278. Pets, Preppers and Personal Carbon Budgets
Outrage + Optimism
How can you reduce the environmental impact of your cat or dog? What’s the best way to prepare for climate breakdown? And how should you talk to children about climate? Christiana, Paul and Tom wrap up the year by answering an eclectic and insightful selection of your questions. Plus: they digest the fourth and final COP of the year, known as the Desertification COP, which took place in December in Saudi Arabia and reflect on their own feelings at the end of a challenging year for the climate movement. Huge thanks to our community of listeners for all the great...
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277. Trump and Climate Populism with Ben Rhodes
Outrage + Optimism
Ben Rhodes—writer, political commentator, and former Deputy National Security Advisor under President Obama—joins the host team to dissect the challenges of a Trump 2.0 administration. Rhodes issues a bold call for a new "climate populist" strategy, to redirect the populist right-wing outrage over climate action toward exposing the oil and gas industry's stranglehold on climate negotiations, as seen at recent COP summits. Christiana, Tom, Paul, plus special guest Fi Macklin, invite Rhodes to explore themes of strong leadership, the shifting dynamics of geopolitics, Trump’s appeal...
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276. Action On Plastic Pollution with Ellen MacArthur
Outrage + Optimism
This week, Christiana, Tom and Paul tackle the latest on the global plastics treaty (known as INC-5), which ended last week without a deal. Why were countries unable to agree a deal despite the huge amount of public concern about plastic pollution? What pathways remain for an agreement in 2025? And why is it so important to maintain focus on plastic from a climate point of view? Dive into the challenges and explore potential solutions with the team. Continuing this critical theme, Ellen MacArthur, Founder & Chair of Trustees of the Ellen MacArthur Foundation, world...
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275. COP29 Conclusions
Outrage + Optimism
This week, the team dives into the dramatic highs and lows of COP29 in Baku. With negotiations stretching into the final hours, a hard-fought finance deal emerged to bolster climate action and support for the most vulnerable. Yet, Christiana describes the agreement as “paltry at best,” highlighting the yawning chasm between what was agreed upon and what is truly necessary to address the climate crisis. For those advocating for an ambitious, needs-based outcome, this year’s COP was a bruising experience—marked by frustration, hurt, and disappointment. The hosts share their thoughts on...
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274. COP29: From Billions to Trillions - G20 Calls for Ambition in Climate Finance
Outrage + Optimism
This week, our hosts talk about what’s been happening - and not happening - in Rio and Baku. Christiana clarifies the mandate of COPs and advocates for COP processes and presidencies to be separate from national positions and interests while robustly defending multi-lateralism. The hosts discuss how world leaders meeting in Rio for the G20 meeting have sent a powerful political signal to those meeting in COP29 in Baku: a need for "rapidly and substantially scaling up climate finance from billions to trillions from all sources". The hosts are joined by Sue Reid, Climate Finance Advisor...
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273. COP29 Live: Bigger, Better, Bolder. Updating NDCs in Line with 1.5C
Outrage + Optimism
Recorded live from COP29 in the UK Pavilion in Baku, Bigger, Better, Bolder: Updating NDCs in Line with 1.5 Degrees captures an energetic dialogue on the crucial role of bold leadership in climate action. Moderated by Tom, this dynamic session dives into why governments must ambitiously update their Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs) to meet the 1.5°C goal, recognizing this decade as a pivotal chance to shape a sustainable future. Kicking off with insights from Ed Miliband, the UK’s Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, we explore how the UK’s ambitious NDC...
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272. COP29 Live: From Call to Action with Barbados Prime Minister Mia Mottley and UK Foreign Secretary David Lammy
Outrage + Optimism
Recorded Live at the UK COP Pavilion and moderated by Tom, ‘From Call to Action: the Bridgetown Initiative and delivering Global Financial System Reform’ is an inspiring conversation between Barbados Prime Minister Mia Mottley and Foreign Secretary, UK, David Lammy. Mia Mottley called the world to action when she released the initial Bridgetown Initiative at UNGA in 2022. Now in its third iteration, the Bridgetown Initiative brings together an ambitious and holistic set of calls for reforms to make the Global Financial System more inclusive, more shock-responsive, and better scaled to meet...
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271. Getting Nature on the Balance Sheet
Outrage + Optimism
This week, Paul and Tom are joined by Tony Goldner, from the Taskforce on Nature-related Financial Disclosures. Tony helps make sense of what happened at the recent Biodiversity COP in Colombia and discusses the many ways that nature is starting to appear on business’ and regulators’ agendas. Companies are waking up to the fact that their resilience depends on the resilience of nature. Many companies are in the process of developing and setting long-term transition plans to net-zero. Tony explains that as biodiversity and nature-loss risks mount, businesses need to also consider that...
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270. What Does This Trump Presidency Mean for Climate?
Outrage + Optimism
As the news of Donald Trump’s 2024 US election victory makes headlines around the world, Christiana Figueres, Tom Rivett-Carnac and Paul Dickinson unpack Trump and Harris’s campaign and discuss the implications of a Trump-led administration on US climate ambition, both domestically and internationally. Or as Tom puts it, “What the hell just happened in the US?” Join the hosts as they analyze potential shifts in policy, how business and finance could counterbalance federal setbacks, and what this means for COP29, NDCs, and global multilateral efforts. During their discussion, the hosts...
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269. COP16: Making Peace with Nature?
Outrage + Optimism
This week, Christiana has a fascinating window into the Biodiversity COP negotiations underway in Colombia. From Cali, she’s joined by Freya Newman and Irene Suarez Perez from the Global Optimism team who give us the lowdown into what’s going on inside and outside the negotiating rooms. They tell what’s unique about Colombia hosting, how it’s given a platform to indigenous and local community voices; and why business is talking about love as well as finance. Also joining Christiana from Cali is Monica Medina, a fellow with Conservation International and the US’ first Special Envoy...
info_outlineIn this special episode, our hosts are live at Climate Week New York, joined onstage by a stellar line-up of influential voices from government, the private sector, science, civil society and academia.
This flagship event highlights how transformative climate strategies can be supercharged. The conversation centers on the push for ‘positive tipping points’ across three key themes: energy, nature & food, and finance. Supported by Mission 2025 Partners and convened by Groundswell – a collaboration between Global Optimism, Bezos Earth Fund, and Systems Change Lab – alongside the Climate Group, the event showcases leaders from various sectors driving impactful change.
Mission 2025 is a coalition of bold leaders, including mayors, governors, CEOs, investors, athletes, musicians, and everyday citizens, all rallying governments to strengthen their national climate commitments (Nationally Determined Contributions) in alignment with the Paris Agreement goal of limiting global warming to 1.5°C.
Known as the 'Defenders of Paris,' Mission 2025 Partners arrived at Climate Week NYC with exciting updates. New organizations are stepping up to support governments in setting more ambitious climate plans, accelerating action that can unlock trillions in private investment, boost renewable energy, help industries thrive in a low-carbon economy, and ensure equitable living standards for all.
Tune in to hear the latest from Climate Week NYC and how global leaders are working together to shape a sustainable future!
NOTES AND RESOURCES
GUESTS
Simon Stiell, Executive Secretary of UN Climate Change
Jennifer Morgan, Special Envoy for International Climate Action
Tim Lenton, Professor of Earth System Science at University of Exeter
Veena Balakrishnan, Political Scientist, Intersectional Environmentalist. Co - Founder, Youth Negotiators Academy
LinkedIn | Instagram | Twitter (X)
Renata Koch Alvarenga, Disaster Risk Financing Specialist, World Bank I Master of Public Policy, Harvard University I Founder and Executive Director, EmpoderaClima
LinkedIn | Instagram | Twitter (X)
Vaishali Nigam Sinha, Co-Founder of ReNew and Chairperson Sustainability
Günther Thallinger, Member of the Board of Management of Allianz SE, Investment Management, Sustainability
Peter Bakker, President & CEO at World Business Council for Sustainable Development (WBCSD)
Helen Clarkson, Chief Executive Officer at Climate Group
Nigar Arpadarai, Climate Change High-Level Champion for COP29
LinkedIn | Instagram | Twitter (X)
HE Ana Toni, National Secretary for Climate Change at the Ministry of Environment and Climate Change, from Brazil as COP30 Presidency
Learn more about the Paris Agreement.
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