Outrage + Optimism: The Climate Podcast

This week, Christiana, Tom and Paul tackle the latest on the global plastics treaty (known as INC-5), which ended last week without a deal. Why were countries unable to agree a deal despite the huge amount of public concern about plastic pollution? What pathways remain for an agreement in 2025? And why is it so important to maintain focus on plastic from a climate point of view?  Dive into the cha...

This week, the team dives into the dramatic highs and lows of COP29 in Baku. With negotiations stretching into the final hours, a hard-fought finance deal emerged to bolster climate action and support for the most vulnerable. Yet, Christiana describes the agreement as “paltry at best,” highlighting the yawning chasm between what was agreed upon and what is truly necessary to address the climate cr...

This week, our hosts talk about what’s been happening - and not happening - in Rio and Baku. Christiana clarifies the mandate of COPs  and advocates for COP processes and presidencies to be separate from national positions and interests while robustly defending multi-lateralism. The hosts discuss how world leaders meeting in Rio for the G20 meeting have sent a powerful political signal to those me...

Recorded live from COP29 in the UK Pavilion in Baku, Bigger, Better, Bolder: Updating NDCs in Line with 1.5 Degrees captures an energetic dialogue on the crucial role of bold leadership in climate action. Moderated by Tom, this dynamic session dives into why governments must ambitiously update their Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs) to meet the 1.5°C goal, recognizing this decade as a piv...

Recorded Live at the UK COP Pavilion and moderated by Tom, ‘From Call to Action: the Bridgetown Initiative and delivering Global Financial System Reform’ is an inspiring conversation between Barbados Prime Minister Mia Mottley and Foreign Secretary, UK, David Lammy. Mia Mottley called the world to action when she released the initial Bridgetown Initiative at UNGA in 2022. Now in its third iteratio...

This week, Paul and Tom are joined by Tony Goldner, from the Taskforce on Nature-related Financial Disclosures. Tony helps make sense of what happened at the recent Biodiversity COP in Colombia and discusses the many ways that nature is starting to appear on business’ and regulators’ agendas. Companies are waking up to the fact that their resilience depends on the resilience of nature. Many compan...

As the news of Donald Trump’s 2024 US election victory makes headlines around the world, Christiana Figueres, Tom Rivett-Carnac and Paul Dickinson unpack Trump and Harris’s campaign and discuss the implications of a Trump-led administration on US climate ambition, both domestically and internationally. Or as Tom puts it, “What the hell just happened in the US?” Join the hosts as they analyze poten...

This week, Christiana has a fascinating window into the Biodiversity COP negotiations underway in Colombia. From Cali, she’s joined by Freya Newman and Irene Suarez Perez from the Global Optimism team who give us the lowdown into what’s going on inside and outside the negotiating rooms. They tell what’s unique about Colombia hosting, how it’s given a platform to indigenous and local community voic...

This week, as part of our focus on biodiversity during COP 16, we're excited to share a special crossover episode! In the first part of this exciting episode, join Christiana, Tom, and Ben Goldsmith for an insightful conversation about rewilding and its global impact, followed by a full episode of Ben's inspiring podcast Rewilding The World featuring UK national treasure, writer and actor, Stephen...

This week, our hosts dive into The Rio Trio! No, this is not the name of a new cocktail but three COPs (Biodiversity in Colombia, Climate in Azerbaijan and Desertification in Saudi Arabia) which are about to happen back-to-back. Plus the plastics treaty negotiations in South Korea. Join our hosts for their take on the history of these three different but interrelated COPs, all conceived in the Ear...

In the final episode of our How to Live a Good Life series, Tom, Paul and Christiana discuss the personal quandary of whether or not to have children in the midst of what appears to be significant climate breakdown. The questions they ponder are complex and philosophical: should we bring children into a world that is, some might say, collapsing? Would you consider having children is immoral, since...

Newsflash: In this urgent episode recorded on Friday, October 11th, Tom, Paul, and Christiana come together to discuss the devastation caused by Hurricanes Helene and Milton. The hosts express their frustration with the conspiracy theories circulating in the wake of the latest hurricane Milton - at a time when solidarity is needed most. They also dive into the harsh reality that the fossil fuel in...

SHOW NOTES:  In the penultimate episode of our How to Live a Good Life in a Climate Crisis, our hosts talk about food and food systems. How can we enjoy meals while eating responsibly?  Tom, Paul and Christiana find it difficult to digest our lopsided relationship with food, in which more than two billion people face food insecurity and a third of all food goes to waste.  The conversation is free-...

Welcome to the third episode in our How to Live a Good Life in a Climate Crisis series, where our hosts grapple with some of the fiercest climate conundrums we face.  This week, Tom, Paul and Christiana look at the issue of careers and ask - would you move jobs in response to the climate crisis? Is changing your job your most effective form of climate action? They explore what to look for if you’r...

Is it OK to Fly in a Climate Crisis? In episode 2 of our How To Live A Good Life in a Climate Crisis series, the hosts grapple with one of most divisive issues for those concerned with climate change - is it ok to fly, when flying is responsible for the bulk of our personal carbon footprints, and when 80% of the world never sets foot on a plane? Tom, Paul and Christiana dive into this thorny issue...

In episode 1 of our How To Live A Good Life in a Climate Crisis series, the Outrage + Optimism hosts introduce you to their new mini series and discuss how they define a good life. For the next few weeks, Tom, Paul and Christiana will explore questions that you, the listeners, have asked us to address, around what it means to live a good life at this pivotal moment, facing uncertainty and judgment...

Since Dr Stephan Harding passed away in September 2024, he has been deeply mourned by the climate community,  many of whom have been touched and inspired by his life and work. In honour of his extraordinary contributions to our understanding of this beautiful planet, we’re re-releasing the Deep Time Walk, narrated by Stephan, and which has already been downloaded over a million times. This re-rele...

How to Live a Good Life in a Climate Crisis The Outrage + Optimism team are excited to bring you a series that confronts the big questions we ask ourselves whilst living in a climate crisis. Join hosts Christiana Figueres, Tom Rivett Carnac and Paul Dickinson as they grapple with issues like what we should eat, whether we should fly, and how to live with purpose and joy in these uncertain and over...

In this special weekend edition of the podcast, hosts Tom, Christiana, and Paul catch up with The Rt Hon David Lammy, the UK’s new Secretary of State for the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs Office. In a fascinating conversation, they delve into his decision to place climate change at the heart of his first major speech as Foreign Secretary and discuss why he sees the climate emergenc...

In this special episode, our hosts are live at Climate Week New York, joined onstage by a stellar line-up of influential voices from government, the private sector, science, civil society and academia. This flagship event highlights how transformative climate strategies can be supercharged. The conversation centers on the push for ‘positive tipping points’ across three key themes: energy, nature &...

This week, The Climate Pledge turns five and Tom and Christiana talk to Kara Hurst, Chief Sustainability Officer at Amazon, to reflect on the journey of this initiative co-founded by Amazon and Global Optimism. At the top of the episode, Tom and Christiana anticipate the frantic and sometimes frustrating weeks ahead in this hectic period for those working in climate, and as wild weather continues...

This week, Christiana shares her awe and admiration for the athletes at Paris’ Paralympics after being lucky enough to experience some of the games first-hand. Can these incredible athletes inspire us to think and act differently on climate change? As global barometers measure the hottest August ever recorded, the hosts talk about extreme heat and its impact on children - affecting their health, t...

Welcome back to Season 10! With the hosts together again following our break, Tom, Paul and Christiana are bursting with news and analysis.  Up for discussion this week, the hosts try to understand why the Democrats haven’t been talking much about climate change and what drives Kamala Harris’ outrage and optimism. They delve deeper into the UK’s new Labour Government’s plans around energy, nature...

Newsflash: In an emergency podcast session recorded on Monday, July 22nd, we delve into President Biden’s announcement that he will not seek re-election. Following his endorsement of Vice President Kamala Harris as the Democratic Presidential Nominee, we bring you a comprehensive analysis of this pivotal moment in U.S. politics. In this episode: Kamala Harris’s Strong Record on Climate Action: A d...

In this week's Election Special Roundup, our hosts delve into Labour’s recent victory in the UK, offering detailed analysis tailored for both UK and non-UK listeners. They cover the key events and implications from both before and after the election, providing a comprehensive overview of the political landscape. Highlights: Labour’s Win in the UK: In-depth discussion on Labour's success, including...