A special bonus episode for a little inspiration as 2021 begins! Christiana Figueres and the Outrage + Optimism gang chat with Andrew Higham, Chief Executive of Mission 2020 as its mission comes to a close. Mission 2020 was born out of the Paris Agreement to harness the momentum it brought about to ensure the urgency of the global climate conversation would be followed up by ambitious and daring action. Despite the coronavirus pandemic, 2020 did mark a turning point in tackling the climate crisi...
Jan 06, 2021•42 min
With the first year in the most decisive decade in history coming to a close, we wrap up Season 2 of Outrage and Optimism by being visited by 3 Christmas Ghos...ahem...Scientists. ...That’s a Charles Dickens joke. But all joking aside, you are in for a real treat this episode. The Royal Institution Christmas Lectures have taken place every Christmas since 1825 in the UK. Started as a way to educate the public about science, it has become an annual tradition loved by families across the globe, bo...
Dec 25, 2020•49 min•Season 2Ep. 49
The Climate Ambition Summit this week announced some of the most ambitious Nationally Determined Contributions we have seen to date. And so with the European Commission announcing it’s target of 55% GHG reductions by 2030, the world has optimistically moved even closer to limiting warming to only 1.5C. So, what set of actual policies, financing, social protections and market incentives will guide the EU towards achieving this ambitious target? The European Green Deal. It’s a set of bold policies...
Dec 18, 2020•1 hr 5 min•Season 2Ep. 48
Show notes: The Paris Effect On December 12th, 2015 the landmark Paris Agreement was adopted by 195 countries as the first unanimously agreed climate change treaty. It has become a symbol of collaboration, a spirit of shared interest merging harmoniously with enlightened self-interest. This weekend is the 5th anniversary of the Paris Agreement’s adoption and, as we near the end of an extremely challenging 2020, it’s time to celebrate the phenomenal changes that have happened and are happening in...
Dec 11, 2020•1 hr 22 min•Season 2Ep. 47
Around the world In 2020, we saw an unprecedented rise in activism surrounding Black Lives Matter and the call for racial and social justice. But if there’s one enormous takeaway for those marching for the climate, it is that our fight for climate justice is inextricably linked to our fight for racial justice. BIPOC have suffered, are suffering, and will continue to disproportionately suffer the harshest effects of climate change. Unacceptable. So what clear actions can organizations, individual...
Dec 04, 2020•1 hr 3 min•Season 2Ep. 46
This is our second episode of an Outrage + Optimism investigative series on The Future of Transport. There’s no denying that for over a century, fossil fuels have played a key role in humanity’s progress. But at a cost. They account for two-thirds of global greenhouse-gas emissions, and the pollution from burning them kills more than 4 million people a year. So in a year where cars sat unused, and oil prices crashed...what is the future of fuels? We know that in order to meet the Paris Agreement...
Nov 27, 2020•59 min•Season 2Ep. 45
After 4 intolerable years of you-know-who in the US, this week there seems to be a brief moment of calm. But while many of us are catching our breath, the world is transforming how it will conduct business as usual by pressing the proverbial ‘reset’ button on what appears to be “everything we do and how we do it.” - to quote Lindsay Levin. And this is the perfect moment to reset everything, right? We’ve seen economic inequality grow exponentially, we’ve seen the gender gap resist closing, and we...
Nov 20, 2020•58 min•Season 2Ep. 44
With young voter turnout in the US election the highest it has been in 40 years, President-Elect Joe Biden is heading to the White House with a mandate to address the climate crisis head on, following on his promises he made during his campaign. So along with the shock of having a President that acknowledges the climate crisis poses some absolutely crucial questions: What do we do with someone in power who is listening to climate activists? What do we focus on achieving first? How do we work wit...
Nov 13, 2020•1 hr•Season 2Ep. 43
The US election winner has all but been formally declared, with Joe Biden on the cusp of electoral victory. But after all the votes are counted, we see that there was record turnout for both Democrats and Republicans. What mandate does a Biden administration have to lead again globally on climate action? This week we talk with two experts with first hand experience in US climate policy. Ben Rhodes, former Deputy National Security Advisor for President Obama, and Todd Stern, who was the United St...
Nov 07, 2020•1 hr 3 min•Season 2Ep. 42
Election Day is next Tuesday, November 3rd. It cannot be ignored - How the US will vote next week will have global consequences. What does the outcome look like as we see it just before Election Day, and how on Earth did we get here to this one single decision that will shape what feels like everything for generations to come? In our search for understanding (and peace of mind) we pose all of our concerns, worries, and questions to one of the leading experts in US politics and US climate policy,...
Oct 30, 2020•1 hr 11 min•Season 2Ep. 41
This week on Outrage + Optimism, Prince William is here! With just under 10 years to cut global emissions by 50%, the future of our planet depends on a raising of ambition we have not seen since JFK’s Moonshot. A conservationist at heart and in practice, Prince William is on the hunt to find and finance the solutions that will get us there. Enter The Earthshot Prize - Five, one million-pound prizes awarded each year for the next 10 years, providing at least 50 solutions to the world’s greatest e...
Oct 22, 2020•1 hr•Season 2Ep. 40
This is the first of an Outrage + Optimism investigative series on The Future of Transport. Today our cars, planes, trains and ships cause nearly 30% of global carbon pollution. We think the pioneering spirit that got these industries and forms of transport underway more than 120 years ago will have to be reinvigorated to get to a transportation sector that is fit for a low carbon future. This first episode tackles The Future of Flight. COVID-19 has dealt the airline industry a devastating blow....
Oct 16, 2020•44 min•Season 2Ep. 39
On the eve of TED Countdown, Christiana and Tom sit down for an in-depth conversation with TED's Chris Anderson and Lindsay Levin, CEO of Leaders' Quest, detailing an exclusive sneak-preview of what we can look forward to during the epic virtual climate event scheduled for Saturday, 10.10.20 at 11 AM ET You can find all the details and livestream the event at Countdown.TED.com as well as on TED's YouTube Channel --- Our special musical guest this week is Cosmo Sheldrake! Facebook | Twitter | You...
Oct 09, 2020•51 min•Season 2Ep. 38
Plenty of outrage this week after the first U.S. Presidential Debate and disappointing news about the biodiversity pledge. But a conversation with Ted Danson offers hope and insight from his remarkable life and commitment to the worlds oceans. When Ted met environmental lawyer Bob Sulnick he become involved in a movement to prevent digging for oil wells in Santa Monica. Buoyed up by the victory, Danson accelerated his involvement by helping create the American Oceans Campaign in 1987, which even...
Oct 02, 2020•1 hr 7 min•Season 2Ep. 37
New York Climate Week is where leaders from finance, business, cities and regional government gather to galvanise climate action alongside the UN General Assembly every September. This year was no different, with all events in virtual form both at the UN and outside it. In the lead up to the fifth anniversary of the Paris Agreement later this year, the point where governments promised to update their ambitions on climate change, we explore real actions in the real economy and politics. Following...
Sep 29, 2020•52 min
As the Administrator of the United Nations Development Programme, Achim Steiner has a relentless collaborative spirit. The conversation covers the relationship between the environment and economic development as big news comes this week from China. --- Our special musical guest this week is She Drew The Gun: Website | Twitter | Youtube | Instagram --- Keep up with Christiana here: Instagram | Twitter | LinkedIn | Facebook --- Tom Rivett-Carnac: Instagram | Twitter | LinkedIn --- Join @GlobalOpti...
Sep 25, 2020•1 hr 5 min•Season 2Ep. 36
This week we sit down with the CEO of BP, Bernard Looney. Following BP's announcement to be net-zero by 2050 and cutting oil production by 40% by 2030, we talk about the beginning steps to rebuilding trust and what it looks like to transition an oil and gas company away from oil and gas. --- Our special musical guest this week is Gecko: Website | Twitter | Youtube | Instagram --- Keep up with Christiana here: Instagram | Twitter | LinkedIn | Facebook --- Tom Rivett-Carnac: Instagram | Twitter | ...
Sep 18, 2020•1 hr 9 min•Season 2Ep. 35
It all started one cold night in Paris in December 2008. Two American friends visiting the city couldn’t get a taxi and this frustration inspired them to ask ‘what if’? What if it were possible to order a car ride with a simple tap on your mobile? Since both came from successful San Francisco tech backgrounds, it wasn’t surprising that this personal experience led to the creation of the company that is today the global tech on-demand transportation platform, Uber. Now Uber is all grown up. It’s ...
Sep 11, 2020•57 min•Season 2Ep. 34
With over 80% of people on Earth claiming a religious affiliation, it's impossible to imagine solving the climate crisis without major religions taking climate action on as a spiritual exercise of their faith. and in the US, less than 30% of white evangelicals believe the Earth is warming due to human activity. With only 60 days til the US election, how are evangelical Christians going to vote on climate change? Why is the gospel of climate change failing to reach them? Dr. Katharine Hayhoe is a...
Sep 04, 2020•1 hr 3 min•Season 2Ep. 33
Ahead of the massive climate demonstrations planned by Extinction Rebellion the first 2 weeks of September, Tom has an insightful conversation with Extinction Rebellion co-founder, Gail Bradbrook on what we can expect to see and how we can get involved. --- Get involved or learn more about Extinction Rebellion: https://extinctionrebellion.uk --- Our full episode with Gail Bradbrook: https://apple.co/2QCy8ma Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information....
Aug 31, 2020•17 min
"If you want to build a ship, don't drum up people to collect wood and don't assign them tasks and work, but rather teach them to long for the endless immensity of the sea." - Antoine de Saint-Exupery One of the often taken-for-granted and overlooked aspects of climate is our oceans. And by oceans, we mean ocean. One. All "oceans" are part of the same system, and they have been absorbing the heat and CO2 that we have been so irresponsibly emitting. But how can we get people to take action on cli...
Aug 28, 2020•57 min•Season 2Ep. 32
With the US election less than 75 days away, the entire world is watching because the future of the planet is on the ballot. How do we rise in moments like this to be the people this moment needs us to be? How can we face the uncertainty of our future with stubborn optimism to address our greatest challenge, climate change? This week we have a special guest that heavily influenced the idea of "Stubborn Optimism" and the optimistic basis of Christiana and Tom Rivett-Carnac's book, "The Future We ...
Aug 21, 2020•1 hr 1 min•Season 2Ep. 31
This week! 2 Authors, 1 Crisis. Do we have a "Hope In Hell" to survive the climate crisis, or do we have "Reasons To Be Optimistic" in the face of it? We talk with longtime activist Jonathon Porritt and famous model and actress Lily Cole about their brand new books, and find out the role that both rage and hope play in pushing us to ask ourselves in light of the climate emergency, "What are you going to do about it?" --- Lily Cole's Book "Who Cares Wins": https://amzn.to/3gXdjNU Jonathon Porritt...
Aug 14, 2020•1 hr 2 min•Season 2Ep. 30
When a new CEO steps in to their new role at their new company, more often than not they take the company in a new direction. But what happens when you're the new CEO at a company that has 100+ year roots in feminism, pensions, and social safety? Enter Alan Jope, CEO of Unilever. With a company that has its products being used everyday by over 2 billion people, changing direction would be a massive undertaking. But Alan doesn't want to change direction, he wants to double down on speed and scale...
Aug 07, 2020•58 min•Season 2Ep. 29
What role does fear play in awakening humanity to avoiding it's own demise? Can fear sustain long-term action and help us avoid climate change? This week we talk the scary bits of climate truth with author of "The Uninhabitable Earth" David Wallace-Wells. He discusses with us the responsibility of communicating the full potential picture of climate change as a journalist, and how more people on Earth need to hear what could happen if we do not act now. Plus, a live musical performance from Billy...
Jul 31, 2020•1 hr 20 min•Season 2Ep. 28
Since the adoption of the Paris Agreement, legal systems around the world are beginning to witness the power of citizens, organizations, and businesses fighting legal battles to protect Earth. But who's side is the law on? This week we talk about how the tides have turned in favor of Earth in court with CEO of ClientEarth, James Thornton. We hear about how ClientEarth is mending the relationship between humanity and the Earth through the law, and James shares some amazing news from China regardi...
Jul 24, 2020•1 hr 18 min•Season 2Ep. 27
In a world where culture leads politics, what is the role of the artist in political activism? This week, we interview Massive Attack's Rob "3D" Del Naja and long-time collaborator, Mark Donne to discuss intentional, subversive creation in times of COVID. One such timely creation came about last week when Massive Attack collaborated with Mark and our very own Christiana Figueres to create a sonic experience that evokes an unsettling of the self to expose the dark, dystopian reality that the clim...
Jul 17, 2020•1 hr 17 min•Season 2Ep. 26
This week, Outrage! and Optimism goes galactic to talk about the relationship between policy and science. In a world riddled by authoritarian divisions and isolating nationalism, how do we bring ourselves and our neighbors to the realization that we are one human race on a fragile planet that we need to protect? Upon her return back to Earth, NASA Astronaut Jessica Meir agreed to sit down with us and talk through her experience of leaving the Earth, and how communicating what is often described ...
Jul 10, 2020•1 hr 14 min•Season 2Ep. 25
This week, a LIVEstream episode! We were joined by activist and filmmaker, Richard Curtis, for his second time on the podcast! His latest initiative, Make My Money Matter is a campaign to shift the £3 trillion invested in UK pensions away from fossil fuels, arms, and meat production over to clean energy, healthcare, and human rights. This initiative is helping vegans not unknowingly invest in meat production, helping doctors not unknowingly invest in tobacco, and the list goes on. Amazing stuff....
Jul 03, 2020•1 hr 1 min•Season 2Ep. 24
Christiana is BACK! We discuss to rise of "stakeholder capitalism" and how it could be a turning point for corporations and countries to #buildbackbetter. Our interview this week is with former CEO of Unilever, Paul Polman. Paul enlightens us on how the private sector has a major opportunity and responsibility to bring back humanity to the core of its driving purpose. We explore his success in turning the tide of capitalism towards corporate social responsibility, and why certified, true green b...
Jun 26, 2020•1 hr 11 min•Season 2Ep. 23
