The Sustainability Agenda

Katharina Pistor, Professor of Comparative Law and director of the Center on Global Legal Transformation at Columbia Law School, discusses her most recent book The Code of Capital: How the Law Creates Wealth and Inequality. In this fascinating discussion, she highlights the various ways that debt, complex financial products, and other assets are selectively coded to protect and reproduce private wealth—and the malleability of the legal system, that can be redesigned, and repurposed--by well paid lawyers. Katharina discusses the recent trend to create environmental financial assets-and highlights what she sees as a crucial, perennial, question: who will bear any financial losses (associated with climate change investments). Katharina also shares some ideas on we might create a financial system that would be more socially, environmentally and financially equitable. Katharina Pistor is the Edwin B. Parker Professor of Comparative Law and director of the Center on Global Legal Transformation at Columbia Law Schoo

In this fascinating discussion on the COP, Professor Stefan Aykut, a German scholar working on global climate governance, on the role and expectations around COP26. Stefan shares a more positive assessment of COP26 than some others interviewed on this podcast: ultimately, he points out, the outcome is in the hands of national governments. Stefan argues that one of the main reasons climate problems have not received the necessary attention is that they have been treated as uniquely climate problems . But he sees signs that is changing. Stefan worries that the lack of solidarity in the way the Global North has dealt with COVID crisis does not augur well for dealing with climate problems in the future. Notwithstanding its urgency, Stefan also worries about the dangers of framing global warming as an emergency: emergencies, he says, are associated with concentration of political power.  Stefan Aykut is Junior professor of Sociology, Director at Center for Sustainable Society Research (CSS) Hamburg, Germany.  He i

COP26 debrief with Rupert Read. In the immediate aftermath of COP26, Rupert Read shares his profound disappointment with the outcome of COP26, shares his views for possible ways forward with the COPs, how they might evolve--and talks about the vital importance of adaptation-another area where he feels COP26 failed to deliver. Unvarnished and candid reflections on COP26 and worries about general progress on the scale of environmental challenges the world is facing: in particular global warming and the environmental catastrophes the oceans are undergoing. Rupert Read is an Associate Professor of Philosophy at the University of East Anglia, an author, a blogger, and a climate and environmental campaigner, including his work as a spokesperson for Extinction Rebellion. He has written over a dozen books, most recently Parents for A Future. Deep Adaptation: Navigating the Realities of Climate Chaos which he edited with Jem Bendell came out this summer. Rupert has also been national parliamentary candidate, European

In this hugely inspiring interview, James Thornton, CEO of legal powerhouse ClientEarth, talks about how the firm uses the law to confront nature loss and climate change. At a time when market solutions are in vogue to deal with climate change, this is a powerful testimony to the power of law to build effective regulatory frameworks to drive climate mitigation – and hold companies and governments to account. James discusses how ClientEarth works, highlighting a few of the many influential legal cases that the environmental legal charity has fought -in David vs Goliath style-and won. This is an eye-opening account of ClientEarth’s work which provides inspiring insights into the vital role (and potential) of law to deal with some the greatest challenges we face as a civilisation. James also shares how his perspective as a Zen Buddhist priest informs his life and work.James Thornton is the founding CEO of ClientEarth, a path-breaking law firm which uses advocacy, litigation and research to address the greatest c

 A fascinating discussion with 3 passionate youth activists from the UK, India and Bangladesh, on 7th November 2021, about their expectations for COP26, their experience on the ground, and their concerns about the environmental challenges we are facing. Although COP26 is not yet over, and we don’t know the final outcome, these activists express profound disappointment with what they see as a “business as usual” approach-- and call out governments around the world for avoiding taking vital climate action –and the pervasive corporate greenwash. They identify the kinds of changes they would like to see to deal with global warming, and related environmental challenges, highlighting the failure to provide capital transition capital to countries in the global south—and calling for more inclusion for youth and indigenous voices in the COPs themselves. They also discuss the ongoing emotional stress dealing with climate and feelings as young activists-the sense of exhaustion and burnout.Sohanur Rahman is a Journalist

In this thought provoking interview, Frédéric Hache, co-founder of the Green Finance Observatory, asks some hard-hitting questions about carbon-offsets and related market solutions to climate change and the biodiversity crises-and financialisation of nature more generally. Frederic discusses the evolution of market-based solutions to climate. “It is interesting that the conversation now is about how to incentivize economically, corporations, as if governments no longer had the power to compel and regulate.” Frédéric highlights what he sees as a key trend: outsourcing dealing with climate change to developing countries by buying land, planting trees and opening a new market for global investors in the process. Frédéric is a co-founder, and executive director, of the Green Finance Observatory an independent NGO that analyses the new market mechanisms and sustainable finance frameworks in order to determine how likely they are to meet their stated environmental, economic and social objectives. Earlier in his car

Fascinating interview with Professor Mike Hulme on his expectations for COP26, the role and importance of the COPs, and the dangers of an overly scientific approach to climate change-- a reductionist framing of the problem in terms of numbers and deadlines. He shares what he sees as some of the biggest dangers of framing climate change as an emergency—drawing lessons from government responses to the Covid-19 pandemic. Professor Hulme also discusses his new book, Climate Change, where he introduces a number of “more than science approaches,” lenses, for coming to terms with the idea of climate change: post-colonial justice and resistance; the arts and humanities; and the lenses of various world religions. Dr Mike Hulme is professor of Human Geography in the Department of Geography at the University of Cambridge and Fellow of Pembroke College.  His work explores the idea of climate change from a range of perspectives-- historical, cultural, scientific-- revealing various ideological, political and ethical dimen

In this fascinating interview, Dr Genevieve Guenther does a deep dive on the powerful ongoing ways in which the fossil fuel industry influences communication about climate change-- preventing us from not only seeing the true problem of climate change, but also preventing us from envisioning and desiring and implementing solutions. She analyses the various ways in which the fossil fuel industry try and divert attention from their activities—emphasizing, for example, individual carbon footprints, and their spending on renewables (in reality a tiny percentage of their overall budgets). She also highlights the emotional impact—undermining individuals’ confidence in their ability to do anything about climate change. Genevieve also discusses the important work done by a charity she has set up, End Climate Silence, and her work to stop the New York Times taking money from fossil fuel industry.  Genevieve is an author and activist. Her work focusses on the role of language in climate change drawing on sociology, psyc

In this deep dive on resilience, Professor Daniel Aldrich gives a fascinating overview of different ways of thinking about resilience—focussing in particular on the kind of resilience that allows communities to recover from disasters in a way that brings together resources -- and allows the communities to rebuild themselves so they're not as vulnerable as they were before the shock—so they can collaborate, communicate, and work together in a more effective way. Daniel discusses his research which has identified the critical importance of social bonds as a key factor determining how communities deal with disasters—too often neglected due to an overemphasis on infrastructural resilience. A fascinating interview, packed with rich insights and research findings-providing a multidimensional perspective on resilience. Daniel Aldrich is professor of political science and Director of the Security and Resilience Studies Program at Northeastern University. A main body of his research focussed on recovery after natural

In this interview, Professor Katharine Hayhoe, one of climate change’s most effective communicators, provides inspired guidance on how to navigate all sides of the conversation on a topic that is currently one of the most politicised and divisive. Katharine discusses her new book Saving Us: A Climate Scientist's Case for Hope and Healing in a Divided World, illustrated her arguments with stories from her personal experiences. Katharine argues we need to go beyond facts and statistics and begin essential climate conversations with shared values, connect the issue to our individual identities, and help inspire collective action. For Katharine,  urgency of action is paramount: “The key conclusion of the IPCC is simply this. Every year counts, every action matters, every choice can make a difference.” Katharine Hayhoe is an atmospheric scientist—and a professor of political science at Texas Tech University, where she is co-director of the Climate Science Center. She has served as lead author on the Second, Third,

In this fascinating interview,  leading anthropologist Professor Philippe Descola discusses his latest book Beyond Nature and Culture—exploring the different ways mankind relate to nature. In this book, Professor Descola identifies four key ways in which different societies have thought about nature over time-animism, totemism, analogism, and our current relationship: naturalism, a strict separation between the cultural worlds of human beings, on the one hand, and the non-human things of nature, on the other. Professor Descola discusses how we can, and must today, learn from other ways of connecting to nature, how they can inspire us as a society. Notwithstanding what he sees as a deeply challenging time, Professor Descola finds inspiration in the activism of young people-and emerging approaches embodied in the Zones a Defendre (ZADS) in France.  Philippe Descola is a French anthropologist with a reputation as one of the most important anthropologists working today. He held the chair of Anthropology of Nature

Professor Stephen Macekura explores how ideas of economic growth came into being across the 20th century world --and the types of politics and political conflicts that they have engendered across the world. He explores the work of those thinkers who have criticized and doubted the virtues of the notion of limitless growth, and in particular, those who have criticized the ways in which growth was measured and conventional accounting techniques, and proposed alternative ways of measuring and thus valuing the world over time. Deep insights into a road not taken--and a potent critique of current approaches to dealing with the environmental crises we are now facing.Stephen Macekura is a scholar of U.S. and international history, with a particular focus on political economy, international development, U.S. foreign relations, and environmentalism. Associate Professor of Hamilton Lugar School of Global and International Studies, Stephen’s first book is “Of Limits and Growth: The Rise of Global ‘Sustainable Developmen

In an interview done earlier this year, long time climate activist James Cameron provides a fascinating insider’s perspective the on the COP— highlighting the highs and lows of various COPs over the last thirty years or so—and the COP’s greatest achievements—against a background of slow but growing momentum in the private and public sphere to deal with climate change. James also discusses the vital and growing role of the legal system in dealing with global warming. He talks about the work that he has done over this time supporting the various COPs -and COP23 in particular. James also discusses the prospects for COP26 and shares his optimism on the prospects for businesses pursuing Net Zero strategies. Fascinating and first-hand insights into international and multilateral approaches to responding to climate change.  James Cameron is an influential figure within the international climate change community. He has been engaged with environmental and climate change policy for some 30 years, working variously as

As the relationship between the US and China grows more tense, we discuss the geopolitics of climate change. What impact does geopolitics have on national responses to climate change? How is the relationship between China and the US evolving? Gerald Butts believes that geopolitics is definitional when it comes to climate change. He discusses the ways in which the international political arena around climate has become yet another theater for strategic, largely economic competition. He argues that the core objectives of nation states are becoming aligned with the core objectives of climate policy--leading to an energy transition that will proceed faster than it might otherwise have. At the same time, he believes that it is likely to be a messy transition with a lot of turbulence. Gerald Butts is a Canadian political consultant who served as the Principal Secretary to Prime Minister Justin Trudeau from 2015 -2019. He is currently vice chairman and a senior advisor at Eurasia Group, a political risk consultancy,

In this deep dive on sustainability within the food industry, Toby identifies three key trends –resilience, disclosure and consumer awareness – driving changes within the food industry generally. He discusses Innovation Forum’s recent detailed study on smallholder farmers, responsible for a very large amount of the world's food supply. The report highlights the ongoing challenges facilitating access to better markets, the need to develop resilient smallholder farming communities, and the importance of developing alternative income streams for smallholders, now and in the future. Toby also explores unfolding agriculture developments, touching on new “forest positive” strategies, as well as the possibilities of carbon sequestration as a ‘product’ which smallholder farmers can sell to international markets. And he discusses the impact climate change and sustainability is having on the wine industry--and the work he is doing with the new cross industry Sustainable Wine Roundtable. Toby Webb is the founder of Inno

In this fascinating interview, Nigel Topping, the UK's High-Level Climate Action Champion discusses the prospects for the upcoming COP26 in November in Glasgow. Against a background of growing momentum for change, Nigel reflects on the goals and expectations for COP26 -- and identifies some of the outstanding issues to be addressed over the coming months. Nigel discusses the growth and development of the carbon offset market, Net Zero, and the growing corporate commitments of Race to Zero, a global campaign Led by the High-Level Climate Champions for Climate Action. Nigel also disucsses the vital importance of resilience -and the Race to Resilience campaign that aims to catalyse a step-change in global ambition and action for climate resilience, not only withstanding climate shocks but flourishing in spite of them. Nigel Topping is the UK's High-Level Climate Action Champion, appointed by the UK Prime Minister in January 2020.  The role of the high-level champions is to strengthen collaboration and drive acti

In this wide-ranging interview, Jeremy Lent discusses his fascinating new book Web of Meaning which combines findings in cognitive science, systems theory and traditional Chinese and Buddhist thought, to develop a framework that integrates both science and meaning in a coherent whole. Jeremy discusses what he sees as an essential problem at the heart of our current worldview: how man is separated from nature which is seen purely as a resource. He highlights a very different perspective, common to many indigenous peoples, how we are interrelated, not just all humans related to each other, but seeing all of the living earth around us all of life as being our relations. Jeremy also shares his long standing criticisms on the structure of the modern corporation and its role in society, in light of the recent Shell climate litigation, and the election of new directors to the board of Exxon, instigated by a small activist investor-which has been called the oil industry’s “Black Wednesday.” Jeremy is an award winning

In this fascinating interview, Daniela discusses the eye-opening sums of money needed to achieve a transition to a low carbon economy - $1 trillion-$2 trillion a year to achieve net zero emissions by mid-century, according to some estimates-- and how this can be funded. She explores the evolving relationship between the public sector and private finance - a renewed partnership—and how to assure that any new flows of private capital go into genuine green investments, rather than greenwashing. At the heart of this discussion: Daniela’s recent research on investors' plans to to “escort and derisk” private capital investments in the global south.  Daniela Gabor is associate professor in economics at the University of the West of England, Bristol. She holds a PhD in banking and finance from the University of Stirling (2009). Her main interests are in macro-finance, monetary theory and central banking and she has published on central banking in crisis, on the governance of global banks and the IMF, and on shadow ba

In this wide-ranging interview, economic anthropologist Jason Hickel discusses his most recent book Less is more: how degrowth will save the world --charting out an economic vision to a sustainable future. This is a deep dive into to the world of degrowth – a powerful critique of one of the most deeply held ideas at the heart of economics—endless economic growth. Jason argues that green economic growth is an illusion and that we need to abandon GDP growth as an economic goal—one that is even situated at the heart of the SDGs. He calls for a focused reduction of (economic) growth in areas are less socially useful and environmentally harmful—while recognising the economic growth needs of countries in the global south. Jason returns repeated to the question of environmental justice-arguing that we also need to address significant underlying social inequities if we are to undertake radical climate policy. A fascinating and thought-provoking interview. Dr Jason Hickel is an economic anthropologist, author, and a F

In this fascinating interview, Professor Wendy Brown analyses the impact of neoliberal ideas on our current political economic moment, revealing how deeply entrenched neoliberalism is in our lives, that neoliberalism has not, as many believe, gone away. Wendy’s analysis of neoliberalism extends beyond the economics of privatisation and deregulation-arguing that we have all become in some sense “homo economicus.” Wendy shows how this logic extends to the ways in which we conceptualise and try to solve our environmental problems, highlighting some of the arguments at the heart of the recent Dasgupta report: The Economics of Biodiversity.Wendy Brown is an American political theorist. She’s Class of 1936 First professor of Political Science and a core faculty member in the Program for critical theory at The University of California at Berkeley. Wendy lectures around the world and has held numerous visiting and honorary positions, including at the Institute for Advanced Study in Princeton, the Institute for Human