Big Tech’s AI Illusion

What if soil is one of the most urgent stories of our time?With over 60% of European soils in poor health, we talk to Stephan Mantel and Cristina Mosconi about Unseen: The World of Soil – an exhibition exploring how art, science and curiosity can change the way we see the ground beneath our feet.

What happens to our phones, laptops and chargers when we no longer want them?In this episode of Everything Is Changing, Ahmetcan Uzlaşık speaks with eWAsTER project manager Ricardo Sobral about Europe’s growing e-waste problem, overconsumption, repair and reuse, and how old electronics can become valuable resources rather than waste.

Can cycling reverse rural depopulation without turning villages into tourist traps?In this episode, host Tom Lovett travels to Spain's "Empty Mountains" to meet Ernesto Pastor, a cyclist who built a 700km bikepacking route to spotlight a demographic crisis.

We dig into the rise of cycle tourism, and what is can offer rural areas. Ernesto explains why all successful routes need are simple road maintenance, how a bar in a village of 50 people found new life through the route, and why the goal isn't to make villages adapt to visitors, but for visitors to adapt to the silence.

This episode is an adaptation of a feature from REVOLVE’s Fall Magazine. Read the issue here: https://revolve.media/magazine/issue-61-fall-2026Photo: Ernesto Pastor

How can shared mobility make cities more inclusive? Esen Köse from Mpact joins us to discuss car sharing, bike libraries, adapted vehicles, and why the future of mobility must put people first.

What makes a city truly competitive? Is it the latest tech, or something more fundamental?In this episode of Everything Is Changing, POLIS Secretary General Karen Vancluysen joins journalist Ahmetcan Uzlaşık to cut through the hype surrounding automation, robotaxis, and electric vehicles. They reveal why simply switching to electric cars won’t fix Europe’s mobility crisis and discuss the urgent need to reallocate space from private vehicles to people.From chronic congestion and transport strikes to the future of industrial policy, this conversation explores how Europe’s cities are shaping a competitive, green, and people-first future. Discover why true progress lies in high-capacity public transport and bold political leadership rather than automating private ownership.Episode Chapters: 00:00 – Introduction03:35 – The Economic Cost of Unsustainable Transport06:04 – Cities as Market Shapers, Not Just Policy Implementers09:12 – Automation: Sustainability Solution or Hype?10:49 – Europe’s Path: Public Transport vs. Private Robotaxis13:30 – The Power of Cities to Regulate Urban Space 16:34 – Geopolitics, Critical Minerals, and Mobility Sovereignty18:49 – What Truly Transforms Urban Mobility? (Space Reallocation)23:23 – The Political Challenge: The Need for Bold Decisions26:10 – Winning Hearts and Minds Through Pilot Projects

Ships often burn fuel while waiting outside ports, but it doesn't have to be this way.In this episode of Everything Is Changing, journalist Ahmetcan Uzlaşık speaks with Julia Pahl and José Giménez about how the MISSION project uses AI, real-time data and digital coordination to reduce emissions, improve port efficiency and accelerate shipping's green transition.Episode Chapters:Intro 0:00 - 1:23Port Call 1:23 - 3:12Inefficiencies in Shipping 3:12 - 6:13Decarbonizing shipping 6:13 - 8:52What MISSION is Changing 8:52 - 24:00

What happens when someone inside a company or government discovers environmental wrongdoing and decides to speak out? In this episode, Gabriel Bourdon-Fattal and Maria Garriga Zamora from Climate Whistleblowers discuss the risks, rewards, and real-world impact of exposing climate crimes, greenwashing, and corporate misconduct.

Air freight powers global trade, but can it ever become sustainable? In this episode of Everything is Changing, Alexey Zotov, Managing Director of Air Cargo Green Capabilities, joins Ahmetcan Uzlaşık to discuss green logistics, Sustainable Aviation Fuel (SAF), AI in air cargo, and the reality behind sustainability claims in one of the world’s most carbon-intensive industries.Episode Chapters:Air freight or air cargo? 0:00 - 2:10Why "green capabilities"? 2:10 - 6:20Is air cargo really sustainable? 6:20 - 8:25Do customers care? 8:25 - 10:50SAF question 10:50 - 13:08Decarbonisation in numbers 13:08 - 15:46Is the sector really changing? 15:46 - 18:02AI in air cargo 18:02 - 19:09What would he change in the industry? 19:09 - 20:59

Journalist Hanin Haidar joins Everything is Changing to discuss her documentary Echoes of a Forgotten River, exploring the history, pollution, and possible rehabilitation of the Beirut River, and what its disappearance reveals about memory, urbanization, corruption, and hope in Lebanon’s capital.Episode Chapters:0:00 - 2:35 Why the River of Beirut?2:35 - 7:23 What happened?7:23 - 9:20Hanin's Experience9:20 - 12:15 People Remembering12:15 - 15:20 Israel's Role15:20 - 21:00 Reclaiming the Beirut River21:00 - 23:50 Young People

What if AI isn’t as green as we think? This episode explores how Big Tech is greenwashing AI’s climate impact, from rising emissions to misleading narratives, based on Ketan Joshi’s report, and why it matters now.Episode Chapters:0:00 - 2:20 Who is Ketan Joshi? 2:20 - 5:10 Why the report matters5:10 - 8:40 Which AI?8:40 - 13:15 Will AI save the planet?13:15 - 19:10 AI and emissions19:10 - 24:19 What should we do?24:50 - 28:30 Big Tech's Greenwashing Tactics29:00 - 36:10 Key Takeaway