Saving the World From Bad Ideas

🔍 Episode Summary: Hurricanes. Floods. Fires. Tornadoes. Are extreme weather disasters getting worse because of climate change — or is that just the story we tell? In this provocative episode, Mark Lynas sits down with climate scientist and policy scholar Roger Pielke Jr. , one of the most polarising voices in climate debates over the last 30 years. Roger explains why the costs of disasters are r...

🔍 Episode Summary: Energiewende — is Germany a shining example of how to lead the global energy transition, or a cautionary tale of how not to do it? In this unnerving episode, Mark Lynas is joined by German energy analyst and activist Noah Jakob Rettberg for a deep dive into one of Europe’s most consequential policy blunders: Germany’s nuclear shutdown. Noah explains how the Energiewende — once...

🔍 Episode Summary: What if the largest living space on Earth was being plundered before we even understood it? In this timely episode, Mark Lynas speaks with marine conservationist Callum Roberts , Professor at the University of Exeter and lead author of a new Nature commentary calling for full protection of the high seas .  They challenge the pervasive (and dangerous) idea that the deep ocean is...

🔍 Episode Summary: What if Earth came with a dashboard warning light — and it just started flashing red? In this pivotal episode, Mark Lynas sits down with Johan Rockström , one of the world’s leading Earth system scientists and co-architect of the planetary boundaries framework — the closest thing we have to that planetary dashboard. Together, they retrace the origin story of one of the most imp...

🔍 Episode Summary: In this revealing and deeply reflective conversation, Mark Lynas sits down with journalist and essayist Rebecca Tuhus-Dubrow , whose new book Atomic Dreams dives into the unexpected rise of climate-conscious pro-nuclear activism. They explore the cultural and political history of nuclear power in the United States, the generational shift in attitudes, and the motley crew of env...

In this timely and far-reaching episode, Mark Lynas sits down with Cynthia Scharf — senior fellow at the Center for Future Generations and former UN climate advisor — to delve into one of the most contentious issues in climate policy: solar geoengineering. Cynthia explains what solar radiation modification (SRM) is, how it could theoretically cool the planet by mimicking volcanic eruptions, and wh...

🔍 Episode Summary: In this urgent and wide-ranging conversation, Mark Lynas is joined by leading climate scientist and nuclear winter expert Alan Robock to confront one of the most dangerous myths of our time: that nuclear weapons keep us safe. Alan lays out why deterrence is a flawed and suicidal strategy , how even a "limited" nuclear war would trigger global famine and societal collapse , and...

🔍 Episode Summary: In this compelling conversation, Mark Lynas speaks with world-renowned conservation biologist Luigi Boitani to tackle one of the most polarizing debates in wildlife conservation: whether humans and wolves can truly coexist. Luigi, who has spent over five decades studying wolves across Europe and North America, explains why the return of the wolf is not an ecological anomaly — b...

🔍 Episode Summary: What if the bad idea… is thinking we can still save the Arctic? In this sobering but illuminating conversation, Mark Lynas speaks with renowned polar climate scientist Julienne Stroeve to explore one of the most consequential but misunderstood climate tipping points: the melting of the Arctic. Together, they unpack the science behind sea ice loss, permafrost thaw, Greenland mel...

🔍 Episode Summary: In this powerhouse episode, Mark Lynas is joined by long-time friend and environmental journalist George Monbiot for a brutally honest conversation on where we are — and how we fight back. Together they challenge the idea that environmental progress is automatic or guaranteed, and instead delve into the deep political, economic, and social forces that shape our chances for a be...

🔍 Episode Summary: In this searing and deeply compelling conversation, Mark Lynas speaks with Vijaya Ramachandran , economist and Director for Energy and Development at the Breakthrough Institute, to unpack what she calls one of the worst “bad ideas” shaping today’s climate discourse: the blanket opposition to fossil fuel development in the Global South. From indoor air pollution to energy inequa...

🔍 Episode Summary: In this thought-provoking episode, Mark Lynas is joined by science writer and The Planet Remade author Oliver Morton for a candid conversation about geoengineering — the controversial set of technologies that could help us cool the planet. Oliver argues that not talking about solar geoengineering might itself be a bad idea, especially as climate change accelerates and overshoot...

🔍 Episode Summary: In this energising and data-packed conversation, Mark Lynas sits down with Hannah Ritchie , lead researcher at Our World in Data and author of Not the End of the World , to confront one of the most pervasive bad ideas out there: that everything is getting worse. Hannah argues that, while environmental challenges are real and urgent, the story of human progress is just as import...

🔍 Episode Summary: In the inaugural episode of Saving the World from Bad Ideas , Mark Lynas is joined by renowned psychologist and best-selling author Steven Pinker to challenge the pervasive myth that the world is in terminal decline. Steven makes the case for progress as a measurable, empirical reality , highlighting how improvements in health, literacy, poverty, and safety have transformed hum...

TRAILER What if some of the biggest obstacles to saving the planet aren’t what you think? In Saving the World from Bad Ideas , Mark Lynas—once a self-proclaimed eco-activist turned science advocate—is here to question the ideas that shape environmental debates. Are GMOs really dangerous? Is nuclear power a threat or a solution? Will billions die from climate change? With sharp discussions and gues...