As the US federal government drifts further into anti-climate rhetoric and abandons its national and international commitments, can non-state actors hold the line?

With Christiana Figueres away in Vanuatu, Tom Rivett-Carnac and Paul Dickinson take the reins to explore how climate progress is increasingly being driven by - or being left to - businesses and non-profits. They unpack the mounting challenges facing climate-aligned companies, the promise and complexity of existing voluntary initiatives, and the role that the private sector can play in driving innovation, accountability, and ambition in the absence of strong national leadership.

Later, they speak with Helen Clarkson, CEO of the Climate Group, about the shifting reality for businesses trying to lead on climate in the US and beyond. And they ask her to address some of the rumours surrounding Climate Week NYC: Is it happening? Will it definitely be held in New York? And how can it become a beacon of action in an age of political uncertainty?

Plus: Tom and Paul consider the upcoming ruling in a ground-breaking climate liability case with potentially seismic impacts.

Learn more

⚖️ Details and documents on the Luciano Lliusya v. RWE EG legal case

🛢️ ‘Scientists Tally Oil Majors’ Climate Damage With Eye to Legal Liability’ in Bloomberg

🛑 ‘The End of Rule of Law in America’ by J. Michael Luttig, in The Atlantic

📺 ‘Every day I have been shocked and disgusted’ - J. Michael Luttig on MSNBC

🌎 Find out more about Climate Week NYC, or the Climate Group’s RE100 and EV100

Follow us on social media for behind the scenes moments and to watch our videos:

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Producer: Ben Weaver-Hincks

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.

On April 28th, millions of people across Spain, Portugal and beyond were plunged into darkness in one of Europe’s most severe blackouts in decades. Was it a cyberattack? A renewables failure? Or might things be a little more complex?

This week, Tom Rivett-Carnac, Christiana Figueres, and Paul Dickinson dig into what we know, what we don’t, and ask what this blackout really tells us about the transition to renewables. They speak with energy strategist Kingsmill Bond of Ember and hear an on-the-ground account from José Manuel Entrecanales, CEO of global renewables leader Acciona, to build a picture of how our grids function – and how they fail.

Plus: what can we say when friends or colleagues claim that ‘renewables aren’t reliable’? And, after our recent conversations reflecting on the legacy of Pope Francis, what might Pope Leo XIV mean for future climate leadership?

Learn more

🔌 Ember’s report, ‘Energy Security in an Insecure World’

🎧 Octopus CEO Greg Jackson interviewed on the Azeem Azhar’s Exponential View podcast

💡 Simon Evans’s analysis for Carbon Brief on the role of gas in electricity pricing

🌐 The IEA’s report, ‘Electricity Grids and Secure Energy Transitions’

🌳 ‘Pope Francis was a passionate climate advocate. Will Pope Leo XIV continue his legacy?’ in EuroNews

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: Ben Weaver-Hincks

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.

Former UK Prime Minister Tony Blair says that net zero is politically unachievable without radical rethinking: a shift away from reducing consumption and toward technologies that can remove carbon both at the source and from the atmosphere. So, are carbon capture and carbon removal really viable - and more palatable - alternatives to a rapid fossil fuel phaseout? And is our net zero strategy failing, or simply failing to be explained?

Hosts Christiana Figueres, Tom Rivett-Carnac, and Paul Dickinson dive into the heart of these questions and explore what Blair’s comments mean for the wider net zero debate. At a time when climate action is becoming increasingly politicised and weaponised, they consider how we might frame net zero as something that improves people’s lives, rather than threatening them. And how we can ensure that every credible climate solution stays on the table.

With timely and provocative contributions from listeners and friends of the podcast - including former BBC News Science Editor David Shukman and Senior Policy Advisor at Carbonfuture Sebastian Manhart - the hosts ask: can we rescue the net zero brand before it’s written off?

Learn more

📘 The Tony Blair Institute’s report, ‘The Climate Paradox: Why We Need to Reset Action on Climate Change’

✈️ ‘Aviation industry is ‘failing dramatically’ on climate, insiders say’ in the Guardian

🌱 The Future We Choose, by Christiana Figueres and Tom Rivett-Carnac

📣 Our previous episode on communicating climate change with John Marshall, whose work Christiana references in this episode

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: Ben Weaver-Hincks

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.