Let's Climunicate

Climate change can feel abstract, fractions of degrees, emissions pathways, 2050 targets. But in the oceans, the changes are already violently visible. Prof. Simon Donner (University of British Columbia) has spent his career at the intersection of climate science, coral reefs, adaptation policy, and communication. In this episode, he explains why coral reefs are the most sensitive climate indicato...

Climate adaptation was long treated as the "forgotten sibling" of climate action, but with basements flooding four times a year and entire communities asking when to stop rebuilding, it has become the conversation we can no longer afford to postpone. We sit down with Associate Professor Joanna Nalau, a climate adaptation scientist at Griffith University and one of the early pioneers who...

Climate change is often framed as a future problem. But in May 2023, Emilia-Romagna learned it was already here, two catastrophic floods in two weeks, then another just 16 months later. When "rare" events return before communities recover, can we still call them exceptions? In this episode, Dr. Alberto Troccoli bridges the gap between what climate science knows and what our institutions...

Part 2: The Fix — Professor Myles Allen In Part 1 we established the physics: every ton of CO₂ warms the planet permanently, net zero is the only way to stop it, and carbon capture is not optional, it's essential. But the science is only half the battle. In this second part, Myles Allen pushes us into the harder territory: why we're stuck at 0.1% carbon capture, why nature-based solutions...

🌍 Let's Climunicate | Episode Part 1: Mr. Net Zero — Professor Myles Allen Some people call him "Mr. Net Zero." and the nickname stuck for a reason. Myles Allen is the Oxford physicist whose 2009 research fundamentally changed how the world thinks about climate change, not as an annual emissions problem, but as a cumulative carbon budget that the atmosphere keeps like a running bank...

Episodio Parte 2: La Cura (Solo audio) — Luca Mercalli Nella Parte 1 abbiamo stabilito la diagnosi: il clima sta cambiando, la scienza è chiara, ma la comunicazione è bloccata. In questa seconda parte, Luca Mercalli ci spinge oltre la diagnosi, è ora di parlare della cura. Perché dopo 30 anni i media continuano a chiedere "esiste davvero la malattia?" invece di "come la curiamo?&quo...

Per oltre 30 anni è stato uno dei volti più riconoscibili della divulgazione scientifica in Italia. Ha raccontato il cambiamento climatico quando quasi nessuno ne parlava. Oggi ci chiediamo: perché, con tutta la scienza che abbiamo, parlarne è diventato più difficile, non più facile? In questa conversazione con Luca Mercalli, esploriamo il rischio dell'anestesia emotiva di fronte agli eventi e...

Climate science has never been stronger, so why does confusion still win? We sit down with physicist, author, and science communicator Professor Marcello Petitta to crack the code on what actually works when talking about climate change. From a 6am exploded coffee pot to the classrooms of Ethiopia, Marcello shares why the best climate communication starts with listening, not lecturing. We dive int...

"If scientists are uncertain, how can they be sure? If there is a range, doesn't that mean they are just guessing?" They aren't ! and Here is why. In Episode 5 of the Let's Climunicate solo series, Dr. Alberto Troccoli dismantles the single most weaponized word in climate communication: UNCERTAINTY. "One is ignorance. The other is measurement". Confuse them, and you...

"We're seeing 100-year floods happen multiple times a year. That's just crazy." Dr. Peter Sousounis has spent over two decades inside the catastrophe modelling industry, the hidden infrastructure that decides what you pay for insurance and whether you can get it at all. In this wide-ranging conversation, he exposes why most companies are still treating climate risk as a "box...

"Drill, baby, drill", but oil just hit $100 a barrel, and the world is buying EVs faster than ever. In this special episode outside the 10-part Let's Climunicate series, Dr. Alberto Troccoli confronts a disturbing paradox: the fastest acceleration of clean energy may not come from climate policy, but from chaos. Strait of Hormuz disruptions. Surging oil prices. A US president who cal...

"Scientists can't even predict next week's weather, how can they predict 2100?" They can't. And they're not trying to. In Episode 4 of the Let's Climunicate solo series, Dr. Alberto Troccoli dismantles the single most damaging confusion in climate communication: the difference between a forecast and a projection. One tells you what to wear tomorrow. The other tells yo...

"They can make the data up and say anything." Can they? In Episode 3 of the Let's Climunicate solo series, Dr. Alberto Troccoli pulls back the curtain on the invisible infrastructure of climate science, the instruments, networks, adjustments, and quality controls that turn millions of raw observations into the global temperature records we see in headlines. This isn't about blind...

In Part 2 of our conversation with Professor Lisa Schipper, we confront the harder question: what happens when climate adaptation itself creates new problems? From flooded villages "protected" by seawalls to crop insurance that destroys social networks, Lisa exposes how well-meaning projects can backfire, and why the politics of labeling, funding, and local ownership determine whether a...

Is climate adaptation just "planning with a climate sticker"? Or does it reveal the uncomfortable truth about who gets left behind? In this episode, Professor Lisa Schipper : one of the leading voices challenging how we think about climate adaptation, dismantles the buzzwords and exposes why vulnerability, power, and justice are inseparable from the climate conversation. Time Stamps 01:1...

In Episode 2 of Let's Climunicate, Dr. Alberto Troccoli unpacks "The First Misunderstanding": the confusion between weather (what you feel right now) and climate (the statistical personality of the atmosphere over 30 years). Using the real case of the December 2025 North American blizzard which hit during one of the warmest global Decembers on record we explore why extreme cold snaps...

We are drowning in climate data but starving for meaning. If you've ever felt confused not unconvinced, just confused by headlines about "hottest years on record" or "1.5 degrees of warming," this episode is for you. 📍 Timestamps: 00:00 - Introduction: The Communication Problem 01:33 - Why Data Doesn't Equal Understanding 02:36 - What Are Climate Data Really? (The Thre...

Professor Richard Tol returns for Part 2 and final part of our conversation on climate economics. We dive into the methodology behind climate damage estimates, why he quietly withdrew from an IPCC report, and what he'd change about how science informs policy. 📍 Timestamps: 00:00 - Meta-Analysis: What It Is & Why It Matters 02:22 - Why Models Differ: Expert Surveys vs. Hard Data 05:01 - Th...

Is climate change really going to cost us $60 trillion per year by 2100? Or are we dramatically overestimating the economic damages? In this explosive episode, Professor Richard Tol — IPCC contributor, former advisor to William Nordhaus (Nobel Prize winner), and one of the most controversial voices in climate economics challenges the foundations of how we calculate climate risk. Time Stamps 00:32-...

MIT Professor Kerry Emanuel, One of the world's leading hurricane scientists makes a stunning case for nuclear energy that will challenge everything you think you know about climate solutions. In this unfiltered conversation, Emanuel reveals: → Why hurricanes are getting stronger (but not more frequent) → The single biggest misconception about climate damage → Why Germany's renewable exper...

🌍 In this episode of Let’s Climunicate, host Dr. Alberto Troccoli sits down with Prof. John Quiggin (University of Queensland), one of Australia’s leading economists, to unpack the economic risks of climate change. They explore: ✅ How global warming translates into economic risks — from species extinction to natural disasters ✅ The feasibility and costs of reaching net zero by 2050 ✅ The role...

In this episode of Let’s Climunicate, host Dr. Alberto Troccoli speaks with Dr. Emily Wilkinson, Principal Research Fellow at ODI Global, about the urgent need to strengthen climate resilience and adaptation in the face of climate change. Dr. Wilkinson shares her personal journey from fieldwork in Mexico to her extensive experience in the Caribbean and Pacific. She explains what resilience really...

Recorded live at the International Conference on Energy & Meteorology (ICEM, https://www.wemcouncil.org/wp/icem), held 3–5 June 2025 in Padua, Italy, this short-format Let’s Climunicate episode features host Dr. Alberto Troccoli in conversation with Dr. Bruno Meyer, Secretary General of GO15 — the association of the world’s largest power grid operators. They discuss the pivotal role of electri...

Recorded live at the International Conference Energy & Meteorology (ICEM, https://www.wemcouncil.org/wp/icem), held 3–5 June 2025 in Padua, Italy, this special short-format, on-site episode of Let’s Climunicate features host Dr. Alberto Troccoli in conversation with Dr. Debra Lew, Director at the Energy Systems Integration Group (ESIG). With decades of experience in the power sector, Dr. Lew s...

What’s the real cost of climate inaction—and how much adaptation can buy us time? In this episode of Let’s Climunicate, Dr. Alberto Troccoli sits down with Professor Robert Mendelsohn of Yale University, a globally recognised expert in environmental economics. They delve deep into the challenges of reaching net-zero by 2050, the realities of climate risk, and the economic trade-offs between climat...