Climate Quickie: Why we need more good news climate stories

Why there’s much more to climate action than reducing your carbon footprint: What comes to mind when you think of the climate change conversation? Puffed-up academics? Militant hippies? Infuriating climate sceptics? Only ten years to save the world? Yep – it’s pretty overwhelming, pretty polarised, and we’re here to help you find a way through this ‘wicked problem’ of climate change. In this episode of TEDxLondon’s Climate Curious we're joined by the legendary TEDxLondon speaker and neuroscientist specialising in polarisation, Dr. Kris De Meyer, who gives us the tools to disarm ourselves of limiting values and opinions and instead approach the climate crisis from a place of pure action. Tune into our most empowering episode to date with Maryam Pasha and Ben Hurst where they explain why climate change is a wicked problem, debunk why the 2020 climate conversation feels so fragmented and hostile, and unpack the neuroscience at the centre of this polarising topic. Spoiler alert – it involv by Climate Curious

57 min listen

Why our cities must ditch the exhaust pipe: You don’t have to be an expert or a car owner to get involved in the exhaust pipe debate – from the way your parcels are delivered to how you get around, we’re all using a transport system which is hurting our planet. The solution? Electrifying transportation, especially fleets. On this episode of TEDxLondon’s Climate Curious podcast electrification advocate and TED speaker Monica Araya breaks down how we can shift to an emissions-free world, in an equitable way. She joins hosts Maryam Pasha and Ben Hurst to debunk the different energy sources that power our vehicles, explain why EVs are so much more than a Tesla, and highlight the cities leading the way to eliminate these exhaust pipe polluters. Having spent her career campaigning for clean air across the world, Monica is optimistic for where we’ll be in ten years; “the sound of the city will be different”. This week’s Climate Confessions? Taking flights just for the loyalty points, hybrid U by Climate Curious

58 min listen

Best of Season 1: Join Maryam Pasha and Ben Hurst in this bonus episode as they celebrate the highs and lows of season 1 of the Climate Curious podcast by TEDxLondon. From reminiscing on their most cringe-worthy climate confessions to reflecting on our guest’s most powerful insights, tune in to get geeky - in a fun way - and find out what we’ve really learnt in the first 8 episodes. by Climate Curious

69 min listen

Why your gas stove has to go: It’s not just what you are cooking that could be killing you, but how you are cooking. Millions of people each day turn on their gas stoves without a single thought to the silent, but deadly pollution the stove is emitting and that they are breathing in – with serious consequences for our health. This week on TEDxLondon’s Climate Curious podcast hosts Maryam Pasha and Ben Hurst speak to climate pioneer and campaigner extraordinaire, Bruce Nilles. He spent 15 years working to replace dirty coal plants with clean energy and now he’s set his sights on eliminating another highly polluting fossil fuel, “natural” gas. Join us to learn why there is nothing natural or clean about fossil gas, how gas causes dangerous indoor air pollution that especially harms children, and how cities are leading the way in dismantling the fossil fuel empire and electrifying everything. Having fought powerful vested interests to shut down hundreds of coal plants across the United St by Climate Curious

49 min listen

Climate Quickie: Why cheap food is killing us: The biggest myth about healthy food? That it’s expensive. In this Climate Quickie with knowledge broker, community chef and food policy-maker Dee Woods, she breaks down how to find affordable, healthy food – think hyper-local! This visionary food actionist shares how if you cut out the middleman and shop directly from a grower, market gardener or farmer, you can shortcut to healthy, nutritious food. If you enjoyed this quickie, why not listen to Dee’s full episode on Climate Curious – How to Be A Global Food Citizen: https://tedxlondon.com/podcast/climate-curious-how-to-be-a-global-food-citizen/ We hope you enjoy this new format we’re sprinkling in as an extra to our standard 30 minute episodes. Let us know what other interesting facts, digestible explainers and practical tips from former guests you’d like to hear info@tedxlondon.com by Climate Curious

4 min listen

Climate Quickie: Why climate change is unfair: Why is it that the communities that have the least to do with creating climate change are the ones who suffer the most harm? You only have to look at Guyana, one of the world’s few carbon sinks, to see how flooding and a dangerously low sea level is putting the nation at risk of going underwater. In this Climate Quickie with environmental lawyer, Melinda Janki, hear her thoughts on why stories of the Global South’s pioneering approaches to the climate crisis are kept quiet, and how we can rebalance the climate conversation to be more representative of global realities, as opposed to the usual Western perspectives. If you enjoyed this quickie, why not listen to Melinda’s full episode on Climate Curious – How the Guyanese people are fighting big oil https://tedxlondon.com/podcast/climate-curious-how-guyanese-people-fighting-big-oil/ We hope you enjoy this new format we’re sprinkling in as an extra to our standard 30 minute episodes. Let us by Climate Curious

5 min listen

Why what you wear is about more than fashion: Far from being frivolous, fashion is cultural currency, a tool of self-expression, and a much-loved confidence boost, but sadly it’s a problematic friend. Whether you’re donning Primark or Prada, thanks to hazy supply chains and labour practices, there’s no guarantee as to who made your clothes, and how sustainable they really are. In this episode of TEDxLondon’s Climate Curious we’re joined by Baroness Lola Young, an activist, author, crossbench peer in the House of Lords, and Chancellor of the University of Nottingham, widely known for her contribution to creating legislation to eliminate modern slavery, a number which shockingly still stands at 40 million today globally. This pioneer urges us all to wake up to the labour behind the label, and to disengage from the fast fashion blame game and change what we can, today, with the resources we have. Tune in with Maryam Pasha and Ben Hurst to understand why it’s not about banning fast fashion by Climate Curious

52 min listen

Why we need to stop hating on bugs: Scary creepy crawlies, indestructible cockroaches and fluffy bumble bees… we’ve written narratives that have got bugs all wrong, says modern day explorer Will Hawkes in the latest episode of the Climate Curious podcast. Tune in with co-hosts Maryam Pasha and Ben Hurst to learn about the little known, but incredible role insects play in the world’s ecosystem – from helping us grow crops and keep pests under control – bugs need love, too. From planting herbs on your balcony, to eating organic foods and pressuring your council to reduce verge cutting, discover what you can do today to give bugs their buzz back! Learn more: https://tedxlondon.com/news/climate-curious-why-we-need-to-stop-hating-on-bugs/ by Climate Curious

35 min listen

Why climate justice can’t happen without racial justice: The climate conversation is changing; a more inclusive, diverse and equitable story around climate is emerging, with race at the centre. This week’s extra special guest Member of Parliament for Tottenham and Shadow Secretary of State for Justice David Lammy explains that the fight for racial justice is critical to saving the planet. He urges us to reframe the climate debate and see it as a humanitarian crisis: “this in the end is not just about saving the planet. It's about the people on the planet. And the people on the planet bearing the brunt of it are black,” David explains. On this episode of Climate Curious by TEDxLondon tune in with co-hosts Maryam Pasha and Ben Hurst as they discuss why we need more black representation in the climate conversation, interrogate why if you care about identity, race, gender or equality you should also care about climate, and explore how we can all join the dots between racism and climate to by Climate Curious

40 min listen

Coming Soon: Season 2: We're back! Launching June 2nd, co-hosts Maryam Pasha and Ben Hurst introduce some of the topics we’ll cover in Season 2 of TEDxLondon's Climate Curious. by Climate Curious

2 min listen

Coming Soon: Climate Curious: Are you Climate Curious? If you care about the world, but find the current conversation about climate change confusing, scary or boring then this might be the podcast for you. Join TEDxLondon as we lift the lid on the climate emergency. Find out why cities are key to the climate fight, why we need to tackle systemic problems (and not just plastic straws), and why we’re all a bit crap at sustainability. Hear from hosts Maryam Pasha and Ben Hurst as they scout the earth for intersectional solutions, meet the cities that are leading the way, find out why the next 10 years are so important, indulge in our speakers’ climate confessions, and ask – episode by episode – why climate? Why should we care? And what can we do? This season, we're talking about why your gas stove is killing you, why you don't need to care about climate change to care about climate change, why green is the new black and why racial justice and climate justice are inextricably linked. Wa by Climate Curious

2 min listen

Why climate has a youthwashing problem: Youthwashing is the latest corporate eco marketing strategy. But young climate activists aren't falling for it, says environmental educator Isaias Hernandez, aka @QueerBrownVegan on the latest episode of the Climate Curious podcast by TEDxLondon. In a bid to try and clean up their image, multinational businesses (usually with a vested interest in fossil fuels), feature WAY too many young faces in their ads… and we’re over it. In this chat with co-hosts Maryam Pasha and Ben Hurst, learn what institutionalised racism feels like in the climate movement (from someone on the inside), why we need to push for multigenerational wisdom as opposed to piling the pressure on young people to save the world, and how foraging for mushrooms is the perfect eco self-care activity to try today. Tune in to learn why climate has a #youthwashing problem. Learn more: https://tedxlondon.com/podcast/climate-curious-why-climate-has-a-youthwashing-problem/ Check out Isa by Climate Curious

34 min listen

Why the law can save the planet: Forget imaginary superheroes, there is a team of legal avengers that are fighting every day on behalf of us and the planet. These legal heroes are shutting down coal power plants in Poland, re-designing what law looks like in China, making air pollution a thing of the past in the UK and uniting with local communities in Ghana, Ivory Coast, Liberia and the Republic of Congo to stop deforestation. In this episode of TEDxLondon’s Climate Curious, we’re joined by the legal powerhouse that is James Thornton, the founding CEO of ClientEarth, and one of the New Statesman’s ‘ten people who could change the world’ – a lawyer who helps protect the planet and its people. Tune in with Maryam Pasha and Ben Hurst to discover what it takes to sue Governments and huge corporations, understand why working as a community is key to dismantling the fossil fuel economy, and explore why getting creative with the law is empowering nations to redesign ‘the system’ from within by Climate Curious

59 min listen

Why the climate crisis is a health crisis: “It’s impossible to have healthy people on a sick planet,” says climate and health campaigner Shweta Narayan, on the latest episode of Climate Curious by TEDxLondon. Shweta introduces a new perspective: by viewing climate change through the lens of the Hippocratic Oath — an ancient set of ethical standards sworn by physicians (and no, it has nothing to do with hippos!)— every person has a role to play in the climate fight. Tune in with co-hosts Maryam Pasha and Ben Hurst live from TED Countdown to learn about why how we must focus on “first doing no harm” before anything else, how we cannot put a cost on our ability to simply breathe clean air, and how her four dogs are her secret weapon to avoiding eco-burnout. Learn more: https://tedxlondon.com/podcast/climate-curious-why-the-climate-crisis-is-a-health-crisis/ Watch Shweta's TED Talk: https://www.ted.com/talks/shweta_narayan_it_s_impossible_to_have_healthy_people_on_a_sick_planet by Climate Curious

30 min listen

How culture can help us win the climate war, p.2: In the second of a special two-part feature, we’re back with South African human rights and environmental activist, Kumi Naidoo, on how we can tap into culture, communications and identity to influence politics and reveal the truth about the climate crisis. by Climate Curious

44 min listen

How culture can help us win the climate war, p.1: In the first of a special Climate Curious two-part feature, we hear from the extraordinary South African human rights and environmental activist, Kumi Naidoo, on how we can tap into culture, communications and identity to influence politics and reveal the truth about the climate crisis. Read the highlights in our article: https://tedxlondon.com/podcast/climatecuriouskumi by Climate Curious

41 min listen

Climate Quickie: What is queer ecology?: Our latest feature Climate Quickies gives you bitesize nuggets of climate goodies – in under 5 minutes! This week, we’re talking queer ecology – gender shifting fish, intersex birds, and how trees can impregnate themselves – with iconic environmental and intersectional drag queen, Pattie Gonia. If you enjoyed this quickie, why not listen to Pattie’s full episode on Climate Curious – Why Mother Nature is a Drag Queen: https://tedxlondon.com/podcast/climate-curious-why-mother-nature-is-a-drag-queen/ We hope you enjoy this new format we’re sprinkling in as an extra to our standard 30 minute episodes. Let us know what other interesting facts, digestible explainers and practical tips from former guests you’d like to hear info@tedxlondon.com by Climate Curious

5 min listen

Why you feel anxious about climate change (and what to do about it): Young people are terrified, depressed and anxious about the climate crisis. And the pressure society puts on them to drive innovation and lead change isn’t helping. In fact, it’s wearing them down – with 70% of 18-24-year-olds saying they feel eco-anxiety. In this episode of TEDxLondon’s Climate Curious we’re joined by visionary 21-year-old activist Clover Hogan, who urges us to give youth activists the space to have nuance and express their true feelings. Tune into this illuminating episode with Maryam Pasha and Ben Hurst where they explore the importance of an intergenerational approach to the climate crisis, explain why it’s so important to face these negative or scary feelings, and suggest how to turn your anxiety into agency. This week’s Climate Confessions? A nearly vegan burger, long hot baths, and a shocking revelation about coconut water you won’t be able to unhear. by Climate Curious

48 min listen

How green money can make the world go round: “Moving to a green economy delivers on the things that people are already worried about,” says TED Speaker, environmentalist and economist, Angela Francis, on the latest episode of the Climate Curious podcast by TEDxLondon. With over 1.4 million views on her TED Talk, this champion for the green economy breaks down what an economy is, how a green one would work, and why the dirty economy model must go. So how do we do it? Reshape our value systems, reward green businesses, and find ways to communicate the true cost of living in a dirty economy. Simple! Right? Tune in with co-hosts Maryam Pasha and Ben Hurst to get a solid, straightforward grounding in environmental economics, direct from one of the world’s most inspiring green economists. Learn more: https://tedxlondon.com/podcast/climate-curious-how-green-money-can-make-the-world-go-round/ by Climate Curious

31 min listen

Why Mother Nature is a drag queen: If you’ve ever thought about being a lady in the streets, but a freak on the peaks – this one’s for you! Thigh high boots, full glam and bouncy curls for days – Mother Nature’s had a makeover, and we’re not mad about it. In the first episode of Season 2 of TEDxLondon’s Climate Curious we're joined by the iconic environmentalist and intersectional drag queen, Pattie Gonia, who explains the need for everyone to connect to nature, why we must diversify the climate movement and why queer ecology is so much more than “gay dolphins in the ocean” – urging us to “advocate for our one true Queen, Mother Nature with all of our creativity and intersectional identities.” Join co-hosts Maryam Pasha and Ben Hurst to discover why Pattie believes the outdoors isn’t just for white, straight, cis males, but instead, for everyone - especially Queer people and other marginalised groups, how you can be an environmentalist and still love your sofa and why hiking in 6-inch by Climate Curious

34 min listen

How seaweed reduces cow burps: Gassy cows no more – Ermias Kebreab, animal scientist and TED speaker shares how feeding cows seaweed reduces their methane filled burps on the latest episode of the Climate Curious podcast by TEDxLondon. Tune in with Maryam Pasha and Ben Hurst live from TED Countdown to learn why stopping eating meat and dairy is not an option for most people in the world, how approaching food with a different sort of sustainability mindset is key, and why we already have the solutions we need – it’s right there, in that slimy smelly stuff wrapped around our ankles at the beach – seaweed! As this visionary Burger King puts it, “it’s a win, win, win situation.” Even Ben says he’s “feeling really, really, really encouraged.” Kerching! We’ve hit the climate jackpot this week. by Climate Curious

29 min listen

Why climate change is everyone's business: Charmian Love wants you to shake up your mindset. More specifically, to stop worrying about whether you’re on the right or wrong side of the climate conversation and instead focus on taking action. Newsflash: We all have a role to play and it is time to move beyond the blame game and focus on solutions. In this first episode of Climate Curious, Maryam Pasha and Ben Hurst speak to Charmian Love, Social Entrepreneur in Residence at the Skoll Centre at the University of Oxford and co-founder of B Lab UK. Charmian shares how we need to actively work towards systems level fixes while also taking individual action against climate change. From thinking like a sunflower to approaching problems and solutions as interconnected, our conversation explores how we can cultivate a mindset to access the climate conversation and why Charmian believes kindness and creativity are at the heart of a healthy planet. And don’t miss Charmian, Ben and Maryam’s ‘Climat by Climate Curious

37 min listen

What’s going on with fish in West Africa?: Superfood sardines, omega three and the ultimate brain food… fish is one of the most nutrient dense foods on the planet, but overfishing is putting them at risk of destruction, and the local people who rely on them, says environmental social scientist Christina Hicks in the latest episode of the Climate Curious podcast. Tune in with co-hosts Maryam Pasha and Ben Hurst to explore why this topic feels so icky (hint – it’s a wicked problem!), why we need to open our eyes to the inefficiencies of white environmentalism in order to save the planet, and how to recognise when simple climate solutions are being pedalled to you. From what insiders are really saying about that infamous fish documentary (you know the one!), to why fish is crucial to the first 1,000 days of human's mental and physical development, dig into the real deal around the troublesome topic of oceans, seas, and fish! Learn more: https://tedxlondon.com/podcast/climate-curious-what by Climate Curious

36 min listen

Climate Quickie: What anti-apartheid can teach the climate movement: From protesting on the front lines against the apartheid in South Africa to sitting in the boardrooms of global climate change and human rights organisations, Kumi Naidoo is a lifelong activist with a tonne of experience in how to make people in power sit up and take notice. The only way? Through music, dance, culture – ‘artivism’, says Kumi, in this week’s Climate Quickie. “When I started as a 15 year old, I had an intuitive sense of injustice. [...] What I learned in the first sort of 10 years of my activism was probably the most instructive. I wish I had hung on to some of the core lessons even stronger than I did. But I got contaminated a little bit along the way, by the idea of doing things where you had big logos and marketing and communications,” says Kumi. If you enjoyed this quickie, why not listen to Kumi’s full 2-part episode on the #ClimateCuriousPod – How culture can help us win the climate war: https:/ by Climate Curious

5 min listen

How to be a global food citizen: Veganism isn’t the only answer to climate change, dignity and equity are, says knowledge broker, community chef and food policy-maker, Dee Woods. In this week’s Climate Curious by TEDxLondon, we’re discussing food – yum! Contributing to a whopping 21-37% of greenhouse gas emissions, the global food system needs a rethink, stat. Instead of restricting our diets, we need to reconnect with where our food comes from – so we can start making more localised, equitable choices. Join co-hosts Maryam Pasha and Ben Hurst to hear Dee breakdown why solving bigger problems of the food industry can help us fight climate change, how chicken shops are in fact a policy-driven food apartheid, and why building localised food economies is essential to the future of people and planet. Learn more: https://tedxlondon.com/podcast/climate-curious-how-to-be-a-global-food-citizen/ Buy a Granville Community Kitchen Good Food Box: http://granvillecommunitykitchen.org.uk/good-food by Climate Curious

35 min listen

How we can fight air pollution, together: “Our lungs are not experiments. Every single minute, every day, damage is being done. And that's what happened to Ella,” says clean air advocate Rosamund Adoo-Kissi-Debrah and mother of the late Ella Adoo-Kissi-Debrah in the latest episode of the Climate Curious podcast. Tune in with co-hosts Maryam Pasha and Ben Hurst to learn about how Rosamund took on the UK government and won a landmark case, what a future clean air act should look like and how it can help us save nearly 9 million lives a year, and the simple things you can do today to limit your exposure to air pollution – including walking on quieter streets. This episode will give you an insight into why we need to reframe air pollution as a health thing, not just an environment thing, the tension between Ella’s positive impact on the air pollution campaign and the impact it has on her family, and why poor and marginalised communities are not given equal footing in the climate debate, de by Climate Curious

39 min listen

How the Guyanese people are fighting big oil: Guyana is a carbon sink and a climate leader, but has been airbrushed out of the global climate movement, as many developing countries are, says international environmental lawyer Melinda Janki in the most compelling episode to date of the Climate Curious podcast. “It's not a story that gets told very often… about former colonial peoples standing up against the oil industry,” says this superstar legal eagle, who has spent the last 25 years working to make environmental damage illegal and save our planet. Tune in with co-hosts Maryam Pasha and Ben Hurst to hear Melinda’s extraordinary story of how she’s standing up to multinational oil giants to save one of South America’s most beautiful countries from a carbon bomb disaster. The learnings? The people who have contributed the most to climate change are not really the ones that are bearing the brunt of it, society is still blinded by the false promises of fossil fuel wealth, and a climate con by Climate Curious

34 min listen

Climate Quickie: What even is COP?: Everyone’s talking about COP26, but what is it? We sit down with Rt Hon. David Lammy MP, to get a 5-minute explainer on what this curious ‘COP’ is, which according to Lammy, is actually quite like a “festival” – count us in! Tune in to discover what really goes on at the ‘Conference of The Parties’, and why so much hinges on the 26th meeting this year in Glasgow. Enjoyed this quickie? Listen to our full-length chat with David Lammy MP from Season 1 on why climate justice can’t happen without racial justice: https://tedxlondon.com/news/climate-curious-why-climate-justice-cant-happen-without-racial-justice/ by Climate Curious

6 min listen

Climate Quickie: Why guilt and shame don’t drive climate action: Why the blame game won’t work in climate and what to say instead, with atmospheric scientist, author, TED speaker and one of TIME’s 100 most influential people, Katharine Hayhoe. Enjoyed this quickie? Listen to our full-length chat with Katharine on why talking is the most important thing you can do to fight climate change: https://tedxlondon.com/podcast/climate-curious-why-talking-is-the-most-important-thing-you-can-do-to-fight-climate-change/ by Climate Curious

6 min listen

Climate Quickie: Why Guyana is a climate hero: “It's not a story that gets told very often… about former colonial peoples standing up against the oil industry,” says Melinda Janki, the environmental lawyer taking on Exxon Mobil in one of South America’s most beautiful nature spots, Guyana. In this Climate Quickie, we learn about what’s going on in Guyana, and why deep sea oil drilling a carbon sink (i.e. a country which removes more carbon than it produces) is straight up “crazy”. Enjoyed this quickie? Why not listen to Melinda’s full episode on Climate Curious – How the Guyanese people are fighting big oil: https://tedxlondon.com/podcast/climate-curious-how-guyanese-people-fighting-big-oil/ by Climate Curious

5 min listen

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Climate Quickie: Why we need more good news climate stories

Climate Quickie: Why we need more good news climate stories

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