S10 Ep6: Climate action: small human acts can make a big difference with Tim Lenton
From The We Society by AcSS
April 8, 2026 · 31 min · Season 10 · Episode 6
About this episode
Professor Tim Lenton discusses how small human acts can lead to significant climate action and the concept of positive tipping points.
The consequences of climate change are everywhere. From record-breaking wildfires to catastrophic floods, climate disasters are killing hundreds of thousands and displacing millions. In the past decade alone, climate-related disasters have forced an estimated 250 million people from their homes. So why aren’t we moving faster? What’s holding back the systemic shifts needed to avoid disaster? Professor Tim Lenton is one of the world’s leading climate scientists tackling exactly that question, but with a positive twist. Tim is a Professor of Climate Change and Earth System Science at the University of Exeter and founding Director of the Global Systems Institute. He is renowned for his pioneering work on climate “tipping points”; critical thresholds in the Earth system that, once crossed, can trigger dramatic and irreversible change. More recently, his research has focused on positive tipping points: how rapid, self-propelling shifts in technology, economics and social behaviour could accelerate climate action. His work shows that change does not always move slowly. Under the right conditions, it can cascade. Tim’s research and latest book tell a more hopeful story, one in which…
People in this episode
Host: Will Hutton
Guest: Tim Lenton
Topics covered
- climate change
- tipping points
- climate action
- social behavior
- environmental science
Keywords
- climate change
- tipping points
- climate action
- social behavior
- environmental science
- positive change
- disasters
Mentioned in this episode
Organizations: University of Exeter, Global Systems Institute
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