Climate Curious

What’s the real deal with carbon capture? Sucking carbon out of the air may sound like an enticing solution, but climate advocate and investor James Mwangi warns that the technology is too often used to justify polluting behaviour rather than prevent it. As he puts it, it’s the difference between endlessly cleaning up a messy room versus simply not making the mess in the first place. Furthermore, the technology is very energy intensive; but Kenya, with 96% renewable energy, is uniquely positioned to provide this technology, says Mwangi. Recorded live in conversation with Climate Curious co-host Ben Hurst at TED Countdown 2025 in Nairobi, Kenya.Join the Climate Curious conversation on socials: Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/climatecuriouspod/TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@climatecuriouspod YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCtF6xzNkVIczlDmVcH8FCMA LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/10996041/Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TEDxLondon Website: https://tedxlondon.com/podcast/ All other links: https://linktr.ee/climatecuriouspod Created by TEDxLondonExecutive produced by Josie ColterProduced by Ben BeheshtyCurated by Deesha ChandraHosted by Maryam Pasha and Ben HurstCommunications by Tara Cooper and Issey Gladston

What really happened at COP30? Tune in to the Climate Curious COP30 wrap-up mixtape and hear expert hot takes to soothe your soul, raise your spirits, and understand what the hits and misses were at this year’s 2025 COP30.Featured contributors:Fenton LutunatabuaRaysa FrançaNonette RoyoKumi NaidooTzeporah BermanHarjeet SinghNicole Rycroft Join the Climate Curious conversation on socials:Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/climatecuriouspod/TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@climatecuriouspodYouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCtF6xzNkVIczlDmVcH8FCMALinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/10996041/Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TEDxLondonWebsite: https://tedxlondon.com/podcast/All other links: https://linktr.ee/climatecuriouspod Created by TEDxLondonExecutive produced by Josie ColterProduced by Ben BeheshtyCurated by Deesha ChandraHosted by Maryam Pasha and Ben HurstCommunications by Tara Cooper and Issey Gladston

“Poetry helps shift some of the really dominant ways we think about the environment, particularly in the west” says environmental scientist and poet Riley Faulds. With the practice of ‘life-writing’ Riley shares how he approaches the writing process, as well as how this can have an impact on the way we all appreciate and interact with the natural world, drawing from his studies of World Literatures at Oxford. He discusses tackling the tendency in the west to view the world through the lens of dualism, human versus non-human, as well as how to get inspired with our own experience with nature. Recorded live at Oxford’s Right Here Right Now Global Climate Summit 2025.Riley’s recommended reading:- Evelyn Araluen, ‘Dropbear’- Elfie Shiosaki, ‘Homecoming’- Alice Oswald, ‘Falling Awake’- Alice Oswald, ‘Woods etc.’Join the Climate Curious conversation on socials: Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/climatecuriouspod/TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@climatecuriouspod YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCtF6xzNkVIczlDmVcH8FCMA LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/10996041/Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TEDxLondon Website: https://tedxlondon.com/podcast/ All other links: https://linktr.ee/climatecuriouspod Created by TEDxLondonExecutive produced by Josie ColterProduced by Ben BeheshtyCurated by Deesha ChandraHosted by Maryam Pasha and Ben HurstCommunications by Tara Cooper and Issey Gladston

“If you want to stop the oil industry, you have to use power. Law is power,” says environmental lawyer and Climate Curious alumni, Melinda Janki. Taking time to chat with Climate Curious co-host Ben Hurst right before her talk at TED Countdown 2025, Melinda shares how to use litigation to beat the polluters; detailing her wins against Big Oil, and imparting some sage but important advice to aspiring lawyers wanting to get involved with climate law. Recorded live at TED Countdown 2025 in Nairobi, Kenya.Watch Melinda’s talk at TED Countdown 2025, How we took an oil giant, and won https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Pj5jM6MANUoBuy your ticket to join TEDxLondon Global Idea Search, November 24th: https://tedxlondon.com/tedx-global-idea-search/Join the Climate Curious conversation on socials: Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/climatecuriouspod/TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@climatecuriouspod YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCtF6xzNkVIczlDmVcH8FCMA LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/10996041/Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TEDxLondon Website: https://tedxlondon.com/podcast/ All other links: https://linktr.ee/climatecuriouspod Created by TEDxLondonExecutive produced by Josie ColterProduced by Ben BeheshtyCurated by Deesha ChandraHosted by Maryam Pasha and Ben HurstCommunications by Tara Cooper and Issey Gladston

“Climate change is going to exacerbate an already vulnerable population, especially in conflict zones,” says Dr. Omnia El Omrani, an Egyptian physician and the first official Youth Envoy for the UN Climate Summit. Omnia shares how the NHS has been pushing towards an even wider definition of “do no harm” with its push for net zero emissions, as well as sharing examples of how the people living in some of the toughest places for climate change are being helped by practical climate solutions. Recorded live at Oxford’s Right Here Right Now Global Climate Summit 2025. Buy your ticket to join TEDxLondon Global Idea Search, November 24th: https://tedxlondon.com/tedx-global-idea-search/Join the Climate Curious conversation on socials: Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/climatecuriouspod/TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@climatecuriouspod YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCtF6xzNkVIczlDmVcH8FCMA LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/10996041/Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TEDxLondon Website: https://tedxlondon.com/podcast/ All other links: https://linktr.ee/climatecuriouspod Created by TEDxLondonExecutive produced by Josie ColterProduced by Ben BeheshtyCurated by Deesha ChandraHosted by Maryam Pasha and Ben HurstCommunications by Tara Cooper and Issey Gladston

Kimiko Hirata shares her vision of a carbon-free Japan, and how shifting from “no” to “yes” is the key to mobilising people and government towards positive change. In the wake of the Fukushima nuclear disaster, Japan had the opportunity to keep its commitments to renewable energy, says Goldman Environmental Prize winner and environmental activist Kimiko. Instead Japan closed its nuclear sites and went all in on coal power plants and stands as the country with the fifth most coal power plants in the world. Kimiko joins Climate Curious to share why positive action is more powerful than negative narratives in decarbonising a nation. Recorded live at TED Countdown 2025 in conversation with Climate Curious co-host Ben Hurst.Buy your ticket to join TEDxLondon Global Idea Search, November 24th: https://tedxlondon.com/tedx-global-idea-search/Join the Climate Curious conversation on socials: Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/climatecuriouspod/TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@climatecuriouspod YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCtF6xzNkVIczlDmVcH8FCMA LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/10996041/Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TEDxLondon Website: https://tedxlondon.com/podcast/ All other links: https://linktr.ee/climatecuriouspod Created by TEDxLondonExecutive produced by Josie ColterProduced by Ben BeheshtyCurated by Deesha ChandraHosted by Maryam Pasha and Ben HurstCommunications by Tara Cooper and Issey Gladston

When floods, storms, and droughts strike, who helps communities pick up the pieces? According to climate justice leader Harjeet Singh, the world still doesn’t have a fair answer. Currently, the countries least responsible for climate change are paying the highest price. When disaster strikes, typically countries must cover around 80% of the costs themselves. As one of the architects of the Loss and Damage Fund, Harjeet argues that wealthy nations should contribute far more, around $400 billion annually, to support those hardest hit by climate disasters. With current pledges at less than one percent of that, the Director of the Satat Sampada Climate Foundation explains why this moment is critical, and why getting money quickly into the hands of affected communities is essential. Harjeet has launched the ‘Fill The Fund’ campaign to pressure wealthy nations and major corporate polluters to pay up for the climate damage they have caused. Recorded live at TED Countdown 2025 in conversation with Climate Curious co-host Ben Hurst. Check out Harjeet’s recent TED Countdown talk: The real cost of not adapting to climate change, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Tb_3VtlziukSatat Sampada Climate Foundation - https://www.instagram.com/satatsampadaclimateFill The Fund campaign - https://www.instagram.com/fill_the_fund/ Buy your ticket to join TEDxLondon Global Idea Search, November 24th: https://tedxlondon.com/tedx-global-idea-search/Join the Climate Curious conversation on socials:Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/climatecuriouspod/TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@climatecuriouspodYouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCtF6xzNkVIczlDmVcH8FCMALinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/10996041/Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TEDxLondonWebsite: https://tedxlondon.com/podcast/All other links: https://linktr.ee/climatecuriouspod Created by TEDxLondonExecutive produced by Josie ColterProduced by Ben BeheshtyCurated by Deesha ChandraHosted by Maryam Pasha and Ben HurstCommunications by Tara Cooper and Issey Gladston

From an eco-spy to a human rights lawyer and even a sea captain; meet the capable guardians fighting green crime. Criminal psychologist Dr. Julia Shaw joins Climate Curious co-hosts Ben Hurst and Maryam Pasha to reveal how the heroes behind environmental protection do it – and how you can too – through stories of advocacy, perseverance, and smarts. Tune in to explore criminological frameworks like routine activity theory, the six pillars of green crime, and why the greatest threat to environmental protection isn’t greed: it’s corruption.Learn more in Julia’s new book, ‘Green Crime’, https://linktr.ee/drjuliashaw Join the Climate Curious conversation on socials: Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/climatecuriouspod/TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@climatecuriouspod YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCtF6xzNkVIczlDmVcH8FCMA LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/10996041/Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TEDxLondon Website: https://tedxlondon.com/podcast/ All other links: https://linktr.ee/climatecuriouspod Created by TEDxLondonExecutive produced by Josie ColterProduced by Ben BeheshtyCurated by Deesha ChandraHosted by Maryam Pasha and Ben HurstCommunications by Tara Cooper and Issey Gladston