Heat of the Moment

Youth-led movements across the globe are getting bigger, louder, and more effective. Now, young people are even taking fossil fuel companies to court. In the Netherlands, they've just successfully argued and won concessions from Shell, one of the world's biggest multinational corporations. On today's episode we hear from youth activist Jesse van Schaik on how youth movements are fighting back. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

This year at COP26 in Glasgow, developing countries were clear: wealthier countries need to do more to help finance the world's movement away from fossil fuels. And their argument is gaining traction: debt is holding countries back from adapting to climate change.Leading off this episode of Heat of the Moment, we hear from Mamadou Honadia, one of the lead climate negotiators for Burkina Faso, who shares how his country's response to the climate crisis has been stymied by debt. We then hear from Julie Robinson, Program Director from the Nature Conservancy, on an innovative new debt restructuring program called a Blue Bonds program which will help Belize protect its oceans and reduce CO2 emissions.We want to hear from you! To fill out our 2021 listener survey, go to survey.fan/foreignpolicy.com See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

The United States military is one of the largest consumers of fossil fuels in the world. What is less known is that when it comes to the climate crisis, the U.S. military is also a place for innovation and strategic thinking.And that's thanks in no small part to our guest today -- Sherri Goodman, who is considered to be the godmother of Climate Security. Goodman is currently a senior fellow at the Woodrow Wilson Center and Senior Strategist at the Center for Climate and Security. Previously she served as the first ever U.S. Deputy Undersecretary of Defense for Environmental Security. She discusses why the U.S. military is helping to solve the climate crisis.We want to hear from you! To fill out our 2021 listener survey, go to survey.fan/foreignpolicy.com See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

We are in the midst of one of the greatest moments of human migration in recent history. Wars and unrest in the Middle East, political tensions in Latin America, and ethnic clashes in places like Myanmar have caused millions of people to flee their homes looking for safety and security for themselves and their families. But there's also another set of migrants: those who are fleeing because they've determined their homes are no longer safe from the massive forces of climate change.Today's story involves someone who never expected to see herself as a climate migrant. In fact, as director of a climate-solution organization, Jamie Beck Alexander would often spend countless hours trying to help others in far-off places deal with the effects of climate change. But then a few years back, she realized her own living situation in California was no longer going to work.We want to hear from you! To fill out our 2021 listener survey, go to survey.fan/foreignpolicy.com See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

On this episode we meet former oil worker Allen Hubbard. Hubbard spent most of his professional career as a geologist working on oil rigs in Louisiana trying to calculate the best spots to drill. Since leaving the industry Hubbard began learning more about the climate crisis from people like Al Gore and decided he needed to do a complete 180. Now in his 80s, Hubbard has made it his duty to speak out and try to motivate people to curb their consumption of fossil fuels.We want to hear from you! To fill out our 2021 listener survey, go to survey.fan/foreignpolicy.com See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Moving away from coal is a top priority in the fight against climate change. But how should local economies, who depend on coal, ensure that workers and their communities are protected? We turn to the Energy Capital of the U.S. -- Gillette, Wyoming -- to see how that coal community is beginning to think about moving its economy away from fossil fuels.On today's episode we hear first from Shannon Anderson, Staff Attorney at the Powder River Basin Resource Council. She's lived in Powder River Basin coal country for most of her life and has seen it go from boomtown to bust. We then hear from Tasneem Essop, the Executive Director of the Climate Action Network. She shares her experience promoting a just transition away from fossil fuels.We want to hear from you! To fill out our 2021 listener survey, go to survey.fan/foreignpolicy.com See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

On today's episode of Heat of the Moment, we take a look at one of the most innovative ways we can cut greenhouses from our global food production: kelp. Our guest, Bren Smith, a regenerative ocean farmer in Connecticut, is leading the way on rethinking how we might farm our oceans by developing polyculture practices for farming shellfish, seaweeds, and kelps.This is a big week for the climate. Leaders from all over the world are meeting in Glasgow at the Conference of the Parties, also known as COP26. It's an important time to stay up to date on the latest news coming out of the COP. And one of the best ways to do that is with a Foreign Policy subscription. Head over to foreignpolicy.com to sign up and use the code “HOTM” (for Heat of the Moment) to get a 10% discount. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Converting to electric vehicles is an important part of the quest to eliminate carbon pollution and stabilize the atmosphere. It's estimated that globally the transportation sector contributes about or about one fifth of all global emissions; three quarters of that comes from road travel. And it's not just CO2 emissions that are on people's minds when they think about converting, it's also clean air and less sound pollution, and greater economic potential. On today's episode we hear first from Todd Watkins, the Director of Transportation for Montgomery County Public Schools in Maryland. He discusses how the Montgomery County Public School system is changing their fleet of fourteen-hundred buses to electric, over the next fourteen years.Our featured guest Sasiranga de Silva is an engineer and lecturer at the University of Moratuwa. De Silva has developed a conversion kit that converts two-stroke tuk tuks to electric, improving the health and wellbeing of his community and creating cost savings for local drivers. Interested in learning more in the runup to COP26, the United Nations climate conference? We're offering free access to an FP Analytics briefing called “Firm Zero-Emission Power.” Normally that's only available to FP Insider subscribers, but you can read the report for free by submitting your email. Go to https://foreignpolicy.com/cop26 to learn more. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

While developing countries only make up a small percentage of the world's CO2 emissions, they're often the ones on the front lines dealing with impact of the climate crisis. This is especially true for low lying countries and island nations who are vulnerable to flooding caused by sea level rise and more intensive storm systems due to warming oceans.On today's episode we begin with first from Sarah Nandudu, the Vice Chairperson of the National Slum Dwellers Federation of Uganda. She relays how efforts to organize locally both as a means to help reduce waste but also to spread important health information about COVID-19. Our featured guest is Dr. Saleemul Huq, the director of the International Centre for Climate Change and Development (ICCCAD) in Bangladesh. Dr. Huq says Bangladesh has already leapfrogged many developed countries when it comes to things like hurricane preparedness. He says other countries should follow Bangladesh's lead in investing in human capital to come up with innovative solutions for adapting and living with a changing climate. His organization supports leaders like Nandudu who are finding ways spread sustainable practices locally.Interested in learning more in the run-up to COP26? We're offering free access to a Foreign Policy Analytics' team briefing called “Firm Zero-Emission Power”. Normally that's only available to FP Insider subscribers, but you can read the report for free by submitting your email. Go to https://foreignpolicy.com/cop26 to learn more. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

With leaders from across the globe preparing to convene in Glasgow, Scotland for the UN Climate Change Conference (COP26) Heat of the Moment, begins its season by looking back at the historic agreement reached at 2015 conference in Paris. In this episode, host John Sutter speaks with Rachel Kyte. Currently the Dean of the Fletcher School at Tufts University, she previously served as s World Bank Group Vice President and Special Envoy for Climate Change. In that capacity she was front and center during the Paris negotiations.Leading off the episode, Dr. Colin Young, Executive Director for Caribbean Community Climate Change Centre, recounts how smaller island nations were able to have an outsized impact during Paris talks and shares his hopes for the upcoming Glasgow conference.Interested in learning more in the run-up to COP26? We're offering free access to a Foreign Policy Analytics' team briefing called “Firm Zero-Emission Power”. Normally that's only available to FP Insider subscribers, but you can read the report for free by submitting your email. Go to https://foreignpolicy.com/cop26 to learn more. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Coming October 21, 2021: In Season 2 of Heat of the Moment, a podcast from Foreign Policy and the Climate Investment Funds, host John D Sutter talks to the big thinkers and doers in the fight against climate change. Listen to stories of how they are transforming the way we live, work, even eat—and learn what change is possible through the power of collective action. Listen and subscribe wherever you get your podcasts. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

There are plenty of people sitting around waiting for some magical new or improved technology to come along and fix the mess we’ve made for ourselves with the climate emergency. That’s probably not going to happen—and, anyway, we have the tools we need to ditch fossil fuels now. In the first part of the episode, reporter Molly Schwartz looks into some of these solutions, including wind farm construction and carbon capture, utilization, and storage. In the second part of the program, host John D. Sutter speaks with Mafalda Duarte, the head of the Climate Investment Funds. (The Climate Investment Funds is FP Studios’ partnering organization for Heat of the Moment.) Duarte explains that her group’s goal is not only to give loans for solar farms and other green projects but also to help tip the scales in favor of a clean energy revolution.

All of the weather these days is forming in an atmosphere that humans have warmed on average by about 1 degree Celsius. It’s not that fossil fuel pollution is causing all the bad weather, but it does play an inextricable role. In this episode of Heat of the Moment, host John D. Sutter speaks with MIT professor Kerry Emanuel, a leading expert on hurricanes and climate change, about how the crisis has evolved. Later in the episode, reporter Dhashen Moodley shares the story of how officials in Mozambique responded to extreme weather by fortifying key elements of their infrastructure to make their country more resilient.  

How much would it cost to fix climate change—and who should pay? Should it be the United States—the biggest polluter historically? Should it be China—the largest annual polluter these days? Is the entire industrial world to blame? These are some of the thorny questions the Heat of the Moment host John D. Sutter discusses with Nobel Prize-winning economist Joseph Stiglitz. Stiglitz is a top expert on how economic policy can play a leading role in steering the world away from fossil fuels. Later, Emily Johnson reports on real-life examples of how investments can kick-start change. She looks at projects supported by our partners at the Climate Investment Funds in Jamaica, Tajikistan, and Turkey.

Water is our most vital resource, but climate change is making weather patterns and seasonal rainfall less predictable. Now, drought and water scarcity are increasingly threatening the lives and livelihoods of vulnerable communities around the planet. In this episode of Heat of the Moment, host John D. Sutter speaks with Peter Gleick, president emeritus of the Pacific Institute, and a leading global thinker on the relationship between water scarcity and violent conflict. Later on, reporter Portia Crowe travels to Niger to see how investments in drip irrigation are helping farmers adapt to more volatile weather patterns.

The dialogue surrounding climate change is often passionate and sometimes contentious, especially when it touches on people’s livelihoods, religion, or political beliefs. So how can those seeking action get past the rancor and have a constructive dialogue? In this episode of Heat of the Moment, host John D. Sutter speaks with Katharine Hayhoe, a professor of political science at Texas Tech University, who regularly engages with audiences in deep-red states and other places where going green is seen as political treason. Hayhoe also hosts a digital video series for PBS called Global Weirding that seeks to present the discussion on climate change in an inclusive way. Later on in the episode, Belgian journalist Jan De Deken discusses why he created the Polar Project, an effort to tell the story of those impacted by climate change using a wide range of mediums including virtual reality and live performances.

The Amazon rainforest has been called “the lungs of the planet” as it plays an outsized role in absorbing the Earth’s carbon dioxide output. But industrial interests have led to rapid deforestation in parts of the Amazon, which is not only disrupting ecosystems but also indigenous communities. To get a better sense of the human impact of deforestation, host John Sutter speaks with the climate activist Nina Gualinga. Gualinga is from the Kichwa community of Sarayaku in the Ecuadorian Amazon. Later in the program, what if the forest itself could become more profitable than logged timber and meat? The journalist Paula Moura brings us a story from the Brazilian Amazon on how local communities, NGOs, and scientists are combining conservation and technology in search of ways to make sure that trees are more valuable if they’re kept alive.

How food production contributes to climate change and what individuals and the agricultural industry can do to make food production, distribution, and disposal more eco-friendly.

As the world looks to reduce dependence on fossil fuels, there’s hope in the growing renewable energy market. In this episode of Heat of the Moment, Daniel Schrag, the director of Harvard University’s Center for the Environment, speaks to host John Sutter about the benefits of renewable energy and the policy challenges involved in moving to greener power sources. Later, the reporter Sebastian Bouknight travels to Morocco and the Noor Ouarzazate Solar Complex to get a firsthand look at the remarkable advances being made in concentrated solar power.

How rethinking urban design can have a major impact on carbon emissions and the quality of city life.

Climate change is forcing people from their homes, especially in island nations. How can the world change its policy toward climate migrants, and what can be done to assist those who want to stay not only survive but thrive? 

A look into youth climate activism with a focus on the Sunrise Movement in the United States and Marinel Ubaldo, a young activist in the Philippines. 

It’s easy to quickly feel defeated when confronted with the stark realities of climate change. Heat of the Moment takes listeners beyond the challenges they hear about in the news, delivering original insights from climate experts—and most importantly, sharing inspirational stories of the real-life heroes who are fighting back.