Outrage + Optimism: The Climate Podcast

In a world-first, the International Court of Justice is preparing to deliver an advisory opinion on climate change and human rights - all thanks to a youth-led campaign that began thousands of miles from The Hague, in the Pacific Islands.This week, we look inside that extraordinary campaign, and hear the story of Cynthia Houniuhi, who - as a young law student from the Solomon Islands - helped launch the movement that would ultimately unite over 130 countries behind a single goal. Now, six years after this idea began in a law classroom, the world’s highest court is set to weigh in on the responsibility of states to protect current and future generations from climate harm.Christiana Figueres, Tom Rivett-Carnac, and Paul Dickinson reflect on the power of legal activism, the role of youth leadership, and what this landmark case could mean for the future of international climate law.Learn more ⚖️ Read more information about the ICJ climate case on the Pacific Islands Students Fighting Climate Change website🛏️ We’ve been told that the platforms QuintoAndar and ZAP Imóveis may be useful for booking accommodation in Belém. Please note that we don’t have any direct experience of them, so we do not and cannot recommend them personally. We encourage you to take the usual precautions when making any arrangements.🎤 Leave us your voice notes and questions for upcoming episodes on SpeakPipeFollow us on social media for behind the scenes moments and to watch our videos:Instagram @outrageoptimism LinkedIn @outrageoptimismOr get in touch with us via this form. Producer: Ben Weaver-HincksVideo Producer: Caitlin HanrahanAssistant Producer: Caillin McDaidExec Producer: Ellie CliffordCommissioning Editor: Sarah Thomas This is a Persephonica production for Global Optimism and is part of the Acast Creator Network.

Last episode, we explored the urgent connection between climate and health, and brought you a powerful and timely conversation with Julia Gillard, former Australian Prime Minister and Chair of the Wellcome Trust.Today, we want to recommend a show that those who enjoyed that episode are likely to love. When Science Finds A Way is a brilliant podcast from the Wellcome Trust that highlights how science is changing lives around the world. In the short clip here, we hear how something as simple as a cool roof - a special reflective paint - is helping communities stay safe from extreme heat.🎧 Listen to the full episode: Cool roofs: homes fit for a hotter world🔗 Follow the podcast: on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, YouTube, or wherever you get your shows, and learn more about it here.

Scientists warn that the world could breach its 1.5°C emissions limit within just 2-3 years. It’s a scary thought, but across the globe, many are grappling with an even more immediate and visceral reality: the climate crisis is already a health crisis.From deadly heatwaves to worsening air pollution and climate-related trauma, the health impacts of climate change are escalating. In this episode, Christiana Figueres and Paul Dickinson explore how growing awareness of these challenges is beginning to reframe the conversation, and ask whether this could be the narrative that finally drives faster, more inclusive climate action.Christiana is joined by former Australian Prime Minister and Chair of the Wellcome Trust, Julia Gillard, who makes the case for why health must become central to climate communication - and why we should be talking about “lives lost”, rather than simply degrees gained.Meanwhile, Tom Rivett-Carnac drops in from the launch of London Climate Action Week 2025, where health is rapidly emerging as a defining lens. Learn more 🌡️ See what the Wellcome Trust is doing at the intersection of climate and health🩺 Read all about the speakers and events at the Conduit’s Climate and The Future of Health, supported by the Wellcome Trust and held on the first day of LCAW📅 Browse the full London Climate Action Week events listings, featuring over 500 events across London and online🎤 Leave us your voice notes and questions for upcoming episodes on SpeakPipeFollow us on social media for behind the scenes moments and to watch our videos:Instagram @outrageoptimism LinkedIn @outrageoptimismOr get in touch with us via this form. Producer: Ben Weaver-HincksVideo Producer: Caitlin HanrahanAssistant Producer: Caillin McDaidExec Producer: Ellie CliffordCommissioning Editor: Sarah Thomas This is a Persephonica production for Global Optimism and is part of the Acast Creator Network.

While climate diplomacy grapples with global uncertainty, there’s a quiet revolution happening that may be just as important - thousands of breakthrough technologies and creative applications that are emerging to tackle the climate crisis in new and unexpected ways.Around the world, figures from business, government and civil society come together at climate weeks to share ideas, showcase solutions, and accelerate action. Ahead of London Climate Action Week, where many of these innovations will be spotlighted, Christiana Figueres, Tom Rivett-Carnac, and Paul Dickinson introduce just a few of the many founders and builders reimagining how we grow, produce, work, and live in a world under pressure.From bio-based foams to paper-based electronic sensors, and from temperature-sensitive food labels to AI water management devices, this episode dives into the materials, data, and design transforming the climate solutions landscape.While technology alone won’t solve the crisis, can it offer glimpses of what a livable, low-carbon future might look like? And how might it contribute to reshaping the infrastructure, industries, and incentives that underpin our daily lives?Learn more 🧶 The Future Fabrics Expo, where Evoco and other makers of sustainably and responsibly produced materials will be sharing their work♻️ Reset Connect, where Watergate, Hurd, Giki and hundreds of other businesses and speakers will be featured🧪 The Undaunted Innovation Hub, from the programme that has supported PulpaTronics, Mimica and Cyanoskin📅 The full London Climate Action Week events listings, featuring over 500 events across London and online🎤 Leave us your voice notes and questions for upcoming episodes on SpeakPipeFollow us on social media for behind the scenes moments and to watch our videos:Instagram @outrageoptimism LinkedIn @outrageoptimismOr get in touch with us via this form.Producer: Ben Weaver-HincksVideo Producer: Caitlin HanrahanExec Producer: Ellie CliffordCommissioning Editor: Sarah Thomas This is a Persephonica production for Global Optimism and is part of the Acast Creator Network.

World leaders, scientists and ocean advocates are gathering in Nice for the 3rd UN Ocean Conference (UNOC) and hopes are high that progress can be made on some of the many pressing issues facing our seas - from acidification to pollution, and from biodiversity loss to deep sea mining. Reporting from the summit, Christiana Figueres and Tom Rivett-Carnac ask: can this moment become a true turning point for ocean governance? Central to the agenda is the High Seas Treaty: a long-awaited international agreement designed to protect marine life in the 64% of the ocean that lies beyond national borders. But with more ratifications needed to get it across the line, can its future be secured while the world’s eyes are on Nice?Later, Christiana is joined by legendary oceanographer and explorer Dr. Sylvia Earle. Drawing on a lifetime of experience beneath the waves, she shares stories, warnings, and a passionate case for protecting the blue lungs of the planet.This episode features underwater and ocean recordings taken by sound artist and documentarist Louise Romain.Learn more ⚓ Get the latest news on UNOC from the official website🌊 Learn more about the High Seas Treaty and track its progress towards 60 ratifications🐠 Discover Sylvia Earle’s ocean advocacy initiative Mission Blue🎤 Leave us your voice notes and questions for upcoming episodes on SpeakPipeFollow us on social media for behind the scenes moments and to watch our videos:Instagram @outrageoptimism LinkedIn @outrageoptimismOr get in touch with us via this form.Producer: Ben Weaver-HincksVideo Producer: Caitlin HanrahanExec Producer: Ellie CliffordCommissioning Editor: Sarah Thomas This is a Persephonica production for Global Optimism and is part of the Acast Creator Network.

This November, Brazil will host COP30 in Belém, on the edge of the Amazon rainforest, in what is bound to be a moment packed with symbolism, high expectations, and global significance. This week, Christiana Figueres, Tom Rivett-Carnac, and Paul Dickinson explore what’s at stake, what Brazil wants to achieve, and whether the world is ready to move from ambition to implementation.Back from his recent trip to the country, Tom shares conversations with COP CEO Ana Toni and Gustavo Westmann from the office of the Brazilian Presidency, along with insights and impressions he picked up on the ground - from the growing political momentum to the logistical and diplomatic hurdles still to be overcome. Plus, he introduces the team to the concept of mutirão - this COP’s ambition that the path to climate action be built collectively, and through shared effort, cooperation, and solidarity.With Brazil readying itself to be the focus of the world’s media later this year, we ask: can COP30 be a breakthrough moment for fossil fuel phaseout, nature protection, and delivery on past promises? Or will it risk becoming another high-profile summit weighed down by old divisions and new distractions?Learn more 🗺️ Get the latest COP30 updates and insights from the official website💡 Start exploring the Outrage + Optimism archive by listening to our Lifelines VS Deadlines miniseries, co-hosted by Global Optimism’s Fiona Macklin, whom you heard from at the end of this episode🎤 Leave us your voice notes and questions for upcoming episodes on SpeakPipeFollow us on social media for behind the scenes moments and to watch our videos:Instagram @outrageoptimism LinkedIn @outrageoptimismOr get in touch with us via this form.Producer: Ben Weaver-HincksVideo Producer: Caitlin HanrahanExec Producer: Ellie CliffordCommissioning Editor: Sarah Thomas This is a Persephonica production for Global Optimism and is part of the Acast Creator Network.

How far would you go to protect your home?In this week’s special episode, Christiana Figueres brings us a deeply personal and political dispatch from Vanuatu - a country on the frontlines of the climate crisis and at the heart of one of the most significant climate justice initiatives of our time.In conversations with voices from government (Minister Ralph Regenvanu), climate diplomacy (Christopher Bartlett), youth leadership and advocacy (Litiana Kalsrap), and the arts (Jean-Pascal Wahe), Christiana explores the legacy of colonisation, the meaning of land and sovereignty, and the moral power of a nation that is doing everything it can to protect its people and its planet.Alongside Paul Dickinson, she also considers Vanuatu’s history as a climate leader and the decades-long struggle for loss and damage. Plus, they begin to unpack the landmark ICJ case that Vanuatu has initiated, and which we will be exploring further in future episodes.How is this island nation persevering in the face of rising seas and extreme weather? And what does the world owe to those who have done the least to cause our current crisis?This episode features songs recorded by Christiana in the village of Imaki, on Tanna island, and additional wildlife recordings from Vanuatu by Dominik M. Ramík.Learn more 🍠 Jean-Pascal Wahe telling Christiana what it means to be ‘chief of the yam’⚖️ Information about the ICJ climate case on the Pacific Islands Students Fighting Climate Change website🎤 Leave us your voice notes and questions for upcoming episodes on SpeakPipeFollow us on social media for behind the scenes moments and to watch our videos:Instagram @outrageoptimismLinkedIn @outrageoptimismOr get in touch with us via this form. Producer: Ben Weaver-HincksVideo Producer: Caitlin HanrahanExec Producer: Ellie CliffordCommissioning Editor: Sarah Thomas This is a Persephonica production for Global Optimism and is part of the Acast Creator Network.

As the US federal government drifts further into anti-climate rhetoric and abandons its national and international commitments, can non-state actors hold the line?With Christiana Figueres away in Vanuatu, Tom Rivett-Carnac and Paul Dickinson take the reins to explore how climate progress is increasingly being driven by - or being left to - businesses and non-profits. They unpack the mounting challenges facing climate-aligned companies, the promise and complexity of existing voluntary initiatives, and the role that the private sector can play in driving innovation, accountability, and ambition in the absence of strong national leadership.Later, they speak with Helen Clarkson, CEO of the Climate Group, about the shifting reality for businesses trying to lead on climate in the US and beyond. And they ask her to address some of the rumours surrounding Climate Week NYC: Is it happening? Will it definitely be held in New York? And how can it become a beacon of action in an age of political uncertainty?Plus: Tom and Paul consider the upcoming ruling in a ground-breaking climate liability case with potentially seismic impacts.Learn more ⚖️ Details and documents on the Luciano Lliusya v. RWE EG legal case🛢️ ‘Scientists Tally Oil Majors’ Climate Damage With Eye to Legal Liability’ in Bloomberg🛑 ‘The End of Rule of Law in America’ by J. Michael Luttig, in The Atlantic📺 ‘Every day I have been shocked and disgusted’ - J. Michael Luttig on MSNBC🌎 Find out more about Climate Week NYC, or the Climate Group’s RE100 and EV100Follow us on social media for behind the scenes moments and to watch our videos:Instagram @outrageoptimism LinkedIn @outrageoptimismOr get in touch with us via this form.Producer: Ben Weaver-HincksVideo Producer: Caitlin HanrahanExec Producer: Ellie CliffordCommissioning Editor: Sarah Thomas This is a Persephonica production for Global Optimism and is part of the Acast Creator Network.

On April 28th, millions of people across Spain, Portugal and beyond were plunged into darkness in one of Europe’s most severe blackouts in decades. Was it a cyberattack? A renewables failure? Or might things be a little more complex?This week, Tom Rivett-Carnac, Christiana Figueres, and Paul Dickinson dig into what we know, what we don’t, and ask what this blackout really tells us about the transition to renewables. They speak with energy strategist Kingsmill Bond of Ember and hear an on-the-ground account from José Manuel Entrecanales, CEO of global renewables leader Acciona, to build a picture of how our grids function – and how they fail.Plus: what can we say when friends or colleagues claim that ‘renewables aren’t reliable’? And, after our recent conversations reflecting on the legacy of Pope Francis, what might Pope Leo XIV mean for future climate leadership?Learn more 🔌 Ember’s report, ‘Energy Security in an Insecure World’🎧 Octopus CEO Greg Jackson interviewed on the Azeem Azhar’s Exponential View podcast💡 Simon Evans’s analysis for Carbon Brief on the role of gas in electricity pricing🌐 The IEA’s report, ‘Electricity Grids and Secure Energy Transitions’🌳 ‘Pope Francis was a passionate climate advocate. Will Pope Leo XIV continue his legacy?’ in EuroNewsFollow us on social media for behind the scenes moments and to watch our videos:Instagram @outrageoptimism LinkedIn @outrageoptimismOr get in touch with us via this form. Producer: Ben Weaver-HincksVideo Producer: Caitlin HanrahanExec Producer: Ellie CliffordCommissioning Editor: Sarah Thomas This is a Persephonica production for Global Optimism and is part of the Acast Creator Network.