Climate Unf*cked

Professor Mike Berners-Lee is the internationally renowned bestselling author of How Bad Are Bananas?, The Burning Question (co-authored with Duncan Clark), There Is No Planet B, and most recently A Climate of Truth. He's a professor at Lancaster University and works on carbon footprinting through his company Small World Consulting, which has worked with companies like BT, Microsoft, and all 15 UK national parks. A couple of weeks ago, Mike chaired the National Emergency Briefing in Westminster Hall to hundreds of political, business, faith, culture and media leaders. In this episode, we dive into: Why the "energy transition" is actually an "energy addition" - we've grown renewable energy by 2.5x since the first COP, but fossil fuel use has grown 60% in the same period The three things actually needed for energy transition: grow renewables, constrain fossil fuel supply through carbon pricing, AND reduce total global energy demand Why individual carbon footprints don't directly cut global emissions (it's like squeezing a balloon - it pops out elsewhere) - but why they still matter for creating ripple effects and cultural change The psychology of climate denial - from grief transition curves to "disavowal" (when you understand the evidence but live as if you don't) - and how to move past protective mechanisms Why carbon accounting is broken - most companies use random system boundaries that make numbers incomparable, and why we need to count everything in supply chains once and once only The dishonesty crisis: how a "broken trinity" of politics, media and business is dragging each other down instead of raising the game - and why we need a "me too moment" for political deceit Media ownership matters - who owns what you read, their track record, and how subtle influence shapes thinking over time (including a taxonomy of deceit techniques) The week Mike spent investivating Bjorn Lomborg's book The Skeptical Environmentalist that exposed hundreds of errors and scientific dishonesty Bill Gates has "gone bonkers" on climate - from claiming to invent a decades-old formula to missing tipping points entirely, plus his recent memo saying climate isn't the most pressing issue The journey from How Bad Are Bananas? (individual action) to A Climate of Truth (systemic change) - and why we need humanity to undergo "urgent evolution" to become Anthropocene-fit Why narrative is everything right now - this is NOT the time to go quiet on climate action, it's time to stand up, be brave, and talk even louder —— This podcast is brought to you by Ecologi, the UK's most trusted climate action platform. They help businesses reduce their emissions, restore our planet and report their progress for every step of their climate journey. Check them out here: https://tinyurl.com/kfswnxth —— Find Mike’s latest book A Climate of Truth Sign the letter for a National Emergency Briefing broadcast: https://www.nebriefing.org/open-letter-keir Subscribe to the Climate Unf*cked podcast at https://climateunfucked.substack.com/ And connect with me on LinkedIn at: https://www.linkedin.com/in/rob-coop/ 00:00 Understanding the Green Spectrum 03:08 Psychological Barriers to Climate Action 05:48 The Shift from Individual to Systemic Change 08:57 The Journey of Climate Literature 11:54 The Need for Economic and Political Reform 14:53 Energy Transition: Myths and Realities 17:45 The Role of Technology in Climate Solutions 21:07 The Influence of Family and Upbringing 23:49 The Importance of Honesty in Climate Discourse 33:42 Media Ownership and Its Influence 36:00 Political Nuance and Environmental Discourse 39:53 Personal Responsibility vs. Systemic Change 43:01 The Ripple Effect of Individual Actions 46:48 The Importance of Narrative in Climate Action 49:30 Challenging Misleading Environmental Narratives 56:14 Psychological Barriers to Climate Action 01:01:40 The Call for Courageous Conversations

Sam Zindel is Managing Director at digital marketing agency Propellernet and founder of GEN R. Gen R is an environmental movement that uses music and art to support nature. He's created a jukebox that plants trees for every song played - and it spent the summer with Fatboy Slim. Sam's mission is to drag environmentalism out of the culture wars and root it back into popular culture where it belongs. No sandals required. No technical jargon. Just fun, accessible climate action that meets people where they already are - at gigs, festivals, and in the pub. In this episode, we dive into: Why 80% of people care about the environment but the climate movement is still stuck in an echo chamber - and how to fix it The story behind the 1959 vinyl jukebox that plants trees, displays holographic bees, and ended up at Fat Boy Slim's Brighton cafe after debuting at Glastonbury Why scaring people with sea level rise or confusing them with "scope 1 emissions" are terrible entry points to climate action The school play moment that changed everything - when an 8-year-old read a story about a hummingbird and called out the adults in the room How Propellornet went from measuring a 91-ton carbon footprint to funding a million trees in three years (and why offsetting for £1,000 felt "appalling") The three core principles of Gen R: individual decisions without judgment, collective responsibility, and accepting imperfect progress Why "movement is a message" - from reusable cup schemes at festivals to train travel included in football tickets The power of imagination over climate denial - even if you don't believe in global warming, who wouldn't want cleaner air at the school drop-off? Why nature is a superpower in climate storytelling and how the Wildling app makes it accessible to everyone (not just National Trust members) Book recommendations: How Bad Are Bananas? by Mike Berners-Lee, From What Is to What If by Rob Hopkins, and Net Positive by Paul Polman Thank you to Ecologi for supporting the podcast. They're the UK's most trusted climate action platform. They help businesses reduce their emissions, restore our planet and report their progress for every step of their climate journey. Check them out ‪@Ecologi_hq‬ at https://tinyurl.com/kfswnxth Follow the jukebox journey at @gen_r_jukebox on Instagram Subscribe to the Climate Unf*cked podcast at https://climateunfucked.substack.com/ And connect with me on LinkedIn at: https://www.linkedin.com/in/rob-coop/ 00:00 The Jukebox that Fatboy Slim hosted 07:40 Engaging Popular Culture for Environmental Change 13:28 Behavior Change Through Storytelling 16:38 Collective vs. Individual Action in Climate Solutions 22:31 Personal Responsibility and Grassroots Action 28:43 Inspiring Hope and Fun in Environmentalism 31:24 The Hummingbird Story that changed Sam’s life 43:09 Awakening to Environmental Responsibility 51:39 Measuring and Reducing Carbon Footprint 58:00 Investing in Nature and Community 01:02:11 The Role of Business in Sustainability 01:09:39 Long-Term Change vs. Short-Term Solutions

Email your MP to get them to attend! Visit https://www.nebriefing.org/ Send them their personalised video invite (already made): https://docs.google.com/document/d/18BWde8rCy2pBFL_Eid-rEJ6XIQqSUEqq_lnj9TZaapI/edit?tab=t.0#heading=h.r7al6r613w88 Nick Oldridge is on a mission to get all 650 UK MPs into Westminster Central Hall for the National Emergency Briefing - a crucial wake-up call about the climate crisis happening in just 23 days from recording. As the co-founder of Climate Science Breakthrough, which created viral videos featuring comedians like Joe Brand and Jonathan Pie translating climate science, Nick knows how to break through the noise. In this episode, we dive into: Why the UK's claimed 50% emissions reduction is "clever accounting" that doesn't include major sources like Drax power station, aviation, or imported goods. The eight expert speakers who'll deliver 10-minute TED-style talks covering everything from food security to NHS collapse to national security threats. How comedy became the unexpected vehicle for climate communication - and why Joe Brand's appearance on Good Morning Britain marked a turning point The shocking perception gap: people think net zero will cost 28% of GDP when it's actually just 0.2% - or £1.30 per person per week. Why shifting to a plant-rich diet could free up land the size of Scotland and why the economic benefits of reaching net zero would save the UK £37 billion annually Nick's "one-way gate" moment with climate scientist Kevin Anderson that transformed him from observer to activist, leading him to invest his children's inheritance into climate action The power of ending on positive solutions, from renewable energy to nature recovery, and why "movement is a message" This podcast is brought to you by Ecologi, the UK's most trusted climate action platform. They help businesses reduce their emissions, restore our planet and report their progress for every step of their climate journey. Check them out here: https://tinyurl.com/kfswnxth Find out more about the National Emergency Briefing at: https://www.nebriefing.org/ Subscribe to the Climate Unf*cked podcast at https://climateunfucked.substack.com/ And connect with me on LinkedIn at: https://www.linkedin.com/in/rob-coop/

Will Hayler is the co-founder of Blue Earth Summit, the leading gathering for leaders, investors and changemakers driving a regenerative future. Their headline event is over 3 days with over 7,000 total attendees, 1,500 business attending and attendees with over £10bn of assets under management. The mission of Blue Earth is to “transform the way the world works”. So in this episode, I asked This podcast is brought to you by Ecologi, the UK's most trusted climate action platform. They help businesses reduce their emissions, restore our planet and report their progress for every step of their climate journey. Check them out here: https://tinyurl.com/kfswnxth You can learn more about Blue Earth Summit at: https://blueearthsummit.com/ Subscribe to the Climate Unf*cked podcast at https://climateunfucked.substack.com/ And connect with me on LinkedIn at: https://www.linkedin.com/in/rob-coop/

Adam Bastock is the founder of People, Planet, Pint. A sustainability meet-up that he’s scaled globally to 15 countries, with only 1.5 full time employees.In this episode, we cover:Why he’s mellowed on personal actionHow not to get stuck into perfectionismWhat people focus on that doesn’t matterHow gamification works to change behaviourDifference between demand and need in sustainabilityHow thinking of people as light vs. dark green is helpfulThe game that even sustainability professionals get wrongHow climate action can be thought of as a marketing funnelWhy presenting logical facts doesn’t result in logical outcomesThis podcast is brought to you by Ecologi, the UK's most trusted climate action platform. They help businesses reduce their emissions, restore our planet and report their progress for every step of their climate journey. Check them out here: https://tinyurl.com/kfswnxthYou can find out more about Adam on LinkedIn at: https://www.linkedin.com/in/adambastock/Subscribe to the Climate Unf*cked podcast at https://climateunfucked.substack.com/And connect with me on LinkedIn at: https://www.linkedin.com/in/rob-coop/