Challenging Climate

Pete and Jesse must bring Challenging Climate to a close. Since starting the podcast almost three years ago, we have each taken on more professional responsibilities and no longer have the time for this volunteer effort. In this short recording, we describe what we are now up to:The Degrees InitiativeThe Degrees Global Forum on SRMSRM360Climate Reflections, the SRM360 podcast - coming soon to all major podcast platformsCo-CREATEWe also sincerely thank Gillian Cheong, our producer; our guests; our listeners, especially those who supported us via Patreon; and each other.Support the showSubscribe for email updates

Our guest is Maarten Albers, a journalist who reports on agriculture and food for the Volkskrant, one of the Netherlands' leading newspapers. In today's episode, we draw our attention to the 'nitrogen crisis' in the Netherlands - a major environmental story that has reshaped politics in the Netherlands and societal views on environmental regulation, science and technology, and even international relations.Listen as we discuss why we should care about nitrogen in the environment, and what lessons we can draw from the nitrogen crisis happening in the Netherlands. Links:Maarten's articles on de VolkskrantInterview on the nitrogen crisis, with Jan Douwe van der Ploeg, emeritus professor of agricultural sociologyCheck out this article on 'An organic farmer can also be a peak polluter'Support the Show.Subscribe for email updates

Our guest is Gwynne Dyer, an author, columnist, broadcaster and lecturer on international affairs. In this episode, we discuss the key messages from his new book Intervention Earth: Life-Saving Ideas from the World's Climate Engineers, based on extensive interviews with the world's top climate scientists. We discuss his insights from these interviews on the state of our climate, and address controversies and concerns over carbon dioxide removal (CDR) and solar radiation management (SRM).Links:Gwynne Dyer's profileCheck out his new book, Intervention Earth: Life-Saving IdeasCheck out this survey: World's top climate scientists expect global heating to blast past 1.5C targetSupport the Show.Subscribe for email updates

Jonathan Blake is Associate Director at the Berggruen Institute, where he leads the Planetary Program. Nils Gilman is Senior Vice President at the Berggruen Institute and Deputy Editor of Noema magazine. In this episode, we discuss the ideas in their recently published book, Children of a Modest Star: Planetary Thinking for an Age of Crises. We grapple with ideas of sovereignty, planetary governance and subsidiarity.Links:Jonathan Blake's profileNils Gilman's profileCheck out their book, Children of a Modest Star: Planetary Thinking for an Age of CrisesSupport the Show.Subscribe for email updates

Today's guest is Dr. Shuchi Talati, a climate technology and governance expert and the founder of The Alliance for Just Deliberation on Solar Geoengineering. In this episode, we discuss ethics and governance of solar geoengineering, the formal cancellation of Harvard's SCoPEx experiment, and the UN Environment Assembly deliberations on Solar Radiation Modification.Links:Shuchi Talati's profileThe Alliance for Just Deliberation on Solar GeoengineeringCheck out this paper, Who Are the Engineers? Solar Geoengineering Research and JusticeSupport the Show.Subscribe for email updates

Today's guest is Ulrike Lohmann, Professor of Experimental Atmospheric Physics in the Institute for Atmospheric and Climate Science at ETH Zurich. Lohmann is also the Principal Investigator of the CLOUDLAB project, a multi-year project to investigate aerosol-cloud interactions in wintertime stratus clouds over the Alps. In this episode, we discuss the role of clouds and aerosols in our climate. We dive deep into aerosol-cloud interactions to uncover the science bheind solar radiation modification (SRM) techniques like marine cloud brightening, and discuss a novel proposed SRM technique - Mixed Phase Cloud Thinning.Links:Ulrike Lohmann's profileCheck out the CLOUDLAB projectSupport the showSubscribe for email updates

In this episode, we speak with Dr. Benjamin Sovacool and Dr. Chad Baum, about their newly published, high-impact paper, “Public Perceptions and Support of Climate Intervention Technologies across the Global North and Global South”. Join us as we discuss the key findings of their work, and how these findings can and should influence policy and governance methods.Dr. Benjamin Sovacool is a professor with affiliations at Aarhus University, the University of Sussex and Boston University.  Dr. Chad Baum is Assistant Professor at the Department of Business Development and Technology of Aarhus University.Links:Ben Sovacool's profileChad Baum's profileThe GENIE projectTheir Nature paper, Public Perceptions and Support of Climate Intervention Technologies across the Global North and Global South and accessible summaryCheck out their paper on sentiments and emotions of climate tech on Twitter And another one on field testing radical climate interventions, And another one on co-impactsAlso check out our related episode with Luke Iseman on Make SunsetsSupport the showSubscribe for email updates

George Monbiot is a renowned British author, The Guardian Columnist and environmental activist. George is the author of more than a dozen books, the most recent of which is Regenesis: Feeding the World without Devouring the Planet, and he was awarded the Orwell Prize for Journalism in 2022. In this episode, we discuss topics of his insightful and provocative articles such as de-throning GDP, radical climate activism, the ‘wealth curse' and contentious technologies such as nuclear energy, GMO and SRM.Links:George Monbiot's profileMonbiot's article, The Cruel Fantasies of Well-Fed PeopleMonbiot's most recent book, RegenesisRelated articles by Monbiot:On the extreme wealthy, Here's a question Cop28 won't address: why are billionaires blocking action to save the planet?On climate and politics, The hard right and climate catastrophe are intimately linked. This is howOn UK climate politicsOn radical climate activism (and another one)Support the showSubscribe for email updates

This episode's guest is Janos Pasztor. He has four decades of work experience in the areas of energy, environment, climate change, and sustainable development, including roles as Executive Director of the Carnegie Climate Governance Initiative (C2G) and UN Assistant Secretary-General for Climate Change. In this episode, we explore the political lens of carbon dioxide removal (CDR) and solar radiation management (SRM), discussing the progress of CDR and SRM discourse, as well as its challenges and controversies.CORRECTION: Jesse suggested that the United Nations Environment Assembly (UNEA) had a dozen or so members, but Janos pointed out that in fact it has universal membership, i.e., every UN member state is a member.Links:Janos Pasztor's profileCarnegie Climate Governance InitiativeJanos' article on the role of UN Secretary-General in Climate Change, in Global Policy 2016 Support the showSubscribe for email updates

David Stainforth is a Professorial Research Fellow at the London School of Economics. David has had a long career studying the climate problem and the challenges of making predictions of future climate change. His research spans the philosophy of climate science, climate economics, climate modelling, and decision-making under deep uncertainty.In this episode, we discuss David's new book ‘Predicting our climate future', exploring the challenges of making predictions about future climate change, and navigating this uncertainty to address climate problems.Links:David Stainforth's profileDavid's book, Predicting our climate futureSupport the showSubscribe for email updates

David Keith is a Professor in the Department of Geophysical Sciences at the University of Chicago and the Founding Faculty Director of the Climate Systems Engineering initiative. Keith previously led the development of Harvard's Solar Geoengineering Research Program.In this episode, we discuss Keith's Climate Systems Engineering initiatives, carbon dioxide removal (CDR) and geoengineering techniques. Drawing on David's decades of expertise, we dive deep into topics such as CDR, solar geoengineering, ice sheet geoengineering.Links:David Keith's profile (& old profile)The Climate Systems Engineering initiativeSupport the showSubscribe for email updates

Jennifer Allan is a Strategic Adviser and Team Leader with Earth Negotiations Bulletin, and Lecturer at Cardiff University. Jen has attended roughly 40 UN conferences where states negotiate the rules of global climate governance. Her work explores how global rules are made and remade, and currently focuses on the politics of ecosystem services and green recovery. In this episode, we discuss with Jen key agenda themes in the forthcoming COP28, the social inequality of climate change and whether COPs deliver useful outcomes - or is it just fanfare?Links:Jennifer Allan's profileCOP28 Thematic ProgramIEA World Energy Outlook 2023 - Oil demand to peak by 2030 Support the showSubscribe for email updates

Today's episode is brought to you in collaboration with our friends at the Energy vs Climate podcast. Energy vs Climate breaks down the trade-offs and hard truths of the energy transition in Alberta, Canada, and beyond with energy experts David Keith, Sara Hastings-Simon and Ed Whittingham.  In this episode, they speak with Greg Nemet, a Professor at the University of Wisconsin–Madison's La Follette School of Public Affairs. His research focuses on technological change in energy and the ways in which public policy can affect it. Listen as they discuss the trajectory of solar energy, coming down the cost curve and the energy supply chain.Links: Energy vs Climate PodcastGreg Nemet's profile Check out Greg's book, How Solar Energy Became Cheap Topic links: Nemet's paper on Inter-technology knowledge spillovers for energy technologies (Timestamp: 07:43) Paper on Evaluating the causes of cost reduction in photovoltaic modules (Timestamp: 24:18) NREL Report on U.S. Solar Photovoltaic System and Energy Storage Cost Benchmark: Q1 2020 (Timestamp: 27:21) Originally published on The Energy vs Climate show on 24 Feb 2022.Support the showSubscribe for email updates

As we break for the summer, listen here for some highlights of our previous episodes and catch up on the ones you've missed. See you in October!Support the showSubscribe for email updates

Richard S.J. Tol is a Professor at the Department of Economics, University of Sussex and the Professor of the Economics of Climate Change, Institute for Environmental Studies and Department of Spatial Economics, Vrije Universiteit, Amsterdam, the Netherlands. He is also the author of Climate Economics: Economic Analysis of Climate, Climate Change and Climate Policy. In this episode, Tol breaks down climate economics – the economic and social costs and benefits of carbon. We also discuss the case for geoengineering and his criticisms on IPCC. Links: Richard Tol's profile Richard's article, The Economic Impacts of Climate Change Support the showSubscribe for email updates

Emma Marris is an environmental writer and Institute Fellow at the UCLA Institute of the Environment and Sustainability. She has also written for National Geographic, the Atlantic, the New York Times, Wired, and other publications. In this episode, we dive into the concepts introduced in her book Rambunctious Garden: Saving Nature in a Post-Wild World, such as wilderness and nature purity. We discuss the relationship between nature and humans, from assisted migration to climate change, and how we can re-envision it.  Links: Emma Marris' profile Marris' weekly articles on The Atlantic  Check out her books, Wild Souls and Rambunctious Garden As recommended by Emma, The Lost Rainforests of Britain by Guy Shrubsole Support the showSubscribe for email updates

Dr John Moore is a Research Professor at University of Lapland, Finland and Chief Scientist of GCESS at Beijing Normal University. His research focuses on geoengineering, sea level change, and ice sheet dynamics. In this episode, we take a deep dive into the cryosphere – the state and future of glaciers, sea ice and permafrost, as well as consider marine glacier geoengineering. John also shares his unique experience as a leader of a major geoengineering research program in China. Links: John Moore's profile His paper on several cryosphere interventions His call for marine glacier geoengineering  His latest study on the ocean curtain idea Support the showSubscribe for email updates

Dr Steve Smith is the Executive Director of CO2RE, as well as Executive Director of the Oxford Net Zero initiative, based at the University of Oxford's Smith School of Enterprise and the Environment. He also previously co-led the Climate Science Team at the UK Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy. In this episode, we take a holistic deep dive into Carbon Dioxide Removal (CDR) and discuss his expertise on net zero pledges, the political and economic strategies for CDR, and technology readiness. Links: Steve's Smith School profile and CO2RE profile The Net Zero Tracker project - supported by students!The State of Carbon Dioxide Removal reportSupport the showSubscribe for email updates

Dr Heleen de Coninck is a Professor of Socio-Technical Innovation and Climate Change at Eindhoven University of Technology, and Associate Professor in Innovation Studies and Sustainability at Radboud University. She is also the newly appointed deputy chair of the Dutch Scientific Climate Council. In this episode, we discuss the four Net Zero transitions set out in the 2018 IPCC 1.5ºC report, and specifically how to facilitate a just transition. Towards the end, we debate on how much focus on geoengineering technologies is healthy. Links: Heleen's profile  Lecture transcript: system change, not climate change IPCC Special Report on "Carbon Dioxide Capture and Storage”  IPCC Special Report on “Global Warming of 1.5 ºC”  Support the showSubscribe for email updates

Dr David Fahey is the Director of the Chemical Sciences Laboratory in the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), and he also serves as a Co-Chair of its the Montreal Protocol's Scientific Assessment Panel, which produces the quadrennial assessments of stratospheric ozone depletion. In this episode, we discuss flying planes into the stratosphere to conduct experiments on ozone depletion, the success of the Montreal Protocol, and solar radiation modification (SRM) - potential impacts, future for research and deployment regulation.Links:David Fahey 's profile David's work with the NASA Airborne Science Program, Including this paper based on the 1987 Airborne Antarctic Ozone Experiment over the AntarcticMontreal Protocol Scientific Assessment PanelThe 2022 Quadrennial report and Executive SummaryOne Atmosphere, the UNEP review on SRM research and deploymentEpisode chapter markers Support the showSubscribe for email updates

Chris Stark is the Chief Executive of the UK‘s Climate Change Committee. Previously, he worked as the Director of Energy and Climate Change in the Scottish Government. In this episode, Chris breaks down the role of the CCC in UK's climate policy. We then take a close look at how UK has done so far in cutting emissions, what else needs to be done, and the challenges that lie ahead. We end off with a discussion of where geoengineering techniques like SAI sit on the UKCCC's radar.Links: Chris Stark's profile Episode chapter markers Support the showSubscribe for email updates

Ken Caldeira is a senior scientist at the Carnegie Institution for Science and is also a senior scientist at Breakthrough Energy. Ken has a wide-spectrum approach to analyzing the world's climate systems - with particular interests in modeling the Earth system and the energy transition, and in using experiments and observation to study our changing coasts and coral reefs. In this episode, Ken takes us through his fascinating journey into environmental and climate science. We dive deep into navigating political influences on environmental research, the technical and social feasibility of the energy transition, and his views on wider underrepresented climate issues.  Links: Ken Caldeira's profile  Ken's Google Scholar profile Episode chapter markers Support the showSubscribe for email updates

Andrew Revkin is one of the world's leading science and environmental journalists, with over 30 years' experience thinking and writing about climate change and sustainability. He has written at The New York Times and ProPublica, and his current outlet is “Sustain What?” at Substack. He is also the founding director of the new Initiative on Communication and Sustainability at Columbia University's Earth Institute. In this episode, Revkin shares his remarkable journalistic experiences, such as reporting from the Arctic, and how media and the climate discussion have evolved throughout his career. Our discussion is dynamic and wide-ranging, from extreme weather, to narrative capture, to tackling questions posed in previous episodes like climate doomism and ‘Is 1.5ºC still alive?' Links: Profile Revkin's Substack, 'Sustain What?' His 2003 Q&A from the Arctic sea iceHis dispatches from 2005 Montreal His blog 'Dot Earth' at NYT His 2016 Anthropocene article, An Anthropocene Journey Support the showSubscribe for email updates

Dr Daniel Harrison is an oceanographer at Southern Cross University in Australia. His research focuses on how engineering intervention in marine systems can be used to improve ecological, environmental, or societal outcomes. In this episode, we explore Daniel's work in applying Marine Cloud Brightening (MCB) to protect the Great Barrier Reef against global warming. We find out what MCB is, discuss how it can be implemented responsibly and effectively to save the Great Barrier Reef, and other potential applications.   Links: Daniel's profile  UNESCO: Great Barrier Reef is added to the 'In Danger' list Reef Restoration and Adaptation Program (RRAP) Daniel's talk on C2G Youtube, on Governance of Marine Cloud Brightening Daniel's podcast interview on 100 climate conversations Support the showSubscribe for email updates

Dr Erica Thompson is a Senior Policy Fellow in Ethics of Modelling and Simulation at the LSE Data Science Institute. Erica's research involves the appropriate use of mathematical and computational modelling to inform real-world decision-making. In this episode, we discuss Erica's recent book, Escape from Model Land and tackle issues such as bias, disillusioning science communication to help us get out of the ‘Model Land' worldview and into the real world. Links: Erica Thompson's profile  Erica's website Check out Erica's book, Escape from Model Land  Support the showSubscribe for email updates

Luke Iseman is the founder of Make Sunsets, a recently launched startup that is selling “cooling credits” on the promise that they will release sulphur dioxide into the stratosphere using weather balloons. In this episode, we discuss Make Sunset's mission to “substantially lower global temperatures,” the details of their offering, the technical challenges for verifying their cooling credits, and the potential political repercussions of their effortsLinks: Make Sunsets official website: https://makesunsets.com/ Make Sunsets contested cooling calculations: https://makesunsets.com/blogs/news/calculating-cooling Luke's blog post from just before he launched this effort, “Geoengineering Now”: https://www.dirtnail.com/2022/04/04/geoengineering-now/ Some reactions to Make Sunsets: Ted Parson's essay on Make Sunsets, “A Dangerous Disruption”: https://legal-planet.org/2023/01/02/a-dangerous-disruption/ David Keith on why not to commercialize geoengineering: https://twitter.com/DKeithClimate/status/1608085360927457281 Gwynne Dyer's comment in Stuff: https://www.stuff.co.nz/opinion/130909204/balloon-goes-up-on-geoengineering-sulfur-scam Another podcast interview with Luke Iseman by Reviewer 2 Does Geoengineering: https://open.spotify.com/episode/2Fr15fdX20qyyfVX8VCF3Q Support the show

Our year-end special celebrates the one-year anniversary of the Challenging Climate podcast. In this episode, Pete and Jesse reflect on the past 25 episodes, whether we achieved our vision for the podcast thus far, how we've navigated controversial guest speakers and learning to balance diversity of thought. Looking forward into 2023, we discuss new topics we want to explore, and old topics we hope to dive into at greater depths and different angles. Have any ideas for future topics or guest speakers? Drop us an email at info@challengingclimate.org Links:Check out our twitterPete Irvine's websiteJesse Reynold's websiteSustainability by numbers, a substack by Hannah RitchiePandora's Toolbox, by Wake SmithSupport the show

Dr Patrick Brown is the Co-director of the Climate & Energy group at the Breakthrough Institute and Adjunct lecturer in Energy Policy & Climate at Johns Hopkins University. In this episode, we discuss Patrick's expertise on the economic impacts of extreme weather, and unpack trends and attributable risk. We then venture into a broader scope based on his essay, ‘The obvious climate strategy nobody will talk about', which carries the rest of the discussion into climate targets and bias in climate communication. Links: Patrick Brown's profile Patrick's essay in Foreign Policy: The obvious climate strategy nobody will talk about His paper in PLOS, 'Approximate calculations of the net economic impact of global warming mitigation targets...' Another article on heat deaths versus cold deaths Support the show

Our guests are Dr Glen Peters, the research director for the Climate Mitigation group at Center for International Climate Research (CICERO), and Dr Linda Steg, Professor of Environmental Psychology at the University of Groningen.  In light of the recent COP27 hosted in Sharm el Sheikh, we pose the question: is the 1.5 Celsius goal still alive? In this episode, we dissect this complex question from the model-driven approach of Peters' research, as well as from the angle of societal and behavioural change — Steg's expertise. Covering climate anxiety, venture capitalists and CDR, this episode's got it all. Links: Glen's profile  Linda's profile  Interview with Laurence Tubiana on 1.5ºC overshootGlen's articles:'Can we really limit global warming to "well below" two degrees centigrade?'Linda's articles:'Limiting climate change requires research on climate action' 'Motivating Society-wide Pro-environmental Change''A Spiral on (in)action'Support the show

Dr Luke Kemp is a Research Associate at the Centre for the Study of Existential Risk, University of Cambridge. He has a PhD in international relations from the ANU and previous experience as a senior economist at Vivid Economics. In this episode, Luke sheds light on a surprisingly understudied and overlooked topic – catastrophic climate risk. This episode explores catastrophic and extinction risk, why the topic is understudied, and how we can weigh out the catastrophic risks of climate change and solar geo-engineering.  Links: Luke Kemp's profile Check out Luke's paper, Climate Endgame: Exploring catastrophic climate change scenariosLuke's paper on the risky perspective shift in temperature rises: Focus of the IPCC Assessment Reports has shifted to lower temperatures  Cambridge release, Climate change: potential to end humanity is “dangerously underexplored”  Additional reading: Catastrophic climate risks should be neither understated nor overstated (Burgess et al., 2022)Support the show

Oliver Morton is The Economist's briefings editor, specializing in the energy business, climate science and policy, and other green issues. He is the author of The Planet Remade: How Geoengineering Could Change the World and most recently The Moon: A History for the Future. In this episode, we discuss ideas from The Planet Remade on climate change and how recent events have influenced our prospects of reaching net zero emissions, as well as tackle serious questions on deploying geoengineering to combat climate change.Links:Oliver's profile Oliver's new book, The Moon: A History for the Future The Planet Remade: How Geoengineering Could Change the World Support the show

Ben Novak is lead scientist at Revive & Restore, where he leads the de-extinction efforts – especially the group's restoration of the extinct passenger pigeon. He is also the lead coordinator for its conservation cloning projects and Program Manager for Revive & Restore's new Biotechnology for Bird Conservation. In this episode, we dive deep into the applications of biotechnology in de-extinction, genetic modification for climate adaptation, and the ethical arguments for and against biotechnology for conservation.  Links:  Ben Novak's profile, including more links to his publications!Revive and Restore websiteIntended Consequences Statement The Great Passenger Pigeon ComebackSupport the show

Gaia Vince is an award-winning science journalist, author, broadcaster and speaker. In this episode, we discuss her new book Nomad Century: How to Survive the Climate Upheaval. Vince gives insight on how humanity can plan for and manage an unavoidable climate migration. We also explore methods to restore the planet to a fully habitable state, such as stratospheric sulfate aerosol injection and iron fertilization of the oceans. Links:  Gaia's website Check out Gaia's new book: Nomad Century Check out Gaia's other books: Transcendence  And Adventures in the Anthropocene Support the show

Professor Kerry Emanuel is a prominent meteorologist and climate scientist working at the Department of Earth, Atmospheric and Planetary Sciences at MIT. His research focuses on tropical meteorology and climate, with a specialty in hurricane physics. In this episode, we spoke with Kerry about what distinguishes a hurricane from tropical storms and tornadoes, and the dangers these natural hazards pose to societies. We also cover how these threats will evolve in an increasingly warming world, and what a hypercane is.Links:  Kerry Emanuel's profile Kerry's websiteCarbon brief on a new study showing hurricanes strengthening and intensifying Kerry's book, Divine Wind: The History and Science of HurricanesFurther information on hurricane impactsFewer deaths in tropical storms in recent decadesEconomic impacts of hurricanesThe hypercane Normalized hurricane damage has not changed Support the show

Dr Arunabha Ghosh is the founder-CEO of the Council on Energy, Environment and Water, and has led CEEW to the top ranks as one of Asia's leading policy research institutions and among the world's 20 best climate think-tanks. In this episode, we discuss the work that CEEW is involved in and dive deep into the environmental challenges that developing countries, such as India, face.   Links:  Council on Energy, Environment and WaterArunabha Ghosh's profileSupport the show

Dr Tom Matthews is a climate scientist at King's College London, specialising in glacier-climate interactions and extreme weather. In Episode 17, we discuss Tom's exciting fieldwork on Mt. Everest co-installing the highest-altitude weather stations in the world, as well as extreme heat and its impacts on society. Links:  Tom Matthews' profile Two articles on Tom's expedition to Mt Everest: this and that  Wikipedia page on penitentesCheck out this article on the upper temperature limit of human tolerance and Tom's paper documenting the first occurrences of this temperature Check out these 3 articles on extreme heat in Asia: this and that and this other oneThe book discussed: The Ministry for the Future Support the show

Dr Hannah Ritchie is a Senior Researcher at the Oxford Martin Programme in Global Development and the Head of Research at Our World in Data. In this episode, we spoke with Hannah about her work at Our World in Data and her article, "Stop Telling Kids They'll Die From Climate Change". We discuss her thoughts on what some of the world's most pressing problems are, touching on topics such as agriculture, the link between meat consumption and poverty, education and more.Links:Hannah Ritchie's profileHannah's article, "Stop Telling Kids They'll Die From Climate Change"The world's biggest problem: Agriculture (check out the data here)Here's an article on meat consumption and climate change by Hannah And another one Dollar Street GapminderDefinitely check out these Our World In Data articles as well:  Decoupling of GDP and carbon emissionsCarbon dioxide Data ExplorerEconomic growth in low- and middle-income countries Global improvements in quality of educationSupport the show

Dagomar Degroot is an associate professor of environmental history at Georgetown University. In this episode, we spoke with Dagomar about historical climatology and how the past can inform us about contemporary climate change. We cover his book, The Frigid Golden Age, and why societies like the Dutch and Thule thrived while the Norse suffered when the climate changed. Dagomar also addresses existing biases in the field of historical climatology. Links: Dagomar Degroot's profile  Historical climatology website Dagomar's book, The Frigid Golden Age  The Nature article outlining the baises in History of Climate and Society Another article by Dagomar on The Washington Post, “Our planet is not doomed. That means we can, and must, act.”  Support the show

Dr. Nils Gilman is the Senior Vice President of Programs at the Berggruen Institute and the deputy editor of Noema Magazine. We speak with Nils about two of his popular articles, "The Coming Avocado Politics" and "The Guns of Warming".  We first discuss avocado politics, what it is and how it manifests in the United States and Europe. The second half of the episode takes a look at climate change and security on global and national scales, and what it really means to prioritize climate change on the political agenda. Links: Nils Gilman's profileCheck out Noema Magazine and Nils' article (with Jonathan Blake) on "Governing in the Planetary Age"Article by Nils on “The Coming Avocado Politics” The other article by Nils on “The Guns of Warming”Support the show

Dr Britt Wray is an author and researcher working at the forefront of climate change and mental health. She is currently a Human and Planetary Health Fellow at Stanford University and the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine. Britt's research focuses on the mental health impacts of the climate crisis and has published popular books such as Rise of the Necrofauna: The Science, Ethics and Risks of De-Extinction, and Generation Dread: Finding Purpose in an Age of Climate Crisis. In this episode, we spoke with Britt about eco-anxiety, how it can affect our mental health and daily lives, and how we can cope and find optimism. We began by diving into the trends in eco-anxiety across demographics and over time. We also discussed the role of media in propelling eco-anxiety and why sentiments of the general public differ from climate experts.  Links: Britt Wray's website Britt's books: Generation Dread and Rise of the NecrofaunaGen Dread newsletter (free subscription!)The Hickman et al. (2021) paper on a global survey on climate anxiety in children and youth and their perception of government responses to climate changeSupport the show

Mark Maslin is a professor of Earth System Science at University College London and a Royal Society Wolfson Research Merit scholar. Mark is a leading scientist in past global and regional climatic change and its links to human evolution, and has written dozens of popular science articles and popular books, including The Human Planet: How We Created the Anthropocene (with Simon Lewis) – just out in paperback. In this episode, we spoke with Mark about the link between human evolution and climate change, and the debate surrounding the Anthropocene epoch. In discussing human evolution, we touch on topics such as the development of bipedalism and human intelligence. Mark explains the extent of human impact on the Earth, hence creating the Anthropocene. We also cover the political debate on defining the Anthropocene and the evolution of international and national politics surrounding climate change. Links:Mark's profile, including his recent publications The paper by Mark Maslin and Simon Lewis on defining the Anthropocene Another paper by Mark Maslin and Simon Lewis on how the Anthropocene began with species exchange That Lancet studyThe Anthropocene working groupSupport the show

In this episode Jesse and Pete interview each other and look back on the first 10 episodes of Challenging Climate. They discuss their backgrounds, research, and Jesse's new job as Executive Secretary of the Climate Overshoot Commission. They also reflect on how the podcast has been going and look ahead to the future.Jesse Reynolds is an expert in international environmental policy. He researches and advises on how rules, procedures, and institutions can help manage environmental opportunities and challenges, particularly those involving emerging technologies.Pete Irvine is a lecturer (assistant professor) at UCL Earth Sciences where he teaches climate science and researches the climate response to solar geoengineering as well as its broader implications.Links:Climate Overshoot Commission websiteJesse's book: The Governance of Solar GeoengineeringIrvine et al. (2019), "Halving warming with idealized solar geoengineering moderates key climate hazards"Support the show

Wake Smith is a Senior Fellow at the Mossavar-Rahmani Center for Business and Government at Harvard Kennedy School, writing scholarly articles on the feasibility, costs and governance of stratospheric aerosol geoengineering. Wake also teaches an undergraduate course on climate intervention at Yale University, the syllabus of which forms the basis of his new book “Pandora's Toolbox – The Hopes and Hazards of Climate Intervention.” Prior to his academic career, Smith served in several executive roles in the commercial aviation industry, including as the President of the flight training division of Boeing and the COO of Atlas Air.  We spoke with Wake about his new book and why he believes that our ancestors will demand climate intervention. We cover the climate context, and the tools in Pandora's toolbox: carbon dioxide removal and solar radiation management. Wake explains why high-flying jets offer a feasible means of deploying stratospheric aerosol geoengineering, and why the scenario of a billionaire “Greenfinger” implementing this is unlikely. We also touch on the international governance challenges that solar radiation management poses.  Links: Wake's Book: “Pandora's Toolbox: The Hopes and Hazards of Climate Intervention” Wake's personal website Article by Wake on “The cost of stratospheric aerosol injection through 2100” Support the show

Sir David King is the founder and chair of the Centre for Climate Repair at Cambridge University and the Climate Crisis Advisory Group. Previously he held the positions of the UK's permanent Special Representative for Climate Change. He was also the Government's Chief Scientific Advisor from 2000 to 2007, during which time he raised awareness of the need for governments to act on climate change and was instrumental in creating the Energy Technologies Institute.We speak with Sir David about science advice for the government and communication with the public, foresight, the domestic and international politics of climate change, his relatively new endeavors -- the Centre for Climate Repair at Cambridge and the Climate Crisis Advisory Group, opportunities to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, and the importance of carbon dioxide removal.Links:Centre for Climate Repair at Cambridge https://www.climaterepair.cam.ac.uk/Climate Crisis Advisory Group https://www.ccag.earth/"Infectious diseases: preparing for the future" report https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/infectious-diseases-preparing-for-the-future"Future flooding" report https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/future-floodingSupport the show (https://www.patreon.com/challengingclimate)

We speak with Jan Minx, Head of Applied Sustainability Science at the Mercator Research Institute on Global Commons and Climate Change, and a visiting Professor of Climate Change and Public Policy at The Priestley Centre at the University of Leeds. Jan has published widely on climate and sustainability issues and has a keen interest in evidence synthesis which he developed through his work with the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change. Jan was a coordinating lead author on the latest IPCC assessment report on mitigation and in this episode, he shares his take-aways from the report. We discuss the roles of individual choice, technological development, and carbon dioxide removal in meeting our climate goals. Jan also explains how thinking systematically about evidence synthesis can lead to better reviews of the literature and better research overall.Links:Jan's Profile IPCC Working Group 3 report on mitigation The chapter that Jan was a coordinating lead author on: Chapter 2 - emissions trends and drivers The chapter that addresses demand-side options: Chapter 5 - Demand, services and social aspects Figure SPM6 from Summary for Policymakers that shows demand-side mitigation options Carbon Brief article that maps CO2 imports and exports The 2015 systematic review study which provides an overview of impacts attribution, covered in the IPCC's 5th report The machine learning effort to provide a more comprehensive overview of impacts attribution that Jan was involved in The paper by Gunnar Luderer on the feasibility frontier of climate ambition in economic models of climate change in integrated assessment models Support the show (https://www.patreon.com/challengingclimate)

We speak with Dr. Gavin Schmidt, climate scientist, director of the Goddard Institute for Space Studies and co-founder of the RealClimate climate science blog. Gavin's research focuses on understanding the past, present and future of the climate system and the impacts of the various drivers of climate change. In this episode we take a deep dive on the science of climate change covering how it is observed, detected and attributed. Along the way Gavin debunks several climate skeptic talking points and discusses the changing challenges of climate communication.Links:Gavin's profile at NASA GISS.The RealClimate blog.The IPCC on humanity's unequivocal influence on the climate.The Oridivician (Not Oligocene) was the geological age that Gavin was referring to.The Smithsonian project to document 500 million years of global-mean temperature (Science).Gavin giving the Stephen Schneider Lecture in 2013: What should a climate scientist advocate for?

We speak with Elizabeth Kolbert, a journalist of politics and the environment. She has been at The New Yorker for more than 20 years and is the author of Under a White Sky: The Nature of the Future, The Sixth Extinction: An Unnatural History (winner of the 2015 Pulitzer Prize for General Non-Fiction), and Field Notes from a Catastrophe: Man, Nature, and Climate Change. We dive into how the climate change discourse has changed, mass extinctions and new speciation, and international large-scale interventions in natural systems.At The New Yorker: https://www.newyorker.com/contributors/elizabeth-kolbertTwitter: https://twitter.com/ElizKolbert Under a White Sky: https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/617060/under-a-white-sky-by-elizabeth-kolbert/The Sixth Extinction: https://us.macmillan.com/books/9781250062185/thesixthextinctionField Notes from a Catastrophe: https://www.bloomsbury.com/us/field-notes-from-a-catastrophe-9781620409886/

Robert Lempert is a principal researcher at the RAND Corporation and director of the Center for Longer Range Global Policy and the Future Human Condition. His research focuses on risk management and decision-making under conditions of deep uncertainty. He was also a coordinating lead author on Chapter 1 of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change's (IPCC) latest report on climate impacts. We discuss how the IPCC works and how it has evolved in response to criticism, the key concepts needed to understand climate impacts, the challenges of adapting to climate change, decision-making under deep uncertainty, and the peculiar nature of climate scenarios.Links:Profile at RAND: https://www.rand.org/about/people/l/lempert_robert_j.htmlThe IPCC's latest report on impacts, adaptation and vulnerability: https://www.ipcc.ch/report/sixth-assessment-report-working-group-ii/The chapter that Prof. Lempert led the writing of: https://report.ipcc.ch/ar6wg2/pdf/IPCC_AR6_WGII_FinalDraft_Chapter01.pdfProf. Lempert's book by RAND, “Shaping the Next One Hundred Years: New Methods for Quantitative, Long-Term Policy Analysis”: https://www.rand.org/pubs/monograph_reports/MR1626.html

Zion Lights is an environmental activist and author. She founded Emergency Reactor, which calls for greater use of nuclear power, alongside renewables, in order to help eliminate greenhouse gas emissions.  Her books include "The Ultimate Guide to Green Parenting" and "Only a Moment." She was previously spokesperson for Extinction Rebellion. We discuss her transition from Extinction Rebellion to nuclear advocate, nuclear energy's roles in reducing emissions, its challenges to expansion, the politics of nuclear energy, ecomodernism, and the dark side of environmentalism. Links:Personal website: https://www.zionlights.co.uk/Emergency Reactor: https://www.emergencyreactor.org/electricityMap: https://electricitymap.org/Our World in Data on nuclear energy and its emissions and safety: https://ourworldindata.org/nuclear-energy#modern-renewables-and-nuclear-energy-are-not-only-safer-but-also-cleaner-than-fossil-fuelsHans Rosling on development: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jbkSRLYSojoLights's appearance with Andrew Neil: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H3kJwQBZOkMExtinction Rebellion statement on Lights: https://extinctionrebellion.uk/2020/09/16/statement-on-zion-lights-michael-shellenberger-and-the-breakthrough-institute/

Roger Pielke Jr. is a political scientist who writes on a diverse range of policy and governance issues related to science, technology, environment, innovation and sports. He is most famous (or infamous?) for his work on climate change. We cover his Iron Law of climate policy, his views on the problems with business-as-usual climate scenarios, and the challenges of attributing extreme weather. We also touch on the extent of his relationships with climate change skeptics and the efforts to discredit him, including the congressional investigation into his funding.Roger is a Professor at the Department of Environmental Studies at the University of Colorado in Boulder. He is the author of The Climate Fix: What Scientists and Politicians Won't Tell you About Global Warming, The Honest Broker: Making Sense of Science in Policy and Politics, and The Rightful Place of Science: Disasters & Climate Change .Links:- the report detailing the campaign to discredit Pielke https://www.thegwpf.org/content/uploads/2021/11/Laframboise-Pielke.pdf [PDF]- his chart in The Climate Fix showing the historical change in the proportion of carbon-free energy and how it will need to change in future https://theclimatefix.files.wordpress.com/2017/06/bp-2017-3.jpg - the IPCC's latest report on the physical science of climate change https://www.ipcc.ch/report/ar6/wg1/- two blog posts by Pielke on this recent report https://rogerpielkejr.substack.com/p/how-to-understand-the-new-ipcc-report and https://rogerpielkejr.substack.com/p/how-to-understand-the-new-ipcc-report-1e3- Pielke's academic paper on scenarios with Justin Ritchie  https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S2214629620304655 and a popular article summarizing their work https://issues.org/climate-change-scenarios-lost-touch-reality-pielke-ritchie/- The Climate Fix https://www.basicbooks.com/titles/roger-pielke/the-climate-fix/9780465025190/- The Honest Broker https://www.cambridge.org/core/books/honest-broker/A41AD4D7D14077165807DBE057B5FAF9- The Rightful Place of Science: Disasters & Climate Change https://cspo.org/publication/the-rightful-place-of-science-disasters-and-climate-change/

Holly Jean Buck is an expert on the social and political dimensions of environmental policies, and of strategies and technologies for preventing and adapting to climate change. Our conversation focuses on her new book, Ending Fossil Fuels: Why Net Zero Is Not Enough. Holly, Pete, and Jesse discuss why we should strive for a future of no fossil fuels, the challenges to ending fossil fuels, the role of carbon dioxide removal, whether the alternatives could be worse, how to deal with legacy firms and stranded assets, the collective action problem, and practical next steps. We also touch on the whether to shrink the global economy through degrowth, public participation and engagement, bridging technological and social change, and reasons for optimism. Holly is Assistant Professor of Environment and Sustainability at the University at Buffalo and also the author of After Geoengineering: Climate Tragedy, Repair, and Restoration and co-editor of Has It Come to This? The Promise and Peril of Geoengineering on the Brink.https://twitter.com/hollyjeanbuckhttps://arts-sciences.buffalo.edu/environment-sustainability/faculty/faculty-directory/holly-buck.html https://www.versobooks.com/books/3879-ending-fossil-fuels https://fossilfueltreaty.org/