Outrage + Optimism

Tom Rivett-Carnac:

Paul Dickinson:

—

Follow @GlobalOptimism on social media and send us a message!

Don't forget to hit SUBSCRIBE so you don't miss another episode of Outrage + Optimism!

2 Listeners

139. 2% For 1.5 with Yuval Noah Harari

Outrage + Optimism

02/17/22 • 67 min

It took 40-50% of GDP to win WWII, 15% to manage COVID in 2020, so what can 2% do?

Historian, philosopher, bestselling author (and newly welcomed activist!), Yuval Noah Harari joins us to highlight how investing just 2% of global GDP into developing eco-friendly technologies and infrastructure every year could avert “the apocalypse” as he puts it.

His clear, down-to-the-essence thinking shines a bright light on a dark moment. Hit play to listen!

And at the top of the episode, our hosts Christiana Figueres, Tom Rivett-Carnac, and Paul Dickinson discuss the latest UK fringe conservative rumblings of the “Net Zero Scrutiny Group” and how recent populism movements are a wolf in sheeps clothing for communities who feel disenfranchised by politicians and global energy price fluctuations alike.

Plus! This week we have a special musical guest, “Ny Oh” with her song “Australia”. Stick around for that!

—

Christiana + Tom’s book ‘The Future We Choose’ is available now!

Subscribe to our Climate Action Newsletter: Signals Amidst The Noise

—

Mentioned links from the episode:

LISTEN: Christiana guests on The Way Out Is In

—

Thanks to our guest this week, Yuval Noah Harari

Yuval Harari

Twitter | Instagram | Facebook | Website

Sapienship

2% More | Website

—

The multi-talented, undeniable Ny Oh is our musical guest!

Ny Oh

Neon Gru

Spotify | BandCamp | YouTube

—

Keep up with Christiana Figueres here:

Tom Rivett-Carnac:

Paul Dickinson:

—

Follow @GlobalOptimism on social media and send us a message!

Don't forget to hit SUBSCRIBE so you don't miss another episode of Outrage + Optimism!

2 Listeners

1 Comment

133. Innovative Finance to Fast-Forward Climate Solutions with Hiro Mizuno

Outrage + Optimism

12/13/21 • 39 min

COP26 saw announcement after announcement from the financial sector, but we have questions. First off, why the sudden wake-up? What will follow? And, critically, will it be enough to address the climate crisis?

Here to help us make sense of the fast-moving developments is Hiro Mizuno, Special Envoy of U.N Secretary-General on Innovative Finance and Sustainable Investments. Hiro shares his deep insights into the financial landscape since the shift towards recognition of the systemic risk posed by the climate crisis.

Reaching back to the Industrial Revolution, Hiro talks us through the role of the finance industry in accelerating change. Financial institutions’ competitive nature may well drive their transition to net-zero business models and portfolios – but it’ll be the next twelve months that prove the worth of the COP26 announcements, Hiro reminds us.

Covering regulation, GFANZ, public trust, carbon pricing, and much more, this is a wide-ranging conversation not to be missed.

—

Christiana + Tom’s book ‘The Future We Choose’ is available now!

Subscribe to our Climate Action Newsletter: Signals Amidst The Noise

—

Thank you to our guest this week, Hiro Mizuno!

Hiro Mizuno

Special Envoy of U.N Secretary-General | Innovative Finance + Sustainable Investments

Twitter

United Nations

Twitter | Instagram | Facebook | LinkedIn

SDGs

Twitter | Instagram

—

Keep up with Christiana Figueres here:

Tom Rivett-Carnac:

Paul Dickinson:

—

Follow @GlobalOptimism on social media and send us a message!

Don't forget to hit SUBSCRIBE so you don't miss another episode of Outrage + Optimism!

1 Listener

129. COP26: Glasgow Pact and Ready to Go Further

Outrage + Optimism

11/15/21 • 58 min

Yesterday, nearly 200 countries agreed to adopt The Glasgow Climate Pact after a roller coaster of a COP26...and this is a really big deal. From agreeing to reduce global dependence on coal, to speeding up the end of fossil fuel subsidies, this is progress on paper. But how far does it go to keep our 1.5C target front and center?

This week, our hosts dig through a few key details of the agreement, including the new commitment for every country to revisit and strengthen their emissions reductions plans together at COP27, instead of in 5 years time as previously required.

So let’s take a collective breath, get a good look at this thing, and find out where we go from here.

Stick around to the end for a special “Pass The Mic” segment we are sharing, which highlights some of the voices we heard around the corridors and in the streets of Glasgow during COP26.

—

Christiana + Tom’s book ‘The Future We Choose’ is available now!

Subscribe to our Climate Action Newsletter: Signals Amidst The Noise

—

COP26 - UN Climate Change Conference

Twitter | Instagram | LinkedIn

—

Keep up with Christiana Figueres here:

Tom Rivett-Carnac:

Paul Dickinson is on LinkedIn!

—

Follow @GlobalOptimism on social media and send us a message!

Don't forget to hit SUBSCRIBE so you don't miss another episode of Outrage + Optimism!

1 Listener

114. 30x30: Nature Needs More with Rita El Zaghloul

Outrage + Optimism

09/16/21 • 37 min

Today, only 15 percent of land and 7 percent of our ocean are protected. Nature needs more.

The science is very clear – to prevent a mass extinction crisis, support a growing global population, and address climate change, we must conserve at least 30% of the planet by 2030.

...So why now? The science is very, very clear - If we act now we can limit the disaster, and we could even reverse the trends of climate change in an equitable, just fashion. But how?

This week we’re joined by Rita El Zaghloul, Coordinator of the High Ambition Coalition (HAC) for Nature & People on behalf of Costa Rica. She is the driving force behind ambition at The HAC’s 30x30 campaign, slamming the pedal to the metal on their aim to agree to this plan at the COP15 Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) in October. The best part about it? It centers indigenous leadership and indigenous rights, while mobilizing financial resources both publicly and privately to ensure protected areas are properly managed, all the while protecting at least 30% of the planet by 2030;

We know our situation is dire. But we also know it’s going to take everything (aka Nature) and everyone (aka People) to keep us below 1.5 degrees. The HAC’s 30x30 campaign is one of the roadmaps there.

Nature is counting on us. What future will we choose?

—

Christiana + Tom’s book ‘The Future We Choose’ is available now!

Subscribe to our Climate Action Newsletter: Signals Amidst The Noise

—

Our Guest This Week:

Rita El Zaghloul

Coordinator of the High Ambition Coalition for Nature & People on behalf of Costa Rica

Twitter | LinkedIn

High Ambition Coalition (HAC) for Nature & People

Website | Twitter

—

Musical Guest This week:

Mr Bruce

Instagram | YouTube

You need to watch Mr Bruce’s BRAND NEW video for I Am Disaster

Sign the petition to recognize the legal status of climate refugees.

—

Join the conversation online:

Christiana Figueres

Tom Rivett-Carnac

Paul Dickinson

—

Follow @GlobalOptimism on social media and send us a message!

Don't forget to hit SUBSCRIBE so you don't miss another episode of Outrage + Optimism!

1 Listener

130. Opening Hearts with Elizabeth Wathuti

Outrage + Optimism

11/25/21 • 66 min

With the ink still drying on The Glasgow Pact, we’re already hearing the results from Glasgow being labeled in binary terms like “Success” and “Failure” While we know that some stunning pledges and progressive language in the Pact came from some of the negotiations, it is also true that historically these pledges have not been met completely, or have been missed entirely. Full stop.

So with millions of humans suffering under the systemic injustice of rising global emissions, how do we meet this moment to reduce those global emissions and break those unjust systems of oppression? And how does the COP process make those necessary changes politically possible? And in the next eight years?!

Maybe it’s as simple as starting with silence.

This week we speak with Elizabeth Wathuti, environmentalist and climate activist from Kenya. She is the founder and president of Green Generation Initiative, and Head of Campaigns and Daima Consortium Coordinator for the Wangari Maathai Foundation.

Elizabeth brought the house down at COP26 this year with her speech in which she led a moment of silence followed by the urgency to every Head of State in the room to “ please open your hearts”. You won’t want to miss what she has to say to us on the show!

Stick around ‘til the end for an incredible music track from Knomad Spock!

Excerpt from Elizabeth Wathuti's speech at COP26, reproduced courtesy of the UN.

Excerpt from the Opening Ceremony of the World Leaders Summit at COP26, November 2021.

Available here: Elizabeth Wathuti at COP26 “Please Open Your Hearts” Speech

—

Christiana + Tom’s book ‘The Future We Choose’ is available now!

Subscribe to our Climate Action Newsletter: Signals Amidst The Noise

—

Mentioned links from the episode:

Read: Martin Wolf’s piece in The FT

Thank you to our guest this week, Elizabeth Wathuti!

Elizabeth Wathuti

Environmentalist | Climate Activist

Twitter | Instagram | Facebook | LinkedIn

—

The incredible Knomad Spock is our musical guest this week!

Knomad Spock

Twitter | Facebook | Instagram

—

Keep up with Christiana Figueres here:

Tom Rivett-Carnac:

Paul Dickinson:

—

Follow @GlobalOptimism on social media and send us a message!

Don't forget to hit SUBSCRIBE so you don't miss another episode of Outrage + Optimism!

1 Listener

137. We're Back! Welcome to Season 5

Outrage + Optimism

02/03/22 • 48 min

How do we know what we’re doing is really helping?

What should we do now that the world is changing?

A slow, intentional beginning to a new year after a racing finish to the last one raises some big questions for all of us in the climate space. This week, Christiana, Tom, and Paul set out the big topics for the year leading up to COP27. Yes, another one.

Shifting long term pledges to short term deliverables. Moving financial institutions from high carbon assets to low carbon assets. Getting the data points that move the needle on reducing emissions on the desks of central governments- Solid, concrete, ambitious NDCs driven by the innovation and flexibility of the private sector is how we will prove ourselves to a Net Zero future.

Listen in to hear how Christiana lays out how our Self-interest, with a capital “S”, is the key to unlocking our true collective potential.

Welcome to Season 5!

Stick around for an intimate and cozy musical performance from Lilo!

—

Christiana + Tom’s book ‘The Future We Choose’ is available now!

Subscribe to our Climate Action Newsletter: Signals Amidst The Noise

—

Mentioned links from the episode:

LISTEN: Overthinking IT by Willow (Paul’s recommendation)

WATCH: Joy

READ: The Book of Joy

LISTEN: The Deep Time Walk O+O Episode

—

The incredible Lilo is our musical guest this week!

Lilo

Twitter | Facebook | Instagram | Music

—

Keep up with Christiana Figueres here:

Tom Rivett-Carnac:

Paul Dickinson:

—

Follow @GlobalOptimism on social media and send us a message!

Subscribe to our Climate Action Newsletter!

Don't forget to hit SUBSCRIBE so you don't miss another episode of Outrage + Optimism!

1 Listener

145. Africa: A View From The Frontlines of Climate Justice and Gender Equality with Vanessa Nakate

Outrage + Optimism

03/24/22 • 68 min

For years in the Global North, our dialogue around climate change has been focused on the idea that it is a looming disaster with consequences that would happen in the future if we did not take immediate action. The recent years of extreme weather events where we saw flooding in Germany and London and heat waves and storms across Europe and the United States, brought the reality home that climate change was happening NOW.

But for those living in Africa and the Global South, this ‘looming disaster’ has been a reality for decades. While the devastation, droughts, famines, wars over life-sustaining resources and refugee crises that climate change has caused might not make the headlines in the Global North the way Russia’s invasion of Ukraine has, the impacts of climate change on these frontline communities is nonetheless devastating and requires attention and action NOW.

Which is why this week we invited one of the incredible female voices from the frontline of the climate crisis in Uganda, Vanessa Nakate, an activist and founder of the Rise Up! Movement, onto the O+O podcast so we could share her concerns and action points first hand with our listeners.

In this intimate, in-depth interview with Christiana, Vanessa shares her journey from Ugandan school girl to world renowned climate activist. She tells us about her passion for gender equality and why she believes it is synonymous with bringing the climate crisis to justice, and why Loss and Damage must stay on the agenda for COP27, touted by many as The African COP.

Keep your ears open because Vanessa gives a clear call to action to any listeners who want to help African activists get their voices heard during COP 27. Vanessa asks that businesses, organizations and individuals consider supporting African activists either through providing accreditation for COP27 or through funding. If you can help please reach out via social media to Vanessa directly or via the Rise UP Movement’s website.

And stick around until the end of the episode to hear the soul-stirring Ugandan musical artist Afrie perform her single, “Let Her Know”.

Enjoy the show!

—

Christiana + Tom’s book ‘The Future We Choose’ is available now!

—

Mentioned links from the episode:

DONATE: Vanessa’s Solar and Stove Project

ACT: Fridays For Future’s 4 Digital Strike Actions

WATCH: Vanessa Nakate asks Global North Ministers the “Thumbs Up” Question

READ: A 10-Point Plan to Reduce the European Union’s Reliance on Russian Natural Gas

READ: Christiana pens an alternative ending to ‘Don’t Look Up’ for Netflix

—

Thanks to our guest this week, Vanessa Nakate!

Vanessa Nakate

Climate Justice Activist | Founder of Rise Up Movement

Twitter | Instagram

Rise Up Movement

Twitter | Instagram | Website

BUY THE BOOK: A Bigger Picture by Vanessa Nakate

—

Our musical guest this week is Afrie!

Afrie

Instagram | YouTube | Website | YouTube

—

Keep up with Christiana Figueres online:

Tom Rivett-Carnac:

Paul Dickinson:

Young People's Voices on Climate Anxiety, Government Betrayal and Moral Injury: A Global Phenomenon

—

Follow ...

1 Listener

115. Turning Around in a Storm with David Shukman

Outrage + Optimism

09/21/21 • 27 min

Our struggle with the Climate Crisis begins with naming it, facing it, and engaging it.

Last week, the latest NDC Synthesis Report published showed that global emissions are on track to rise by 16% by 2030. With science screaming at the top of its lungs to get us to cut emissions 50% by 2030 to avoid catastrophic warming and climate tipping points, this 16% number says unequivocally, “we are headed in the wrong direction” as BBC Science Editor David Shukman tells us on today’s episode.

So that’s where we’re at. How do we face this moment with stubborn optimism? Tom dials up David to wrestle with the reality of how short our NDCs are of achieving the Paris Goals, and what mindset and ambition it will take to get our world’s biggest emitters to transparently confront this issue and reverse the course of rising emissions.

—

Christiana + Tom’s book ‘The Future We Choose’ is available now!

Subscribe to our Climate Action Newsletter: Signals Amidst The Noise

—

Links mentioned in the episode:

NDC Synthesis Report

Climate change: UN warning over nations' climate plans - David Shukman

—

Thanks to our guest this week:

David Shukman

Science Editor | BBC News

Twitter

—

Join the conversation online:

Christiana Figueres

Tom Rivett-Carnac

Paul Dickinson

—

Follow @GlobalOptimism on social media and send us a message!