimated to invest £112 billion into fossil fuels – that’s £60 for every £1,000 invested. The report calculates that if the pensions industry were a country, it would find itself in the Top 20 carbon emitters globally.

The report, convened by Make My Money Matter, has created a campaign called 21x Challenge. This highlights that making your pension green is 21x more powerful than giving up flying, growing veggies and switching energy providers. It is calling on people to tell their pension providers to go green. It’s the most powerful thing you can do for the planet.

And finally, news from the world’s only carbon-neutral football team, Forest Green Rovers, who play in the English northern second division.