Outrage + Optimism
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Face the climate crisis head on, but understand that we have the power to solve this. From former UN Chief Christiana Figueres and the team who brought you the Paris Agreement, this podcast about issues and politics will inform you, inspire you and help you realize that this is the most exciting time in history to be alive.
What’s an NDC? What does El Niño tell us about global temperatures this year? And why could a landmark ICJ ruling unlock a wave of climate legal cases? Christiana Figueres, Tom Rivett-Carnac, and Paul Dickinson break down the climate acronyms and buzzwords you need to know in 2025.
With a crucial year ahead for climate action, this podcast is your essential guide to the key terms shaping global discussions. From breaking down BRICS to how President Donald Trump’s return to the White House will change the climate conversation. Plus, Paul finally decodes the ultimate acronym soup of climate finance jargon and the hosts discuss whether scrapping acronyms altogether could make the climate conversation more accessible.
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Are there any major climate acronyms you think we missed? Send us a voice note!
Follow us on social media for behind the scenes moments and to watch our videos:
Instagram @outrageoptimism
LinkedIn @outrageoptimism
Or get in touch with us via this form.
Producer: Nina Pullman
Video Producer: Caitlin Hanrahan
Exec Producer: Ellie Clifford
Commissioning Editor: Sarah Thomas
This is a Persephonica production for Global Optimism and is part of the Acast Creator Network.
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
What will a Trump presidency mean for the climate movement? Hours after Trump takes office for the second time, Christiana Figueres, Tom Rivett-Carnac and Paul Dickinson regroup to take stock and share their reactions to the US withdrawal from the Paris climate agreement. Guest Greg Bertelsen, chief executive of the Climate Leadership Council, offers his perspective on positive ways in which to engage with the Trump presidency on climate and Paul Dickinson shares what business leaders will be discussing at this week’s World Economic Forum in Davos.
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Do you have any views on how the climate community could move forward under a Trump presidency? Send us a voice note!
Follow us on social media for behind the scenes and video clips:
Instagram @outrageoptimism
LinkedIn @outrageoptimism
You can also contact us via this form.
Producer: Nina Pullman
Video Producer: Caitlin Hanrahan
Exec Producer: Ellie Clifford
Commissioning Editor: Sarah Thomas
This is a Persephonica production for Global Optimism and is part of the Acast Creator Network.
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
The devastating fires in LA have dominated the headlines in a dramatic start to 2025. Christiana Figueres,Tom Rivett-Carnac and Paul Dickinson discuss their link with climate, as the newly-released Copernicus report confirms the world has exceeded 1.5 degrees of warming.
And, in the year that marks halfway in the decisive decade for world emissions, our hosts are here with your definitive guide to the biggest climate moments coming up in 2025.
What solutions will technology, AI and business people bring forward this year? What are the key meeting points and dates for the climate community? And just how did Tom and Christiana go from watching Costa Rica in the football World Cup in a pub in New York to delivering the history-making Paris climate talks?
********************************************
Did we miss any major climate dates in your diary? Send us a voice note!
Follow us on social media for behind the scenes and video clips:
Instagram @outrageoptimism
LinkedIn @outrageoptimism
Or contact us via this form
Producer: Nina Pullman
Video Producer: Caitlin Hanrahan
Exec Producer: Ellie Clifford
Commissioning Editor: Sarah Thomas
This is a Persephonica production for Global Optimism and is part of the Acast Creator Network.
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Outrage + Optimism is for anyone who is not ready to give up on making the world a better place. Feeling exhausted at the thought of keeping up with climate news ahead of this pivotal year? Join Christiana, Tom and Paul in their weekly conversations to make sense of it all, bringing you expert insight, analysis and inspiring conversations with some of the world’s most visionary thinkers and influential decision makers. Subscribe to Outrage + Optimism: The Climate Podcast.
Follow us on LinkedIn, on Instagram and X.
This is a Persephonica production for Global Optimism and is part of the Acast Creator Network.
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
How can you reduce the environmental impact of your cat or dog? What’s the best way to prepare for climate breakdown? And how should you talk to children about climate? Christiana, Paul and Tom wrap up the year by answering an eclectic and insightful selection of your questions.
Plus: they digest the fourth and final COP of the year, known as the Desertification COP, which took place in December in Saudi Arabia and reflect on their own feelings at the end of a challenging year for the climate movement.
Huge thanks to our community of listeners for all the great questions submitted and all the support this year. Apologies if we didn’t get to your question this time but do keep sending them our way. See you in 2025!
NOTES AND RESOURCES
Learn more about the Paris Agreement.
Please follow us on social media!
Twitter | Instagram | LinkedIn
Ben Rhodes—writer, political commentator, and former Deputy National Security Advisor under President Obama—joins the host team to dissect the challenges of a Trump 2.0 administration.
Rhodes issues a bold call for a new "climate populist" strategy, to redirect the populist right-wing outrage over climate action toward exposing the oil and gas industry's stranglehold on climate negotiations, as seen at recent COP summits.
Christiana, Tom, Paul, plus special guest Fi Macklin, invite Rhodes to explore themes of strong leadership, the shifting dynamics of geopolitics, Trump’s appeal to the U.S. electorate, and how the world could navigate global climate politics without the US over the next four years?
NOTES AND RESOURCES
GUESTS
Ben Rhodes, writer, political commentator, and national security analyst
Website | Twitter (X) | Instagram
Fiona Macklin, Senior Advisor on Groundswell, Global Optimism
Learn more about the Paris Agreement.
It’s official, we’re a TED Audio Collective Podcast - Proof!
Check out more podcasts from The TED Audio Collective
Please follow us on social media!
Twitter | Instagram | LinkedIn
This week, Christiana, Tom and Paul tackle the latest on the global plastics treaty (known as INC-5), which ended last week without a deal. Why were countries unable to agree a deal despite the huge amount of public concern about plastic pollution? What pathways remain for an agreement in 2025? And why is it so important to maintain focus on plastic from a climate point of view? Dive into the challenges and explore potential solutions with the team.
Continuing this critical theme, Ellen MacArthur, Founder & Chair of Trustees of the Ellen MacArthur Foundation, world record-breaking sailor and circular economy advocate, joins Christiana to share an exclusive conversation as part of a collaboration between The Circular Economy Show and Outrage + Optimism. Together they consider what’s next for the global plastics treaty, get excited about the role of the private sector in tackling plastic pollution, and highlight how the visibility of plastics can help capture public attention on climate.
Before you go…
Listener Survey
Help shape the podcast for 2025! If you haven’t yet completed our annual listener survey, we’d be so grateful if you can spare 10 minutes to complete it here.
Tell us what you like, what you don’t like, and what you want more of from Outrage + Optimism.
NOTES AND RESOURCES
GUEST
Dame Ellen MacArthur
Website | Twitter (X)
Ellen MacArthur Foundation
Website | LinkedIn | Facebook | Instagram | Twitter (X)
The Foundation works to accelerate the transition to a circular economy, if you’d like to find out more, the Foundation’s podcast ‘The Circular Economy Show’ talks to experts from across industry, governments and academia to hear first hand about how the circular economy is being developed and scaled.
December Mailbag Episode
We would LOVE to hear your questions for our end of year listener Mailbag episode. Whether it is your questions on our most recent How to Live a Good Life series, questions on the recent COPs or everything and anything in between. Please either:
Send us an email: contact@globaloptimism.com with Climate Questions: December Mailbag in the title.
Visit our social media pages and drop the question in the comments.
Alternatively, if you want the chance for your message to be played on the show, record a message for us here
Learn more about the Paris Agreement.
It’s official, we’re a TED Audio Collective Podcast - Proof!
Check out more podcasts from The TED Audio Collective
Please follow us on social media!
Instagram | LinkedIn
This week, the team dives into the dramatic highs and lows of COP29 in Baku. With negotiations stretching into the final hours, a hard-fought finance deal emerged to bolster climate action and support for the most vulnerable. Yet, Christiana describes the agreement as “paltry at best,” highlighting the yawning chasm between what was agreed upon and what is truly necessary to address the climate crisis.
For those advocating for an ambitious, needs-based outcome, this year’s COP was a bruising experience—marked by frustration, hurt, and disappointment. The hosts share their thoughts on the controversies surrounding Azerbaijan's COP presidency and the challenges faced by negotiators committed to transformational change.
Finally, the team welcomes a very special guest: superstar producer Clay Carnill. As Clay prepares to leave the show, the hosts reflect on his incredible contributions to Outrage + Optimism—from the early days to now. Known for his humour, joy, unparalleled talent, attention-to-detail, professionalism, musicality and general all-round awesomeness, Clay has been a cornerstone of the podcast’s success. He will be deeply missed by the entire team.
We send Clay off with all our love—and best wishes for him (and the Detroit Lions!) on the journey ahead.
Tune in for reflections, critiques, and heartfelt goodbyes.
NOTES AND RESOURCES
I’m glad we got a deal at COP29 - but western nations stood in the way of a much better one by Mukhtar Babayev
December Mailbag Episode
We would LOVE to hear your questions for our end of year listener Mailbag episode. Whether it is your questions on our most recent How to Live a Good Life series, questions on the recent COPs or everything and anything in between. Please either:
Send us an email: contact@globaloptimism.com with Climate Questions: December Mailbag in the title.
Visit our social media pages and drop the question in the comments.
Alternatively, if you want the chance for your message to be played on the show, record a message for us here
Listener Survey
Help shape the podcast for 2025! If you haven’t yet completed our annual listener survey, we’d be so grateful if you can spare 10 minutes to complete it here.
Tell us what you like, what you don’t like, and what you want more of from Outrage + Optimism.
GUEST
Clay Carnill
Website | Patreon | LinkedIn | Instagram | Email
Learn more about the Paris Agreement.
It’s official, we’re a TED Audio Collective Podcast - Proof!
Check out more podcasts from The TED Audio Collective
Please follow us on social media!
Twitter | Instagram | LinkedIn
This week, our hosts talk about what’s been happening - and not happening - in Rio and Baku.
Christiana clarifies the mandate of COPs and advocates for COP processes and presidencies to be separate from national positions and interests while robustly defending multi-lateralism.
The hosts discuss how world leaders meeting in Rio for the G20 meeting have sent a powerful political signal to those meeting in COP29 in Baku: a need for "rapidly and substantially scaling up climate finance from billions to trillions from all sources".
The hosts are joined by Sue Reid, Climate Finance Advisor at Global Optimism who is on the ground in Baku. Together, they discuss what outcomes to expect as negotiators race towards the finish line in the second and final week of COP29.
Sue Reid shares her optimism at leading investors at the pinnacle of the finance food chain calling for the same commitments in climate and nature as leading civil society advocates and developing countries. The hosts and Sue talk about the critical importance of innovative mechanisms to achieve the climate financing needed and the outsized impact of public finance to leverage and enable private finance.
NOTES AND RESOURCES
G20 Rio de Janeiro Leaders Declaration
COP29 gets boost from Rio as G20 leaders back scaling up climate finance from ‘billions to trillions’
GUEST
Sue Reid, Climate Finance Advisor to Christiana Figueres at Global Optimism
Global Optimism Website | LinkedIn
Learn more about the Paris Agreement.
It’s official, we’re a TED Audio Collective Podcast - Proof!
Check out more podcasts from The TED Audio Collective
Please follow us on social media!
Twitter | Instagram | LinkedIn
Recorded live from COP29 in the UK Pavilion in Baku, Bigger, Better, Bolder: Updating NDCs in Line with 1.5 Degrees captures an energetic dialogue on the crucial role of bold leadership in climate action. Moderated by Tom, this dynamic session dives into why governments must ambitiously update their Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs) to meet the 1.5°C goal, recognizing this decade as a pivotal chance to shape a sustainable future.
Kicking off with insights from Ed Miliband, the UK’s Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, we explore how the UK’s ambitious NDC exemplifies targets aligned with scientific guidelines, the public’s mandate, and the need for investment-ready, collaborative action.
Tom also welcomes Emma Pinchbeck, CEO, Climate Change Committee and Russell Read, Lead Delegate, We Are Family Foundation to unpack how real-economy and societal stakeholders can drive meaningful NDC implementation. He talks to Nigel Topping, non-executive Director of the National Wealth Fund and Diana Layfield, Chair of British International Investment about the critical role business plays in inspiring investment and innovation both domestically and internationally.
The session concludes as Ana Toni, Brazil’s National Secretary for Climate Change, joins Ed Miliband in a live Q&A, discussing how partnerships between major powers, such as Brazil and the UK, can accelerate global climate progress before the mid-decade tipping point.
NOTES AND RESOURCES
GUESTS
The Rt Hon Ed Miliband MP, UK Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero
Website
Emma Pinchbeck, CEO of Climate Change Committee
Twitter (X)
Russell Reed, lead delegate for the We Are Family Foundation
Website
Nigel Topping, Non-exec director of National Wealth Fund and COP26 Climate Champion
Diana Layfield, Chair of British International Investment
Website
HE Ana Toni, National Secretary for Climate Change at the Ministry of Environment and Climate Change, from Brazil as COP30 Presidency
Learn more about the Paris Agreement.
It’s official, we’re a TED Audio Collective Podcast - Proof!
Check out more podcasts from The TED Audio Collective
Please follow us on social media!
Twitter | Instagram | LinkedIn