Macrodose

On this week's Macrodose, James Meadway looks at how the ongoing Iran war forms part of a longer story of US decline (0:45), why a direct consequence of the war is higher borrowing costs for government (7:50), and what the UK government actually doing in response to the crisis (12:22). Subscribe to support the show at  ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠patreon.com/Macrodose.⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠  Your pledge is a donation supporting free...

On this week's Macrodose, James Meadway looks at the disruption to global food supplies that surge in oil prices is now causing (2:01), how fossil fuel companies are profiteering from the crisis (5:51), and why the fresh enthusiasm for motorhome ownership is an unexpected side-effect of climate change (10:40). Subscribe to support the show at  ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠patreon.com/Macrodose.⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠  Your pledge is a...

On this week's Macrodose, James Meadway looks at the how the US-Israel war on Iran will impact global food prices (3:07), and how data centres are the newest target in modern warfare (9:47). Subscribe to support the show at  ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠patreon.com/Macrodose.⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠  Your pledge is a donation supporting free public education; perks are thank-you gifts for your support. Got a question or comment? Reach out...

Capitalism is often defended on the basis of freedom — “free markets”, free choice, as well as being credited with producing the wealth and material abundance that has freed countless people from poverty. Marx, meanwhile, described workers under capitalism as “free in the double sense” : “free” to sell their labour power in the market, and “free” or divorced from the means of production: the land,...

On this week's Macrodose, James Meadway looks at the US and Israel’s illegal war on Iran (1:18), and the stark international economic constraints now facing the UK (9:37). Subscribe to support the show at  ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠patreon.com/Macrodose.⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠  Your pledge is a donation supporting free public education; perks are thank-you gifts for your support. Got a question or comment? Reach out to us at ⁠macro...

On this week's Macrodose, James Meadway looks at the US supreme court shooting down Trump’s tariff bonanza (1:00), how a global hotel chain is preparing for climate change affecting their business (7:45), and the possible “green shoots” of the UK’s economic recovery (11:14) Subscribe to support the show at  ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠patreon.com/Macrodose.⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠  Your pledge is a donation supporting free public educ...

On this week's Macrodose, James Meadway looks at fresh warnings that climate change is coming straight for your supermarket shelf (0:40), and a rare piece of good climate news - from India - where a solar boom is helping leapfrog the old, fossil-fuelled path to industrialisation (8:26). Subscribe to support the show at  ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠patreon.com/Macrodose.⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠  Your pledge is a donation supporting fre...

In this episode of The Break–Down , Deputy Editor John Merrick is joined by historian and author David Edgerton to discuss how his historical work has shaped his understanding of the climate crisis, the rise of China as both a major emitter and a green tech powerhouse, the retro revivalism of the British right, and the ubiquity of AI boosterism. The history of the climate crisis is often told as a...

On this week's Macrodose, James Meadway looks at how coal use has now passed it's peak since the industrial revolution (0:41), how far short the world is from adapting to the costs of climate change (6:59), and some dodgy claims being made to support the UK government’s rush to roll out data centres (13:07). Subscribe to support the show at  ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠patreon.com/Macrodose.⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠  Your pledge is...

On this week's Macrodose, James Meadway looks at how China is pushing for an end to the dollar’s domination as the global reserve currency (0:35) and how resource constraints in the world economy are pushing governments to build up stockpiles of essentials (10:32). Subscribe to support the show at  ⁠⁠⁠⁠patreon.com/Macrodose.⁠⁠⁠⁠  Your pledge is a donation supporting free public education; perk...

In the latest episode of The Break–Down , host Adrienne Buller is joined by renowned economist Ann Pettifor to discuss her new book, The Global Casino: How Wall Street Gambles with People and Planet . We’ve all heard the refrain. Whenever a politician proposes a policy that might genuinely improve people’s lives — free and fast buses, affordable housing, large-scale renewable energy — the response...

On this week's Macrodose, James Meadway looks at Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney’s blockbuster speech at the World Economic Forum (0:57), the UK government’s long-delayed report on global biodiversity loss, ecosystem collapse, and national security (7:43), and how China’s expansion in the Arctic may well be threatening Russia’s sphere of influence, more than that of the United States (14:4...

On this week's Macrodose, James Meadway looks at the worsening trade and tariff war over Trump’s plans for Greenland (1:24), some positive climate news from India and China, where coal-fired power generation has fallen for the first time in decades (13:13), and an interesting new report on AI productivity (15:23). Subscribe to support the show at  ⁠⁠⁠⁠patreon.com/Macrodose.⁠⁠⁠⁠  Your pledge is...

On this week's Macrodose, James Meadway looks at the climate change context behind the current protests in Iran (1:05), and Donald Trump’s bustup with federal reserve chair Jerome Powell (10:12). Subscribe to support the show at  ⁠⁠⁠⁠patreon.com/Macrodose.⁠⁠⁠⁠  Your pledge is a donation supporting free public education; perks are thank-you gifts for your support. Got a question or comment? Rea...

For the first Macrodose episode of 2026, James Meadway takes a look at US President Donald Trump's operation in Venezuela and the seizure of the nation's leader Nicolas Maduro (1:26). Plus Trump's posturing about his desires to annex Greenland (7:39). Subscribe to support the show at  ⁠⁠⁠patreon.com/Macrodose.⁠⁠⁠  Your pledge is a donation supporting free public education; perks are th...

On this week's macrodose - a special lookback at the tumultuous year that was 2025, and the various twists and turns for our global economy. James Meadway is joined by Faiza Shaheen — author, economist and Executive Director of Tax Justice UK — and Kojo Koram, author, Professor at Loughborough University, and host of Death in Westminster, a forthcoming narrative series about inequality in the UK,...

On this week's episode of Macrodose, James Meadway takes a look at how the drive to produce and consume more is creating a monumental trail of waste (0:33), and what the impacts of surpassing ‘peak’ demand in oil will be (5:09). Subscribe to support the show at  ⁠⁠⁠patreon.com/Macrodose.⁠⁠⁠  Your pledge is a donation supporting free public education; perks are thank-you gifts for your support....

The Break—Down returns! This week Adrienne returns for a fascinating conversation with Brazilian sociologist, political economist, author, and activist, Sabrina Fernandes. When Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, or Lula, was re-elected as the President of Brazil in 2022, defeating Jair Bolsonaro in a tense election, the Brazilian left and many around the world breathed an almost literal sigh of relief. Un...

In a special Budget crossover episode, James Meadway is joined by Carys Afoko, Host of Over the Top and Under the Radar, and Hannah Peaker, deputy chief executive at the New Economics Foundation, and occasional host of their New Economics Podcast. Together, they give their reaction to Rachel Reeves' budget that could seal her and Keir Starmer's future. Subscribe to support the show at  ⁠⁠patreon.c...

This week on The Curve, James Meadway is joined by Antonia Jennings - chief executive at the centre for London. Together they discuss Rachel Reeves' upcoming budget blunders (1:36). In the full version of the show available exclusively to Patreon supporters, James and Antonia also discuss the series of changes to Britain's asylum system announced this week by home secretary Shabana Mahmood (28:24)...

On this week's episode of Macrodose, James Meadway takes a look at the context surrounding the world's climate negotiations as delegates gather in Brazil for COP30 (1:26), and how the world is looking to adapt to a hotter global climate (8:00). Subscribe to support the show at  ⁠patreon.com/Macrodose.⁠  Your pledge is a donation supporting free public education; perks are thank-you gifts for your...

This week on The Curve, James Meadway is joined by author and journalist Sarah Jaffe who has covered New York politics extensively. Together, they discuss Zohran Mamdani's momentous victory in New York's mayoral election and what it means for the future of economic populism on the left. In the full episode James and Sarah also discuss UK Chancellor Rachel Reeves signalling that she's p...

James Meadway is away this week but we wanted to leave you with this important conversation from June 2023, directly relevant to the current fears that the AI bubble is about to burst. It's with Richard Jones - professor of materials physics and innovation policy at the University of Manchester, and a fellow at the royal society - and the conversation is about semiconductors - a material roadb...

Overshoot affects everything - where do we start? In this bonus episode, a panel of leading climate thinkers and doers discuss the implications of 1.5C overshoot for law, geopolitics, activism, and more. Host Laurie Laybourn is joined by Arlo Brady (Freuds), Olivia Lazard (Berggruen Institute), Harj Narulla (Doughty Street Chambers), and Clover Hogan (Force of Nature). The conversation was recorde...

Today we are posting a bonus episode recorded by our friends over at Transition Security Project. In this fascinating discussion, former Macrodose guests Laleh Khalili and Thea Riofrancos are joined by Stephen Semler, co-founder of Security Policy Reform Institute, and Ilias Alami, Assistant Professor in the Political Economy of Development at the University of Cambridge, to discuss how Western mi...