266. Is it OK to Have Children in a Climate Crisis?

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 LinkedIn    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 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 at the UK COP Pavilion and moderated by Tom, ‘From Call to Action: the Bridgetown Initiative and delivering Global Financial System Reform’ is an inspiring conversation between Barbados Prime Minister Mia Mottley and Foreign Secretary, UK, David Lammy. Mia Mottley called the world to action when she released the initial Bridgetown Initiative at UNGA in 2022. Now in its third iteration, the Bridgetown Initiative brings together an ambitious and holistic set of calls for reforms to make the Global Financial System more inclusive, more shock-responsive, and better scaled to meet the financing challenges and needs for developing countries. The UK is ready to stand up to face those challenges head-on. As a G7 country with the largest sustainable financial centre in the world, a track-record of delivering financial innovations and influencing the global debate, a key voice in the governance of the System, the UK has a strong track-record and platform to deliver. And deliver we must: the global financial system needs to deliver a fairer deal for developing countries. This conversation is a frank discussion between two leading voices to understand the problems, identify solutions, and drive reforms to create a world free of poverty on a liveable planet. Huge thanks goes to UK COP Pavilion for allowing us to use their audio recording of this conversation. To watch more live events from COP 29 make sure to follow their YouTube channel here   NOTES AND RESOURCES   The Bridgetown Initiative UK COP Pavilion UK Government at COP29 GUESTS   The Honourable Mia Mottley, SC, MP, Prime Minister of Barbados Website | LinkedIn | Facebook | Instagram | Twitter (X)    The Rt Hon David Lammy, Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs of the United Kingdom Website | Facebook | Instagram | Twitter (X)    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, Paul and Tom are joined by Tony Goldner, from the Taskforce on Nature-related Financial Disclosures. Tony helps make sense of what happened at the recent Biodiversity COP in Colombia and discusses the many ways that nature is starting to appear on business’ and regulators’ agendas. Companies are waking up to the fact that their resilience depends on the resilience of nature. Many companies are in the process of developing and setting long-term transition plans to net-zero. Tony explains that as biodiversity and nature-loss risks mount, businesses need to also consider that nature-based dependencies, risks, and mitigations should be put in place.   NOTES AND RESOURCES   GUEST Tony Goldner, TNFD Executive Director TNFD Website | LinkedIn   Q&A The clock is ticking: finance sector deforestation action must now go mainstream with Stephanie Kimball, Senior Director of Climate Strategy at Conservation International and Sue Reid, Climate Finance Advisor to Christiana Figueres at 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

As the news of Donald Trump’s 2024 US election victory makes headlines around the world, Christiana Figueres, Tom Rivett-Carnac and Paul Dickinson unpack Trump and Harris’s campaign and discuss the implications of a Trump-led administration on US climate ambition, both domestically and internationally. Or as Tom puts it, “What the hell just happened in the US?” Join the hosts as they analyze potential shifts in policy, how business and finance could counterbalance federal setbacks, and what this means for COP29, NDCs, and global multilateral efforts. During their discussion, the hosts pose some crucial questions: how would a US withdrawal from the Paris Agreement impact global decarbonisation progress? What role will China play as the climate leadership landscape shifts?  Amidst these turbulent times, we’re thrilled to inject a dose of much needed optimism by welcoming Congresswoman-Elect Yassamin Ansari to Outrage + Optimism. Fresh from her election to the US House of Representatives for Arizona’s 3rd District, Yassamin joins us with her inspiring perspective on leading progressive change at the federal level. Her election, which makes her the second ever Iranian American to be elected to Congress, brings hope for resilient climate leadership despite federal setbacks.   NOTES AND RESOURCES   GUEST Congresswoman-Elect Yassamin Ansari Website | LinkedIn | Facebook | Instagram | Twitter (X)    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 has a fascinating window into the Biodiversity COP negotiations underway in Colombia. From Cali, she’s joined by Freya Newman and Irene Suarez Perez from the Global Optimism team who give us the lowdown into what’s going on inside and outside the negotiating rooms. They tell what’s unique about Colombia hosting, how it’s given a platform to indigenous and local community voices; and why business is talking about love as well as finance. Also joining Christiana from Cali is Monica Medina, a fellow with Conservation International and the US’ first Special Envoy for Biodiversity. They have an animated chat about the essential interdependence of climate and biodiversity, and Medina shares her optimism about a new oceans fund. And they take a deep (and refreshingly nerdy!) dive into DSI - digital sequencing information - and how we can ensure lucrative genetic codes, often found in the Global South, are fairly compensated and reimbursed.   NOTES AND RESOURCES   GUESTS Monica Medina, Arnhold Distinguished Fellow at Conservation International, former Assistant Secretary of State for Oceans, Environment and Science and the first US Special Envoy for Biodiversity and Water Resources LinkedIn | Instagram | Twitter (X)   Irene Suarez Perez, Senior Advisor - Nature & Food System Transformation - Groundswell at Global Optimism LinkedIn   Freya Newman, Advisor, Groundswell at Global Optimism LinkedIn   Please fill out our Annual Listener Survey!   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, as part of our focus on biodiversity during COP 16, we're excited to share a special crossover episode! In the first part of this exciting episode, join Christiana, Tom, and Ben Goldsmith for an insightful conversation about rewilding and its global impact, followed by a full episode of Ben's inspiring podcast Rewilding The World featuring UK national treasure, writer and actor, Stephen Fry. In his conversation with the hosts, Ben explores the concept of rewilding, its potential to reshape ecosystems worldwide, and the critical role grassroots community projects play in this movement. Ben Goldsmith is a pioneer in green investment and a driving force behind the rewilding movement in Britain and across Europe. Don't miss this thought-provoking discussion on the future of biodiversity and rewilding!   NOTES AND RESOURCES   GUEST Ben Goldsmith, co-founder and board member of Nattergal and host of Rewilding the World podcast Website | Nattergal | Rewilding the World podcast   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 dive into The Rio Trio! No, this is not the name of a new cocktail but three COPs (Biodiversity in Colombia, Climate in Azerbaijan and Desertification in Saudi Arabia) which are about to happen back-to-back. Plus the plastics treaty negotiations in South Korea. Join our hosts for their take on the history of these three different but interrelated COPs, all conceived in the Earth Summit in Rio in 1992. How have they evolved, and how might they continue to evolve to be fit for purpose in a changed world? Since this subject is complex, Christiana uses her get-out clause and phones a special friend for much-needed clarity. Christiana also asks the question: If we had a blank slate now, would it make more sense to kick start a process based on all nine planetary boundaries? Would this help us focus holistically on the interconnected challenges we face? Sit back and listen as the hosts try to make sense of this negotiating super season for the planet and all its peoples. Please keep tuned for special and in-depth coverage from the Outrage + Optimism team to guide you through each of these key moments.    NOTES AND RESOURCES How COPs are organised - Questions and answers  From Cancun to Durban: Implications for Climate and Multilateral Diplomacy by HE Patricia Espinosa COP16 host Colombia pushes for unified UN climate and nature pledges COP Presidencies Launch ‘Rio Trio’  Biodiversity COP Climate COP Desertification COP   GUEST Richard Kinley, President, Foundation for Global Governance and Sustainability and former senior official at the UN Climate Change Secretariat (UNFCCC) from 1993 to 2017. He served as Deputy Executive Secretary from 2006 to 2017 and was intimately involved in the development of UNFCCC as an organization from its establishment and in its management and operations.   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

In the final episode of our How to Live a Good Life series, Tom, Paul and Christiana discuss the personal quandary of whether or not to have children in the midst of what appears to be significant climate breakdown. The questions they ponder are complex and philosophical: should we bring children into a world that is, some might say, collapsing? Would you consider having children is immoral, since more people living on the planet leads to greater consumption and emissions, thus exacerbating the problem? Or is having a child the greatest act of hope for the future that anyone can choose to make? The hosts approach this issue from different perspectives, opening up about their personal lives and addressing questions and comments sent in by listeners. We hope to offer you some clarity on this topic, or at least some comfort that even the greatest minds in the climate space sometimes have to take leaps of faith. This is the final episode in the series. We really hope you have enjoyed these episodes. As always, we would love to hear from you so please get in touch.   NOTES AND RESOURCES   Your Kids are Not Doomed by Ezra Klein, NY Times, June 2022 Four in 10 young people fear having children due to climate crisis The Guardian, September 2021  ‘I am starting to panic about my child’s future’: climate scientists wary of starting families, The Guardian, May 2024 Masters of War - Bob Dylan Resources and Consumption: Data from Population Matters The Whirligig by Paul Fleishman 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

Newsflash: In this urgent episode recorded on Friday, October 11th, Tom, Paul, and Christiana come together to discuss the devastation caused by Hurricanes Helene and Milton. The hosts express their frustration with the conspiracy theories circulating in the wake of the latest hurricane Milton - at a time when solidarity is needed most. They also dive into the harsh reality that the fossil fuel industry lies at the heart of the destruction. In This Episode: The hosts break down the undeniable science linking man-made global warming to the increasing intensity of hurricanes around the world. As private insurers withdraw from Florida, leaving homeowners and businesses without coverage, the hosts examine the crisis' wide-reaching effects, particularly on the most vulnerable populations. A deep dive into the dangerous disinformation spread by key Republican figures, tracing the real cause of man-made extreme weather back to the fossil fuel industry. The episode closes with sincere condolences for those across the globe who have lost lives and livelihoods due to extreme weather events. Join us for an insightful conversation on climate accountability, disinformation, and the forces fueling these devastating changes to our environment. NOTES AND RESOURCES Weather Catastrophes and Climate Change: Is There Still Hope for Us? The People of the State of California vs. Big Oil 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

SHOW NOTES:  In the penultimate episode of our How to Live a Good Life in a Climate Crisis, our hosts talk about food and food systems. How can we enjoy meals while eating responsibly?  Tom, Paul and Christiana find it difficult to digest our lopsided relationship with food, in which more than two billion people face food insecurity and a third of all food goes to waste.  The conversation is free-range - the hosts reveal what shaped their own rituals around eating. They look at how humanity’s relationship with food went from trust to anxiety, from abundance to scarcity. They argue the merits of different veggie burgers. About a third of all human-caused greenhouse gas emissions is linked to food. To limit global warming while feeding a growing population, every part of the food system - from farming to refrigeration - must become cleaner and more efficient. NOTES AND RESOURCES   Global Nutrition Report More than a billion people obese worldwide, research suggests Outrage + Optimism: Our Story of Nature, From Rupture to Reconnection Outrage + Optimism: Yuval Noah Harari on the History of Our Future Outrage + Optimism: 2% for 1.5 with Yuval Noah Harari Drivers of Deforestation Outrage + Optimism: Going Beyond Meat with Ethan Brown Outrage + Optimism: Hungry for Alternatives? How to Grow Your Own Food Environmental Impacts of Food Production 42% of consumers worldwide think most people will likely be eating plant-based food instead of meat in the next ten years Implementing land-based mitigation to achieve the Paris Agreement in Europe requires food system transformation The carbon footprint of foods How to reduce the carbon footprint of your food Hope Farm Statement Fishing boat caught with Illegal 18-mile-long nets 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