In this episode, Alice Stafford, communications officer at Green Alliance, speaks to Molly Easton and Layla Mapemba from Youngwilders, a youth-led non profit working to make nature recovery more inclusive. From local rewilding initiatives to influencing national policy, they explore how young people are creatively restoring nature in their communities and why rewilding should be accessible to everyone, wherever they live. With a focus on access, equity and meaningful change, they reflect on the ...
Aug 05, 2025•29 min•Ep. 126
The UK government banned disposable vapes in June 2025, a major win for health, environment and campaigners across the country. But has the problem really gone away? In this episode, Green Alliance's senior fellow and head of resources Libby Peake speaks to the experts and activists behind the campaign to ban these devices. She’s joined by Scott Butler of Material Focus, climate campaigner Laura Young and Dr Michael McKean of the Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health. They discuss the la...
Jul 22, 2025•39 min•Ep. 125
It’s been a year since Labour’s landslide victory in the 2024 UK general election and we’re diving into what that’s meant for climate and nature. From bold moves on clean power and nature friendly farming to economic roadblocks and rising political division on net zero, this episode brings together voices from Green Alliance, Friends of the Earth and the National Trust to unpack Labour’s first 12 months.
Jul 08, 2025•26 min•Ep. 124
This episode explores the government’s new IT reuse for good charter and the broader Digital Inclusion Action Plan , which aim to get unused devices into the hands of those who need them most. The discussion highlights the scale of the UK’s e-waste problem, the persistent digital divide and the critical role of device redistribution in addressing both challenges. Presented by Emily Carr, policy adviser and author of our recent report Making the connection: ending digital exclusion with reused de...
Jul 02, 2025•27 min•Ep. 123
In this episode, Libby Peake, senior fellow and head of resource policy, speaks to Patrick Grant, clothing designer and BBC's Sewing Bee judge, discussing Grant's book "Less." They delve into the shift taken over the last century from quality manufacturing that benefited communities to a fast fashion model that generates enormous waste and minimal value. In this conversation, Patrick Grant advocates for a "lower consumption, higher value economy," where people buy fewer but better quality items ...
Apr 15, 2025•36 min•Ep. 122
Five years after Brexit, we take a moment to reflect on its impact on environmental protection. This episode of the Green Alliance podcast explores the fate of environmental laws inherited from the EU and the new systems put in place to watch over them. Ruth Chambers, Green Alliance senior fellow, is joined by Professor Maria Lee, an expert in environmental law, and Dame Glenys Stacey, Chair of the Office for Environmental Protection, for a discussion on the challenges and progress of the last f...
Feb 06, 2025•40 min•Ep. 121
In this episode, you'll hear highlights from our recent "in conversation" event with Guy Shrubsole where he and our head of natural environment, Lydia Collas, discussed his latest book “ The Lie of the Land: Who Really Cares for the Countryside? ”. The book examines some of the most dramatic failures of land stewardship in Britain’s recent history. But also tells the story of the people trying to pick up the pieces, the small scale farmers, community groups and members of the public who seek to ...
Dec 17, 2024•41 min•Ep. 120
In this week's episode of the Green Alliance podcast, we dive into the UK’s evolving transport policy discussion with Green Alliance's head of climate, Nick Davies. The conversation covers recent developments on the Zero Emission Vehicle (ZEV) mandate and the launch of the Integrated National Transport Strategy. Nick chats with experts including Michael Solomon Williams from Campaign for Better Transport, cycling journalist and author Laura Laker, and Green Alliance's Johann Beckford and Rosie A...
Dec 04, 2024•39 min•Ep. 119
In this episode, Libby Peake, senior fellow and head of resources policy, sits down with Emily Carr, policy adviser, alongside members of Green Alliance’s Circular Economy Task Force, including our chair, Dr Colin Church, CEO of IOM3, Iain Gulland, CEO of Zero Waste Scotland, Harriet Lamb, CEO of WRAP, and Dr Adam Read, Director of External Affairs at SUEZ, to discuss the circular economy and what the new government needs to do to bring about the policies we need to see to reduce resource use. I...
Nov 18, 2024•32 min•Ep. 118
In this episode, Ruth Chambers, senior fellow, sits down with crossbench Peer Lord Krebs and Richard Benwell, chief executive of Wildlife & Countryside Link, to discuss the third anniversary of the Environment Act. In this conversation, our guests reflect on the colossal team effort required to get the Act onto the statute book, the standout moments from parliamentary debates and the collaboration between parliamentarians and campaigners required to push for high ambition legislation. We als...
Nov 12, 2024•45 min•Ep. 117
In this episode, Rosie Allen, policy adviser at Green Alliance, sits down with Liam Hardy, our senior policy analyst, and Jenniffer Pedraza, a research associate at Stockholm Environment Institute Research, to discuss the need to raise ambition on methane ahead of the United Nations Climate Change Conference in Baku, Azerbaijan (COP29). The conversation offers both domestic and international perspectives on the increased leadership required to tackle methane emissions. From the bold steps needed...
Oct 29, 2024•26 min•Ep. 116
The Green Alliance podcast is back with its fortnightly episodes for a six-episode series. In this episode, Green Alliance's head of politics, Holly Brazier Tope, reflects on the first 100 days of the new Labour government, marking a pivotal shift after over a decade of Conservative leadership. Holly first sits down with Chris Venables, director of politics at Green Alliance, to discuss how things are going from an external viewpoint, examining key moments and opportunities for the environmental...
Oct 15, 2024•37 min•Ep. 115
In this episode, you’ll hear highlights from our recent “in conversation” event with Tom Heap where he and our executive director Shaun Spiers discussed his latest book “Land Smart: how to give people and nature the space to thrive”. This book examines why we need land and how to give both humanity and nature the space to thrive, and includes conversations with farmers, scientists, conservationists and even warehouse managers who are solving the most pressing challenges facing our countryside an...
Aug 06, 2024•48 min•Ep. 114
The actions taken over the next five years by the incoming Government will be make or break for the UK’s climate and nature targets – the stakes could not be higher. This podcast episode features highlights from the final event in our Election countdown series ' Election debrief – what now for the environment? ' where we we analysed the results of the election and what they mean for the environmental agenda. Executive director Shaun Spiers hosted the panel, with inputs from Holly Brazier Tope, h...
Jul 23, 2024•44 min•Ep. 113
Nature underpins our economy, but this is not currently reflected in economic decision making. The Dasgupta Review , commissioned by the UK Treasury and published in 2021, sets out the strong case for changing our economic system to reflect that it does not exist outside of nature, but within it. It shows that, to prevent ongoing environmental destruction in the name of economic progress, we must use a measure of wealth that includes indispensable assets like nature on the balance books. But how...
Jul 16, 2024•24 min•Ep. 112
In this episode, Steve Coulter, Green Alliance’s head of economy, speaks to experts about why the UK is crying out for a green industrial strategy. Industrial strategies are driving change around the world, in the US, EU and China, but the UK has yet to follow suit. Green industrial strategy is more than just switching from carbon to electric power, it must encompass a broader vision integrating economic resilience by meeting environmental objectives across organisational, political and economic...
Feb 26, 2024•38 min•Ep. 111
The benefits and challenges of participatory policy making are discussed with Stephen Frost, Co-Head of Participative Research and Principal Research Fellow at the Institute for Public Policy Research. Many climate experts have expressed the need to bring people along in the transition to net zero, ensuring it is one of social justice. The use of participatory research methods and policy making processes is one way to do so. Stephen discusses IPPR’s Environmental Justice Commission and how the o...
Feb 02, 2024•24 min•Ep. 110
How can inclusive policy making change policy outcomes? When individuals’ power and privilege often correlate with emission outputs, it is important to consider those involved in environmental policy making. Involving the public in policy making that impacts them often leads to ‘better’ policy and less backlash, yet it isn’t something think tanks consistently do. In this conversation Hirra explores what inclusive policy making means in practice and how Possible’s policies have consequently evolv...
Jan 25, 2024•21 min•Ep. 109
Including those impacted by policy in the policy making process is not always a given. Green Alliance has been exploring how and why policy makers should be inclusive of the public, marginalised communities and communities that typically have not been sought out for engagement and implementation processes of environmental policy. The importance of think tanks and NGOs having inclusive policy making processes is discussed with Emma Vogelmann, Policy, Public Affairs and Research Manager at Transpo...
Jan 19, 2024•17 min•Ep. 108
Provisional figures from 2022 show a rise in transport emissions compared to the year previous. And while the transport system is already the largest emitting sector across the UK economy, this is a major obstacle for policymakers in their bid to reach net zero by 2050. In the last year, transport entered the political arena in a way not seen before. There were contradictory announcements on the sales of petrol and diesel cars and vans, conspiracy theories, strikes, budget cuts, headline announc...
Dec 21, 2023•16 min•Ep. 107
Inflation hit a 41 year high in 2022. This was largely driven by high gas prices due to the war in Ukraine. Although that gas price spike is dropping out of inflation now, inflation is nowhere near pre-war levels and neither are energy bills. What is the policy response? Interest rates are currently at a 15 year high, the highest they've been since 2008. The Bank of England is raising interest rates to try and get inflation down closer to their target of two per cent. This is putting pressure on...
Aug 03, 2023•28 min•Ep. 106
The tax system is a major tool in the government’s arsenal when it comes to shaping the world we live in. It can be used to enforce policy aims, stimulate solutions to societal challenges and discourage adverse behaviours. However, the potential of the tax system to drive a green economy has barely been tapped into. As it stands, the UK tax system is geared towards a high carbon economy. It rewards polluters and lacks the incentives that would encourage green alternatives. At the same time, the ...
Jul 27, 2023•30 min•Ep. 105
Reducing raw material consumption in the UK is essential to meeting climate targets. Circular businesses can offer a host of environmental benefits as well as saving money for consumers and bringing in just as much, if not more, profit than linear companies. Our report ' Ready steady grow: how the Treasury can mainstream circular business ' looks at case studies from ten circular businesses to show how the economics of circularity stack up and find out what is holding circular businesses back fr...
Jul 13, 2023•27 min•Ep. 104
One of the biggest challenges for getting the UK to net zero is building enough grid infrastructure. This is also essential to improve energy security and bring down bills for households. Grid is repeatedly cited as one of the biggest blockers to fast decarbonisation. So what are the obstacles? Regen's new report ' Building a GB electricity network ready for net zero ' explores the scale of the challenge, the initiatives underway and key priorities. In this episode, Flossie Boyd speaks with the ...
Jun 22, 2023•15 min•Ep. 103
Air pollution is one of the most pressing issues faced by London today. Affecting both public health and the environment, improving air quality is essential to making the city a safer and more sustainable place to live. So how can this be achieved? Shirley Rodrigues, London's Deputy Mayor for Environment and Energy, is working to deliver an environmental strategy for the city which will tackle air pollution. This includes policies ranging from implementing the Ultra Low Emission Zone (ULEZ) to r...
May 04, 2023•29 min•Ep. 102
The UK has shown strong climate leadership by setting a 2030 phase out date for ICE vehicles. But how can the automotive manufacturing sector secure a thriving electric vehicle supply chain in the UK? In this episode, Emma McKelvie speaks with Ian Constance, chief executive of the Advanced Propulsion Centre (APC) . The APC provides funding and support to organisations across the electric vehicle supply chain, and publishes research and insights into how achieving a net zero transport system. The...
Apr 20, 2023•21 min•Ep. 101
The anticipated UK government's Energy Security Day on 30 March 2023 left much to be desired. While progress was made for heat pumps and the zero emission vehicles mandate, and the government seems to have abided by the High Court’s ruling, the UK's overall ambition to reduce emissions largely remained unchanged. In this special edition of the Green Alliance podcast, our research director Roz Bulleid sits down with our policy experts to discuss progress, where Energy Security Day fell short and ...
Apr 06, 2023•26 min•Ep. 100
Amidst a quickly evolving global political landscape, the scope of the green transition is constantly changing. Dr Nathalie Tocci is director of the Istituto Affari Internazionali and author of 'A Green and Global Europe', a book which affirms the inevitability of the green transition in Europe but sets out its complex social, economic and geopolitical challenges. Dr Tocci argues that these must be addressed head-on and collaboratively with other nations rather than in isolation. Our executive d...
Mar 23, 2023•30 min•Ep. 99
The new Labour Climate and Environment Forum (LCEF) launched in December 2022 with the aim of strengthening climate and environmental ambition across the labour movement. But how does the organisation plan to achieve its goals? LCEF’s debut report uses polling to show that Labour MPs are viewed more favourably by voters when talking about their support for environmental issues. With a UK general election expected in 2024, the position of the major political parties on the environment will be ele...
Mar 02, 2023•26 min•Ep. 98
In 2021, 95 per cent of global trade was moved by sea. If you look around you, it's likely that the nearby furniture, technology, or at least the parts that made them were at some point in a shipping container heading overseas. In comparison to other modes of transport, however, shipping is often overlooked when it comes to decarbonisation. The shipping sector already has a tool to make the systemic changes necessary to decarbonise: the International Maritime Organization (IMO). The IMO has the ...
Feb 16, 2023•27 min•Ep. 97
