Fossil vs Future

We often finish a recording and think of more things we wish we’d said. Or something happens days after that would have been key to mention. In this episode, James and Daisy catch up on those “missing pieces” from 2026 so far. How might the Iran war impact the energy transition? What is on the COP31 Action Agenda? What happened at the first conference on Transitioning Away from Fossil Fuels? “Sunlight has to travel 93 million miles to reach the Earth, but none of those miles go through the Strait of Hormuz.” – Bill McKibben.SOME RECOMMENDATIONS: Outrage + Optimism (2026) – Listen to this podcast episode on how the Iran crisis proves just how dangerously dependent the global economy is on fossil fuels. Michael Liebreich (2026) – The Electrification Staircase is a framework that tries to answer the question: “What should we be rolling out right now at speed, versus treating like a pilot or a trial for commercialisation in coming decades”.Holcim Foundation – An independent non-profit organisation dedicated to accelerating sustainable construction worldwide. Holcim UK, alongside the Holcim Innovation Centre in Lyon, has produced a net zero concrete using an innovative mix containing biochar produced from coppiced wood and spent coffee grounds collected from Canary Wharf coffee shops.FT (2026) – Piece by Pilita Clark on “the messy, chaotic and possibly quixotic quest to phase out fossil fuels.” OTHER ADVOCATES AND RESOURCES:IEA (2026) – The IEA’s Executive Director Fatih Birol says the combined impacts of the disruption to oil and gas flows through the Strait of Hormuz and attacks on energy infrastructure across the Middle East amount to "the greatest threat to global energy security in history." Around 25% of the world’s seaborne oil trade transited the Strait in 2025. About 80% of oil and oil products transiting the Strait in 2025 was destined for Asia. WRI (2026) – Describes how countries with abundant clean energy are faring better with the fuel shortages and price spikes caused by the Iran war. Ember (2025) – Analysis showing how growth in emerging markets turbocharged global EV sales in 2025. The Guardian (2026) – Last year, Ethiopia became the first country to ban imports of combustion engine vehicles. Now, Ethiopia sees roughly 115,000 EVs on its roads out of a total of 1.5m cars in the country. Data Center Watch – A research project that tracks grassroots opposition to data center development across the United States.NY Times (2026) – The “hyperscalers” have forecast spending $710 billion on data centers across North America in 2026. However, according to Data Center Watch, at least $156 billion across 48 projects with publicly disclosed values was blocked or stalled amid coordinated local opposition in 2025.UNFCCC (2026) – COP31 President-Designate Murat Kurum’s first letter outlining the 2026 Action Agenda and naming Sally Higgins as Youth Climate Champion.FT (2026) – Sir Christopher Hohn’s hedge fund TCI has dumped almost all of its $8bn stake in US software giant Microsoft, telling investors that artificial intelligence poses a threat to the company’s dominant software products.Carbon Brief (2026) – A summary of the first summit on ‘transitioning away’ from fossil fuels which saw 57 countries – representing one-third of the world’s economy – debate practical ways to move away from coal, oil and gas. Countries including China, Russia, the US, and India were not invited.Thank you for listening! Please follow us on social media to join the conversation: LinkedIn | Instagram | TikTokYou can also now watch us on YouTube.Music: “Just Because Some Bad Wind Blows” by Nick Nuttall, Reptiphon Records. Available at https://nicknuttallmusic.bandcamp.com/album/just-because-some-bad-wind-blows-3Producer: Podshop StudiosHuge thanks to Siobhán Foster, a vital member of the team offering design advice, critical review and organisation that we depend upon.Stay tuned for more insightful discussions on navigating the transition away from fossil fuels to a sustainable future.

This is part two of our collaboration with Bula COP31! We recommend listening to part one first. This November, Türkiye hosts COP31 with Australia leading the negotiations. In this cross-continental episode, James and Daisy are joined by Jack Whelan and Heidi Dumesich (hosts of Bula COP31!) for an intergenerational conversation on what we hope to see from this year’s conference. What will make it onto the Action Agenda? What is the Fossil Fuel Non-Proliferation Treaty? And what should the COP31 closing speech say? SOME RECOMMENDATIONS: BulaCOP31! – To learn more about what it means for Australia and Türkiye to co-host COP31, listen to Jack and Heidi’s podcast.OTHER ADVOCATES AND RESOURCES:COP31 – Türkiye will be the formal COP31 President while Australia will serve as the President of Negotiations.COP30 (2026) – The Action Agenda is the space for actors who do not negotiate, but who are essential for implementation. The COP30 Action Agenda was organized around six thematic pillars and the “Five Year Vision” established a framework to guide the acceleration of Paris Agreement implementation between 2026 and 2030. Climate Watch – 62 countries have yet to submit updated Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs).Pacific Resilience Facility – The first Pacific-led, member-owned and managed regional financing facility. The Guardian (2026) – A leaked draft of the COP31 Action Agenda includes 14 items but omits mention of fossil fuel phaseout, prioritising “zero waste” and “tourism and cultural heritage” instead.Dialogue Earth (2025) – Türkiye is one of the world’s largest electric arc furnace steel producers and Australia is the world’s biggest iron ore exporter.Ember – In 2024, Türkiye’s renewable electricity generation (156 TWh) outpaced Australia’s (98.8 TWh).The Fossil Fuel Treaty Initiative – An alliance of nation-states and civil society working to secure a global just transition from coal, oil and gas. 18 nations have already joined. UN – The Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons (NPT) is a landmark international treaty whose objective is to prevent the spread of nuclear weapons and weapons technology, to promote cooperation in the peaceful uses of nuclear energy and to further the goal of achieving nuclear disarmament and general and complete disarmament.Transitioning Away from Fossil Fuels – Colombia and the Netherlands will co-host this conference in Santa Marta (24-29 April 2026) as a space for countries, subnational governments and other stakeholders that recognize the need to implement a transition away from fossil fuels in a just, orderly and equitable manner, in line with climate goals and the best available science.IEA (2025) – Fossil fuels still comprised 10% of Colombia’s GDP and 45% of total exports in 2024. The Belém Declaration – An agreement supported by 35+ countries aiming to accelerate green industrialization.Earth Negotiations Bulletin (ENB) – The flagship publication of the International Institute for Sustainable Development (IISD) on UN environment and development negotiations. UNFCCC – Article 6 of the Paris Agreement enables international cooperation to tackle climate change and to unlock financial support for developing countries.COP30 (2026) – In this letter, COP30 President Corrêa do Lago proposes a “two-tier” model for multilateralism: one anchored in consensus, and one focused on implementation.WEF (2026) – Prime Minister of Canada, Mark Carney, made a special address at Davos: “We know the old order is not coming back. We shouldn't mourn it. Nostalgia is not a strategy, but we believe that from the fracture, we can build something bigger, better, stronger, more just.”Thank you for listening! Please follow us on social media to join the conversation: LinkedIn | Instagram | TikTokYou can also now watch us on YouTube.Music: “Just Because Some Bad Wind Blows” by Nick Nuttall, Reptiphon Records. Available at https://nicknuttallmusic.bandcamp.com/album/just-because-some-bad-wind-blows-3Producer: Podshop StudiosHuge thanks to Siobhán Foster, a vital member of the team offering design advice, critical review and organisation that we depend upon.Stay tuned for more insightful discussions on navigating the transition away from fossil fuels to a sustainable future.

Although we often focus on carbon dioxide, a group of powerful pollutants is also driving a large share of today’s warming… In this episode, James and Daisy talk about super pollutants. Why are they important? Why are they worse for the climate? How can we reduce their use? SOME RECOMMENDATIONS: The Global Methane Pledge (GMP) – Launched at COP26 by the EU and the US, the GMP now has 160 participants who agree to take voluntary actions to reduce global methane emissions by at least 30% from 2020 levels by 2030, potentially eliminating over 0.2ºC warming by 2050. Methane has caused 30% of warming since the Industrial Revolution.The Climate and Clean Air Coalition (CCAC) – A voluntary partnership of over 200 governments, intergovernmental organizations, businesses, scientific institutions and civil society organizations committed to protecting the climate and improving air quality by reducing short-lived super pollutants (methane, black carbon, tropospheric ozone and hydrofluorocarbons (HFCs)). The CCAC drives efforts to implement known practices and existing technologies that can achieve global reductions of at least 40% of methane by 2030 (vs 2010); 70% of black carbon by 2030 (vs 2010); and 99.5% of HFCs by 2050 (vs 2010).OTHER ADVOCATES AND RESOURCES:UNEP (2024) – Interactive cartoons explaining the science of super pollutants. UNEP – Parties to the Montreal Protocol (2016 Kigali Amendment) agreed to phase down HFCs by 80-85% by the late 2040s.CCAC (2024) – Super pollutants are a “flow” problem (controlling how fast the planet warms) whereas carbon dioxide is a “stock” problem (controlling the maximum extent of warming).CCAC – Methane has an atmospheric lifetime of 12 years (much shorter than CO2) but per unit of mass, has a warming effect 86x stronger than CO2 over 20 years and 28x over 100 years.UNEP – The International Methane Emissions Observatory (IMEO) launched the Methane Alert and Response System (MARS) at COP27– the first public global satellite detection system providing actionable methane emissions data.PR Newswire (2026) – A group of companies including Amazon, Autodesk, Figma, Google, JPMorganChase, Salesforce, and Workday announced a $100 million Superpollutant Action Initiative.Carbon Brief (2025) – Super pollutants are responsible for around 45% of global warming to date, as well as millions of premature deaths each year. Human-caused methane emissions come from: (1) Agriculture (~40%), such as from livestock and rice production; (2) Fossil fuels (~35%), as a by-product of fossil fuel extraction, storage and distribution; and (3) Waste (~20%), from food and other organic materials decaying in landfills and wastewater.UK Government (2025) – The UK’s Methane Action Plan notes that UK methane emissions have reduced by 62% between 1990 and 2023. IPCC (2023) – “Global Warming Potential (GWP) is an index measuring the radiative forcing following an emission of a unit mass of a given substance, accumulated over a chosen time horizon, relative to that of the reference substance, CO2.” National Grid (2025) – Sulphur hexafluoride (SF6) has a GWP of 24,300 and an atmospheric lifetime of 3,200 years. 80% of the SF6 used globally is in electricity transmission and distribution.European Commission – The EU Methane Regulation (EU/2024/1787) entered into force on 4 August 2024. It aims to reduce methane emissions into the atmosphere, both in the EU and in global supply chains, and to minimise leaks of methane by fossil energy companies operating in the EU.EMSA – From 1 January 2026, the EU Emissions Trading System (ETS) has incorporated methane and nitrous oxide for maritime transport.Thank you for listening! Please follow us on social media to join the conversation: LinkedIn | Instagram | TikTokYou can also now watch us on YouTube.Music: “Just Because Some Bad Wind Blows” by Nick Nuttall, Reptiphon Records. Available at https://nicknuttallmusic.bandcamp.com/album/just-because-some-bad-wind-blows-3Producer: Podshop StudiosHuge thanks to Siobhán Foster, a vital member of the team offering design advice, critical review and organisation that we depend upon.Stay tuned for more insightful discussions on navigating the transition away from fossil fuels to a sustainable future.

Our lives are intertwined with energy. It comes in many forms and, while it can never be lost, it can be converted from one form to another to do useful work. The energy transition is the process of shifting energy production away from sources that release greenhouse gases and towards sources that emit little or none.In this episode, James and Daisy explore all things energy. What exactly is energy? What does a good energy system look like? And how do fossil fuels compare with green energy?SOME RECOMMENDATIONS: Ember (2025) – The annual slide deck from Kingsmill Bond and the Ember Futures team unpacks how electrotech is rewriting the economics and geopolitics of energy. Electrotech is around three times more efficient than fossil fuels. Around 80% of the world’s population lives in fossil-fuel-importing countries, with more than 50 countries importing over half of their primary energy as fossil fuels. In contrast, 92% of countries have renewable energy potential more than ten times their current demand.Our World in Data – Data, visualizations, and writing relating to energy. This article explains primary, secondary, final and useful energy – the four stages of the energy chain – and why these distinctions matter. BloombergNEF (2025) – Michael Liebreich makes the case for a pragmatic climate reset, showing what happens if clean energy outgrows energy demand by 3% per year for the next four decades. OTHER ADVOCATES AND RESOURCES:John Elkington (2025) – A blog on ‘How—And Where—To Channel Our Energy?’Cleaning Up (2025) – A visual showing how much energy Egypt can buy for $1m, comparing oil, LNG, solar, wind, and nuclear. RMI (2024) – Today’s fossil energy system is incredibly inefficient: almost two-thirds of all primary energy is wasted during energy production, transportation, and use, before any useful work is done. That’s over $4.6 trillion per year, nearly 5% of global GDP and 40% of total energy spending, effectively lost to fossil fuel inefficiency. Around 45% of total shipping demand is for transporting fossil fuels, with roughly $42 billion per year spent on fossil fuels to ship other fossil fuels.Xlinks – A 2,500-mile subsea cable to bring renewable energy from Morocco to the UK. Sulfurcell – A German company founded in 2001 to develop and produce thin film solar cells based on copper indium sulfide (CIS) technology. The company went into administration in 2012. NESO – ‘Energy 101’ by the UK’s National Energy System Operator. Our World in Data (2021) – Energy sources are often reported using different metrics. This article explains how primary energy is measured. A typical coal plant in the US has an efficiency of 33% – only one-third generates electricity, while the rest is lost as heat. Gas performs slightly better, at around 45% efficiency. In popular datasets, coal and gas are reported in primary energy terms (the fuel going into the power plant), while renewable electricity – such as solar and wind – is reported based on electricity output.Ember (2025) – China’s wind generation was 992 TWh in 2024, accounting for 40% of global wind generation.Ember (2026) – India is electrifying faster and using fewer fossil fuels per capita than China did when it was at a similar stage of economic development.Ember (2025) – Solar and wind outpaced the growth in global electricity demand in the first half of 2025, resulting in a very small decline in both coal and gas compared to the same period last year.BBC (2025) – The price of silver hit a record high ahead of an expected US Federal Reserve interest rate cut, driven in part by strong demand from the technology sector.Thank you for listening! Please follow us on social media to join the conversation: LinkedIn | Instagram | TikTokYou can also now watch us on YouTube.Music: “Just Because Some Bad Wind Blows” by Nick Nuttall, Reptiphon Records. Available at https://nicknuttallmusic.bandcamp.com/album/just-because-some-bad-wind-blows-3Producer: Podshop StudiosHuge thanks to Siobhán Foster, a vital member of the team offering design advice, critical review and organisation that we depend upon.Stay tuned for more insightful discussions on navigating the transition away from fossil fuels to a sustainable future.

Demand for digital services has exploded — and with it, the rapid expansion of data centres providing the compute power behind everything from streaming and cloud storage to AI. But this growth could have serious climate consequences.In this episode, James and Daisy explore the rise of data centres. What exactly are they? Why are they becoming so central to our lives? And how can we guide their future growth to align with our climate goals?SOME RECOMMENDATIONS: Cleaning Up (2025) – An on-location podcast episode where Michael Liebreich visits Sines, Portugal, where Start Campus is building a data centre, set to be Europe’s largest. Carbon Brief (2025) – Five charts on data centre energy use and emissions. Brookings (2025) – Analysis on the future of data centres. OTHER ADVOCATES AND RESOURCES:Green Mountain – SVG-Rennesøy is a Norwegian Tier III mountain hall data centre built inside a former high security NATO ammunition storage facility and cooled by fjord seawater.The Guardian (2025) – Google plans to put AI data centres into space, with the first trial equipment sent into orbit in early 2027. Solar panels powering these data centres could be up to eight times more productive than those on Earth. Terrestrial Energy – A developer of Generation IV nuclear plants using proprietary Integral Molten Salt Reactor (IMSR) technology.NESO – The National Energy System Operator for Great Britain, responsible for electricity system planning amid rising demand.BBC (2023) – The waste heat from a washing-machine-sized data centre is being used to heat a public swimming pool in Devon.Bloomberg (2025) – Finland and Sweden are pairing data centres with district heating systems.WEF (2020) – Microsoft’s ‘Project Natick’ tested a shipping-container-sized underwater data centre off the coast of Orkney, Scotland, finding it was eight times more reliable than land-based equivalents.Kraken – An all-in-one, smart operating system automating much of the energy supply chain, supporting efficiency and flexibility as energy systems decarbonise.SOME FACTS:MIT News (2025) – The first data centre was built at the University of Pennsylvania in 1945 to support the ENIAC, the first general-purpose digital computer. IEA (2023) – Since 2010, the number of internet users worldwide has more than doubled, while internet traffic has increased 25-fold. Data centres and data transmission networks each account for 1-1.5% of global electricity use and around 1% of energy-related GHG emissions. UK Parliament (2025) – Data centres consume around 2.5% of the UK’s electricity, with demand expected to quadruple by 2030.GOV.UK (2024) – Data centres are designated as Critical National Infrastructure, alongside energy and water systems.BBC (2025) – There are an estimated 500 data centres operating across the UK.McKinsey (2025) – By 2030, $6.7 trillion in global investment in data centres will be needed to meet demand for compute power, of which 70% will come from AI workloads. Demand for AI-ready data centre capacity is expected to grow by 33% per year between 2023 and 2030. By 2030, up to 65% of AI workloads in Europe and the United States will be hosted on hyperscalers’ infrastructure.Ofgem (2006) – One megawatt-hour (MWh) equals 1,000 kilowatt hours – roughly enough to power around 2,000 homes for one hour.MIT Sloan School of Management (2025) – When the full cost of delivering AI to customers is included, data centres could account for up to 21% of global energy demand by 2030.WEF – Power use in data centres is typically split between IT equipment (40–50%), cooling systems (30–40%), and auxiliary systems such as lighting and security (10–30%).NY Times (2025) – Google, Microsoft, Amazon and Meta spent more than $360 billion in capital expenditures over 12 months.CSO (2023) – Data centres already account for over 20% of Ireland’s total electricity consumption.IEA (2024) – Nearly one-third of Ireland’s electricity demand is expected to come from data centres by 2026.WEF (2025) – Climate hazards such as extreme heat and drought could add $81 billion per year in costs to data centres globally by 2035.The Guardian (2025) – More than 230 environmental groups have called for a national moratorium on new US data centres, citing rising electricity bills and worsening climate impacts.CNBC (2025) – Google, Oracle and Microsoft estimate AI hardware lifespans of up to six years, but sceptics such as short seller Michael Burry argue that they may be significantly shorter. Thank you for listening! Please follow us on social media to join the conversation:

More than half of the world’s population now lives in cities – and that number keeps growing. Cities are engines of opportunity and economic growth, but they also generate vast amounts of waste, pollution, and emissions. Yet by bringing together people, ideas, and investments, cities also become hubs of innovation where climate solutions can emerge and scale. In this episode, James and Daisy explore the relationship between climate and cities. How is climate change reshaping urban life? How are cities adapting? And how can cities lead the way towards a more sustainable future? SOME RECOMMENDATIONS: C40 Cities – A network of nearly 100 mayors taking collective action on climate. 3 in 4 C40 cities are reducing per capita emissions faster than their national governments. Cities & Regions Hub at COP30 – Elevates the role of subnational governments as key actors in the COP process and anchors their contributions to the global climate agenda.OTHER ADVOCATES AND RESOURCES:Sustainable Development Commission – Formerly the UK Government's independent adviser on sustainable development (closed in 2011).Clover Hogan (2024) – People should stop buying electric cars and instead ask, “how do we redesign mobility?” SUN Mobility – Aims to establish one of the largest battery swapping networks by 2030, accelerating the adoption of electric vehicles. Smart Surfaces Coalition – Helps cities make “smart” surface decisions by demonstrating the value of surfaces that manage the sun and rain.The Wildlife Trusts (2022) – Bauer Outdoor Media aimed to have instal 150 bee bus stops across the UK by the end of 2022. ULEZ – London’s Ultra Low Emission Zone is the largest clean air zone in the world. Sadiq Khan (2025) – “It was predicted to take 193 years to meet legal limits for air pollution in London – we did it in 9.”London National Park City – Declared in July 2019, with 49.7% of the city made up of green and blue space.Wild West End – A partnership between property owners (including The Crown Estate) to create ecological corridors between London’s Royal Parks and garden squares.LBC (2025) – Oxford Street was car-free for a day and footfall rose nearly 50% as thousands rediscovered the joy of a truly public space.BBC (2024) – Honeybees account for 57% of all pollinating insects within the City of London despite being only one of 270 UK bee species.Paris – The 2021-2026 cycling plan aims to make Paris a fully cycle-friendly city, expanding bike infrastructure, secure parking systems, and the cycling ecosystem. Barcelona – The Master Plan for Barcelona’s Trees 2017-2037 aims to increase the city’s tree cover by 5% so that 30% of the city is covered by trees. The Guardian (2025) – In Jerez de la Frontera in Spain green canopies of grapevines cool streets by up to 8°C. UNDP (2024) – In Lima, Peru, fog catcher technology and automated irrigation are used to harvest water from fog oases. In Lagos, Nigeria, economic losses from flooding are already US$4 billion per year. Indonesia is set to replace Jakarta, the world's fastest-sinking city, with a newly planned capital that has yet to be built.Singapore – The “garden city” vision was introduced by then Prime Minister Lee Kuan Yew on 11 May 1967.BBC (2024) – Nearly half of China's major cities are sinking due to water extraction and the increasing weight of their rapid expansion. Shanghai has sunk over 3m in a century.NEOM – A futuristic mega-project in Saudi Arabia designed to harness technology, sustainability, and development.SOME FACTS: UNEP – Cities only occupy 3% of the Earth’s land surface. World Bank – Over 4 billion people live in cities. By 2050, it will be nearly 7 in 10. Cities produce over 70% of global GHG emissions and account for 80% of global GDP. Since 1985, over 75,000 km2 of new urban land, equivalent to about 50 times the area of Greater London, has been developed in areas prone to severe flooding.IPCC (2021) – Urban emissions rose from 25 GtCO2-eq (about 62% of global share) in 2015 to 29 GtCO2-eq (67–72%) in 2020.UNEP – Cities consume over 75% of natural resources. UNEP (2021) – The world’s cities are heating up at twice the global average rate due to rapid urbanization and the urban heat island effect. By 2100, many cities could warm as much as 4°C.WEF (2018) – By 2100, 13 of the world’s largest megacities will be located in Africa; none in the Americas, China, or Europe.Thank you for listening! Please follow us on social media to join the conversation: LinkedIn | Instagram |

Roughly one-third of all food produced is never eaten. Beyond the financial and social costs, food waste is also a major driver of climate change. When we waste food, we waste the land, water, and energy used to produce it, and as it decomposes, it releases methane, a potent greenhouse gas.In this episode, James and Daisy explore the causes and consequences of food waste, sharing their experiences with organisations fighting the problem. Why do we waste so much food? What are the impacts? And what solutions are there?SOME RECOMMENDATIONS: Project Drawdown: Identifies reducing food loss and waste as one of the largest climate solutions across all sectors. The Felix Project: London’s largest food redistribution charity, rescuing high quality, surplus food that would otherwise go to waste and redistributing it to over 1,200 community organisations.FoodCycle: Reduces loneliness, food poverty and food waste by cooking nutritious meals from surplus food at volunteer-run hubs. OTHER ADVOCATES AND RESOURCES:Winnow: Provides AI-powered food waste monitors and digital scales in professional kitchens, giving detailed data analytics to help chefs and managers cut waste. WEF (2022): Reports on how heatwaves and droughts have resulted in oddly shaped crops of fruit and vegetables.Tesco (2020): During the pandemic, egg demand rose 30%, prompting Tesco to sell white eggs for the first time since the 1980s. Tesco: In 2013, Tesco became the first retailer to publicly report on food waste in its own operations.PVM: At least 60% of the surface of a Pink Lady® apple must be covered by a pink blush.Oddbox: Works with growers to rescue the “too odd” and “too many” at risk of going to waste, delivering boxes of farm-fresh fruit and veg to households. Too Good To Go: The world's largest marketplace for surplus food – an app that connects consumers with surplus food from stores, cafés, and restaurants at a discount.Olio: A mobile app for sharing by giving away, getting, borrowing or lending things in your community for free, aiming to reduce household and food waste.Mimica (2018): Creator of “Bump”, a temperature-sensitive label that turns bumpy when food actually spoils. Chanzi: Uses Black Solder Fly larvae to convert food waste into nutritious protein for animal feed. SOME FACTS: UNEP (2024): In 2022, households wasted over 1 billion meals a day, while 783 million people were affected by hunger and a third of humanity faced food insecurity.UNEP (2024): Food waste results in the throwing away of more than US$1 trillion worth of food every year. In households alone, each person, on average, wastes more than the average mass of an adult human per year.IPCC (2019): During 2010–2016, global food loss and waste equalled 8–10% of total anthropogenic GHG emissions.Our World in Data (2020): If food waste were a country, it would be the third largest emitter of GHGs after China and the US.WRAP (2020): While 81% of people reported being concerned about climate change, only 37% understand how wasted food contributes to it. The Independent (2012): A wrapped cucumber lasts more than three times as long as an unwrapped one. Thank you for listening! Please follow us on social media to join the conversation: LinkedIn | Instagram | TikTokYou can also now watch us on YouTube.Music: “Just Because Some Bad Wind Blows” by Nick Nuttall, Reptiphon Records. Available at https://nicknuttallmusic.bandcamp.com/album/just-because-some-bad-wind-blows-3Producer: Podshop StudiosHuge thanks to Siobhán Foster, a vital member of the team offering design advice, critical review and organisation that we depend upon.Stay tuned for more insightful discussions on navigating the transition away from fossil fuels to a sustainable future.

The climate crisis is also a health crisis. Rising temperatures and extreme weather events are driving more heat-related deaths, spreading vector-borne diseases, and damaging mental health – impacts that fall hardest on the most vulnerable communities. Framing climate change through the lens of health makes it personal – and the solutions preventative. Clean energy doesn’t just cut carbon; it saves lives by cleaning the air we breathe. Greener cities reduce emissions, protect us from heatwaves, and support our wellbeing. In this episode, James and Daisy explore the urgent connections between climate change and health. How is our health already being affected? How can health risks drive climate action? And what solutions offer the greatest benefits for both people and planet? SOME RECOMMENDATIONS: Outrage + Optimism (2025) – A fantastic podcast episode from Christiana Figueres and Paul Dickinson exploring why health must be central to climate communication. They are joined by Julia Gillard, Chair of the Wellcome Trust. Force of Nature – Founded by former Fossil vs Future guest, Clover Hogan, this non-profit provides mental health resources and research on the rise of eco-anxiety.OTHER ADVOCATES AND RESOURCES:Our World in Data (2024) – “Almost no one has “heat” or “cold” written on their death certificate, but sub-optimal temperatures lead to a large number of premature deaths.”EAT-Lancet Commission (2019) – Proposes a global planetary health diet that is healthy for both people and planet. NY Times (2025) – The U.S. National Institutes of Health (NIH) will stop funding research on the health effects of climate change.NY Times (2025) – With 59% of its revenue coming from federal and external sponsors, Harvard’s School of Public Health faces what has been called an “existential crisis.”Smart Surfaces Coalition – Promotes the adoption of green, porous, and reflective surfaces to enable cities to decrease urban heat, save money, reduce flooding risk, and strengthen urban liveability, resilience, and equity.City of Barcelona – Offers a publicly available map of climate shelters across the city. Wellcome – Showcases climate solutions with health co-benefits, such as protecting forests in Indonesia by meeting community needs. CNN (2023) – Singapore’s founding prime minister, Lee Kuan Yew, once called air conditioning “the greatest invention of the 20th century” and credited it for helping to transform the island. Verv – An AI-based smart home product that allows remote control of HVAC units, switching to standby, setting temperature points, and programming set points.NHS & UNHSA (2025) – Partnered with the UK Met Office to integrate climate science and modelling into health impact assessments and launch an impact-based Weather-Health Alerting System.SOME FACTS: WHO (2023): 37% of heat-related deaths can be linked to human-induced climate change, and heat-related deaths among people over 65 have risen by 70% in just the last two decades.Imperial (2020): Changing temperature and rainfall across Africa could increase yellow fever deaths by up to 25% by 2050.UNEP (2023): Air pollution is the greatest environmental threat to public health globally and accounts for more than 8 million premature deaths every year.The Lancet (2021): A survey of 10,000 young people (aged 16-25 years) in 10 countries found that 59% were “very or extremely worried” about climate change, and 84% were at least moderately worried. LSE (2024): The UK experienced five heatwave periods during summer 2022 with record-breaking temperatures of over 40°C in England.NHS: During summer 2022’s record breaking temperatures, England experienced an estimated 2,803 excess deaths.World Bank (2024): A changing climate could lead to excess health costs in low- and middle-income countries of at least US$21 trillion by 2050, equivalent to approximately 1.3% of their projected GDP.Thank you for listening! Please follow us on social media to join the conversation: LinkedIn | Instagram | TikTokYou can also now watch us on YouTube.Music: “Just Because Some Bad Wind Blows” by Nick Nuttall, Reptiphon Records. Available at https://nicknuttallmusic.bandcamp.com/album/just-because-some-bad-wind-blows-3Producer: Podshop StudiosHuge thanks to Siobhán Foster, a vital member of the team offering design advice, critical review and organisation that we depend upon.Stay tuned for more insightful discussions on navigating the transition away from fossil fuels to a sustainable future.

Sport inspires, builds communities, promotes healthy lifestyles, and brings joy to millions around the world. But while sport is a powerful force for good, it is both a contributor to – and a victim of – climate change. In this episode, James and Daisy explore the intersection of sport and climate change. How does sport contribute to climate change? In what ways is climate change already affecting sport? How can sport drive meaningful climate action?SOME RECOMMENDATIONS: Forest Green Rovers – Officially recognised in 2017 as the world’s first vegan football club and widely considered the greenest football club globally. World Economic Forum (2024) – An overview of how climate change is affecting sports, including how the Paris 2024 Olympics balanced athlete performance with safety. OTHER ADVOCATES AND RESOURCES:Forbes (2025) – Examines how the Women’s Euro 2025 is balancing growth, sustainability and climate risk. Switzerland has secured second-class travel for all ticketholders on match days and added 400 extra trains to ensure reliability.Cricket for Climate – Founded by Australian cricket captain, Pat Cummins, to use cricket as a platform to fight climate change. The Next Test – A hub for climate concerned cricket players, clubs, and fans. Sport England (2025) – Chairman Chris Boardman has called for a ‘mindset shift’ on climate change and announced a new multi-million-pound fund to create the ‘world’s greenest sports industry’. Arsenal (2018) – Installed a large-scale battery storage system capable of powering the Emirates Stadium for an entire match. Formula E – An all-electric, single-seater motorsport series. Healthy Waters Alliance – A joint initiative between World Rowing and WWF to protect freshwater ecosystems. SOME FACTS: “Sportswashing” – The practice of an organization, a government, etc. supporting sport or organizing sports events as a way to improve its reputation.European Climate Pact (2024) – The 2016 Rio Olympics released 3.6 million tons of CO2, while the 2018 Russia World Cup released 2.16 million tons – equivalent to the emissions of 465,000+ cars on the road for a year. BBC (2025) – Next year's World Cup in the US, Canada and Mexico is set to be "the most climate-damaging" in the tournament's history, driven by air travel and a significant increase in the number of matches. European Climate Pact (2024) – Half of the former Winter Olympic host cities could be unable to sponsor winter games by 2050, due to a lack of snow and ice.BBC (2023) – The Alps in northwest Switzerland experienced temperatures of 20.9C over Christmas and New Year.New Scientist (2024) – By 2100, one in eight ski resorts worldwide could have no snow.Green Football – 100,000 tonnes of sportswear ends up in UK landfills annually – enough for 2,500 pieces per person in a packed Wembley stadium. The Guardian (2025) – Tennis fans faced the hottest start to Wimbledon on record this year as temperatures soared to 32C.US Open (2018) – The US Tennis Association implemented an ‘extreme heat policy’ to allow players periodic breaks during high temperatures.ScienceNews (2023) – Climate change has caused more than 500 home runs since 2010. World Athletics (2022) – 75% of athletes have experienced a direct negative impact from climate change on their health and performance.Rapid Transition Alliance (2020) – One in three British Open golf courses will be damaged by rising sea levels.Politico (2016) – Trump tried to build a sea wall to protect one of his golf courses from “global warming and its effects.”Olympics (2024) – The Olympic and Paralympic Games Paris 2024 achieved a 54.6% reduction in carbon emissions compared to previous editions. Thank you for listening! Please follow us on social media to join the conversation: LinkedIn | Instagram | TikTokYou can also now watch us on YouTube.Music: “Just Because Some Bad Wind Blows” by Nick Nuttall, Reptiphon Records. Available at https://nicknuttallmusic.bandcamp.com/album/just-because-some-bad-wind-blows-3Producer: Podshop StudiosHuge thanks to Siobhán Foster, a vital member of the team offering design advice, critical review and organisation that we depend upon.Stay tuned for m...

The ocean is essential to life on Earth – regulating climate, producing oxygen, providing food and livelihoods, and supporting ecosystems. But it's in trouble. Today, it faces a triple crisis: overfishing, pollution, and climate change.In this episode, James and Daisy dive deep into the ocean’s role in climate stability. Why is ocean protection critical to solving the climate crisis? What were the key takeaways from the UN Ocean Conference? Can the ocean itself be part of the solution?SOME RECOMMENDATIONS: Ocean with David Attenborough – A stunning documentary highlighting both the beauty of the sea and the alarming ways human activity is depleting its resources.Ellen MacArthur Foundation – In 2005, Ellen MacArthur became the fastest person to sail solo around the world. Five years later, she founded the Ellen MacArthur Foundation to accelerate the transition to a circular economy. The Foundation warns that by 2050, oceans will contain more plastic than fish by weight.UN (2025) – The Nice Ocean Action Plan is a two-part framework that comprises a political declaration and over 800 voluntary commitments by governments, scientists, UN agencies, and civil society to protect the ocean. OTHER ADVOCATESAND RESOURCES:High Seas Treaty – Covers nearly two-thirds of the ocean that lies beyond national jurisdictions. Once ratified, this treaty will help close critical regulatory gaps and guide international cooperation on ocean protection. Law of the Sea Convention (1982) – An international treaty that established a legal framework for all marine and maritime activities, including navigation rights, territorial waters, and deep-sea mining.30 x 30 – A global campaign to protect 30% of the Earth's land and ocean by 2030. It's a key target of the Global Biodiversity Framework adopted at COP15 of the Convention on Biological Diversity in 2022.The Precautionary Principle – A decision-making approach that emphasizes taking preventative measures when there's a reasonable possibility of harm, even if scientific evidence is not fully conclusive.Dark Oxygen – At depths of 5km, where no sunlight can penetrate, oxygen appears to be produced by naturally occurring metallic “nodules” which split seawater - H2O - into hydrogen and oxygen.Blue Economy – Refers to the sustainable use of ocean resources for economic growth, improved livelihoods, and ocean ecosystem health. While widely used, the term lacks a universally agreed definition.Notpla – A biodegradable alternative to plastic made from seaweed.International Whaling Commission (IWC) – Established in 1946 as the global body responsible for management of whaling and conservation of whales.Marine Stewardship Council (MSC) – A non-profit organisation which aims to set standards for sustainable fishing.The White House (2025) - The Trump administration signed an executive order to accelerate deep-sea mining in both U.S. and international waters.Arnold Schwarzenegger (2025) – Speaking at the Austrian World Summit, he called for unified global action to combat pollution and safeguard the planet.SOME FACTS: UNESCO (2022) – The ocean covers about 71% of the Earth’s surface and holds over 97% of its water. Phytoplankton, a tiny marine plant that lives on the ocean’s surface, produces, through photosynthesis, roughly 50-80% of the oxygen we breathe.LSE (2023) – The ocean contributes to climate regulation by absorbing over a quarter of human-caused carbon dioxide emissions and around 90% of excess heat. Without the ocean, the average surface temperature, which is currently around 15°C, would instead be around 50°C.WEF (2020) – The annual gross marine product of the oceans totals $2.5 trillion per year - which would make it the eighth largest economy, in country terms.BBC (2025) – Bottom trawling or dredging is currently allowed in 90% of the UK's Marine Protected Areas. BBC (2025) – Over 2,000 scientists have recommended to governments that all deep sea exploration be paused whilst further research is carried out; just 0.001% of the seabed has been mapped.Thank you for listening! Please follow us on social media to join the conversation: LinkedIn | Instagram | TikTokYou can also now watch us on YouTube.Music: “Just Because Some Bad Wind Blows” by Nick Nuttall, Reptiphon Records. Available at https://nicknuttallmusic.bandcamp.com/album/just-because-some-bad-wind-blows-3Producer: Podshop StudiosHuge thanks to Siobhán Foster, a vital member of the team offering design advice, critical review and organisation that we depend upon.Stay tuned for more insightful discussions on navigating the transition away from fossil fuels to a sustainable future.

Environmental law is the law relating to environmental problems – but these problems are anything but simple. Traditional legal systems weren’t designed with challenges like climate change or biodiversity loss in mind, making this one of the most diverse, evolving, and demanding areas of law today.In this episode, James and Daisy are joined by Philippe Sands KC – a leading international lawyer, professor at UCL and Harvard, and author of East West Street and the recently published 38 Londres Street. Together, they explore the role of international law in protecting the environment. When did international law begin to take environmental issues seriously? Can nature itself have legal rights? What might international environmental law look like for future generations? SOME RECOMMENDATIONS: Financial Times (2025) – Philippe Sands argues that our planet – not just its people – should have legal rights. “Should Trees Have Standing?” by Christopher Stone (1972) – A landmark law review article that launched the idea of legal rights for nature. LSE (2024) – Analysis of climate change litigation cases in 2023, drawing on the Sabin Center’s Climate Change Litigation Databases. Stop Ecocide International – Leading the movement to make ecocide a crime. Philippe helped draw up the legal definition: “Ecocide" means unlawful or wanton acts committed with knowledge that there is a substantial likelihood of severe and either widespread or long-term damage to the environment being caused by those acts.KEY CASES AND LEGAL CONCEPTS: Chernobyl – The most serious nuclear accident in history. Philippe’s book, Chernobyl: Law and Communication, explores the international legal aftermath of the disaster.ICJ Advisory Opinion on the Legality of the Threat or Use of Nuclear Weapons (1996) – Paragraph 29 recognised a state’s obligation to respect the global environment. A new ICJ advisory opinion on climate change is expected in 2025. Chagos Islands – Philippe has long represented Mauritius in its legal battle against the UK over the Chagos Islands. In 2023, he argued that the UN’s International Telecommunication Union could deem UK-US activities there unlawful.The Gambia vs Myanmar – A landmark ICJ case against Myanmar for violating the Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide in relation to the Rohingya Muslims.Red Eagle vs. Colombia – A case involving Colombia’s protection of the pàramos ecosystems from mining. The Special Tribunal on the Crime of Aggression – Proposed in response to Russia's invasion of Ukraine in 2022, aiming to hold individuals responsible. The proposal followed this article by Philippe. Montreal Protocol – A successful international treaty to phase out ozone-depleting substances. Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism – An EU carbon tariff on carbon intensive products, such as steel, cement and some electricity. The Law of Sea – Governs maritime conduct and environmental protection beyond national borders.OTHER ADVOCATES, FACTS, AND RESOURCES:Center for International Environmental Law (CIEL) – A nonprofit focused on environmental law (founded in 1989). Brownlie's Principles of Public International Law by Ian Brownlie – A foundational text in public international law. Is a River Alive? by Robert Macfarlane – At powerful book on the legal and imaginative rights of nature. Silent Spring by Rachel Carson – A groundbreaking book published in 1962 on the environmental harm caused by the widespread use of pesticides that reshaped environmental policy. Bill McKibben – An American environmentalist, author, and journalist who has written extensively on the impact of global warming.Thomas Buergenthal – An Auschwitz survivor who became a judge with the UN war crimes court in The Hague. Sir Nicholas Lyell QC – An Attorney General in the John Major government and Conservative MP.Thank you for listening! Please follow us on social media to join the conversation: LinkedIn | Instagram | TikTokYou can also now watch us on YouTube.Music: “Just Because Some Bad Wind Blows” by Nick Nuttall, Reptiphon Records. Available at https://nicknuttallmusic.bandcamp.com/album/just-because-some-bad-wind-blows-3Producer: Podshop StudiosHuge thanks to Siobhán Foster, a vital member of the team offering design advice, critical review and organisation that we depend upon.Stay tuned for more insightful discussions on navigating the transition away from fossil fuels to a sustainable future.

Shortly after we recorded our episode on populism, two major developments in the UK prompted us to do this follow-up. First, former Prime Minister Sir Tony Blair called for a major rethink of the UK’s net zero policy. Then, the right-wing populist party Reform UK made significant gains in the English local elections.In this episode, James and Daisy talk about these events and reflect on what they might mean for climate action in the UK. Was Blair’s report a missed opportunity to make a meaningful contribution? What did he get right – and where did he go wrong? And could this shift pose a threat to climate action? THE REPORT: The Climate Paradox: Why We Need to Reset Action on Climate Change (2025) – The report published by the Tony Blair Institute for Global Change on 29th April 2025. SOME RESPONSES TO THE REPORT: LSE techUK Energy Transitions Commission Michael Liebreich Outrage + OptimismADDITIONAL RESOURCES:Net Zero Strategy: Build Back Greener – This strategy sets out the policies and proposals for decarbonising all sectors of the UK economy to meet its net zero target by 2050.IEA (2025) – As the Chinese economy and domestic transport sector undergo significant transformations, demand for the most widely consumed oil-based fuels – including gasoline, jet fuel and diesel – declined marginally in 2024. EVs currently account for about half of car sales in China. BBC (2025) – “Nigel Farage's Reform UK has made big gains in English local elections, cementing it as a prime challenger to Britain's traditional main parties. It won 677 of around 1,600 seats contested on Thursday across a clutch of mainly Tory-held councils last contested in 2021.”Thank you for listening! Please follow us on social media to join the conversation: LinkedIn | Instagram | TikTokYou can also now watch us on YouTube.Music: “Just Because Some Bad Wind Blows” by Nick Nuttall, Reptiphon Records. Available at https://nicknuttallmusic.bandcamp.com/album/just-because-some-bad-wind-blows-3Producer: Podshop StudiosHuge thanks to Siobhán Foster, a vital member of the team offering design advice, critical review and organisation that we depend upon.Stay tuned for more insightful discussions on navigating the transition away from fossil fuels to a sustainable future.

War engages our fight or flight instincts. When immediate threats like conflict arise, they often overshadow slower-burning, long-term crises like climate change.In this episode, James and Daisy talk about war. How does climate change fuel conflict? How does war, in turn, hinder efforts to combat the climate crisis? How do we avoid trading one existential threat for another?SOME RECOMMENDATIONS: Conflict and Environment Observatory – CEOBS was launched in 2018 with the primary goal of increasing awareness and understanding of the environmental and derived humanitarian consequences of conflicts and military activities.The Military Emissions Gap – This site is dedicated to tracking, analysing and closing the military emissions gap, bringing together the data that governments report into one place.OTHER ADVOCATES, FACTS, AND RESOURCES:NATO (2023) – Here are some remarks by NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg from the UN Climate Change Conference (COP28) in Dubai.ND-GAIN Country Index – Summarizes a country's vulnerability to climate change and other global challenges in combination with its readiness to improve resilience.United Nations – Today, of the 15 countries most vulnerable to climate change, 13 are struggling with violent conflicts.Sir Christopher John Greenwood - After being called to the Bar by Middle Temple, he became a Fellow of Magdalene in 1978 and later Professor of International Law at the London School of Economics, specialising in international humanitarian law. He was appointed Queen’s Counsel in 1999 and elected by the United Nations as a Judge of the International Court of Justice in 2008. That same year, Magdalene named him an Honorary Fellow.The Third Man –A classic thriller written by Graham Greene and starring Orson Welles in which a writer sets about investigating the death of a friend in post-World War II Vienna.Stop Ecocide International – Ecocide law provides a route to justice for the worst harms inflicted upon the living world in times of both peace and conflict, whenever and wherever they are committed.CND (Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament) – CND campaigns to rid the world of nuclear weapons - the most powerful and toxic weapons ever created, threatening all forms of life.Stop the War Coalition – Stop the War was founded in September 2001 in the weeks following 9/11, when George W. Bush announced the “war on terror”. Stop the War has since been dedicated to preventing and ending the wars in Afghanistan, Iraq, Libya and elsewhere.UK Parliament (2024) – In the 2023/24 financial year, the UK spent £53.9 billion on defence.UK Parliament (2025) – The Prime Minister has committed to spend 2.5% of the UK’s gross domestic product (GDP) on defence by 2027. UK Parliament (2025) - The Prime Minister said the government would “fully fund our increased investment in defence” by reducing aid spending from 0.5% of gross national income (GNI) to 0.3% in 2027.Ministry of Defence (2024) – In 2022, total military expenditure of NATO members was $1,195bn and total worldwide military expenditure was $2,240bn, as estimated by SIPRI. The USA was the world’s largest spender, accounting for 39% of the total global spending.The Week (2025) – Only 11% of people aged 18-27 say they would fight for the UK.Reuters (2025) - Poland wants to spend 5% of gross domestic product (GDP) on defence in 2026. Poland now spends a higher proportion of GDP on defence than any other NATO member, including the United States. It plans for this year's spending to hit 4.7% of GDP. Institute for Security Studies – The global military carbon footprint currently accounts for around 5.5% of global emissions – more than Africa’s entire footprint.Listen to War by Edwin Starr here!Thank you for listening! Please follow us on social media to join the conversation: LinkedIn | Instagram | TikTokYou can also now watch us on YouTube.Music: “Just Because Some Bad Wind Blows” by Nick Nuttall, Reptiphon Records. Available at https://nicknuttallmusic.bandcamp.com/album/just-because-some-bad-wind-blows-3Producer: Podshop StudiosHuge thanks to Siobhán Foster, a vital member of the team offering design advice, critical review and organisation that we depend upon.Stay tuned for more insightful discussions on navigating the transition away from fossil fuels to a sustainable future.