
Can the rules keep up?: Lawsuits, LLMs and the looming oil recession
From Outrage + Optimism by Persephonica and Global Optimism
May 21, 2026 · 47 min · Season 12 · Episode 50
About this episode
The episode discusses the challenges of adapting laws and institutions to rapidly changing climate and technology landscapes.
An unprecedented government move to outrun the courts. A country racing to write AI into its constitution. And a global energy crisis that's already moved faster than any possible fix. Are our institutions and the rules they rest on still fit for the world they're supposed to protect? This week, Tom Rivett-Carnac, Christiana Figueres, and Paul Dickinson look at three stories the headlines may be missing. In New Zealand, the government has moved to retroactively kill a landmark climate lawsuit - before it even reaches trial. Tom shares a voice note from ClientEarth CEO Laura Clarke who gives us the inside scoop on what is actually at stake. If this works, where does it end? Then Greece, which wants to write a legally binding obligation for human-centred AI into its constitution. But can a national document meaningfully govern a borderless technology? And as we increasingly rely on AI for our information, where do these large language models actually go for their climate science? Finally, the Strait of Hormuz. Financial markets think the situation is priced in. Geopolitical analysts disagree. We ask which sectors might unexpectedly accelerate the energy transition, why the…
People in this episode
Hosts: Tom Rivett-Carnac, Christiana Figueres, Paul Dickinson
Topics covered
- climate law
- AI governance
- energy transition
- geopolitics
- climate crisis
Keywords
- climate lawsuit
- AI constitution
- energy crisis
- ClientEarth
- geopolitical analysis
Mentioned in this episode
Organizations: ClientEarth
Places: New Zealand, Greece, Strait of Hormuz
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- The Clock is Ticking: Forty Seconds to Explain the Climate Crisis · August 20, 2026 · 34 min
- Beyond Politics: Should we take the heat out of the climate crisis? · August 13, 2026 · 46 min
- Cheapest Energy in History. Still Heading for 3 Degrees? · August 6, 2026 · 57 min
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