Episode 39: Unicorns vs workhorses

Coming fresh from a discussion of how private finance might close the climate finance gap, Ruth Townend is joined by Dr Nicola Ranger, Director of the Resilient Planet Finance Lab at Oxford University, and Professor Patrick Bolton, professor of finance and economics at Imperial College London. In the run up to COP29, we explore how public international finance might be deployed to most effectively mobilise private finance, why so much private finance is still going to hydrocarbon-intensive energy investments, and the destiny of the World Bank.

Migration is top of mind and front of rhetoric in many countries, particularly as elections approach and geopolitical trends of increasing polarisation take hold. Ruth Townend is joined by Professor Ian Goldin, author of ‘The Shortest History of Migration’, and by Shelterbox CEO Sanj Srikanthan to discuss personal histories of migration, global trends, and the future of migration in the face of increasing pressure from climate change. 

With a UK a general election rapidly approaching, as announced by Prime Minister Rishi Sunak in the pouring rain, it seems that the commitment of both main parties to tackling climate change is looking almost as bedraggled as the prime minister himself. Ruth Townend is joined by Rachel Brisley, Ipsos’s Head of Energy and Environment and Olivia O’Sullivan, the director of Chatham House’s UK in the World Programme to discuss what role the environment will play in elections, what the public really think, and whether the UK can still stake a claim to climate leadership.

Ruth Townend is joined by Antony Froggatt, Deputy Director and Glada Lahn, Senior Research Fellow, both of the Chatham House Environment and Society Centre to discuss the challenges and opportunities of the energy transition in key under-attended-to sectors, including non-energy-uses of fossil fuels. The podcast builds upon a series of four Chatham House roundtables kindly supported by AIG. The series explored topics including chemicals, fertilizers and plastics, the impact of the energy transition on the financial sector, rising geopolitical and market concerns about critical materials, and the phase-down of fossil fuels.

Climate finance is vital to tackling climate change and decarbonising economies. Past pledges, however, have often failed to deliver, especially for developing countries. In the lead-up to COP29 in Baku, Azerbaijan, climate finance will be a major topic. Ruth Townend is joined by Jamie Fergusson, global director for Climate Business for International Finance Corporation, part of the World Bank Group, and Creon Butler, Director of the Global Economy and Finance program at Chatham House to discuss what action is needed, and from whom.

Coming fresh from the Chatham House Energy Transitions Conference, Ruth Townend is joined in the studio by IPCC lead author on demand, Professor Felix Creutzig, Dr Christina Demski, Deputy Director of the Centre for Climate Change and Social Transformation, and Toby Park, Principle Advisor and Head of Energy, Environment and Sustainability at the Behavioural Insights Team. Together they discuss why we need to talk about behaviour change, however uncomfortable the conversation, and explore hot topics such as green lash, heat pumps and the future of cities. Presented by Ruth Townend. Sound by Matthew Docherty and Jamie Reed. Sign up to The Climate Briefing wherever you find your podcasts - please listen, review and subscribe

Ruth Townend is joined in the studio by Gwynne Dyer, author of Climate Wars, and Chatham House’s own Dr Daniel Quiggin to talk about climate solutions from the magical to the mundane. For his forthcoming book Intervention Earth, Dyer has spoken with more than 50 thinkers, innovators and engineers about how we might cool the planet and avoid catastrophe. Dyer, Quiggin and Townend explore the potential of unicorns, workhorses, and the odd dark horse technology, discuss the moral hazard of reliance on unproven technology, and consider the role of both technology and governance in meeting the Paris Agreement goals.  You can find out more about Gwynne Dyer’s work on his website, and read Daniel Quiggin’s work on the role of the aviation industry in reaching net zero on the Chatham House website. Presented by Ruth Townend. Sound by Alex Moyler. Follow Chatham House on Bluesky 🦋 Subscribe to The Climate Briefing wherever you find your podcasts - please listen, review and subscribe

In the second of two COP28 takeover episodes, Research Fellow Ruth Townend gathers Chatham House teammates to discuss how the conference went, with a particular focus on the politics and geopolitics that shaped the conference outcome. Ruth reflects on the global stocktake and loss and damage, while Antony Froggatt and Bernice Lee reflect on how different actors shaped the outcomes, as well as the changing shape of the conference over the years. Glada Lahn discusses the crucial text on fossil fuels, while Professor Tim Benton explores how food and agriculture were dealt with at the conference. The team finish by discussing their hopes for climate action in the year ahead.

In the first of two COP28 takeover episodes, Research Fellow Ruth Townend gathers Chatham House Environment and Society Centre teammates to discuss how the conference might go, and what they will be looking out for when they travel to Dubai. This episode is released a week before the start of the conference. Professor Tim Benton discusses agriculture, food, land use and nature. Antony Froggatt talks about  energy transition and how major actors might shape action. Glada Lahn discusses climate finance and the likely wrangle around language on fossil fuels, while Ruth Townend discusses the GGA and the global stocktake. 

Antony Froggatt is joined in the studio by Ed Mountfield who is Vice President of the World Bank in charge of Operational Policy and Country Service. Finance remains one of the most important and contentious issues in the international climate change negotiations. As COP28 approaches, Antony discusses with Ed the World Bank's ongoing reform initiatives and delves into the degree to which climate change is given priority within these reforms. They explore the implications of this prioritization for other development objectives.