Climate Humans

"We had no idea what the word activism was. It was just doing the right thing, at the right time, for the right reasons." Melati Wijsen was 12-years-old when she helped say “bye bye” to plastic bags in Bali. A decade on, she's channelling that same energy somewhere new: classrooms. In Season 3, Episode 2 of ‘ Climate Humans: The Policy Edition’ , Melati tells host Mauricio Porras why...

“I'm taking the government to court. This is bonkers.” In 2021, environmental engineer and the founder of Fighting Dirty, Georgia Elliott-Smith, did something almost no private citizen had done before: she took the UK government to the High Court over its Emissions Trading Scheme – and won. The landmark ruling established that near-term government policy must account for the Paris Agreement, a...

“Stepping up as a hero for me means collective redemption; this collective arc of solidarity and liberation,” says poet and activist Liba Ravindran on the Climate Humans podcast. In conversation with HERO’s Mauricio Porras, Liba shares how the 2004 boxing day tsunami in his homeland of Sri Lanka set him on his climate action path, how poetry helps him connect to his roots, and his experiences toda...

“Now is the time to really double down on tackling equity and justice as part of climate work, rather than shying away,” says the CEO of Impatience Earth, Yasmin Ahammad, on the Climate Humans podcast. In conversation with HERO’s Mauricio Porras, Yasmin shares a 101 explainer on climate philanthropy and its role in climate action, explores the challenges of climate funding today and routes forward...

“If there’s no shared understanding of what is true, we’re going to have a hard time organizing for real change,” says Germany’s Fridays for Future leader, Luisa Neubauer, on the Climate Humans podcast. In conversation with HERO’s Mauricio Porras, Luisa warns how far-right movements are derailing democracy and climate action, why courage and discomfort go hand in hand as an activist, and insights...

“If somebody's really empowered, it's from within.” Former Costa Rican President Carlos Alvarado joins the Climate Humans podcast to share why true climate leadership isn’t about authority—it’s about building movements. In this conversation with HERO’s Mauricio Porras, Carlos explores the risks great leaders must take, the power of coalition building and allyship, and why real change comes...

“I think many parents are everyday heroes,” says Our Kids’ Climate co-director and Mothers Rise Up co-founder, Maya Mailer, on the Climate Humans podcast. In conversation with HERO’s Mauricio Porras, Maya shares how parent-led campaigning style is rooted in intergenerational love, duty, and care, how it is expanding around the world, and memorable moments demonstrating with her daughter. Further r...

“ If this work isn't valued now, what hope do we have as a humanity?” asks Lucy von Sturmer, the founder and director of Creatives for Climate, on the Climate Humans podcast. In conversation with HERO’s Mauricio Porras, Lucy shares how she’s mobilizing and upskilling the creative industry to drive solutions and not pollution, what it means to be an activist communicator, and why being a hero is al...

“ I had that rebellious understanding that nobody was going to come and solve this for us,” shares Lauren MacDonald, on the Climate Humans podcast. In conversation with HERO’s Mauricio Porras, Lauren shares their experiences as part of the #StopRosebank and #StopCambo campaigns to stop new oil projects in the UK, why it’s important for activists to take rest, and processing the reality of growing...

“ No one is going to hold your hand through the process. So you need to figure out things for yourself,” shares Juanita Silva Mir, a Chilean sociologist and climate storyteller, on the Climate Humans podcast. In conversation with HERO’s Mauricio Porras, Juanita shares how she was thrown into the deep end of climate action at COP25 and the career insights she learnt along the way, why we must expan...

“ Activism quite literally changed my life,” says Futerra chief solutionist and co-founder Solitaire Townsend, on the Climate Humans podcast. In conversation with HERO’s Mauricio Porras, Solitaire shares her story of climate mobilization, from getting started protesting nuclear waste being dumped in her neighborhood, to transitioning her climate activism skills from the frontlines to the boardroom...

“It's really a process of continuing to believe that what we are doing is actually bringing about change. Sometimes it may be slow, but it eventually comes,” says climate activist Vanessa Nakate, on the Climate Humans podcast. In conversation with HERO’s Mauricio Porras, Vanessa shares personal stories from her early activism days, the importance of sustaining activists within the movement, an...

“We need new ways of storytelling,” says founder and CEO of Kibbo Kift Agency, Sam Narr, on the Climate Humans podcast. In conversation with HERO’s Mauricio Porras, Sam shares why growing up in a single parent household on a council estate got him into climate, why standing out and daring to be different is central to his creative approach, and the Tuvalu digital nation campaign that captured his...

“No one can accomplish anything on their own in this movement,” says co-founder and editor-in-chief of Atmos, Willow Defebaugh, on the Climate Humans podcast. In conversation with HERO’s Mauricio Porras, Willow shares how she’s bringing a fresh approach to climate storytelling and media, why passion alone is not a sustainable energy source for those working in climate, and why Fridays for Future i...

“In order to fight for justice, you need to be nourished and not burnt out,” says climate justice advocate and educator, Samia Dumbuya, on the Climate Humans podcast. In conversation with HERO’s Mauricio Porras, Samia shares why it’s important to remember that change doesn't happen overnight, why community is the only real antidote to burnout, and why she centres her work around joy, peace and...

Intergenerational activism can drive change from inside the world’s biggest companies, says Force of Nature’s Kat Hamilton, on the Climate Humans podcast. In conversation with HERO’s Mauricio Porras, Kat shares why being a hero is about acting from a place of love, why the not-for-profit business model doesn’t work in a capitalist world, and what it’s really like working for your high school frien...

Welcome to Climate Humans – a podcast by HERO. Stories about why climate mobilizers are more than heroes; they're humans, just like you and me. HERO's Mauricio Porras explains more.

“I think certain climate activists can be fantastic politicians,” says the co-founder and CEO of the Apolitical Foundation and ex-public servant, Lisa Witter, on the Climate Humans podcast. In conversation with HERO’s Mauricio Porras, Lisa shares what Barack Obama, AOC and Arnold Schwarzenegger all have in common, why she’s passionate about helping climate mobilizers transition into politics to dr...

Welcome to another episode of the HERO Podcast! Join the HERO movement at https://herocircle.app/ to support the crucial policy work of climate mobilizers for as little as €6 a month. In this episode, joining us is Pia Carazo, co-founder of Quantum Leap, an NGO working on advancing holistic solutions for climate change, to shift from old systems and mind frames to regenerative ones. Throughout thi...

Join the HERO movement at https://herocircle.app/ to support the crucial policy work of climate mobilizers for as little as €6 a month. Welcome to another episode of the HERO Podcast! In this episode, we join Emiliana and Sofía from the LATAM Feminist Circle on their journey to secure the ratification of the Escazu Agreement—the first regional treaty defending environmental defenders' rights a...

Welcome to another episode of the HERO podcast, where we feature the inspiring voices of those who are pushing for the most effective solutions to the climate crisis. HERO is the first subscription platform providing a stable income for climate mobilizers working on climate policy change. Subscribe today for just 6 euros a month at https://herocircle.app/ and join the journey of the most effective...

Welcome to another episode of the HERO podcast, where we feature the inspiring voices of those who are pushing for the most effective solutions to the climate crisis. HERO is the first subscription platform providing a stable income for climate mobilizers working on climate policy change. Subscribe today for just 6 euros a month at https://herocircle.app/ and join the journey of the most effective...

En este episodio, grabado en 2021, nuestra invitada es Catalina Santelices, activista ecofeminista chilena. Ella es parte de organizaciones como Fridays For Future Chile y Tremendas, además es co fundadora de la red internacional Latinas for Climate. Conversamos acerca de los principales retos que ha enfrentado para construir una plataforma regional de impacto, de la importancia de exigirle a los...

I n this episode, recorded back in 2021, our guest is Dominique Palmer, a climate justice activist based in the UK. She is an organizer for Fridays For Future International and member of the Bad Activist Collective. We talked about some of her key learnings as an activist, about the Police, Crime and Sentencing Bill in the UK and the Withdraw the Cap campaign. About the importance of amplifying di...

In this episode, our guest is mental health advocate Olivia Miller from Waterloo, Ontario, Canada. We talked about her personal journey, about how she started Bridges of Hope, a safe space to start conversations around the topic of mental health in different communities. She shared some advice on how to deal with the negative effects of social media. Also about the importance of finding time apart...