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...
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268. Rewilding The World with Ben Goldsmith and Stephen Fry
Outrage + Optimism
This week, as part of our focus on biodiversity during COP 16, we're excited to share a special crossover episode! In the first part of this exciting episode, join Christiana, Tom, and Ben Goldsmith for an insightful conversation about rewilding and its global impact, followed by a full episode of Ben's inspiring podcast featuring UK national treasure, writer and actor, Stephen Fry. In his conversation with the hosts, Ben explores the concept of rewilding, its potential to reshape ecosystems worldwide, and the critical role grassroots community projects play in this movement. Ben Goldsmith is...
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267. The Rio Trio: A Cocktail of COPs
Outrage + Optimism
This week, our hosts dive into The Rio Trio! No, this is not the name of a new cocktail but three COPs (Biodiversity in Colombia, Climate in Azerbaijan and Desertification in Saudi Arabia) which are about to happen back-to-back. Plus the plastics treaty negotiations in South Korea. Join our hosts for their take on the history of these three different but interrelated COPs, all conceived in the Earth Summit in Rio in 1992. How have they evolved, and how might they continue to evolve to be fit for purpose in a changed world? Since this subject is complex, Christiana uses her get-out clause and...
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266. Is it OK to Have Children in a Climate Crisis?
Outrage + Optimism
In the final episode of our How to Live a Good Life series, Tom, Paul and Christiana discuss the personal quandary of whether or not to have children in the midst of what appears to be significant climate breakdown. The questions they ponder are complex and philosophical: should we bring children into a world that is, some might say, collapsing? Would you consider having children is immoral, since more people living on the planet leads to greater consumption and emissions, thus exacerbating the problem? Or is having a child the greatest act of hope for the future that anyone can choose to...
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265. Monster Hurricanes are Caused by Them
Outrage + Optimism
Newsflash: In this urgent episode recorded on Friday, October 11th, Tom, Paul, and Christiana come together to discuss the devastation caused by Hurricanes Helene and Milton. The hosts express their frustration with the conspiracy theories circulating in the wake of the latest hurricane Milton - at a time when solidarity is needed most. They also dive into the harsh reality that the fossil fuel industry lies at the heart of the destruction. In This Episode: The hosts break down the undeniable science linking man-made global warming to the increasing intensity of hurricanes around the world....
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264. What Should I Eat in a Climate Crisis?
Outrage + Optimism
SHOW NOTES: In the penultimate episode of our How to Live a Good Life in a Climate Crisis, our hosts talk about food and food systems. How can we enjoy meals while eating responsibly? Tom, Paul and Christiana find it difficult to digest our lopsided relationship with food, in which more than two billion people face food insecurity and a third of all food goes to waste. The conversation is free-range - the hosts reveal what shaped their own rituals around eating. They look at how humanity’s relationship with food went from trust to anxiety, from abundance to...
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
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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
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