We live in a desperately cynical world - christ, the Babble should know - but a few public figures remain untarnished, standing tall as beacons of trustworthiness while our shared consensus collapses around us. The O.G. Big Dave is perhaps the most trusted of them all, the mere idea of him lying too horrible to comprehend. Which is perhaps why, when *he* tells us the planet is on fire and it's all our fault - unlike, say, every climate activist - the message is heard, listened to, and believed.



It's also why he must never be allowed to retire or, frankly, drop off the perch.



So to celebrate his recent 96th birthday, we ask: who really is this nonagenarian newt nuzzler? What did he do before he was climbing mountains of bat shit on telly? And do his dodgy views about birth control mean he should be a permanent resident of Inhofe corner?



Sustainababble is your friendly environment podcast, out weekly. Theme music by the legendary Dicky Moore – @dickymoo. Sustainababble logo by the splendid Arthur Stovell at Design by Mondial. Ecoguff read out by Arabella.



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