The Sustainability Agenda

In this compelling interview, Dzongsar Khyentse Rinpoche, a revered Bhutanese lama and educator, offers a distinctive Buddhist outlook on the critical environmental crises we are currently facing. Rinpoche stresses the necessity of immediate action and illustrates how a Buddhist viewpoint can foster a deep comprehension of humanity?s interconnectedness with the environment. He delves into essential Buddhist metaphysical concepts?such as interdependence and the illusion of self?demonstrating how an understanding of these principles can aid in addressing our environmental predicaments. Rinpoche highlights the significance of reconnecting with ancient wisdom and the vital role of educating the younger generation about environmental stewardship.

Dzongsar Jamyang Khyentse Rinpoche, also known as Khyentse Norbu and Thubten Chökyi Gyamtso, is a widely respected Buddhist scholar and teacher from the Rimé (nonsectarian) lineage of Tibetan Buddhism. Also an acclaimed filmmaker and author of several books, Rinpoche is known for his modern, progressive, and sometimes provocative approach to teaching the dharma.

Rinpoche is responsible for the care and education of approximately 3,000 monks at several monastic institutions in Asia: Dzongsar Monastery and Dzongsar College in Derge, Sichuan, China; Dzongsar Khyentse Chökyi Lodrö Institute in Chauntra, Himachal Pradesh, India; and the Chökyi Gyatso Institute for Buddhist Studies in Dewathang, Bhutan.

 
In addition to the monastic community, Rinpoche guides hundreds of thousands of students in about 40 countries around the world. As an author, filmmaker, and benefactor, his many creative and philanthropic endeavors extend beyond traditional efforts through an ever-growing mandala of activities.

In this episode, we speak to Dr. Anne Poelina an indigenous Australian academic and human and earth rights activist. Dr. Poelina explains her role as a ?Yimardoowarra marnin,? which, translated from the Nyikina language, means ?a woman who belongs to the Martuwarra River,? in Western Australia. Dr. Poelina discusses what she calls ?first law,? the Aboriginal peoples? customary law covering the rules for living in coexistence with nature, the rules of conduct that hold together and bond a civil society, the principles of an ethics of care. She talks about the indigenous cultural approach to collaborative water governance underlying the legal work that she is spearheading to make sure that the development of the Fitzroy River does not lead to the mistakes made in the development of the Murray-Darling river.Please see the Matuwarra Fitzroy River Council website to learn more about the Council and its work.Dr. Anne Poelina is a Nyikina Warrwa (Indigenous Australian) woman who belongs to the Mardoowarra, the lower Fitzroy River in the Kimberley region of Western Australia. She is an active Indigenous community leader, human and earth rights advocate, filmmaker and a respected academic researcher. Anne is currently an Adjunct Senior Research Fellow with Notre Dame University and a Research Fellow with Northern Australia Institute Charles Darwin University. She is also Managing Director of Madjulla Incorporated, an indigenous not-for-profit non-government community development organisation working with remote Aboriginal communities.The post Episode 100: Interview with Anne Poelina, Indigenous Australian and Nyikina Traditional Custodian appeared first on The Sustainability Agenda. This episode was first aired in August 2020.

In this revealing interview, Steve Trent, the founder of the Environmental Justice Foundation, delves into the Foundation?s pivotal work at the intersection of environmental security and human rights. He underscores the Foundation?s vital role in actively probing and witnessing environmental abuses, and the importance of presenting evidence and information to decision-makers in corporate boardrooms and governments worldwide.

Steve highlights the importance of empowering local communities and giving a voice to the marginalized--at the core of the Environmental Justice Foundation?s work --and their potential to drive significant change. And he discusses ithe Foundation?s ongoing campaign against deep-sea mining, a practice which it vehemently opposes. He compares its destructive nature to the clear-cutting of forests and advocates for increased transparency in decision-making about deep-sea mining, which is too often conducted behind closed doors.

Steve also discusses the Environmental Justice Foundation?s distinct approach to funding, emphasizing their commitment to self-reliance, independence, and transparency, with a focus on delivering tangible benefits. 

Despite facing numerous challenges, Steve maintains an optimistic outlook for the future, drawing inspiration from the engagement and perspective of younger generations. And he encourages listeners to get involved, educate themselves, and support organizations that align with their values.

An eloquent call for environmental justice, transparency, and empowerment of local communities: this interview is essential listening for anyone interested in environmental justice and the long-term wellbeing of our planet.

Steve Trent is the CEO and founder of the Environmental Justice Foundation, a non-governmental organisation that works to secure a world where natural habitats and environments can sustain, and be sustained by, the communities that depend upon them for their basic needs and livelihoods.  

Steve has more than 30 years' experience in environmental and human rights, campaigning for the protection of natural resources, the environment and human rights, taking action to bring about tangible positive change and implementing solutions to ensure genuine long-term sustainability. He has conducted investigations and trained environmental and human rights advocates in more than 25 countries and managed media campaigns in over 15 countries around the world. 

Steve also cofounded WildAid, serving as president for over a decade and leading WildAid?s work in China and India.

Fascinating interview with leading French anthropologist Professor Philippe Descola, first posted in 2021, exploring man's relationship with nature. Professor Descola argues that we can, and must today, learn from other ways of connecting to nature--and move beyond the strict separation between the cultural worlds of human beings and the non-human things of nature.

Matthew is Global Climate Change and Sustainability Services Leader Leader at EY, the professional services company.  He has a background in government climate and energy policy, and science. Matt has more than 20 years' experience supporting organizational transformation toward a more sustainable path. Working across the public and private sectors, Matt leads teams of specialists across environment, health and safety; sustainability strategy and advice; non-financial reporting and assurance; impact investment and outcome measurement; human rights; and climate change and energy.

Katharina Pistor, Professor of Comparative Law and director of the Center on Global Legal Transformation at Columbia Law School, discusses her most recent book The Code of Capital: How the Law Creates Wealth and Inequality. In this fascinating discussion, she highlights the various ways that debt, complex financial products, and other assets are selectively coded to protect and reproduce private wealth?and the malleability of the legal system, that can be redesigned, and repurposed--by well paid lawyers. Katharina discusses the recent trend to create environmental financial assets-and highlights what she sees as a crucial, perennial, question: who will bear any financial losses (associated with climate change investments). Katharina also shares some ideas on we might create a financial system that would be more socially, environmentally and financially equitable.

Katharina Pistor is the Edwin B. Parker Professor of Comparative Law and director of the Center on Global Legal Transformation at Columbia Law School. A leading scholar and writer on corporate governance, money and finance, property rights, and comparative law and legal institutions, Pistor?s most recent book, The Code of Capital: How the Law Creates Wealth and Inequality, examines how assets such as land, private debt, business organizations, or knowledge are transformed into capital through contract law, property rights, collateral law, and trust, corporate, and bankruptcy law. The Code of Capital was named one of the best books of 2019 by the Financial Times and Business Insider. 

In this revealing interview, journalist Vincent Bevins discussed his newly released book If We Burn: The Mass Protest Decade and the Missing Revolution, based on his research of a wide range of social movements between 2010 and 2020.  Beginning with an analysis of the "Yellow Vest" protests in France, the discussion focusses on the challenges, nuances, and lessons of building broad social movements?with particular lessons for the climate movement. Vincent highlights the transformative power of social media but also its limitations in fostering genuine, long-lasting change. He underscores the drawbacks of decentralized movements and ambiguous goals identifying potential pitfalls. Drawing from his on-the-ground experiences in Brazil, Vincent emphasizes the significance of recognizing the worldwide repercussions of local endeavors. He also stresses the need for activists to work with governments and state institutions rather than rejecting them, emphasizing that radical change does not necessarily always mean being anti-government. 

Vincent Bevins is an award-winning journalist and correspondent. He covered Southeast Asia for the Washington Post, reporting from across the entire region and also served as the Brazil correspondent for the Los Angeles Times, also covering nearby parts of South America.  He has written for are the New York Times, The Atlantic, The Economist, The Guardian, Foreign Policy, the New York Review of Books, the New Republic, and more. His previous book is the Jakarta Method: Washington?s Anticommunist Crusade And The Mass Murder Program That Shaped Our World.

In this fascinating, hard hitting interview, Jason Moore talks about the intertwining relations between environmental degradation, capitalism, imperialism, and climate change-stressing the need to recognize the role of imperialis--and counter-insurgency across the past century to advance climate justice. He argues it is  naïve to believe that eco-socialism can be achieved through parliamentary majority alone and underscores the importance of understanding a century of struggles between revolutionary and counter-revolutionary forces. Jason sees the present era as a moment of transition, signaling a break with American uni-polar hegemony, a period of political possibility and revolts, and calls for a more dialectical way of thinking to establish connections between fractured social movements. Finally, Jason talks about the exploitation of the Global South, labeling it as a new phase of green imperialism, and criticizes the neglect of imperialism?s role in discussions about environmental transitions.

Jason W. Moore is an environmental historian and historical geographer at BINGampton University, where he is professor of sociology and leads the World-Ecology Research Collective.  He is author or editor, most recently, of Capitalism in the Web of Life ,  Anthropocene or Capitalocene? Nature, History, and the Crisis of Capitalism and, with Raj Patel, A History of the World in Seven Cheap Things. His books and essays on environmental history, capitalism, and social theory have been widely recognized, including the Alice Hamilton Prize of the American Society for Environmental History (2003), the Distinguished Scholarship Award of the Section on the Political Economy of the World-System (American Sociological Association, 2002 for articles, and 2015 for Web of Life), and the Byres and Bernstein Prize in Agrarian Change (2011).

Fascinating discussion with Professor Angel Hsu on the significance and challenges surrounding the Net Zero emissions goals. While companies often tout their commitment to Net Zero, a recent report suggests that many are not taking credible steps towards this target. Angel argues that the Net Zero space is filled with confusion and misinformation,  exacerbated by sophisticated company communications that are often misleading. Angel discusses how the Net Zero Tracker helps to provide transparent data and clarify what constitutes credible Net Zero actions. Towards the end of the interview, Angel discusses the potential of AI highlighting the potential for AI to both assist in and complicate the understanding of Net Zero commitments. Finally, Angel highlights the potential business benefits for companies genuinely committed to Net Zero, allowing companies to meet their environmental responsibilities and also generate business growth.

Angel Hsu is an American climatologist and environmental scientist. She is the founder and head of the Data-Driven EnviroLab at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. She holds a PhD and is an Assistant Professor of Public Policy and Environment, Energy and Ecology at UNC-Chapel Hill. Her research interests include data-driven environmental policy, urbanization, climate change, and development, with a focus on China. 

In this wide-ranging interview, first published in 2021, Jeremy Lent discusses his fascinating new book Web of Meaning which combines findings in cognitive science, systems theory and traditional Chinese and Buddhist thought, to develop a framework that integrates both science and meaning in a coherent whole. Jeremy discusses what he sees as an essential problem at the heart of our current worldview: how man is separated from nature which is seen purely as a resource. He highlights a very different perspective, common to many indigenous peoples, how we are interrelated, not just all humans related to each other, but seeing all of the living earth around us all of life as being our relations. Jeremy also shares his long standing criticisms on the structure of the modern corporation and its role in society, in light of the recent Shell climate litigation, and the election of new directors to the board of Exxon, instigated by a small activist investor-which has been called the oil industry?s ?Black Wednesday.?

Jeremy is an award winning author and founder of the nonprofit Liology Institute, dedicated to fostering a worldview that could enable humanity to thrive sustainably on the earth. His writings investigate the underlying causes and the patterns of thought that have led our civilization to its current sustainability crisis. The Patterning Instinct is a cultural history of humanity?s search for meaning, traces the deepest dark of foundations of our modern worldview. His most recent book is Web of Meaning: integrating science and traditional wisdom to find our place in the universe.He is the founder of the  Deep Transformation Network, a global community exploring pathways to an ecological civilization, and the nonprofit Liology Institute, dedicated to fostering an integrated worldview that could enable humanity to thrive sustainably on the Earth. 

In this in-depth, and spirited interview, we discuss the pros and cons of a market based approach to  our environmental problems-and climate change in particular. Paula DiPerna discusses her new book, Pricing the Priceless: The Financial Transformation to Value the Planet, Solve the Climate Crisis, and Protect Our Most Precious Assets, arguing for a market-based approach to dealing with our environmental challenges, advocating for the integration of environmental considerations into financial and economic systems. DiPerna explores the concept of carbon markets, highlighting the European Union emissions trading scheme as an example of a functioning carbon market. She also discusses the idea of attributing a financial value to nature, suggesting that the work nature does should be financially recognized. DiPerna also argues for the necessity of new kinds of authorities to manage these complex issues, suggesting that global regulation is needed to ensure the preservation of our natural resources. Recognising the massive scale of the environmental challenges we are facing, DiPerna maintains an optimistic view, expressing her belief in the human ability to appreciate beauty and understand the mysteries of life.

Paula DiPerna is Special Advisor to CDP North America, the international non-profit that helps companies, cities, states, regions and public authorities disclose their environmental impact. Paula is a leader in strategic global environmental and philanthropic policy,  and served formerly as President of the international division of the Chicago Climate Exchange (CCX). Prior to these positions, she served as writer and Vice President for International Affairs for the Cousteau Society, whose President was explorer and filmmaker, Jacques-Yves Cousteau. DiPerna has also served as a consultant to numerous national and international organizations, such as the World Bank and LEAD-International, and was awarded an Eisenhower Fellowship. Paula has published numerous books, her latest is Pricing the Priceless: The Financial Transformation to Value the Planet, Solve the Climate Crisis, and Protect Our Most Precious Assets.

In this interview, British novelist, journalist and screenwriter Ned Beauman discusses his latest novel Venomous Lumpsucker-a brilliant, darkly satirical and terrifying  novel  about endlings (the last of a species), the manipulation of extinction credit markets... the elusive Hermit Kingdom: described by The Times Literary Supplement as ?a tale of capitalism, penance and species extinction.?  Fascinating, broad ranging discussion on extinction, literary fiction and the climate crisis, environmental satire, and the commodification of nature. First aired in September 2022.

Ned Beauman is a British novelist, journalist and screenwriter, the author of five novels; he was selected as one of the Best of Young British Novelists by Granta magazine in 2013.  His latest is Venomous Lumpsucker, ?a darkly funny and incisive zoological thriller about environmental devastation and one very ugly little fish.?

In this revealing interview, Mike Davis CEO of pioneering campaigning NGO Global Witness provides an in-depth look at the work of the organization which is committed to uncovering and addressing human rights and environmental violations across the globe. Mike highlights the organization's intricate investigative strategies used to reveal the interplay of corruption, misuse of power, and industrial practices in sectors such as oil, gas, and mining. He highlights Global Witnesses commitment to independence and agility-which he sees as essential to be able to swiftly respond to global challenges. Mike also provides a glimpse into the future of Global Witness with discussions about their newer campaigns focused on equitable use of critical minerals for green technology and their initiatives to expose the undue influence of oil and gas companies on politics and economies. Fascinating insights into the work a highly effective campaigning NGO.
 

Mike Davis is CEO of Global Witness, a pioneering campaigning NGO that has worked for some thirty years to expose the environmental and human rights abuses by some of the world?s biggest companies and most powerful political figures. It has campaigned against the exploitation of the earth?s natural resources, the destruction of indigenous peoples, and corruption that has siphoned billions of dollars from the poorest countries - working to break the links between natural resource exploitation, conflict, poverty, corruption, and human rights abuses worldwide. It has offices in London and Washington,

In this episode, Dr Samantha Montana, an expert in disaster policy, discusses the U.S.'s approach to emergency management, specifically in the context of climate change. She highlights the complexity of disaster policy, which often necessitates a balance between immediate and long-term action. She explains that the U.S. has traditionally taken a reactive approach to disasters, and is only now shifting to proactive measures, with a heavy emphasis on the role of state governments. Additionally, the guest discusses the complicated relationship between the economy and politics in disaster policy.

The discussions also delves into the different approaches to emergency management in other countries and the reasons why these can't always be applied to the U.S., due to significant differences in culture, politics, and the scale of disasters. The interview wraps up with discussions on the political aspects of disaster management, the necessity for a lobbying group in emergency management, and the disproportionate impact of disasters on disadvantaged communities.

Dr Montano is an assistant professor of emergency management at Massachusetts Maritime Academy. She teaches courses on disaster preparedness, response, recovery, and mitigation, vulnerable populations in disaster amongst other topics. Her research interests cut across areas of interest to emergency management. She primarily studies nonprofits, volunteerism, and informal aid efforts in disaster. She is a co-founder of Disaster Researchers for Justice and the Center for Climate Adaptation Research. She is the author of Disasterology: Dispatches from The Frontlines of The Climate Crisispublished in 2021 by Park Row. 

In this deep dive on resilience, Professor Daniel Aldrich gives a fascinating overview of different ways of thinking about resilience?focussing in particular on the kind of resilience that allows communities to recover from disasters in a way that brings together resources ? and allows the communities to rebuild themselves so they?re not as vulnerable as they were before the shock?so they can collaborate, communicate, and work together in a more effective way. Daniel discusses his research which has identified the critical importance of social bonds as a key factor determining how communities deal with disasters?too often neglected due to an overemphasis on infrastructural resilience. A fascinating interview from October 2021, packed with rich insights and research findings-providing a multidimensional perspective on resilience.

Daniel Aldrich is professor of political science and Director of the Security and Resilience Studies Program at Northeastern University. A main body of his research focussed on recovery after natural disasters. His most recent book, Building Resilience: Social Capital in Post-Disaster Recovery, highlights how relationships among people in a disaster zone are a critical engine for recovery after a disaster. Daniel has held posts as a Fulbright Research Fellow and an Abe Fellow at Tokyo University and as an AAAS Science and Technology Fellow with USAID.  He is a contributor to the New York Times, CNN, The Conversation, and the Asahi Shinbun, among other media. 

In-depth, frank, and fascinating exploration of contemporary literature's response to current environmental crises, with Scottish writer Martin MacInnes, author of the recently acclaimed novel, In Ascension. Martin believes literature is profoundly implicated in the crises, and that it has a responsibility to challenge certain assumptions regarding the human and the non-human; he shares his interest in exploring how the novel might do this. He suggests literature should not be limited to traditional forms and structures but should explore new ways of storytelling, for example by using non-linear narratives or multiple perspectives to explore environmental themes, creating compelling stories that challenge readers' assumptions and encourages them to think critically about their relationship with the living world.

Martin MacInnes is a writer of experimental and science fiction novels. He won the Somerset Maugham Award for his debut novel, Infinite Ground (2016. His second novel, Gathering Evidence, was published in 2020 and earned him a place on the Guardian/British Council?s list of ten writers shaping the UK?s future. His latest novel, In Ascension, which came out recently, is a exploration of some of the deep philosophical questions of our time, delving into the secrets of the ocean and the cosmos, and our relationship with the living world.

In this eye-opening interview, Professor Neta Crawford discusses the research in her new book The Pentagon, Climate Change, and War focussing on the huge carbon footprint of the Pentagon -- the world?s largest single greenhouse gas emitter. She tracks the interconnect long-term cycles of economic growth, and fossil fuel use-and growth of the US military. Crawford believes the most effective way to cut military emissions is to rethink U.S. grand strategy, which would enable the United States to reduce the size and operations of the military.

In this fascinating interview, first aired April 13th 2021, Dr. Jeffrey Kiehl brings to bear two very different ways of thinking about climate change: the scientific and the psychological?and his journey as an experienced climate scientist to bring these different perspectives together. Jeffrey explains the essential features of a depth psychological perspective, why he believes this is essential today, helping us understand why we have failed to take action on climate change--and the roots of climate denial. Jeffrey identifies the shortcomings of taking a purely rational approach to climate change, why it is important to understand ways of thinking that are not purely rational, that are imagistic?based on a deeper understanding of the unconscious. He also talks about the emerging field of eco-psychology, an interdisciplinary field that focuses on the synthesis of ecology and psychology. 

Dr. Jeffrey Kiehl is a senior scientist at the National Center for Atmospheric Research in the United States, and an adjunct professor at UC Santa Cruz, and he has carried out research on climate change for some 40 years. Jeffrey is also a Jungian analyst and his main interests today are in the areas of eco-psychology, a field that focuses on the synthesis of ecology and psychology and the promotion of sustainability. Jeffrey is the author of the book Facing climate change: an integrative path to the future, which provides a Jungian perspective on climate change.

In this fascinating interview, first aired in June 2020, renowned climate scientist Will Steffen discusses Earth System science, and his research on so-called ?tipping cascades,? when one tipping point kicks off a series of others, posing a growing threat of abrupt and irreversible climate changes. Will draws parallels between -19 and climate change, in that it?s important to understand science and not just what intervention needs to take place but to plan for the amount of time it takes for it to take effect. A great interview with a pioneering climate researcher who died on January 29th, 2023.

Will Steffen had a long history in international global change research, serving from 1998 to 2004 as Executive Director of the International Geosphere-Biosphere Programme (IGBP), based in Stockholm, Sweden, and before that as Executive Officer of IGBP?s Global Change and Terrestrial Ecosystems project. He was the Inaugural Director of the ANU Climate Change Institute, from 2008-2012. Prior to that, he was Director of the ANU Fenner School of Environment and Society. From 2004 to 2011, Will served as science adviser to the Australian Government Department of Climate Change; from 2011 to 2013 was a Climate Commissioner on the Australian Government?s Climate Commission; Chair of the Antarctic Science Advisory Committee, Co-Director of the Canberra Urban and Regional Futures (CURF) initiative and Member of the ACT Climate Change Council. Steffen?s interests spanned a broad range within the fields of sustainability and Earth System science, with an emphasis on the science of climate change, approaches to climate change adaptation in land systems, incorporation of human processes in Earth System modelling and analysis; and the history and future of the relationship between humans and the rest of nature.

Peter Sutoris believes that the Anthropocene challenges the very definition of education and, indeed, its key goals. He argues that educators must look outside conventional models and ways of education for inspiration --if education is to live up to its responsibilities at this critical time.  In this revealing interview, Peter shares the results of his inspiring research into grassroots environmental activism and education--and provides an array of practical ideas on teaching and community based action for the Anthropocene.

Peter Sutoris is an environmental anthropologist, Lecturer in Education at the University of York, and Honorary Senior Research Associate at University College London.  His work bridges anthropology with education, development studies and environmental studies -as he explores the cultural and political aspects of the environmental crisis, the limitations of technological solutions to environmental decay, and degrowth. He is the author of two books, most recently, Educating for the Anthropocene: Schooling and Activism in the Face of Slow Violence. 

In this hard-hitting, no-holds barred interview, Stephen Corry, who has been working as 

indigenous rights activist for some 50 years, gives his assessment of the outcome of COP15. Stephen brings an on-the-ground, hands-on perspective, and provides an analysis of the key policies and commitments that have been come out of COP15. In particular, Stephen provides a coruscating analysis of the way protected areas have actually been executed, how indigenous peoples have been systematically kicked off their lands?and sees the 30x30 conservation goal ?30% of the planet in protected territories, without any humans?as a deeply cynical endeavour?driven by powerful underlying financial motives. 

Stephen Corry has been working now for more than 50 years in the area of indigenous peoples? rights. He is the former CEO of Survival International, a London based charity that campaigns for the rights of uncontacted peoples indigenous and tribal peoples, and was awarded the Right Livelihood Award in 1989.

In this fascinating interview, first aired in June 2021, Professor Daniela Gabor discusses the eye-opening sums of money needed to achieve a transition to a low carbon economy ? $1 trillion-$2 trillion a year to achieve net zero emissions by mid-century, according to some estimates? and how this can be funded. She explores the evolving relationship between the public sector and private finance ? a renewed partnership?and how to assure that any new flows of private capital go into genuine green investments, rather than greenwashing. At the heart of this discussion: Daniela?s recent research on investors? plans to to ?escort and derisk? private capital investments in the global south. 

Daniela Gabor is associate professor in economics at the University of the West of England, Bristol. She holds a PhD in banking and finance from the University of Stirling (2009). Her main interests are in macro-finance, monetary theory and central banking and she has published on central banking in crisis, on the governance of global banks and the IMF, and on shadow banking and repo market. She has a special interest in the way finance is being restructured to deliver on current environmental goals.

In this hard-hitting interview, Corporate Europe Observatory?s Pascoe Sabido reflects on the outcome of COP27. While celebrating the success of the loss and damage agreement, he worries about the follow through on the Loss and Damage provisions-and the likely ways in which this finance is structured, with the reliance on debt and provide finance. Pascoe is a has spent many years researching the power of the fossil fuel industry?in particular its lobbying within the EU-and he explains in detail how the fossil fuel lobby operates and impacts policy in Europe. A powerful critique of the role of the fossil fuel industry-shot through with optimism -and hope--that change is coming, that people have had enough of our competition market-based economic system?that there is growing momentum for change, for a new economic approach, with more solidarity, and social justice, based on people?s needs.

Pascoe Sabido is a Researcher and Campaigner at a Brussels based non-profit research and campaign group whose aim is to "expose any effects of corporate lobbying on EU policy making". Pascoe?s research is focused on exposing the power of the oil and gas industry in the European Union and at the level of the United Nations.

In this wide-ranging and hard-hitting interview, first aired in January 2022, pioneering American writer, activist, and Marxist environmentalist, Mike Davis speaks out about the dangers of this moment, politically, which he sees as similar to the late 1930s, and the relentless environmental destruction of the planet, and growing nuclear threats. Disappointed by the loss of momentum for street politics and protests in the US, following the inspiration of Black Lives Matter, Mike worries that protests have become predominantly a franchise of the far right, at a time of existential threats where young people need to take action and speak out. Mike is harshly critical of the way in which Western governments have dealt with Covid, drawing parallels with multilateral approaches to dealing with the climate crisis, particularly the prevailing ideology that finance capitalism is the only force that can save the world environmentally. 

Mike Davis was a pioneering American writer, political activist, urban theorist, and historian, best known for his seminal analysis of power and social class in his native Southern California. Over many decades, Davis created a powerful body of work investigating a wide range of issues from urban development and globalisation to the impact of extreme weather systems, the growth of slums, pandemics, and the environment?all underpinned by a profound critique of capitalist social relations and a deep concern for the environment and all kinds of injustice. He was a 1996?1997 Getty Scholar at the Getty Research Institute and received a MacArthur Fellowship Award in 1998. He was the author of some two dozen works of fiction and non-fiction and won the Lannan Literary Award for Nonfiction in 2007.

In this timely interview on the eve of COP27, Harjeet Singh shares his expectations for this COP and explains why 'Loss and Damage' compensation is the centrepiece of COP27 -and what he believes needs to happen over the next five days. Harjeet Singh is head of Global Political Strategy at Climate Action Network International, a network of over 1500 Non-Governmental Organizations (NGOs) in more than 130 countries, working to promote government and individual action to limit human-induced climate change to ecologically sustainable levels. Until recently, he has led ActionAid International?s climate change work globally. He is a member of the United Nations? Technical Expert Group on Comprehensive Risk Management (TEG-CRM) under Warsaw International Mechanism for Loss and Damage. Harjeet has served as a board member of Climate Action Network International (CAN-I) and the Global Network of Civil Society Organisations for Disaster Reduction (GNDR). He is  Global Engagement Director for the Fossil Fuel Non-Proliferation Treaty Initiative and co-founder of Satat Sampada, a social entreprise that promotes environmental solutions such as organic food and farming.

In this episode, first aired on December 23, 2020 , Zen teacher David Loy shares his thinking about EcoDharma: combining the teachings of Buddhism with ecology . In this fascinating discussion, David explore the ecological implications of Buddhist teachings with insights into how to embody that understanding in the kind of eco-activism that is needed in the world today. David explains that in Buddhism, while there aren?t prescriptive steps or writings from the Buddha on how to solve modern problems, we can follow the spiritual path of Buddhism to deal with our grief over climate change and move past it to feel empowered and grounded, part of the larger community of sentient, living beings. He outlines the Ecosattva Path, a path of liberation and salvation for all beings and the world itself. 

David Loy is a professor, writer, and Zen teacher in the Sanbo Zen tradition of Japanese Zen Buddhism. He is a prolific author, with his most recent books including Ecodharma, Buddhist Teachings for the Ecological Crisis. He has also published in major journals such as Tikkun and Buddhist Magazines, and a variety of scholarly journals. In his lectures and teaching he focuses on comparative philosophy and the encounter between Buddhism and modernity. He is one of the founding members of the new Rocky Mountain Ecodharma Retreat Center, near Boulder, Colorado. 

Nuclear scholar and social thinker Professor Elaine Scarry shares her views on today?s growing nuclear threats ?the underlying problems with the nuclear architecture and governance, based on her groundbreaking book Thermonuclear Monarchy, lessons on how to deal with our global climate challenges, and discusses key ideasa in her book Thinking in an Emergency, on how citizens and communities can prepare for emergency situations in order to preserve themselves and their autonomy.

Elaine Scarry is the Walter M. CaboT Professor of Aesthetics and the General Theory of Value at Harvard University.  She is the author of numerous seminal books including Thermonuclear Monarchy, where 'explores the political consequences of limiting the control of nuclear weapons to a select few, and the authority to launch them to even fewer. Her book Thinking in An Emergency  Explores how in the face of governments that augment their authority in emergencies at the expense of democracy, citizens and communities, can prepare for emergency situations in order to preserve themselves and their autonomy.

In this wide-ranging, hard hitting discussion, Vijay Prashad explores the environmental crises we are facing today through a Marxist lens. At the heart of this discussion, Vijay highlights the failings of capitalism, with a particular focus on environmental externalities, and also critiques capitalism?s impact on the development of the global south. Vijay believes a continuing colonial mindset is undermining the commitment to the ?common but differentiated responsibilities? embedded in the Rio conference ?-- and the subsequent stalling of the Green Climate Fund. Vijay takes inspiration from peoples? environmental summits such as the World People?s Conference on Climate Change and the Rights of Mother Earth (2010), the People?s World Conference on Climate Change and the Defence of Life (2015), and the People?s Nature Forum (2020). As an activist, Vijay is inspired by the growing number of movements who are standing up for environmental and human rights ?in South Africa, Chile, Columbia, in India?struggles that he hopes can be replicated in other parts of the world.

Vijay Prashad is an Indian Marxist historian and commentator. He's an executive director of the Tri Continental Institute for Social Research, the chief editor of Left World Books, and a senior non-resident Fellow at Chongyang, Institute for financial studies in China. He has written more than 20 books, including "The Darker Nations" and "The Poorer Nations."

In this interview British novelist, journalist and screenwriter Ned Beauman discusses his latest novel Venomous Lumpsucker-a brilliant, darkly satirical and terrifying  novel  about endlings (the last of a species), the manipulation of extinction credit markets... the elusive Hermit Kingdom: described by The Times Literary Supplement as ?a tale of capitalism, penance and species extinction.?  Fascinating, broad ranging discussion on extinction, literary fiction and the climate crisis, environmental satire, and the commodification of nature.

Ned Beauman is a British novelist, journalist and screenwriter, the author of five novels; he was selected as one of the Best of Young British Novelists by Granta magazine in 2013.  His latest is Venomous Lumpsucker, ?a darkly funny and incisive zoological thriller about environmental devastation and one very ugly little fish.?

Eye-opening discussion with Guy Standing on the deteriorating conditions in our oceans?  the destruction of fragile ocean ecosystems, marine pollution, habitat destruction and destruction of coastal communities, driven by overfishing, corporate exploitation, lax regulatory enforcement, increasing extraction-- and growing sea commodification. His analysis is a powerful indictment of contemporary oceanic governance?and an impassioned call for new forms of ocean governance centred around the commons.

Guy Standing is a Professorial Research Associate at SOAS University of London and a founding member and honorary co-president of the Basic Income Earth Network (BIEN), a non-governmental organisation that promotes a basic income for all. He was a programme director in the UN's International Labour Organisation and has advised many international bodies and governments on social and economic policies. 

Guy has written widely in the areas of labour economics, labour market policy, unemployment, labour market flexibility, structural adjustment policies and social protection. He created the term precariat to describe an emerging class of workers who are harmed by low wages and poor job security as a consequence of globalisation.

Guy?s latest book is Blue Commons Transforming the Economy of the Sea.

As questions surrounding Scope 3 emissions are rising on the business agenda, understanding why and how companies need to decarbonize their supply chains has become increasingly important. In this interview, McKinsey?s Peter Spiller shares his perspective on key questions around how to tackle Scope 3 emissions. Peter explains why Scope 3 is so important and highlights some of the key challenges companies face decarbonizing their supply chains. He identifies some of the key success factors dealing with Scope 3 emissions and also identifies major mistakes companies are making. A deep dive on Scope 3 emissions. This is an edited version of an interview with Peter Spiller for the Scope 3 Agenda podcast.

Peter Spiller is Partner and Head of the EMEA Sustainability in Operations Practice at McKinsey. Based in the Frankfurt office, Peter primarily advises clients across industries including telecoms, high-tech, automotive, and consumer goods on operations transformation, supply chain, and procurement topics. He co-leads McKinsey's efforts in environmentally-sustainable operations and is a leader of McKinsey?s work in product development and procurement in the Europe, Middle East, and Africa region. Working across geographies, Peter focuses on environmental sustainability as he advises business leaders on ESG strategy, carbon accounting and tracking, supplier sustainability transformations, and supply chain decarbonization.

American theologian, philosopher, and environmentalist John B. Cobb talks about his half-century long commitment to the environment, and environmental ethics, his life long work as a theologian and philosopher. He talks about the recent popularity of his ideas in China and why, at 97, he has cofounded the Living Earth Movement to inspire global cooperation for the sake of all life on our planet--with a particular focus on the geopolitical relationship between the United States and China-a topic of burning importance following  the diplomatic fallout of Nancy Pelosi's recent visit to Taiwan--and China's decision to withdraw from vital climate talks.

John B. Cobb an American theologian, philosopher, and environmentalist and the author of more than fifty books. A key idea at the heart of Cobb's work is his emphasis on ecological interdependence?the idea that every part of the ecosystem is reliant on all the other parts. In 1971, he wrote one of the first books in environmental ethics, Is It Too Late? A Theology of Ecology. He is co-founder of the Living Earth Movement whose mission is to inspire global cooperation for the sake of all life on our planet, beginning with the United States and China. 

Deep dive on the philosophy of Gross National Happiness (GNH) as developed in Bhutan. Karma Ura explores the origins of this radically different way to think about a nation?s priorities based on measures of individual and collective happiness and well-being of the population, relationship with the environment--and Buddhist values. Karma Ura talks about the development of GNH in Bhutan and explains how the results of five yearly GNH surveys is incorporated into government policy?and also impacts the success of various Bhutanese environmental policies (Bhutan is the only country to have extended forest coverage over the last century.) 

Dasha Karma Ura is president of the Center for Bhutan studies and gross national happiness research, he a researcher, scholar, artists and historian. Karma Ura is a key figure in the development of the concept of gross national happiness and Bhutan, formulating the nine domains of gross national happiness and has led various Gross National Happiness surveys. He holds various international roles, including Executive Committee Member of the School of Well-being, Chulalongkorn University, and San Nagarprada Foundation, Thailand, and 2010 Member of the Reflection Group on Global Development Perspectives, Global Policy Forum, Germany. He is also a Member of the Chief Economist?s Advisory Panel, World Bank, representing the South Asia Region

A wide-ranging discussion with Hans Ulrich Obrist on ecology and contemporary art. Hans discusses his work as at the Serpentine Gallery in London which has made an important commitment to ecology. He highlights the  Gallery?s ongoing exploration of an idea of communion with the environment through is exhibitions and activities?and how he has been inspired by the work of artist and political activist Gustav Metzger. Hans also explores the potential fo climate and environmental art --and the role of the avante garde-- within an increasingly financialised global art market.

Hans Ulrich Obrist is a Swiss art curator, critic and historian of art. He is artistic director at the Serpentine Galleries, London, which has embedded environmental and ecological concerns across its programmes and activities-- and research around ecology and climate change. He is the author of The Interview Project, an extensive ongoing project of interviews: so far, some 2000 hours of interviews have been recorded. He is also co-editor of the Cahiers d'Art review. He recently edited the book 140 Artists' Ideas for Planet Earth.

Fascinating interview exploring the interwoven geopolitical, economic, and political history of Western democratic societies since the early 20th century, revealing the way in which the battles for energy and for resources has shaped  politics, the fault lines ultimately leading to many recent crises. Helen shares her perspective on the evolving relationship between the US and China?the underlying dynamics, emphasising how the Chinese leadership thinks in strategic terms about green energy ?unlike the US. Helen also highlights the scale of the challenge of the energy transition which, she argues, is often underestimated, pointing out how energy transitions in the age of fossil fuels has largely been about more energy sources, not directly replacing one energy source with another.

Helen Thompson is Professor of Political Economy at Cambridge and a fellow and Director of Studies at Clare College, Cambridge. Her current research concentrates on the political economy of energy and the long history of the democratic, economic, and geopolitical disruptions of the twenty-first century. She is the author of Oil and the Western Economic Crisis (2017), China and the Mortgaging of America (2010), and Might, Right, Prosperity and Consent: Representative Democracy and the International Economy (2008). Helen is a contributing writer to the New Statesman and has written articles for the London Review of Books, the New York Times, and the Financial Times. Her new book Disorder: Hard Times in the 21st century was published in February. 

A focussed, and spirited, discussion with Lord Adair Turner on the work of the Energy Transitions Commission and the recent Energy Transitions Commission?s report on the role of Carbon Dioxide Removals (CDR) in meeting global climate objectives? a report which argues that CDR, alongside rapid and deep global decarbonisation, can give the world a 50% chance of limiting global warming to 1.5°C. This is a fascinating broad ranging discussion exploring different approaches to CDR, the role and varying structure of carbon offsets, validation mechanisms the role of carbon markets, the article 6 rulebook, and related questions. The discussion also touches on the ongoing role that financial institutions are playing supporting the fossil fuel industry.

Lord Adair Turner chairs the Energy Transitions Commission, a global coalition of major power and industrial companies, investors, environmental NGOs and experts working out achievable pathways to limit global warming to well below 2?C by 2040 while stimulating economic development and social progress. He was chairman of the Institute for New Economic Thinking until January 2019, where he remains a Senior Fellow. He is Chairman of Chubb Europe and on the Advisory Board of Envision Energy, a Shanghai-based group focussed on renewable energy, batteries and digital systems. Amongst many other roles he has played, Adair was the first chairman of the Climate Change Committee (2008-2012) an independent body to advise the UK Government on tackling climate change.

A deep dive with Timothée Parrique on degrowth thinking. In this fascinating interview, Timothee Parrique gives an overview of the latest research on degrowth economics, the compelling underlying logic-- and confronts some of the misunderstandings about degrowth, undermining some of the arguments used against degrowing the economy. Timothée highlights the growing adoption of degrowth ideas in the world of economics, and more importantly, by the IPCC itself?and he discusses the growing evidence that decoupling is not, and has not, taken place, notwithstanding the hopes that many have for green growth. ?The new numbers we have tell us that that the decoupling we would need to see in order to make further economic growth in high income nations green?it just has not been delivered.?

Timothée Parrique is a researcher at the School of Economics in Lund University, Sweden. He holds a PhD in economics from the University of Clermont Auvergne and Stockholm University. Titled ?The political economy of degrowth? (2019), his dissertation explores the economic implications of degrowth. Tim is also the lead author of ?Decoupling debunked ? Evidence and arguments against green growth? (2019), a report published by the European Environmental Bureau (EEB). He blogs at https://timotheeparrique.com and tweets at @timparrique.

Professor Robert Eccles, one of the world?s leading authorities on ESG, discusses the growing importance of ESG factors in investment, with reflections on the corporate and investor response to the war in Ukraine. He shares his views on the importance of establishing effective corporate sustainability standards--which he recognises as a challenging, inevitably slow, sometimes polarising, but vitally important effort to reach consensus: ?Standard setting has always been a contentious, fractious process. There are technical issues, there are ideological issues. It's never done? the debate continues.? Professor Eccles discusses the role  corporations play with respect to the SDGs--and how, and when, corporations can do good given pressures to grow and maximise profits. He also discusses the impact of investors? changing attitudes to sustainability. A fascinating discussion focussed on some of the most important questions today in the world of corporate sustainability.

Professor Robert Eccles is a leading authority on corporate purpose and the integration of environmental, social, and governance (ESG) factors in resource allocation decisions by companies and investors. He is Visiting Professor of Management Practice at Saïd Business School at the University of Oxford was previously a tenured professor at Harvard Business School. He is the Founding Chairman of the Sustainability Accounting Standards Board (SASB) and one of the founders of the International Integrated Reporting Council (IIRC).

Sunrise co-founder William Lawrence looks back on his days at Sunrise and explores some of the lessons and insights from the organisation?s growth development?and makes the connection with wider trends in left politics in the United States. This interview explores key elements of Sunrise?s strategy, as well the organisation?s methods of organizing. William highlights some of the organisations key successes -- raising the importance of climate in American political discourse, making it a leading priority for the Democratic Party, as well as some of the work that remains to be done. A fascinating insight into the development, growth, and challenges faced by one of the most successful and inspiring youth driven climate change organisations in the world.

William Lawrence is an organizer and social movement strategist. He was a co-founder of Sunrise Movement, where he helped shape and popularize the Green New Deal. He currently works as a strategic advisor for Dream Defenders, a social change organisation fighting for a world without prisons, policing, surveillance and punishment--and he is developing a new popular organization in his hometown of Lansing, Michigan. William?s detailed analysis in Convergence magazine https://bit.ly/3vSYlCz and https://bit.ly/3FuJn9c -- what he calls an exercise in ?practice of learning in public.?

Professor Kevin Gallagher and Richard Kozul-Wright discuss their new book The Case for a New Bretton Woods. They highlight the unmet promises for reforms to promote stability, social inclusion, and sustainability in the aftermath of the 2008?9 global financial crisis?and argue that in the wake of Covid there is now an opportunity to reform the financial system and deal with the inequality, volatility, and climate breakdown. Kevin and Richard outline a series of fundamental reforms to bring the Bretton Woods institutions, reforming international finance, aligning trade and investment rules with climate and development goals.

Kevin T Gallagher is Professor of Global Development Policy and Director of the Global Development Policy Center at Boston University, whose mission is to advance policy-relevant research for financial stability, human wellbeing, and the environment on a global scale. Richard Kozul-Wright is Director of the Division on Globalization and Development Strategies at the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD) He has worked at the UN in both New York and Geneva and published widely on economic issues.

Wide-ranging interview with the economist Ann Pettifor on the impact of an unstable financial system on the prospects of dealing with the climate crisis, the role and impact of private finance-- which she believes is ultimately designed to serve the interests of the 1%. Ann argues, however, that the real power of private finance is overstated, pointing to the various ways in which financial institutions consistently rely on public institutions to bail them out: how we are not actually living in time of free market capitalism. Rather than focus exclusively on the cost of decarbonization, Ann suggests that we think about a different kind of economy: living more simply, living with less carbon, living in an economy which is not based on fossil fuels.

Ann Pettifor is a British economist who advises governments and organisations. Her work focuses on the global financial system, sovereign debt restructuring, international finance and sustainable development. She was one of the leaders of the Jubilee 2000 debt cancellation campaign and is a member of the Green New Deal Group of economists, environmentalists and entrepreneurs actively working to shift the world away from fossil fuels. Her latest book is The Case for the Green New Deal.

Deep dive with Professor Ruth DeFries on her recent book What would Nature Do exploring how strategies from the natural world can help humanity weather many of the environmental crises we are now facing. DeFries explains how a small number of key strategies?investments in diversity, redundancy over efficiency, self-correcting feedbacks, and decisions based on bottom-up knowledge?enable life to persist through unpredictable, sudden shocks-and various ways in which we can apply these strategies to deal with current environmental challenges we are facing.

Ruth DeFries is a professor of ecology and sustainable development at Columbia University in New York co-founding dean of the Columbia Climate School and is a recipient of the MacArthur ?Genius? Fellowship and many other academic awards she is an author of over a 100 scientific papers related to how people are manipulating the planet and its consequences for humanity. Her most recent book is What would Nature do where she outlines a set of strategies from the natural world that she believes can help humanity deal with many of the environmental crises the world is facing.

Carbon Tracker Initiative?s Mark Campanale provides fresh insights into the dangerous phenomenon of stranded assets ?according to the IEA: ? investments which have already been made but which, at some time prior to the end of their economic life, are no longer able to earn an economic return.? Mark explains why it is taking so long for capital markets to reflect the real value of fossil fuel companies?and what?s at stake here-- how we are funding climate chaos through our pension schemes and banking system.  Mark discusses the economics of investment in fossil fuel compared to renewables, the power and influence of the fossil fuel industry, and his latest work focus, including important work on the Fossil fuel Non Proliferation Treaty. 

Mark Campanale is the Founder of the Carbon Tracker Initiative, a non-profit think-tank launched to pin-point with clarity how global capital markets have failed to deal with climate risk. Mark developed the ?unburnable carbon? capital markets thesis ? the idea that there are substantial fossil fuel energy sources which cannot be burnt if the world is to adhere to the necessary carbon budgets to limit global warming. Campanale also  co-founded Planet Tracker, another think tank, which provides in-depth financial analysis around natural ecological barriers to growth faced by financial markets. His work seeks to raise awareness of ?value-at-risk? to the financial community, and engages institutional investors and analysts to unlock and redirect the transformative power of capital markets to deliver on sustainable development objectives.

Wide ranging discussion on ESG ratings and how MSCI approaches identifying risks and opportunities arising from material Climate and ESG issues. Linda-Eling Lee is Global Head of ESG and Climate Research at MSCI the largest provider of ESG Ratings and analytics to global institutional investors. Linda-Elong leads one of the largest teams in the world dedicated to identifying risks and opportunities arising from material Climate and ESG issues.  She oversees all ESG- and Climate-related content and methodology and is also a member of MSCI?s Executive Committee.

Hard-hitting interview with outspoken Kenyan ecologist and conservation writer Dr Mordecai Ogada. Deep dive on key trends in Kenyan conservation. Mordecai criticizes of impact of large sums of money coming into conservation Kenya, from abroad, which he sees having an overtly commercial impact on conservation in Kenya. One impact: substantial growth in ?protected areas??which Mordecai sees as being ?rooted in violence and eviction and disenfranchisement.? Mordecai calls for the philosophy behind protected areas has to be looked at afresh. ?Humans have always used landscapes have always used natural resources. The key is finding sustainable and more resilient ways of using these natural resources.? 

Dr Ogada is a carnivore ecologist and conservation writer who has been involved in conservation policy and practice for the last 18 years in Kenya and other parts of Africa, mainly focusing on human wildlife conflict mitigation, and carnivore and community-based conservation Wildlife Policy and wetlands ecology. He is currently the Executive Director of Conservation Solutions Africa, and natural resource management consultancy. He is the co-author of The Big Conservation Lie.

In this wide-ranging and hard-hitting interview, pioneering American writer, activist, and Marxist environmentalist, Mike Davis speaks out about the dangers of this moment, politically, which he sees as similar to the late 1930s, and the relentless environmental destruction of the planet, and growing nuclear threats. Disappointed by the loss of momentum for street politics and protests in the US, following the inspiration of Black Lives Matter, Mike worries that protests have become predominantly a franchise of the far right, at a time of existential threats where young people need to take action and speak out. Mike is harshly critical of the way in which Western governments have dealt with Covid, drawing parallels with multilateral approaches to dealing with the climate crisis, particularly the prevailing ideology that finance capitalism is the only force that can save the world environmentally. 

Mike Davis is a pioneering American writer, political activist, urban theorist, and historian, best known for his seminal analysis of power and social class in his native Southern California. Over many decades, Davis has created a powerful body of work investigating a wide range of issues from urban development and globalisation to the impact of extreme weather systems, the growth of slums, pandemics, and the environment?all underpinned by a profound critique of capitalist social relations and a deep concern for the environment and all kinds of injustice. He was a 1996?1997 Getty Scholar at the Getty Research Institute and received a MacArthur Fellowship Award in 1998. He is the author of some two dozen works of fiction and non-fiction and won the Lannan Literary Award for Nonfiction in 2007.

A fascinating deep dive on impact investment with Sir Ronald Cohen, "the father of social investment." This is a spirited discussion about Sir Ronald?s book, Impact, exploring his vision of how impact investing is reshaping capitalism to deliver a form of capitalism that can deal with the profound social and environmental challenges we are facing?issues which he is passionate about. Sir Ronald believes financial institutions are changing profoundly -and is hugely optimistic about the work being done today on measuring impact, notably the Harvard Business School IWA impact weighted accounts project?making the connection between market value and pollution explicit. This in turn brings Ronnie?s vision closer:  a world where investors can measure companies impact and ?help change the behaviour of companies so that they bring solutions rather than creating or aggravating environmental and social problems.?

Sir Ronald Cohen is Chairman of The Portland Trust and Bridges Ventures, amongst other roles, as a philanthropist, venture capitalist, private equity investor and social innovator over many decades. Sir Ronald was a founder of Apax Ventures, has been described as "the father of British venture capital" and "the father of social investment," his latest book, Impact, Reshaping capitalism to drive real change, explores his vision of how impact investing is reshaping capitalism.

Katharina Pistor, Professor of Comparative Law and director of the Center on Global Legal Transformation at Columbia Law School, discusses her most recent book The Code of Capital: How the Law Creates Wealth and Inequality. In this fascinating discussion, she highlights the various ways that debt, complex financial products, and other assets are selectively coded to protect and reproduce private wealth?and the malleability of the legal system, that can be redesigned, and repurposed--by well paid lawyers. Katharina discusses the recent trend to create environmental financial assets-and highlights what she sees as a crucial, perennial, question: who will bear any financial losses (associated with climate change investments). Katharina also shares some ideas on we might create a financial system that would be more socially, environmentally and financially equitable.

Katharina Pistor is the Edwin B. Parker Professor of Comparative Law and director of the Center on Global Legal Transformation at Columbia Law School. A leading scholar and writer on corporate governance, money and finance, property rights, and comparative law and legal institutions, Pistor?s most recent book, The Code of Capital: How the Law Creates Wealth and Inequality, examines how assets such as land, private debt, business organizations, or knowledge are transformed into capital through contract law, property rights, collateral law, and trust, corporate, and bankruptcy law. The Code of Capital was named one of the best books of 2019 by the Financial Times and Business Insider. 

In this fascinating discussion on the COP, Professor Stefan Aykut, a German scholar working on global climate governance, on the role and expectations around COP26. Stefan shares a more positive assessment of COP26 than some others interviewed on this podcast: ultimately, he points out, the outcome is in the hands of national governments. Stefan argues that one of the main reasons climate problems have not received the necessary attention is that they have been treated as uniquely climate problems . But he sees signs that is changing. Stefan worries that the lack of solidarity in the way the Global North has dealt with COVID crisis does not augur well for dealing with climate problems in the future. Notwithstanding its urgency, Stefan also worries about the dangers of framing global warming as an emergency: emergencies, he says, are associated with concentration of political power. 

Stefan Aykut is Junior professor of Sociology, Director at Center for Sustainable Society Research (CSS) Hamburg, Germany.  He is a sociologist, political scientist and Science and technology scholar working on global climate governance and sustainability transformations with a particular focus on contemporary approaches to aligning economic activities and social practices with global ecological limits.

COP26 debrief with Rupert Read. In the immediate aftermath of COP26, Rupert Read shares his profound disappointment with the outcome of COP26, shares his views for possible ways forward with the COPs, how they might evolve--and talks about the vital importance of adaptation-another area where he feels COP26 failed to deliver. Unvarnished and candid reflections on COP26 and worries about general progress on the scale of environmental challenges the world is facing: in particular global warming and the environmental catastrophes the oceans are undergoing. 

Rupert Read is an Associate Professor of Philosophy at the University of East Anglia, an author, a blogger, and a climate and environmental campaigner, including his work as a spokesperson for Extinction Rebellion. He has written over a dozen books, most recently Parents for A Future. Deep Adaptation: Navigating the Realities of Climate Chaos which he edited with Jem Bendell came out this summer. Rupert has also been national parliamentary candidate, European parliamentary candidate and councillor for the Green Party of England and Wales and chaired the ecological think tank Green House. He is a strong advocate for positive, radical change to address the climate emergency, and has argued for the environment extensively in the media, including writings in the Guardian, The Independent and The Ecologist and frequent guest appearances on the radio.