Nordic Talks

Should more houses be built from wood? Yes, say some urban planners and architects. They believe the construction industry could drastically reduce its environmental footprint by using wood as a building material instead of concrete. This is already a trend in the Nordics, driven partly by concern for the climate, but also thanks to a long tradition of using wooden materials – because of the belie...

Can we change our economic behavior? With the planet's resources being increasingly overstretched, the warnings are coming loud and clear that the old, linear economic model must go. Experts want us to switch to a circular economy. This means ending the drive to produce and sell as many products as possible, while encouraging consumers to buy secondhand whenever possible. In this episode, we ask j...

Here's the paradox: To shift away from fossil fuels and toward renewable energy sources, we need more raw materials for things like solar panels, wind turbines, and electric cars. But how can we ensure we have a steady supply of the metals and materials we need – some of which are quite rare – without causing more damage to the environment? Is there a greener way to mine minerals or should we be f...

COVID-19 forced us to move our entire lives online almost overnight. Around the world it changed how students are educated, how we work and how we socialize. As adults, we've gotten used to remote working and online meetings. But what about our kids? Are they sinking or swimming faced with this extensive use of technology? In this episode, we hear about the side effects of online learning and expl...

They may be too young to vote – but can the up-and-coming generation of climate activists, embodied by Sweden's Greta Thunberg, push governments to take real action? In 2018 a global movement hit the planet when young people worldwide began to speak up on a scale never seen before. Inspired by 15-year-old Greta Thunberg from Sweden, they demanded climate action.    In this episode, we hear from fo...

Let’s face it – there’s an ugly side to the rapidly growing beauty industry. Take the excessive packaging of personal care products: 140 billion units a year that are rarely recycled – meaning a major problem for the environment. And this is before you add in the impact of polluting ingredients and waste created by the products themselves. With consumers worldwide clamoring for change, companies a...

Do tech giants like Google, Apple or Facebook have too much power? They gather enormous amounts of information about us, which is often sold and distributed for commercial purposes. And their platforms are used by hate campaigns and for sharing disinformation in a way that many people believe is putting severe pressure on democracy as we know it. In this episode we hear how the Nordic countries ha...

What role can culture play in countering climate change? A growing number of artists are using their work to tackle this issue, challenging concert, theatre and museum goers to act. In this episode we take a closer look at how culture and the performing arts can inspire creative solutions and get audiences involved in climate action movements. And we ask why the arts sector – especially in the Nor...

Can the UN Sustainable Development Goals drive businesses to help the planet? The key role companies can play in making the world a better place was highlighted at the launch of the goals five years ago. And there is also a financial incentive. Estimates indicate that achieving them could unlock business opportunities of 12 trillion US dollars for the private sector. In this episode we take a clos...

How can we fix the food industry and get more sustainable food products into our shopping carts? Food production accounts for over a quarter of global greenhouse gas emissions, so the food industry, in particular the meat and dairy sector, needs to change radically if we want to achieve the UN Sustainable Development Goals by 2030. In this episode, we hear how food producers and retailers are work...

Will it soon be cooler to rent, swap or buy secondhand clothes than to fanatically follow ever-changing fast fashion trends? More and more consumers are becoming aware of the fashion industry's substantial climate footprint. Some are trying to reduce their impact on the planet by buying clothes that last longer, while others are choosing to cut back on their fashion consumption. In this episode we...

Do countries that have a positive global impact have a special responsibility to share ideas and act as role models? The Nordic nations regularly top the yearly rankings of countries that are either doing good in the wider world or setting first-class standards at home. The region's international image is overwhelmingly positive. Yet instead of just basking in the glory, the Nordics have decided i...

Does a tiny cluster of islands on the border between Sweden and Finland hold the key to conflict resolution? For years people have been flocking to the Åland Islands to study peace. Almost 100 years ago, Sweden and Finland were on the verge of a full-blown conflict over who owned these islands. They were pulled back from the brink by an internationally mediated solution that gave the islanders aut...

Is there a greener way to fly? We know that air travel is bad for the planet, with emissions from the aviation industry contributing substantially to global warming. But it is impossible to imagine a future without flying – at least every now and again. So how can we solve this dilemma? If ongoing work to develop electric planes succeeds, then by 2030 we could all be flying more sustainably. In th...

Can we game our way to a sustainable future? There are now more than 2.6 billion active users of video games around the world, meaning the gaming industry reaches one in three people on the planet. So, can this huge virtual community be inspired and mobilized to fight for a greener world? Apparently yes - and this is already happening! In this episode we find out how an alliance of gaming companie...

Can we store data in plants? Sending an email, streaming a video, uploading photos to the cloud, or simply just listening to this podcast. All these apparently trivial everyday actions have one thing in common: They come with a hidden environmental cost. The greenhouse gas emissions from the data centers that make all these things possible now equal those of the air industry and are spiraling rapi...

Governments around the world are exploring ways of getting citizens more involved in making complex policy decisions. Can this trend toward "deliberative democracy" lead to braver decisions for a more sustainable world? To find out, we spoke to a democracy activist and a political researcher and discovered some of the innovative ways that individual citizens can get involved in democratic decision...

What do you throw on the grill when you are having friends over for a barbeque but still want to stay sustainable? How about a seaweed sausage or a burger literally made out of thin air? The range of game-changing, climate-friendly proteins is expanding rapidly as calls to eat less meat to reduce carbon dioxide emissions and deforestation increase. We explore this food revolution, talking to those...

Is saving the planet good for business? Consumers are increasingly demanding that companies do more to tackle to world’s most critical challenges, from environmental issues to modern-day slavery. In response, the business world is switching from Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) to Total Societal Impact (TSI) as a way of having a positive impact on people and the planet. But have they just swa...

Will the corona crisis lead to a more sustainable life – even after travel bans are lifted and social distancing is just a distant memory? Or will countries and communities simply go back to business as usual? Our host asks a climate activist, the head of the European Environment Agency, and a former European Commissioner for Climate if the pandemic is a unique window of opportunity for change – o...

Food waste is a major environmental challenge. If food waste were a country, it would be the third highest emitter of greenhouse gasses in the world. And yet one third of all fruit and vegetables are tossed away before they even reach the shop shelves, deemed too ugly, bumpy, or scarred for a consumer to love. We take a closer look at the beauty standards at play in the food industry and find out:...

Can the US draw inspiration from the Nordic model of paid parental leave for all? We explore the differences between the Nordic and US systems and ask how changes to parental leave provision can make the lives of all working parents easier.