Beyond the Bad News: Evidence for Climate Optimism
From stalled UN plastics treaty talks, to the hottest summer on record across much of the northern hemisphere - it’s been a bleak few weeks for climate news. So this week, against a backdrop of worsening headlines, we ask: are there still reasons to be optimistic? And what will it take to turn urgency into real change?Christiana Figueres, Tom Rivett-Carnac and Paul Dickinson are joined by Ani Dasgupta, President & CEO of the World Resources Institute. His new book, The New Global Possible: Rebuilding Optimism in the Age of Climate Crisis, argues that while we know what needs to be done, the real challenge lies in how to orchestrate transformation at scale.Ani shares stories of progress from cities, nations, and communities around the world, making the case that optimism isn’t about ignoring reality, but about mobilising the political, economic, and social will to act.But does a hopeful outlook risk minimising the seriousness of the crisis? And how can we close the gap between lofty pledges and meaningful action?Learn more:📖 Check out Ani Dasgupta’s The New Global Possible - currently available internationally in ebook and in print editions from many retailers🌍 Read about the background and latest developments on the UN Global Plastics Treaty🌡️ Dive into this roundup of the record-breaking extreme weather that hit the northern hemisphere this summer🎤 Leave us your voice notes and questions for upcoming episodes on SpeakPipeFollow us on social media for behind the scenes moments and to watch our videos:Instagram @outrageoptimism LinkedIn @outrageoptimismOr get in touch with us via this form. Producer: Ben Weaver-HincksVideo Producer: Caitlin HanrahanAssistant Producer: Eve JonesExec Producer: Ellie CliffordCommissioning Editor: Sarah Thomas This is a Persephonica production for Global Optimism and is part of the Acast Creator Network. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
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Rising Tides: How indigenous communities are facing the climate crisis
What does it mean to live on the front lines of climate change - where rising seas, collapsing ecosystems and the legacies of colonialism collide?This week, Christiana Figueres and Paul Dickinson are joined by guest host Andrew Higham (Founder of the Future of Climate Cooperation, and former UNFCCC Senior Advisor), to hear from three remarkable people from across the Solomon Islands, Alaska and Greenland. Their stories serve as a stark warning of the ways climate change is reshaping lives, identities and politics. How centuries-old knowledge offers resilience and guidance the world cannot afford to ignore.How do you build an island? Indigenous Knowledge Advocate Lysa Wini describes how her Solomon Islands ancestors literally created their islands from coral and rock. How are their successors responding, now that rising oceans threaten their homes? Wáahlaal Gidaag, Haida leader from Alaska and VP of Arctic Conservation at Ocean Conservancy, shares how her son’s questions are drawing her back to ancestral ways of seeing land and sea.And Parnuna Egede Dahl, Special Advisor with Oceans North Kalaallit Nunaat in Greenland, explains how self-rule intersects with ocean governance, and what Greenland’s decision to join the Paris Agreement means for the future.Their experiences challenge us to look beyond negotiations and policy texts, and ask: what can we learn from those who have always been on climate’s front lines? And how can we work together to protect the planet on which we all depend?🎤 Leave us your voice notes and questions for upcoming episodes on SpeakPipeFollow us on social media for behind the scenes moments and to watch our videos:Instagram @outrageoptimism LinkedIn @outrageoptimismOr get in touch with us via this form. Producer: Ben Weaver-HincksVideo Producer: Caitlin HanrahanAssistant Producer: Caillin McDaidAssistant Producer: Eve JonesExec Producer: Ellie CliffordCommissioning Editor: Sarah Thomas This is a Persephonica production for Global Optimism and is part of the Acast Creator Network. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
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Listening to the Living World: Can AI help us hear the planet?
What if we could not only listen to the rest of nature, but actually understand it?From decoding whale songs to giving nature a legal voice, the possibilities are tantalising - and they may not be as far-fetched as they sound. That’s why the Earth Species Project (ESP) is racing to use artificial intelligence to translate the communication of other species before they fall silent.How can this cutting edge technology analyse data that would take human researchers a lifetime? And how might findings feed into emerging ideas about ecocentric governance and earth law? We hear from ESP’s Aza Raskin (Co-founder), Jane Lawton (Managing Director) and Olivier Pietquin (Chief Scientist) about this extraordinary mission, and the tools they’re using to achieve the previously unimaginable.Plus, Christiana Figueres, Tom Rivett-Carnac, and Paul Dickinson explore the promises and pitfalls of AI: its energy demands, its unpredictable impacts on democracy and capitalism, and its potential to become a ‘Galileo moment’ in how humans relate to the living world.This episode features recordings of animal species - some of which were used in the training of ESP’s NatureLM-Audio model.Learn more 🔊 Discover more about ESP’s large audio model, NatureLM-Audio, and the technology driving their work📖 Read Aldo Leopold’s A Sound County Almanac, including the essay Thinking Like a Mountain🐋 Read about about the story of Tokitae the orca calf🎤 Leave us your voice notes and questions for upcoming episodes on SpeakPipeFollow us on social media for behind the scenes moments and to watch our videos:Instagram @outrageoptimism LinkedIn @outrageoptimismOr get in touch with us via this form. Producer: Ben Weaver-HincksVideo Producer: Caitlin HanrahanAssistant Producer: Caillin McDaidExec Producer: Ellie CliffordCommissioning Editor: Sarah Thomas This is a Persephonica production for Global Optimism and is part of the Acast Creator Network. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
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Introducing: Inside COP - the Official COP30 Podcast from Outrage + Optimism
Live from Belém… it’s Outrage + Optimism! (Or it will be.)This year’s COP is one of the most significant in years, and we’ll be there with you every step of the way - charting the buildup, analysing events on the ground, and reflecting on the impacts that will be felt for decades to come.We’re delighted to announce that we are the official COP30 podcast, and there’s nobody better than Christiana Figueres, Tom Rivett-Carnac and Paul Dickinson to tell you everything you need to know - alongside some very special guests.Inside COP will bring you the voices of negotiators, COP30 leaders and communities from Brazil and beyond. And as the climate story of the year unfolds, we’ll be asking the hard questions, and ensuring you get the inside scoop on what’s really going on. Episodes of Inside COP will be released in this feed - so if you’re not already, subscribe now and join us as we gear up for Belém. Plus, send us your questions, insights, hopes and concerns, so that you can help shape this vital conversation.🎤 Leave us your COP-related voice notes and questions on SpeakPipeFollow us on social media for behind the scenes moments and to watch our videos:Instagram @outrageoptimism LinkedIn @outrageoptimismOr get in touch with us via this form. Producer: Ben Weaver-HincksVideo Producer: Caitlin HanrahanExec Producer: Ellie CliffordCommissioning Editor: Sarah ThomasThis is a Persephonica production for Global Optimism and is part of the Acast Creator Network. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
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You Are What You Eat: Soil, Seeds and Social Justice
What’s really in the food on our plates? The journey to our supermarket shelves is one of broken economics, environmental destruction, and social injustice.But what if agriculture could look completely different?This week, Christiana Figueres and Paul Dickinson travel to Umbria, Italy, to visit QuintoSapore, a farm founded by twin brothers Nicola and Alessandro. After leaving city careers, they set out to reinvent farming: growing food in a way that respects living things, restores soil, and values the people who work the land.Instead of short-term, precarious labour, they offer full-time contracts, living wages, and community. Instead of chemical fertilisers and pesticides, they look to biomimicry, biochar, and heirloom seeds - not discovering, but remembering the old ways and learning from nature.From a revelation in a drought-stricken woodland, to redefining what it means to “grow” rather than “produce” food, this episode is a reminder that the path to climate resilience runs straight through our fields.Learn more🌱 Explore QuintoSapore’s story🍅 Watch our video clips from the farm visit on Instagram and LinkedIn🎤 Leave us your voice notes and questions for upcoming episodes on SpeakPipeFollow us on social media for behind the scenes moments and to watch our videos:Instagram @outrageoptimism LinkedIn @outrageoptimismOr get in touch with us via this form. Producer: Ben Weaver-HincksVideo Producer: Caitlin HanrahanAssistant Producer: Caillin McDaidAssistant Producer: Eve JonesExec Producer: Ellie CliffordCommissioning Editor: Sarah ThomasThis is a Persephonica production for Global Optimism and is part of the Acast Creator Network. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Outrage + Optimism: The Climate Podcast is for anyone who is not ready to give up on making the world a better place. For unrivalled conversations with decision makers, visionary thinkers and a community of like-minded climate optimists, join former UN climate chief Christiana Figueres, political strategist Tom Rivett-Carnac and sustainable business consultant Paul Dickinson. Each week they make sense of all the top climate news stories, go behind the scenes at crucial talks and ensure you stay informed and inspired ahead of what is set to be the consequential year for climate action.As we approach the middle of the decisive decade for world emissions, and the 10 year anniversary of the Paris climate agreement, subscribe to Outrage + Optimism: The Climate Podcast And to see video content from the show, follow us on LinkedIn, on Instagram and X.Got a question? Send us a voice message.This is a Persephonica production for Global Optimism and is part of the Acast Creator Network. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
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