Explore every episode of the podcast Wicked Problems - Climate Tech Conversations

Former British diplomat Arthur Snell is about to publish a book that explains how climate is rapidly changing the geographic assumptions on which geopolitics is built. 

Buy it now — Elemental: The New Geography of Climate Change and How We Survive It. 

But first, check out this Wickedproblems.earth conversation with Arthur Snell about his new book, the first comprehensive account of the geopolitics of climate change.

In this conversation:

00:00 Arctic Ice Wake Up

00:45 War Crowds Out Climate

02:32 Chokepoints Aren’t Fixed

04:08 Meet Arthur Snell

04:22 Why Climate Is Geopolitics

08:05 Alps Collapse Story

11:01 Skiing Lobbies And Emissions

12:40 Geopolitics Map Gets Redrawn

14:59 Arctic Shipping Routes Open

18:37 Trump Greenland And Minerals

22:46 Panama Canal China Leverage

24:20 Panama Canal Leverage

25:56 Who Shapes Strategy

28:24 Migration as Hard Reality

34:55 Greenland Plans Accelerate

39:27 Russia China North Shift

42:28 Wine and Adaptation

44:36 Book Plug and Farewell

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On Wicked Problems, host Richard Delevan interviews Svitlana Romko, founder of Razom We Stand, at the Laudato Si “Raising Hope” conference about linking Ukraine’s war to global fossil fuel dependence. Romko says We Stand formed in early 2022 to coordinate a coalition of 900 organizations from 60 countries urging bans on Russian fossil fuels and investment, and rebuilding Ukraine with renewables to cut financial flows fueling wars. She argues “all gas is bad,” criticizes replacing Russian gas with US LNG, and urges Europe to accelerate renewables for peace, energy security, climate, and human rights. She describes vast destruction, displacement, population decline to about 20 million, and energy capacity collapsing from 54 GW to 9 GW, while 17–18 GW is needed for winter. She highlights faith-led divestment successes, distributed renewables powering communities, and Ukraine’s renewable potential of 653 GW as a basis for rebuilding and hope.

00:00 Ukraine in Ruins

00:21 I ntro

00:21 Confrontation and Repression

00:59 Intro

01:40 Podcast Intro and Guest

03:20 Meet Svitlana at Conference

03:50 We Stand Mission

05:42 No Such Thing as Clean Gas

07:58 Faith Groups and Divestment

10:46 Populism and Fossil Money

15:50 Ukraine Power Grid Under Attack

22:13 Panel Clip Fossil Fuels and Dictators

34:40 Hope Resilience and Closing

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“Wicked Problems,” hosted by Richard Delevan, returns after a long hiatus and links escalating repression - newly including climate activists - with a high-stakes by-election in Greater Manchester. It opens with concerns about confrontational protest being met with violence and political repression, alongside Nigel Farage's Reform proposing a “UK deportation command,” expanding detention with “no chance of bail,” and “detention will mean deportation.” Devin cites New York Times reporting that the FBI has begun targeting climate activists, including people who have not protested in years, and frames this as part of a broader effort to quash dissent.

Professor Dana R. Fisher of American University discusses what she describes as a “perfect storm” in the US: federal occupations of cities (highlighting Minneapolis), the murder of two American citizens while they were bearing witness to ICE actions, the president getting rid of the endangerment finding underlying US climate policy, and FBI investigations focusing on the "radical fringe" of the climate movement. Fisher argues these groups are “low hanging fruit” because their confrontational tactics (e.g., throwing paint, smearing food, blocking traffic, bird-dogging elected officials) are widely unpopular, making it easier for authorities to target them first as part of a broader slide toward autocracy that also threatens media freedoms. She says repression and violence against peaceful activists historically mobilize larger protests, even as it can lead to persecution, jail, and martyrdom. She also describes survey results from a Women’s March–coordinated “Free America walkout” showing over 75% support for a movement becoming more confrontational and 65% willingness to personally engage in confrontational activism; she notes the participants were largely white, female, older, and highly educated.

Prof. Fisher's Apocalyptic Optimist podcast.

Britain has already jailed nonviolent climate protestors and restricted defenses in court, with ongoing debates about protest trials and labeling Palestine Action a terror group. The Gorton and Denton by-election seems to be between Reform, seeking to import Trump’s climate and migration agenda, and the surging Green Party, treating climate, inequality, and migration as realities to face without losing humanity. The show notes a single constituency poll with Green candidate Hannah Spencer ahead of Reform’s Matt Goodwin, with Labour (which has held the seat for a century) behind; as Labour is consumed by Epstein-linked arrests and scandal involving Peter Mandelson and former Prince Andrew.

In an interview recorded late in 2025, Harriet Lamb, CEO of the Green Party of England and Wales, describes rapid growth following Zach Polanski’s leadership, with membership doubling to over 150,000. Lamb connects her background in international development and environmental and social justice to party politics, argues the UK has shifted into a multi-party system creating both dangers and opportunities, and emphasizes a “people and planet” platform focused on the cost-of-living crisis, inequality, wealth taxes, and strong public support for climate action. She discusses candidate development through a “Greens to Parliament” program aimed at building a diverse slate for 2029, and says coalition politics must protect Green principles and public trust, citing German coalition negotiations and the Scottish Greens’ Bute House agreement as examples.

00:00 Confrontation and Repression

01:35 Wicked Problems Returns

04:11 FBI Targets Climate Activists

07:42 Low Hanging Fruit and Autocracy

19:18 UK By-Election and Green Surge

29:32 Hope Surge and Outreach

31:28 Broad Coalition and Core Values

36:28 Vetting New Recruits

38:39 Road to Parliament and Coalitions

45:24 Milestones and Closing Reflections

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Welcome to Belém, where the world (with some notable exceptions) has gathered to talk about saving the Amazon as if it weren’t already on fire. 

Cataloguing the chaos leading up to COP30 Ben Cooke of The Times. His team’s reporting makes clear why the mood isn’t exactly jubilant: the clean-power alliance with zero members, the rainforest pledges with little progress, and the renewed swagger of fossil petrostates. 

Even potential bright spots, like the Tropical Forest Forever Facility announced last week, were somewhat dimmed by the spectacle of UK prime minister Keir Starmer reversing an earlier decision not to go to COP, only to make the trip to then announce his government wouldn’t be part of the hoped-for signature initiative out of this event.

We chat with Ben about all of that and more.

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Shipping is one of those things that’s just supposed to work. Post-Titanic, we created a set of rules that currently are looked after by the International Maritime Organization (IMO), which successfully removed much of the drama from shipping — so successful that Britain’s “Shipping Forecast” is now soothing ASMR for bedtime listening. 

But last month at the IMO in London, what should have been a procedural meeting on decarbonising shipping turned into something far messier. According to a Financial Times investigation, U.S. officials didn’t just lobby against a global carbon levy on shipping — they allegedly threatened, intimidated and black-mailed delegates from smaller nations. 

Developing-country delegates said they were warned their ships would face higher U.S. port fees, their officials denied visas, and their trade punished if they didn’t abandon support for the Net Zero Framework the IMO had endorsed only six months earlier. “It was like dealing with the Mob,” one diplomat told the FT.  

In the end, it worked. The deal — the world’s first carbon-pricing mechanism for global shipping — was postponed for a year. The IMO, normally the most technocratic of international bodies, was left “in a state of complete shock.” 

For the uninitiated this may sound arcane. But shipping matters. Roughly 90 % of global trade moves by sea; the sector accounts for about 3 % of global CO₂ emissions — more than Germany — and until now has been largely outside the reach of meaningful climate regulation.  

The Net Zero Framework was meant to change that. It had already been provisionally agreed by a majority of countries in April. But by October, something changed. Countries like China, India, Panama, Liberia — and even Greece and Cyprus, who broke with the EU line — suddenly voted to adjourn. news.wickedproblems.uk

And the shift didn’t come from nowhere: it came from pressure. From a U.S. administration that now treats climate policy as an existential threat to American interests.

🎧 Who we spoke to

• Carly Hicks (Chief Strategy & Impact Officer, Opportunity Green) explains how the IMO had once seemed one of the last genuinely global forums where climate ambition could meet technical reality — until the process was capsized by politics. 
• Ariane Morrissey (Senior Editor, Ship.Energy) was in the building as the talks imploded, describing a surreal scene where delegates who came to discuss fuel standards found themselves under threats of sanctions and visa bans. 
• Professor Tristan Smith (University College London) gave the longer-view: this is less a failure of climate tech than a warning shot about the fragility of multilateralism itself. He argues the US may have bought time — but may also have triggered the rise of regional regulation. The EU’s carbon-trading scheme now covers shipping; Singapore and Japan are exploring carbon levies. The patchwork world is arriving faster than the ships can adjust.  

🎵 Outro music: “Sailing By” (1963) layered with a long-wave “Shipping Forecast” transmission — that calm voice reading “Viking, North Utsire, South Utsire…”

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Overshoot, a new four-part documentary series from climate strategist and Wicked Problems alum Laurie Laybourn—goes further than nearly anyone has before. And he came back to unpack some of the key ideas in Overshoot and what he hopes people will do with it.

In Overshoot the story starts with the fact that we can no longer avoid the storm, we’ve enetered it. How to survive and steer through it—generation after generation—is the conversation we urgently need to have now. 

Drawing on interviews with diplomats, scientists, and communities on the frontlines, Laybourn dismantles the win/lose logic that has dominated climate politics since Paris and asks what it means to live in an age of overlapping crises and hard adaptation choices.

Our conversation ranges from the myth of Easter Island to the politics of “carbon sucking,” from managed retreat in Wales to the legal aftershocks of 1.5°C’s failure. It’s a clear-eyed look at what comes next—and why, even at the moment of “net zero,” we’ll be living in the most dangerous period in human history.

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In this episode of Wicked Problems, host Richard Delevan welcomes Dave Jones and Kostantsa Rangelova from the energy think tank, EMBER. They've spent the past year spreading the good news about the impressive advancements in solar and battery technology, particularly focusing on global trends and potential game-changers in regions such as Africa and Mexico. Despite solar only contributing to 6.6% of Mexico’s electricity, EMBER simulations indicate it could rise to 90% with optimal efficiency. In some spots like Muscat, Las Vegas, or Mexico City, almost all their power, day and night, can now be generated from just solar + battery.

The discussion covers the rapid progress and cost reductions in battery technology, the promising shift towards 24/7 solar power, the surge of solar adoption in Africa, and the significant untapped potential in Mexico. The episode highlights the transformative impact of solar and battery technologies on global energy landscapes and emphasizes the urgent need for effective policies to accelerate this transition.

00:00 Introduction to Mexico's Solar Potential

00:00 Global Governance Breakdown

00:36 Welcome to Wicked Problems

00:39 Introducing the Guests: Dave Jones and Constanza Rva

01:05 The Rise of Solar and Battery Technology

01:33 24/7 Solar Power: A Game Changer

01:54 Advancements in Battery Technology

02:51 Economic Competitiveness of Solar and Battery

04:38 Challenges and Innovations in Battery Production

08:17 Global Adoption and Market Dynamics

15:20 Grid vs. Battery: The Trade-Offs

21:05 Solar and Battery in Different Climates

24:27 Implications for Policy and Future Outlook

26:09 Evolution of Battery Storage

27:29 Africa's Solar Boom

27:59 Chinese Solar Exports to Africa

28:52 Utility Scale Solar in Africa

37:50 Challenges and Opportunities in Mexico's Solar Sector

47:26 Global Solar Trends and Future Outlook

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 Dr. Lorna Gold is the executive director of the Laudato Sì Movement, which was inspired by the late Pope Francis’ 2015 letter. That document, considered pretty radical for the leader of the Catholic Church to issue at the time, was credited by former Irish president Mary Robinson and others with influencing the Paris Agreement - and you can hear echoes of it as recently as the advisory opinion issued this summer by the International Court of Justice. 

On its 10th anniversary, Francis’ successor Pope Leo will lead the Raising Hope Conference, 1-3 October in Rome - but also available via livestream - talking about the relevance of its ideas for the situation we’re in now. More than a “Catholic” thing, it will feature people as diverse as Brazil’s climate minister Marina Silva (in the runup to COP30), climate scientist Dr. 

Katharine Hayhoe, Bill McKibben, Arnold Schwarzenegger, Tuvalu climate minister Dr Maina Talia, Bianca Pitt of SHE Changes Climate, Fossil Fuel Non-Proliferation Treaty president Kumi Naidoo, and more. Somehow, Lorna was able to take a break from organising the event to speak to us. 

Lorna earned a PhD in economic geography from Glasgow University and author of Climate Generation: Awakening to our Childrens’ Future.

It’s a great chat and we think you’ll enjoy it.

01:22 Introduction to Dr. Lorna Gold 

02:21 Personal Tragedy and Resilience 

05:29 Hope vs. Optimism 

09:17 Relevance of Laudato Si' 

13:01 International Court of Justice Ruling 

15:21 Economic Systems and Climate Action 

21:51 Pope Francis, Pope Leo and COP 30 

22:31 Upcoming Conference and Call to Action 

24:25 Personal Reflection on Climate Impact 

27:56 Discussing Future Conversations 

28:40 Mother's Role in Climate Action 

29:39 Women of Faith for Climate Justice 

31:37 The Raging Grannies and Activism 

33:12 The Sharing Economy and Climate Generation 

34:42 Sufficiency and Economic Inequality 

41:17 The Role of Storytelling in Climate Education 

44:34 Hope and Action in Climate Movements 

47:31 Pope or Nope Quiz

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In this episode of 'Wicked Problems,' host Richard Delevan speaks with Dr. Hannah E. Morris, Assistant Professor at the University of Toronto and author of 'Apocalyptic Authoritarianism.' They discuss the use of apocalyptic language in politics, the resurgence of Cold War-era narratives, and how these tropes are being weaponized to block climate action and shore up existing power structures. The conversation delves into the intersections of media, politics, and climate crisis, featuring insights on the impact of journalism on these global issues.

‌

00:00 Trump's Apocalyptic Obsession

01:19 Introduction to Wicked Problems

01:32 Guest Introduction: Dr. Hannah E. Morris

01:57 Weaponizing Apocalyptic Language

02:45 Defining Apocalyptic Authoritarianism

03:06 Trump's Influence and Climate Movement

05:13 Nostalgia and Climate Journalism

06:30 The Green New Deal and Media Narratives

11:47 Challenges in Climate Journalism

24:28 Covering Climate Now Initiative

30:02 Senator Eric Schmidt's Speech Analysis

32:59 Nationalism and American Identity

34:27 Fascist Ideologies and Historical Context

37:26 Media's Role in Shaping Nationalism

39:30 Climate Change and Political Narratives

47:26 Global Perspectives on Climate Journalism

51:37 Apocalyptic Imagery in Modern Politics

54:09 Influences and Future Directions

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Unraveling the Impact of Climate Change on Zurich: Analyzing 50 Years of Data | Wicked Problems

In this episode of Wicked Problems, host Richard Delevan explores a groundbreaking study from researchers at Oxford Smith School's Sustainable Law Program and beyond. Joined by Dr. Rupert Stuart-Smith, Deputy Director and Senior Research Fellow, they dive into the first-of-its-kind research examining climate change's impact on heat-related mortality in Zurich from 1969 to 2018. Discover how attribution science links global warming to nearly 1700 deaths in Zurich, the role of adaptation measures, and the growing importance of climate attribution in legal contexts. This sobering analysis offers a stark look at the real human costs of climate change and the urgent need for action.

00:00 Introduction: Zurich and Climate Change

00:31 Welcome to Wicked Problems

00:35 The Impact of Climate Change on Zurich

01:34 Introducing Dr. Rupert Stuart Smith

02:11 Study Findings: Heat-Related Mortality in Zurich

02:25 Methodology and Data Analysis

05:33 Surprising Results and Implications

14:16 Adaptation Measures and Their Effectiveness

16:31 Legal and Political Implications

18:22 The Role of Attribution Science in Courts

23:17 Conclusion and Final Thoughts

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Understanding Climate Tipping Points With Stephen Smith | Wicked Problems Climate Tech Conversations

In this episode of Wicked Problems Climate Tech Conversations, host Richard Delevan dives into the pivotal and pressing subject of climate tipping points with guest Stephen Smith. They discuss the warnings from the recent Global Tipping Points Conference in Exeter, where nearly 200 scientists urged immediate action to prevent irreversible climate changes. The conversation explores both negative and positive climate tipping points, the challenges policymakers face in addressing them, and the importance of storytelling in climate advocacy. Stephen Smith also highlights the potential of renewable energy and the steps needed to accelerate the global transition to a low-carbon economy. Tune in for an insightful discussion on the critical actions required to address the climate crisis and the hopeful pathways forward.

00:00 Introduction and Opening Remarks

00:26 Urgent Climate Crisis Call

01:29 Understanding Tipping Points

03:44 Negative Tipping Points

04:18 Positive Tipping Points

05:12 Policy Makers and Tipping Points

06:02 Interruption and Resumption

07:03 Immediate Action Required

11:20 Real-World Example: Tuvalu

14:16 Challenges in Policy Making

17:21 Positive Social Tipping Points

18:54 Renewable Energy Revolution

22:12 Barriers to Change

27:54 Accelerating Positive Change

35:10 Hope and Final Thoughts

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Will Nigel Farage's Reform party succeed in demonising climate action? Or will adaptation change the conversation? Are the Tories cooked? And does Gaza create an opening big enough for Jeremy Corbyn's new party to cut into Labour support?

Richard Delevan talks to More in Common's Ed Hodgson about Shattered Britain, how Britain's "Tribes" will shape the future - and why you need to understand them if effective climate communicators are going to win.

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Climate Justice: ICJ's Historic Ruling and Its Global Impact

In this episode of Wicked Problems, host Richard Delavan is joined by Professor Elizabeth Holland from Brown University to discuss a historic advisory opinion handed down by the International Court of Justice (ICJ). The ruling, initiated by Pacific Island students, declares climate science as a binding element under customary international law, obligating states to take stronger climate action. Elizabeth shares insights from her role as a science negotiator for Palau and the significance of the court's ruling for vulnerable nations and future generations. This episode also features voices from those who played pivotal roles in making this judgment a reality, emphasizing the binding nature of climate obligations and the need for continuous global cooperation.

00:00 Introduction: Climate Science as Law

00:16 The Court's Advisory Opinion

00:54 Human Impact and Cultural Struggles

01:14 End of Impunity and Legal Obligations

02:03 Interview with Professor Elizabeth Holland

02:43 Reactions to the ICJ Ruling

05:22 The Role of Small Island States

05:50 Challenges in Climate Negotiations

08:01 Legal Frameworks and Obligations

09:43 Implications for the United States

12:33 Personal Reflections and Contributions

14:34 Celebrating the Youth Movement

18:17 Art and Culture in Climate Advocacy

21:21 Generational Promises and Songs

26:38 Conclusion and Call to Action

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The Intersection of Climate Change and National Security with Rear Admiral Neil: A Deep Dive

In this episode of 'Wicked Problems,' host Richard Delevan speaks with Rear Admiral Neil, former Royal Navy officer and current Professor of Climate and Resource Security at UCL, about the growing recognition that climate change is a strategic challenge impacting national security. They discuss the expanded definition of national security to include climate adaptation, various international and interdisciplinary efforts to mitigate climate impact, and how the military is adapting its strategies. The conversation covers past and present policies, the importance of societal involvement, and the role of technological advancements. Rear Admiral Neil emphasizes the need for strategic, long-term solutions, cooperation across sectors, and raises concerns about the potential for a significant crisis to wake global leadership from complacency.

00:00 Introduction to Climate Change and Security

00:26 Guest Introduction: Rear Admiral Neil

00:57 National Security and Climate Change

02:06 Impact of Climate Change on Society

03:49 Military's Role and Adaptation

04:44 Evolving Conversations on Climate Policy

09:48 Technological Innovations in the Military

19:02 International Cooperation and Policy

24:49 Challenges and Future Prospects

31:52 Conclusion and Final Thoughts

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In this episode, two parts:

Jenny Chase, a solar market analyst at BNF, about the dramatic rise of solar power in Pakistan. Despite scant government support, Pakistan has rapidly adopted solar energy, moving from importing a few gigawatts of solar modules in 2022 to becoming one of the largest markets. This development has led to economic and infrastructural challenges, such as grid reliability and pricing issues, and raises important questions about the future of energy systems globally.

The episode also features a conversation with Australia-based climate journalist Royce Kurmelovs, who writes for Drilled and Reneweconomy as well as many others, about a recent significant legal ruling in Australia where indigenous Torres Strait Islanders sued the government over climate change threats to their homeland. While the court recognized climate change as an existential threat, it ruled against the plaintiffs due to current legal limitations, highlighting the ongoing legal and moral challenges in climate responsibility.

00:00 Introduction to Pakistan's Solar Energy Surge

00:09 Global Perspectives and Future Trends

00:33 Australia's Energy Ambitions vs. Reality

02:24 Unreported Solar Installations in Pakistan

03:37 Economic Implications of Solar Adoption

04:49 Government Contracts and Energy Prices

16:07 Global Perspectives and Future Trends

19:39 Discussion on Pakistan's Progress

19:44 Jenny Chase's Upcoming Leave

20:41 Introduction to Climate Cases in Australia

21:42 Details of the Torres Strait Case

23:29 Impacts on Torres Strait Islands

25:14 Legal and Cultural Implications

28:37 Global Context and Comparisons

40:42 Australia's Climate Policy and Politics

Follow Jenny:

🔗 solarchase.bsky.social

🔗 Jenny Chase on LinkedIn

🌐 Follow Royce:

“Court agrees climate change is real, but throws out Torres Strait Islanders’ claim anyway” (RenewEconomy)

Also check out his most recent book: Slick: Australia’s Toxic Relationship with Big Oil

🔗 roycerk2.bsky.social

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Thick ice caps topping some dormant volcanoes may be acting like a champagne cork. Research released earlier this month suggests that by speeding up the melt of those ice caps through human-caused climate change, we’re removing the foil and the little wire cage on some trapped liquid that will taste a bit more acidic than champagne when it gets out as the cork tries to free itself.

Bob Berwyn has reported for a decade for Inside Climate News - the OG climate outlet that in 2015 broke the story of the biggest corporate scandal in history: a nine-part investigative series demonstrating how much #ExxonKnew about the effects that burning oil and other fossil fuels would have on the future climate, and then doing everything in its power to prevent anyone from stopping it.

Bob’s piece on the volcano research stopped me in my tracks. As he said in this conversation:

“the most profound thing about a study like this volcano study … is how profoundly we're changing fundamental parts of the global Earth system. I mean, we're sitting here talking about things like, ‘wow, could our activities actually cause more volcanoes?’ I mean, just the fact that we're asking this question is, ‘wow, what have we done?’ You know?”

In This Conversation

01:33 Scientific Insights on Volcanic Activity

05:20 Challenges in Climate Research

12:09 Global Climate Negotiations

20:12 Heatwaves and Public Health

23:54 Legal and Ethical Responsibilities

24:36 The Reality of Heat Waves and Their Deadly Impact

26:13 The Political Project Against Climate Science

27:07 Social Science and Climate Action

28:58 The Anti-Autocracy Handbook for Scientists

31:02 Free Speech and Authoritarianism

34:25 The Role of Legal Obligations in Climate Justice

37:05 Public Perception and Managed Retreat

40:37 Final Thoughts and Upcoming Stories

Keep Up With Bob

Bob is an essential follow on BlueSky, and his journalism for Inside Climate News does not quit. Here are links to just some of the stories we touched on:

Melting Ice Caps Could Bring Dormant Volcanoes to Life

Human-Caused Global Warming Spiked the Death Toll of Europe’s Early Summer Heatwave

New Handbook Aims to Protect Scientists From Autocratic Threats

Bonn Climate Talks Rife With Roadblocks and Dead Ends

If you think these conversations are worth listening to, share them with a friend or make an offering to the volcano gods to spare your town.

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In this Wicked Problems – Climate Tech Conversations, we’re joined by Gaia Vince, author of Nomad Century, a landmark work on climate-driven migration. From the existential realities of climate displacement to the politics of denial and adaptation, it’s about what happens when we stop pretending everyone will stay where they are.

It Bad

Last week, a catastrophic flood hit Kerr County, Texas. 30 cm of rain—four months' worth—fell in hours. The Guadalupe River rose 8 metres in under an hour, swamping the area around Camp Mystic. Over 90 are dead, many of them young girls at the camp. Some are still missing.

Cue the blame game. Officials who refused to fund early warning systems claimed the event was unpredictable. Trump-era cuts had gutted the National Weather Service, yet some still pointed fingers at the agency. Others called it karmic justice or MAGA-targeted weather warfare. Conspiracy theorists went further, blaming imaginary geoengineering attacks. Marjorie Taylor-Greene tweeted: “We must end the dangerous and deadly practice of weather modification and geoengineering.”

Right-wing extremists, already attacking Doppler radar sites, turn tragedy into paranoia. In past hurricanes, conspiracy-fueled threats forced rescue crews to withdraw.Rapid attribution studies confirm what should be obvious: climate change makes these once-rare floods far more likely.

OK Doomer

In a now-notorious quote, Canadian environmentalist David Suzuki said “it’s too late.” Critics pounced, accusing him of defeatism. But, as we discuss with Gaia Vince, the real issue isn’t optimism vs pessimism—it’s whether we’re brave enough to face what’s actually happening.

After decades in media and PR, I can tell when people are dodging the truth—even for good reasons. In climate comms, there’s a lot of that. But we try something different here: saying what we think is true, even if it’s hard to hear.

On the Move

Gaia Vince has been writing about climate and migration for over a decade. In Nomad Century, she argues:

• Migration is a natural response to climate change—always has been.
• By 2070, up to 3 billion people may need to move as habitable zones shrink.
• Governments that prepare for this now will fare better than those that deny it.

The book isn’t dystopian; it’s clear-eyed and pragmatic. It insists we have a choice: chaos, or planned adaptation.

In This Conversation

01:54 Climate Change’s Global Reach

04:24 The Reality of Climate Migration

09:24 Political Responses to Climate Change

10:44 Economic Implications and Adaptation

21:57 Innovative Solutions and Future Outlook

26:10 Australia and Tuvalu

27:06 UN, Sovereignty, and Vanishing Nations

29:00 Climate Refugees

30:05 Early Agreements

30:56 Adaptation and Relocation

34:21 Facing the Climate Reality

46:55 Can Global Governance Step Up?

Get the Book

Nomad Century: How to Survive the Climate Upheaval remains one of the most honest, practical guides to climate adaptation out there. Listen to the conversation—and get the book.

Tips, Bribes, and Abuse

Guest idea? Want to help us do more of this? Or just dying to tell us how crap we are? Reach out on Bluesky or email us at info@wickedproblems.uk—and maybe stand us a pint.

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Is the “Abundance” discourse - and you can fit most iterations of it in a spectrum from Aaron Bastani and Zohran Mamdani to Ezra Klein to Elon Musk - an inspiring vision of the future or a dangerous delusion? Is insisting on “limits” just realism or is it pathological pessimism? And where does climate tech fit into all that?

We think the answers to these questions are kind of important. So we were excited to talk it through onstage at Extreme Hangout during London Climate Action Week at Ladbroke Hall; with climate tech entrepreneur Yasmine Abdu, co-founder of Fridays for the Future Michael Spiekermann, and BP exec to sustainability strategist Charles Perry.

Enjoy!

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02:27 Michael Speakman's Journey from Activism to Policy

03:36 Yasin Abdu's Carbon Track Initiative

04:51 Discussion on Abundance vs. Limits

15:19 Charles Perry on the Stellar Vision

24:30 Debating the Future of Energy and Policy

28:18 Reconciling System Change and Longevity

28:44 Building an Ecosystem of Corporate Support

29:39 Avoiding Venture Capital for Mission-Driven Impact

30:58 Choosing Entrepreneurship Over Activism

32:18 The Power of Bottom-Up Movements

37:31 Identifying the Villain in Climate Narratives

50:29 Hope and the Global Sustainability Revolution

52:45 Conclusion and Final Thoughts

All the Outros

Many thanks to our panel and our partners at Extreme Hangout for bringing us on to their stage!

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How am I gonna be an optimist about this? This conversation’s official exit music is from Bastille. But stick around for a twist.

Turns out it’s not just men who think about the Roman Empire.

Polymath raconteuse Solitaire Townsend - sustainability consultant, co-founder of Futerra, UN envoy, award-winning author of the non-fiction The Solutionists - wasn’t just thinking about Rome. She’s wondering, ‘what if I combine some Roman Empire stuff with climate fiction in an alt-history universe in a novel featuring a kick-arse heroine?’ And gets herself a two-book deal.

Pre-order Godstorm from our Bookshop.org site or wherever you get good books.

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As a cli-fi/alt-history nerd with shelves stuffed with riffs on Rome from Gibbon to Mary Beard with stops for Asimov’s Foundation series, I cannot tell you how pleased I am to be the first to introduce Solitaire Townsend as “novelist” on a podcast.

We talk about her turn to fiction, why now, why the alt-history genre, kick around ideas about alt-history from Philip K. Dick to Star Trek (with some Ursula le Guin because why not), and how she deploys the form to tell a cautionary tale about a world that could have been a lot worse off in its climate breakdown — where Rome never fell, because of the 2nd-century CE invention of the combustion engine.

As Solitaire says, if we started burning oil under Marcus Aurelius, climate change would have started much sooner. The warming and rising seas fuel extreme weather events called “God-storms”, caused - according to the Imperial version of Fox News - by lack of piety.

Most of that is in the background only creating the more personal, intimate world in which her characters struggle - including a gladatrix-turned-governess seeking to rescue her charge from nefarious clutches and kicking serious arse along the way.

In Conversation

00:28 First Podcast as a Novelist

00:56 Pitching 'Godstorm'

02:18 Background and Career of Solitaire Townsend

02:37 Solitaire, Sustainability Caesaris

04:01 Nonfiction Writing Journey

05:49 Role of Storytelling in Social Change

07:22 Transition to Fiction Writing

08:14 Discovering a Passion for Writing

10:24 Exploring Alternate History

14:05 Speculative Fiction and Personal Interests

17:26 Themes and Inspirations for 'God Storm'

20:14 Character Development and Empathy

22:14 Reflections on Ursula Le Guin and Sci-Fi

27:21 Conclusion and Book Pre-Order Information

Pre-order Godstorm from our Bookshop.org site.

Exit Music

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In 2024, Wim Carton and Andreas Malm released Overshoot - How the World Surrendered to Climate Breakdown. It was praised and critiqued in various quarters - but we included it in our books of the year because it’s a) beautifully written - with plenty of lateral-thought LOLs and b) was perfectly timed to come out just as the data was increasingly at odds with the “Keep 1.5 Alive” stuff of “incantatory governance” - the magical thinking that seems to be a really complicated way of avoiding some obvious, but difficult, choices. But Overshoot was just the first half of a 2-parter.

In the final part, out in October, The Long Heat - Climate Politics When It’s Too Late, Carton and Malm take up the challenge about what to do about it. Will adaptation, carbon dioxide removals, and geoengineering be topics seriously engaged with? Or will they just be a new version of finding ways to avoid the fossil fuels “stranded assets” conversation we’ve avoided having for 35 years of climate politics?

In this conversation, we spend a lot of time talking about carbon dioxide removal (CDR) technologies, revealing their roots in extending fossil fuel use, and argues for the necessity of political change to make meaningful progress.

But we ended up in an unexpected place. The book, surprisingly to me when I read it, concludes (however reluctantly) that CDR is going to be necessary. But that it needs to be decoupled from a system full of perverse incentives and moral hazard on meth and towards a re-framing of CDR as a public good.

What’s in the Conversation

00:00 Introduction and Opening Remarks

00:17 Host Introduction and Upcoming Events

02:27 Guest Introduction: Wim Carton

04:48 Discussing 'Overshoot' and Climate Politics

06:13 The Role of Fossil Fuel Companies

16:38 Adaptation Strategies and Challenges

18:43 Technological Solutions and Their Limits

20:07 Carbon Dioxide Removal (CDR)

20:51 The Concept of Negative Magic

21:41 Problematizing Reversibility

22:43 Political Economy of Carbon Dioxide Removal

24:08 Klaus Lachner and Carbon Removal

28:05 Startups and the Political Economy

31:07 Challenges in Carbon Removal Market

35:36 The Role of the State in Carbon Removal

40:12 Concluding Thoughts and Future Discussions

Get the Books

Like the authors we’re speaking with? Want to get their books, support the author, independent booksellers, and this show?

Come get em at our Bookshop.org shop!

Next episode out very soon is with Solitaire Townsend - talking about her debut novel - a cli-fi/alt-history/Roman-Empire mashup - Godstorm. What if Rome invented the combustion engine, so it never fell?

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Join host Richard Delevan on Wicked Problems as he engages in a compelling conversation with Indian journalist Rishika Pardikar. They discussed Rishika's extensive work covering environmental and land rights issues in India, including her stories from the coalfields of Central India and the impacts of major development projects on tribal lands. Rishika shares insights into India's complex climate and energy landscape, the challenges of effective climate reporting, and the cultural intricacies of her homeland. And what Western climate narratives keep getting wrong about India - and what they might learn by listening to voices like Rishika's.

00:58 Meet Rashika Kar: Environmental Journalist

01:47 Rishika's Journey into Environmental Reporting

02:21 Land Rights and Tribal Communities

03:24 Mega Projects on Tribal Lands

05:06 Challenges in Reporting from India

11:56 India's Coal Belt and Energy Transition

16:59 The Future of Energy in India

22:51 The Efficiency of Indian Appliances

24:00 The Politics of Climate Science

24:36 Challenges in India's Forecasting Capabilities

27:54 The Intersection of Religion and Science

28:53 Controversial Studies and Their Implications

32:01 The Role of Journalism in Climate Action

36:36 India's Climate Action Plans

40:10 Future Reporting and Closing Thoughts

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For nearly a decade, a court in Hamm, Germany has been considering a case brought by a Peruvian farmer, Saul Luciano Lliuya, against the giant German utility RWE. The legal claim was novel: Lliuya said because RWE had caused a percentage of climate change because of its share of past fossil emissions, and that climate change threatened his farm by potentially collapsing a glacial lake, RWE should have to pay a pro rata percentage of the adaptation costs of protecting the farm against potential flood.

Judges flew to Peru, took testimony from dozens of experts, heard the defence by RWE. And as their press release noted, the claim in its particulars was dismissed:

Climate case against RWE: Hamm Higher Regional Court rejects Peruvian plaintiff’s appeal as unfounded

The court held there was “no imminent danger” to Saul’s farm.

But that’s not the whole story. As an Ancient Greek king supposedly once said: “If we are victorious in one more battle with the Romans, we shall be utterly ruined.” Because in its 25th May ruling the court also held - for the first time, anywhere - that fossil fuel emitters can be held accountable financially for damages, anywhere.

Three days later, as if to make a point, the Swiss village of Blatten 500 miles south of Hamm in Germany was destroyed by a glacial collapse. One person was reported missing - but most of the area’s 300 residents had been moved out of danger in time.

So is the RWE case a blow to climate litigation or is it a Pyrrhic victory that could set in motion a whole range of new claims that could run to the tens of trillions of dollars, in the kind of law case even Americans can understand: “You broke my fence, you pay to fix the fence.” Or in this case: “You broke my climate.”

Dana Drugmand covers climate cases around the world and we talked about the precedent this might set - and we also discuss some of her coverage of plenty of other US climate cases that continue to roll on despite the best efforts of the Trump Administration and oil & gas companies to stop them.

Wicked Problems is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber.

In this Conversation

00:00 Introduction and Guest Welcome

00:31 Overview of Climate Litigation

01:51 The German Court Ruling: Saul Luciano Lliuya vs. RWE

02:39 Significance of the RWE Case

06:37 Implications for Global Climate Litigation

10:15 US Climate Lawsuits: Boulder, Colorado vs. Exxon and Suncor

14:37 Federal Preemption and State Law Claims

15:43 Hawaii's Climate Deception Case

17:23 Trump Administration's Legal Counterattacks

22:14 Youth Climate Lawsuit: Lighthouse Review vs. Trump

23:47 Montana's Constitutional Right to a Healthy Environment

25:19 Challenges in Federal Court

27:14 The Role of Climate Litigation in the US

30:17 California's Clean Air Act Battle

31:56 Conclusion and Future Outlook

It’s a good listen - and if you’re a subscriber you can find links to get these episodes ad-free at wickedproblems.earth.

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I have a confession to make. Even with a self-image as a world-weary cynic, I’m as vulnerable to manipulation as anyone else, especially for stories I grew up with.

The Limits to Growth came out the year I was born. I grew up in the US in the 80s. So we heard a lot of things like this:

So even though I’m late to it, I was delighted to have come across the work of Katy Shields, who presents (and co-produced with Vegard Beyer) a beautifully executed 3-episode audio documentary series about Limits to Growth, which makes its principal author Danella Meadows the main character.

Hearing Katy’s telling of the story of this extraordinary woman who tried to warn us against the future we now inhabit, often in her own words - thanks to an unpublished book outline by Danella to which Katy got exclusive access - made me a bit embarrassed to have previously accepted the bracketing of Limits to Growth in the same category of far more problematic stuff like Malthus, Ehrlich’s The Population Bomb or (the MAGA-right fave) Jean Raspail’s dystopian novel The Camp of the Saints. Many such works seem not so troubled by population growth per se as much as the hue of the babies being produced.

While I’m not completely convinced by the arguments Meadows made and Katy Shields/Vegard Beyer excavated and made fresh, Katy does have an excellent series of essays where she takes forward the thinking of Meadows et al as a way to investigate how economics was hijacked by the opponents of Limits to Growth.

In this Conversation

00:00 Introduction: Questioning Growth

00:32 Meet the Guest: Katy Shields

02:21 Discovering 'Limits to Growth'

04:38 The Impact of Systems Dynamics

07:30 Critiques and Misunderstandings

09:37 Danella Meadows' Influence

11:23 Uncovering Unpublished Diaries

14:43 Life on Foundation Farm

18:51 Economic Theories and Climate Inaction

19:12 The Abundance vs. Scarcity Debate

20:08 Historical Influence on Modern Economics

21:41 The Chicago School's Dominance

23:26 Challenges in Modern Economic Education

28:54 Donella Meadows' Legacy

31:15 Visioning a Sustainable Future

34:34 Future Directions and Final Thoughts

At the top of the episode we clip a 1994 speech by Danella Meadows that is an extraordinary few minutes that seem to foreshadow the ‘abundance discourse’ currently all the rage on the centre-left.

Which is not actually to shame those who, I believe in good faith, believe that ‘perpetual growth’ is the only potential solution to the challenges of the mid-21st century.

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Exit music for this episode is “Oil Money” by Graham Barham. Because, well, it’s a bit obvious this time, no?

If insanity is doing the same thing repeatedly and expecting a different result, global climate institutions like the annual COP meetings are definitionally loopier than Elon Musk deep down a K-hole.

We spend our time arguing about how to count emissions in order to avoid the real conversation, which is a struggle between three asset classes: fossil fuel assets, ‘vulnerable’ assets (like Small Island Developing States), and ‘green’ assets. Pretending that struggle is not existential is the essence of climate diplomacy for the past 35 years.

University of Toronto political scientist Professor Jessica Green thinks we’re well past the point we can afford to continue pretending. Reading her forthcoming book, Existential Politics - Why Global Climate Institutions are Failing and How to Fix Them, was like waking from a dream. You should pre-order it now.

She cuts through the nonsense to focus on the real dilemma. The only way through an “energy transition” is for fossil fuel companies, enormously powerful economic and political actors, to have $trillions in ‘stranded assets’ and balance sheets that go up in smoke.

Turkeys don’t vote for Christmas (an idiomatic expression I’m pleased to be the first to share with Prof. Green). Yet the entire structure of global climate diplomacy is built on the fallacy that, somehow, oil majors and NOCs would ignore their self-interest and agree to die.

As you’ll hear in our conversation, Prof. Green doesn’t pull punches and doesn’t suffer fools. There’s an impatience in her writing and her presentation that has a lot of James Dyke “fuck this noise can we please stop kidding ourselves” energy. At some points I wanted to reach for the hemlock, but thankfully she is as witty as she is sharp.

I ask her how her ideas intersect or cut against other critiques of the mainstream climate conversation like Andreas Malm and Wim Carton in Overshoot, Rupert Read’s take on transformative adaptation and Tadzio Mueller’s anticipation of collapse.

I think you’ll enjoy the chat. Let us know what you think:

In this Conversation

01:48 Existential Politics Explained

04:18 The Flaws in Carbon Markets

05:47 Distributional Politics and Climate Policy

08:36 The Role of Corporations in Climate Governance

10:49 The Paris Agreement and Its Shortcomings

19:26 The Misconception of Solving Climate Change Like the Ozone Problem

20:54 Environmental Effects and Substitutes

22:04 Challenges in Environmental Governance

22:57 Market Dynamics and Trade Issues

25:03 Fossil Capital vs. Green Capital

28:31 The Role of Litigation and Policy

37:11 Grand Bargains and Political Realities

38:21 Carbon Capture and Storage Debate

40:26 Buy this Book!

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How do things get names? Who decides? What happens if they’re contested? Does it matter?

A brand, a label, a name, the words applied to people, places, or things change how an audience feels, and influences outcomes.

“Call me Ishmael”, “deadnaming”, or try using the wrong place-name depending on what bank of the River Foyle in Northern Ireland you find yourself, and see how that goes. On the other hand, if your company so dominates your category that your brand becomes a verb, like Hoover. But in the internet age the process happens much faster — see Google, Uber, Tinder.

As for people and companies, a tricker object is a whole category. Successfully dominating a category - even if you have to invent one - is, according to Silicon Valley investors like Peter “Competition is for Losers” Thiel, the only type of strategy worth pursuing. And often that will involve getting the name of the category right - some magical combination of things already in the zeitgeist, something that chimes with the audience/customer/media without them consciously knowing why.

The idea of whether businesses are in a category called “cleantech” or “climate tech” or “defence tech” or “fintech” does matter, I’d argue.

So I asked Art Lapinsch, a startup founder with a successful exit turned climate communications guru and energy lawyer. Now writing a lot of smart stuff on the subject in his new consultancy Delphi Zero, I wanted to return to the “is ‘climate tech’ dead?” debate.

But Lapinsch’s bio itself would be enough to want to hear him - going from fleeing civil war in the former Yugoslavia to adtech startup founder to turning to climate solutions ventures and how they should tell their stories. You’re going to enjoy getting to know him. I certainly did. And he was a good sport when dog-related imminent disaster required putting him on hold for a minute. Don’t worry. There’s good interval music for the occasion.

In this Conversation

00:00 Introduction to Climate Tech Narratives

01:17 Meet Art Lapinsch: Background and Mission

02:36 Personal Impact of Global Events

03:03 Delving into Energy Security

04:28 The Evolution of Climate Tech

08:32 Communication Strategies in Business

17:49 The Role of Neologisms in Industry

21:38 Ethics and Communication

22:05 Defining Neologisms and Ethical Communication

22:41 The Venn of Profit, Legality, and Ethics

23:50 Ethical Communication Techniques

25:36 Political Communication and Climate Founders

27:15 Common Mistakes in Branding and Communication

30:11 Navigating Venture Capital Challenges

35:32 Personal Reflections on Risk and Resilience

40:46 Final Thoughts and Future Projects

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“More clean energy. More affordable energy. That dual mandate is the real challenge.” 

In this episode, Richard Delevan talks to Cat Clifford, senior reporter at Cipher News, about what happens when data center demand collides with outdated policy, broken infrastructure, and an AI arms race nobody can afford to lose.

We go deep into Cat’s reporting on:

AI’s Ballooning Electricity Appetite

– Why AI is driving the biggest spike in electricity demand in a generation

– The paradox of AI as a climate solution—if it’s powered cleanly

– The unknowables: how big, how fast, and how chaotic?

The Nuclear-Tech Bromance

– Why big tech is cozying up to small modular reactors (SMRs)

– Who’s bankrolling the nuclear revival—and who might get burned

– The role of always-on baseload in the age of AI factories

Geothermal’s Promised Land

– Advanced geothermal’s bipartisan political appeal

– Why it’s ideal for U.S. energy dominance—but underfunded

– Will Congress rewrite the tax credit rules in time to matter?

Texas, Tariffs, and Transmission

– What just happened in the Texas Legislature—and why it matters beyond Texas

– How tariffs whiplashed investor confidence in solar and AI supply chains

– Why permitting reform—and grid expansion—are stuck

Politics, 2026, and the Price of Power

– What voters will care about: the cost of energy

– Who pays to keep the lights on in the AI age?

– What the fight over IRA tax credits tells us about the Senate’s climate future

Quote of the Episode:

“If the U.S. is serious about the AI race, solar and storage are the only near-term way to meet demand. Everyone’s going to have to compromise.”

Further Reading:

• Cat Clifford at Cipher
• Cat Clifford on LinkedIn
• Cat Clifford on BlueSky

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In this episode we talk about climate tech in the age of AI, state failure, and the occasional aircraft powered by poop. In this episode, Canadian climate futurist and returning champion Michael Barnard joins us for a globe-spanning conversation about why he’s still cautiously optimistic — and why, if you’re only paying attention to the U.S. or Europe, you’re probably looking the wrong way.

In Conversation

· Pakistan's rooftop solar revolution: how a glut of Chinese panels and uncoordinated net metering turned into 22 GW of grassroots decarbonization in a single year.

· Ports, poop, and power: what district heating, sewage sludge, and whiz-powered planes tell us about what works — and what’s quietly already scaling.

· China’s decarbonization surprise: Michael walks us through why China’s emissions have actually started to fall, why Western media missed it, and why most U.S. industrial policy is a “radically stupid” own-goal.

· The end of American credibility: on failed trade narratives, disappearing clean energy investment, and the strategic competence of the so-called Global South.

· Three technologies to watch: Geothermal heat-as-a-service, waste-based sustainable aviation fuels, and electrified ports as power utilities of the future.

Timeline

02:28 Optimism in the Face of Climate Challenges

05:08 Pakistan's Energy Transformation

14:16 Leapfrogging in the Global South

21:23 China's Role in Global Emissions Reduction

27:08 The Rise of the Electro State

28:33 China's Dominance in Critical Minerals

29:37 Globalism and Neoliberalism: A Mixed Bag

30:42 The Market Economy's Failures

32:13 Technology Diffusion and Industrial Policy

34:48 The United States' Broken Industrial Policy

43:04 Geothermal Energy Innovations

46:04 Sustainable Aviation Fuel from Waste

49:35 The Future of Electrified Ports

Further Reading

* CarbonBrief on China's emissions drop

* Jenny Chase (BNEF) on Pakistan’s rooftop solar boom

* Barnard on ports and maritime decarbonisation

* Sustainable Aviation Fuels from Human Waste

* The Dawn of Everything by Graeber & Wengrow

* Trifecta Ireland – new NGO for clean, secure, affordable energy

* Kingsmill Bond (Ember) on the rise of the Electrostate v Petrostate

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Mic Wright is the madman media survivor behind one of this show’s second-favourite newsletter, Conquest of the Useless . So when we heard he has a new book out in a couple of weeks we were delighted he could give us a few minutes to talk meeja matters in the age of AI and climate consequences.

Breaking: How the Media Works, When it Doesn’t and Why that Matters - despite my inability to stop obsessing about whether it is missing an Oxford comma in the title - is the magnum opus of Britain’s best observer of all things media since Christopher Hitchens went from Trot to Neocon.

Two years before the Brexit referendum, a year long inquiry by a UK parliamentary select committee concluded that BBC news teams consistently engaged in false balance when reporting on climate change stories. So for a senior news journalist to suggest that they weren't familiar with the concept felt like a very stark confession.

Head back even further to the misty, almost unimaginable, past of 2006, and you find Rob Corddry on the Daily Show, parodying journalists who bent over backwards to establish balance where there is none:

“How does one report the facts? When the facts themselves are biased from the names of our fallen soldiers to the gradual withdrawal of our allies to the growing insurgency, it's become all too clear that the facts in Iraq have an anti-Bush agenda.”

Meatless speech was rightly praised for highlighting the influence of Conservative Party appointees on the BBC, but it also contained a series of confessions about missing the elephant in the room. Even as the stench of dung must have been stifling.

In Conversation

00:35 Introducing Mic Wright

01:31 Technical Challenges and Interview Preview

03:13 Mic Wright's Dramatic Reading

04:16 Discussion on False Balance in Journalism

13:07 The Rise of Churnalism

15:14 Media Ownership and Influence

19:39 Tech Enthusiasm and AI in Journalism

32:14 Conclusion and Final Thoughts

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As we talked about with folk from Carbon Technology Research Foundation and Robert Höglund last week, Carbon Dioxide Removal (CDR) is going through some things. The Trump administration is slashing funding for Direct Air Capture (DAC) hubs, poster child CDR firm Climeworks is laying off 20% of staff and stands accused of overpromising an underdelivering on removals.

But in a week when a Swiss village was wiped off the map by a collapsing glacier, and the World Meteorological Organisation predicted we’re likely facing years of staying at 1.5°C above pre-industrial levels - the existential threshold for small island states they demanded be included in the Paris Agreement - the need to find ways to take greenhouse gases out of the air (while electrifying and decarbonising) has not gone away.

Cara Maesano has one of the most comprehensive views of the state of CDR technologies as the head of CDR research at RMI. Recent reports she helped craft point out pragmatic opportunities for joined-up thinking by integrating carbon removals in industry and agriculture - and even using captured carbon in building materials.

In Conversation

01:30 Challenges in the Direct Air Capture Sector

07:54 Exploring Different Carbon Removal Technologies

12:06 Industrial Carbon Removal Opportunities

23:40 Industry Partnerships for Carbon Removal

24:03 Economic Benefits of Carbon Removal

25:41 Momentum in Climate Action

27:50 Innovative Building Materials for Carbon Storage

32:44 Engaging Stakeholders in Carbon Removal

33:28 Highlighting Successful Carbon Removal Projects

35:13 Challenges and Opportunities in Policy and Regulation

37:25 The Ongoing Climate Conversation

38:52 Connecting Climate Solutions Across Sectors

42:20 Conclusion and Final Thoughts

Further Reading

RMI: Seizing the Industrial Carbon Removal Opportunity

RMI: Harnessing Carbon Removal Opportunities in Biomass Residue Building Products

The CO280 project Cara mentioned at a pulp and paper mill

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Why is it, every time the lights go out, anywhere in the world, there are ten influencers with pre-written posts about how it’s the fault of wind and solar on the grid? 

Whether it’s Spain in 2025 or Texas in 2021 or the UK in 2019 or South Australia in 2016 - before the lights are even back on, never mind an investigation, there is a lightning-fast squad of people who pop up on social media, in TV interviews, in newspaper columns, who claim with absolutely certainty that it was renewables. It was too much wind. Or too little wind. Or not enough sun. Or too much sun. Or all of the above - often in the same interview. 

It doesn’t need to make logical sense. It just needs to tickle your cortisol and dopamine receptors. 

Even if it affects the public debate - does it prevent steel going into the ground to build out more solar and wind in these places? And if it hasn’t to date, is that what's about to happen in Texas?

Legendary climate and energy analyst Ketan Joshi returns to the show to hash out the whys and wherefores of it all. And what we might do about taking some of that pollution out of our information environment.

Plus an unscheduled special guest appearance from our dogs.

01:22 The 2016 Australian Blackout 

02:17 Media's Role in Renewable Energy Perception 

04:37 Technical Details of the Blackout 

07:02 Public Reaction and Misunderstandings 

11:24 Comparing Global Blackouts 

13:27 The Role of Disinformation 

18:16 Future of Renewable Energy and Grid Management 

37:02 Meet the Dogs 

37:59 Discussing Pre-Bunking 

40:05 Wind Turbine Health Fears 

45:03 Texas Renewable Energy Growth 

52:23 Bluesky's Future 

His analysis in RenewEconomy. 

Windfall

Quote by Akshat Rathi in Bloomberg

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Join host Richard Delevan on this episode of Wicked Problems - Climate Tech Conversations as he explores the future of carbon removal technology during Carbon Removals Week. Featuring Philippa Amina and Luke Williams from the Carbon Technology Research Foundation (CTRF), the discussion delves into the challenges and opportunities in the field of carbon dioxide removal (CDR). Topics include the role of diversified approaches, including nature-based solutions and marine carbon sequestration, the importance of transparency and trust, and the funding conundrum in current climate research. Tune in for a thought-provoking conversation on scalable solutions for a sustainable future.

00:00 Introduction and Welcome

00:46 Guest Introductions and Background

02:21 Discussion on Carbon Removals

03:58 Challenges and Perspectives in Carbon Removal

07:37 CTRF's Approach and Projects

16:13 Funding and Future of Carbon Removal Research

29:13 Conclusion and Contact Information

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“It’ll be between a scalpel and a sledgehammer,” said Speaker Mike Johnson, describing how Republicans might gut clean energy in the Inflation Reduction Act. After last night’s vote, it looks more like a wrecking ball.

In this episode, we talk to Maeve Allsup of Latitude Media about the damage now unfolding in Washington. From the brain drain at the Department of Energy to chaos around clean energy tax credits, Maeve has been tracking the story from inside the industry.

We also dig into the turmoil in carbon removal. Climeworks, the biggest name in the sector, is laying off staff and scaling back its US expansion. Critics are calling it the “Theranos” of climate. Is it? We speak with Robert Höglund of CDR.fyi and Milkywire, who says this is just the next phase of the hype cycle—and points to a Carbon Gap paper that helps separate signal from noise.

Cuts to clean energy. Turmoil in tech. A moment of clarity—or collapse?

And a farewell to Norm.

01:26 Tribute to George Wendt 

02:14 Elon Musk at the Qatar Economic Forum 

04:53 Interview with Robert Höglund on Carbon Removals 

05:31 Challenges in the Carbon Removal Industry 

13:19 The Gartner Hype Cycle and Carbon Removal 1

7:08 Policy and Market Dynamics 

21:49 Global Perspectives on Carbon Removal 

28:59 Interview with Maeve Alsup on Washington Developments 

30:49 Clean Tech Investments and Uncertainties 

36:00 Geographical Distribution of IRA Investments 

37:02 Surprising Early Drafts and Nuclear Concerns 

38:19 Geothermal and Tax Credit Challenges 

40:23 Uncertainty in Clean Energy Projects 

45:01 Department of Energy and Staff Resignations 

52:43 Loan Programs Office Under Scrutiny

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Exploring Climate Geoengineering: An Urgent Discussion with Kelly Wanser

In this episode of Wicked Problems, host Richard Delevan sits down with Kelly Wanser, CEO of SilverLining, to delve into the critical topic of solar radiation modification (SRM) and geoengineering aka "climate interventions". Amidst a backdrop of growing climate risk and global warming, the conversation emphasizes the importance of robust scientific data and the various efforts to advance research in the atmospheric sciences. They discuss the evolving landscape of climate interventions, recent policy developments, and the vital role of both public and private sectors. The dialogue also touches on historical context, international cooperation, and the potential implications of stratospheric changes on our planet's future climate stability.

00:00 Introduction: The Need for More Data

00:41 Welcome to Wicked Problems

00:44 Recent Developments in Climate Interventions

02:21 The Importance of Measuring Atmospheric Changes

03:17 Historical Context: The Value of Knowing

04:16 Current Challenges in Atmospheric Research

06:15 Interview with Kelly Wanser

08:05 The State of Atmospheric Research Infrastructure

10:29 The Role of Policy and International Cooperation

14:40 The Future of Climate Research and Security

23:30 Balancing Public and Private Sector Roles

28:37 The Bull Case for Global Involvement

30:46 The Bear Case: Risks and Concerns

34:40 The Role of Open Science and Collaboration

40:13 Private Sector Involvement in Climate Research

46:06 Complexities of Atmospheric Interventions

52:08 Concluding Thoughts and Future Outlook

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Extended show notes and bonus content at wickedproblems.earth.

In this episode of 'Wicked Problems,' host Richard Delevan discusses the shift from climate optimism to defeatism with Jeremy Wallace, a China and climate policy expert at Johns Hopkins University's School of Advanced International Studies (SAIS). The discussion covers various factors influencing this shift, including the influence of political figures like Donald Trump and Tony Blair, and initiatives such as the Council on Foreign Relations' Climate Realism Initiative. Wallace critiques the initiative's approach, examining its reliance on lifeboat ethics and the fallacies it presents. The episode also touches on the historical context of climate debates, the role of China in clean technology, and the political complexities surrounding climate action. Additionally, the episode features a new intro track from the awesome up and coming UK band Suncharmer.

00:00 Introduction and Welcome

00:24 The Shift from Optimism to Defeatism

02:22 Council on Foreign Relations' Climate Realism Initiative

03:31 Interview with Jeremy Wallace

22:13 The Lifeboat Ethics Debate

26:35 Debating Consumption and Population Growth

27:07 The Vision of Clean Abundance

28:04 Scarcity vs. Sustainable Abundance

29:41 Climate Realism and Technological Beliefs

31:07 Challenges and Politics of Climate Action

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We Start at the End

Today’s outro track is the COVID-era reboot of a classic Peter Gabriel track, featuring Yo-Yo Ma, Angelique Kidjo, and many more. The reason will become clear.

In this episode of Wicked Problems, we sat down with Charles Perry, director of Sustainable Future for All, at the Conduit Club in London.

A veteran in the climate and sustainability space, Charles has changed his views from evolution to revolution - a climate revolution akin to the Industrial Revolution. He reflects on his experiences spearheading renewable initiatives at BP, working with Al Gore, and advocating for justice-integrated environmental concerns.

What set him on the path? A realisation once he left apartheid South Africa for university that the things he was taught were not necessarily how the world really was. That moment took him to anti-apartheid activism in South Africa and its democratic transition to climate advocacy and the need for a different paradigm on energy.

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His direction of travel has been clear for a while - in that climate isn’t (just) a tech issue, but one as inextricably tied up with justice as the move was from slavery to fossil fuels.

That kind of talk has gotten Charles into some bother before. Like his 2012 BBC interview with Jon Sopel that we clip in the ep.

The conversation also explores Perry’s views on the moral imperatives of climate action, the obstacles posed by current political and economic systems, and the roles of influential leaders like Nelson Mandela and Al Gore in shaping his philosophy on sustainability.

00:00 The Need for a New Revolution

00:43 Introduction to Charles Perry

01:02 Challenges in Climate Tech and Sustainability

01:15 Charles Perry's Journey and Career

01:52 Reflections on Working with BP and Al Gore

10:58 The Intersection of Justice and Environmental Concerns

18:47 The Unstoppable Sustainability Movement

21:46 The Future of Energy and Sustainability

25:19 Final Thoughts and Inspirations

29:54 Conclusion and Call to Action

All the Outros

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Conversations on Climate Solutions: Industry Adaptations and Global Impact at the Climate Impact Summit

In this episode of Wicked Problems, host Richard Delevan brings discussions from the Climate Impact Flagship Summit in London. The episode features key guests like Carrie Lovelace and Chris Hayes from Visions 2030, who discuss their ambitious project aimed at fostering eco-consciousness through immersive experiences. Also included are insights from Belinda Perryman of Convert Well, who talks about transitioning oil and gas expertise to carbon sequestration and hydrogen production. Several other industry experts weigh in on the state of climate tech innovation, challenges in commercialization, and policy implications.

01:51 Visions 2030 and Experiential Projects

04:54 Carrie Lovelace's Artistic Journey

10:54 Eco-Consciousness and Climate Solutions

17:06 Future Plans for Visions 2030

23:00 Climate Impact Flagship Summit Highlights

29:14 Scaling CT part 2

33:19 System Change and the Green Industrial Revolution

40:40 Insights from the Oil and Gas Industry with Belinda Perriman of ConvertWell

40:45 Belinda Perriman's Journey in Oil and Gas

44:18 Carbon Capture and Storage Projects

50:42 The Convert Well Initiative

55:12 Industry Reception and Future Prospects

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Remember. It’s darkest before…things go totally pitch black.

Get all the show notes at wickedproblems.earth.

Whether originating with the late Senator John McCain, Paul Newman, Mao, or John McCain quoting Mao, we love that line. 

Embrace the dark. When you stop being afraid of the dark, your eyes get pretty good. 

You might even spot some undead types who are back from the grave and up to no good. And I think there might be some types up to no good, here in Britain. It’s one thing for Nigel Farage to suddenly look odds-on to form the next government here leading Reform UK’s right-populist anti-climate party, should this week’s UK local election results be predictive to the next general election.

The real question is whether the incumbent UK government will stay the course or join the “vibe shift” of deciding there’s short-term political profit in sacrificing long-term climate survival. 

Thankfully, for this third episode of the early May holiday weekend, necessary for the insane news cycle, for these conversations we were joined by Holly Brazier-Tope, deputy director of politics at UK think tank Green Alliance; UK-based climate journalist and 6th-dan-blackbelt Bluesky shitposter Dave Vetter; and 

Adam Bell, director of policy at Stonehaven, a UK consultancy.

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Do you want the good news or bad news first? 

Good news: here in the UK it’s a sunny Friday on the cusp of a bank holiday weekend. 

Bad news: Shiz cray. 

Could go either way: this is one of 3 holiday weekend episodes. 

Definitely good news: Lydia Collas of UK think tank Green Alliance and Rupert Read of Climate Majority Project have incisive analysis of what we’re seeing over here. And we discuss Green Alliance’s analysis of how climate effects are already hitting British household finances, in the wake of the UK Climate Change Committee’s scathing report on climate adaptation. 

In case you hadn’t noticed, people not shaving the truth as they see it in order to maintain or get funding is a problem. 

We’re 18 months+ into this mission, and we’ve never needed your help more. If you think what we’re doing isn’t complete crap, and if you can, we’d very much appreciate your support at any level you can afford. To help us keep this going.

wickedproblems.earth

Until The Man comes for us we will continue to pair our outstanding theme music licensed from outstanding UK band Suncharmer with an outro that is a form of commentary for each episode. 

Enjoy. 

https://open.spotify.com/playlist/2AWvHdqqNAUCJcByQEokut?si=60189214bf5b485f

We will be back soon with some UK election recap and the ‘vibe shift’ that seems to have gone transatlantic, featuring friends 

Adam Bell, Dave Vetter, and Holly Brazier-Tope from Green Alliance, to talk through the Tony Blair Institute vibe shift, the election of climate deniers into government for the most climate-at-risk areas in the UK, and more. Just to add to the merriment of the nation this bank holiday weekend.

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Today’s exit track is Fiesta by The Pogues - with Tunbridge Wells’ least-known and best-loved frontman, Shane MacGowan.

We’re finishing a long-read and when we say long we mean LONG. But it’s our attempt to get behind the day-to-day reporting of the various machinations of what’s happening in the US and try to understand it by examining the things that have shaped the worldview of the two most influential people on the planet right now. No, we don’t mean The Mad King in the Oval Office. We mean Elon Musk and Peter Thiel. And why it’s time to stop being surprised about what happens next.

Intro

Part I

But we take a break from the American shitshow to focus on something actually important, with our friend Tom Raftery - a transplanted Corkonian living near Seville since 2008. He and his family just lived through the most significant European blackout in decades. And because Tom is a veteran energy and climate analyst, and host of Climate Confident, he can offer a more-than-bystander account of what he was seeing, why he thinks it happened, and what might be done about it in future.

And if you’re in the UK next week, and you can stretch to it, you should check out the Climate Impact summit on 7 May at the Royal Institution in London. As always, great lineup of speakers and attendees from the worlds of climate solution tech, investment, policy, and more, plus the craic is ninety. 

A few tickets are still available but they are going fast. If you are going give us a shout so we can meet up when you’re there.

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Outro of the Day

All will become clear.

How F*cked Are We?

NGL. It’s not great, Bob.

That said, if you have even a smidge of privilege at the moment, spending a bit of your time paying attention not just to the moment-to-moment spectacle but what it means - so as to inform how you spend your future time and resource - feels kinda important.

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Dana R Fisher, one of the best American chroniclers of our times, returns to the show to talk through what she’s seeing on the street, in the Academy, and in the grant-making boardrooms, that will affect climate science, and resulting climate solutions, for decades to come.

Buy the Books (Seriously, Cmon)

We’ve partnered with bookshop.org to showcase books written by past (and, hopefully) future guests on the show. Buying their work via bookshop.org supports the author, independent UK booksellers, and a little bit to help this show keep going.

The image above needs to be updated to include other books, but check it out and do support your local non-fash writer.

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It didn’t take a genius to figure out that passing 1.5C would result in previously-taboo ideas like scaling carbon removals and solar geoengineering would rapidly get traction in the mainstream discourse. I know it doesn’t take a genius because I wrote that >18 months ago.

And as my bank manager and inlaws will (eagerly) tell you – “wait you’re quitting corporate... and… just as the political winds turn against it you’re going to…double down on a ‘media thing’ on climate and climate solutions?” – I am not a genius.

One of the nice things about making yourself an outsider is you’re both blithely unaware of the tribal shibboleths you might be violating and just try to follow arguments where they lead.

Anyway, here we are in April 2025 and geoengineering – Solar Radiation Modification, SRM, of whatever flavour, is building up to a moment. We’ve been seeing the signs for a while and you can check out our previous SRM episodes with SilverLining:

and The Degrees Initiative:

…the Bristol-based NGO acting to make sure that any research on solar geoengineering foregrounds actual science from actual scientists working in the actual countries that have the most to lose from both climate change and from solar geoengineering if it goes wrong.

But now we may be headed to a crescendo:

Item: Guardian, 7th April, Britain’s OG climate hawk David King.

Headline: We passed the 1.5C climate threshold. We must now explore extreme options.

Item: Bloomberg, 3rd of April with reporting from Will Matthis:

Headline: UK Launches £10 Million Study on Blocking the Sun to Reverse Global Warming

Item: the EU’s scientific advisors have been pushing for a moratorium on SRM. Tomorrow researchers from a consortium called SRM360 are hosting a panel discussion. Including researchers Peter Irvine from the University of Chicago and Josh Horton of the Harvard Kennedy School of Government. So here’s my interview with them in case you want to check it out and maybe attend the discussion tomorrow.

April 9th, 4:00 pm GMT / 10:00 am ET

Register Now

One thing for comms pros: having thought about it, the debate about whether the best analogy is Ozempic or Chemo for geoengineering is timelier than ever. This was a pretty persuasive case that telling people “we need to do this and it’s going to hurt - a lot” might be a wakeup call. But that’s going to become a live debate.

There’s a lot going on, to be sure. And we hope we’re getting the balance right here at wicked problems – we sure would love your feedback to let you know how we can serve you better. And we definitely would love it if you helped spread the word by leaving a rating and review on the pod platform of your choice, or Youtube, and if you’d like the full ad-free experience plus the newsletter and exclusive content come on over to wickedproblems.earth. Most of our stuff is free but we really need your help to keep this going. My inlaws and bank manager thank you in advance.

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Do you need some Zen? I need a bit of that or something, just to get my head right. So we spoke with LaUra Schmidt, one-half of the dynamic duo of climate psychology along with her Good Grief Network co-founder and wife Aimee Lewis Reau, who wrote How to Live in a Chaotic Climate that was published a little over a year ago. And blimey we need more of their coping strategies than we ever thought we would when the book first came out.

We get into climate grief, trauma, and resilience with Schmidt. We argue the challenges of individual versus collective climate action, the science and spiritual dimensions of environmental advocacy, and the importance of community in building resilience.

Schmidt shares insights from her experiences growing up in rural Michigan, studying Buddhism, biology, and environmental science, and her efforts to help people cope with the emotional toll of climate change through the Good Grief Network's 10-step program.

We also touch on the significance of finding meaning, joy, and humor amidst the chaos, while preparing for an uncertain future.

02:12 Conversation with Laura Schmidt

04:53 Laura's Background and Motivations

16:09 The Good Grief Network

24:56 The Long Dark: Seeds of Creativity

25:37 Ancient Wisdom and Cultural Narratives

29:29 Stories of Resilience and Human Agency

31:05 The Role of Community in Modern Times

38:13 Upcoming Events and Final Thoughts

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Join Richard Delevan in this episode of Wicked Problems as he explores the recent Trump tariffs, their impact on global trade, and their parallels with mafia control tactics. He discusses historical examples of mafia extortion in Sicily with Linda Vetrano from the grassroots anti-mafia movement Addiopizzo. Learn about the economic and social consequences of extortion and how communities can resist and build solidarity against such coercive powers. Richard also previews upcoming interviews and topics related to climate stress and solar radiation management.

00:00 The Story of an Entrepreneur's Defiance

00:33 Introduction to Wicked Problems

00:41 Trump Tariffs and Market Reactions

02:37 Understanding the Economic Impact

07:29 Historical Context and Personal Anecdotes

10:20 The Mafia's Influence and Extortion Tactics

11:34 The Birth of the Anti-Mafia Movement

15:44 The Power of Solidarity and Community

30:08 The Success and Expansion of the Movement

37:28 Conclusion and Future Conversations

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It feels like things are coming to a head.

Here in the UK, the tensions between wanting growth and not wanting anything to change are hotting up. 

Adam Bell from Stonehaven UK joined me to talk the implications of Heathrow’s “unusual” substation fire for UK grid investments, Kemi Badenoch’s Net Zero too-clever-by-half turn, and the Abundance debate in which I slightly traduce Dave Vetter (sorry Dave).In the US, the dark news cycles are starting to be reflected into some dark thoughts. Proper dark. And we link to 

Dana R Fisher’s latest disturbing findings in Scientific American about rapidly shifting attitudes towards violence among people who a couple of years ago would be more likely to be toting a pink pussy hat than a firearm.

But as always, there are winners and losers. Prashant Rao from Semafor talks us through what he’s seeing in whether the Trump administration has so demonized renewables that there are now bargains to be had in oversold renewables assets.

And Prashant has a request. He’s running the London marathon on 27 April to support the Rory Peck Trust, a UK charity which provides support to freelance journalists and their families to improve their welfare and safety, and fights for their right to report freely. Which, frankly, if you don’t agree that’s a good cause you’re probably in the wrong parish. Give the Rory Peck Trust a bit of love and support Prashant’s marathon.

Follow Adam Bell on LinkedIn and BlueSky.

Sign up for Semafor’s Net Zero newsletter where Prashant makes a not infrequent appearance. Follow him on LinkedIn and BlueSky.

Read Dana R. Fisher’s findings in Scientific American.

Read Dave Vetter’s takedown of Ezra Klein’s “Abundance.”

More soon in the newsletter on those last two.

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The electricity grid is more fragile and more vulnerable than it needs to be for what we’re asking the basically 120-yr-old tech to do in 2025. Last week’s outage after an explosion at the substation nearest Heathrow, London’s busiest airport, was a reminder of that.

Before founding grid tech rising star ENODA, Paul Domjan advised the US defence dept, NATO and plenty of others on energy security. Paul sheds light on how the incident highlights the grid's vulnerabilities and the necessity for a more resilient and flexible electricity system. The amazing thing, Paul says, is that we’ve been this lucky for this long.

A group very respectful of luck was the IRA, which after nearly killing Margaret Thatcher in Brighton in 1984 quipped: “we only need to be lucky once, you must be lucky always.” And last week’s incident, while foul play isn’t in evidence, reminded Paul of a 1996 IRA plot to disrupt London’s power supply, stopped at the last moment by MI5 in Operation AIRLINES. He cautions against complacency given the evolving threats to energy infrastructure from geopolitical tensions.

The conversation underscores the need for systemic changes in utilities’ approach, investments in renewable energy, and the adoption of innovative solutions to ensure grid reliability and stability.

01:15 Historical Context: IRA Plot

03:54 Energy Infrastructure Vulnerabilities

06:32 Interview with Paul Damian: Background and Insights

07:28 Paul's Career and NATO Involvement

10:23 The Fragility of the Power Grid

12:13 Technological Solutions for Grid Stability

26:39 Policy Recommendations for Energy Security

32:28 Conclusion and Future Conversations

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In this episode of Wicked Problems, Kristian Ruby, Secretary General of Eurelectric, shares insights from his recent visit to a Ukrainian power plant operating under war conditions. Ruby discusses the resilience and ingenuity of Ukrainian engineers maintaining energy infrastructure despite frequent bombings, the importance of Europe's preparedness for similar scenarios, and the necessity for robust energy infrastructure and cybersecurity. The conversation also covers the strategic shifts required in Europe's supply chain and critical infrastructure ownership, emphasising closer cooperation with the authorities and increased vigilance against sabotage and other threats.

00:00 Introduction and Welcome

00:14 Experiences in Ukraine: A Personal Account

00:54 Visiting a Power Plant in a War Zone

02:49 Daily Realities of War for Power Engineers

04:41 Europe's Need to Prepare for War

06:10 Challenges in Energy Infrastructure Resilience

07:07 Recent Sabotage and Security Concerns

08:43 Strategies for Enhancing Resilience

13:01 Dependence on Foreign Infrastructure

19:41 Supporting Ukraine's Power Sector

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