Straight Talking Sustainability

The sustainability sector is facing a slowdown, pushback, and political reframing. In this episode, Emma Burlow explains how to stay relevant, find work, and avoid burning out when sustainability knowledge alone no longer sets you apart.
In this episode
Why some sustainability work is being sidelined, rebadged, or called something else 02:59
Why narrowing your niche can lead to more work than presenting yourself as a generalist 04:29
The transferable skills that now matter alongside sustainability expertise 05:57
Why “passion” won’t win you work, and what clients actually need 09:40
How procurement, risk, and other existing skills can become your sustainability advantage 11:47
Why stabilising your workload and energy matters when the sector feels uncertain 13:10
The three pots to protect: profession, obsession, and decompression 14:14

Key takeaways
Niche down around something people need and are willing to pay for.
Build skills in communication, relationship development, analysis, problem-solving, resilience, risk, and leadership for change.
Use your existing professional strengths. “Every job’s a climate job.”
Don’t let sustainability become your entire identity or your only source of energy.
Make room for genuine decompression. Reading another climate book doesn’t count.

“You need to be shit hot at your job.” 10:33“We are no good to our sector exhausted.” 13:22Not Sustainable
Book a Power Hour with Emma
https://calendly.com/emma-lighthouse/power-hour

Connect with Emma
Website
Email
Emma Burlow | LinkedIn
Not Sustainable

Emma Burlow talks with Sarah Mukherjee, CEO of the Institute of Sustainability and Environmental Professionals, about the pressures facing sustainability professionals, the business case for climate resilience, AI, public engagement, optimism, and why failure is part of progress.
In this episode
Why professional standards matter in sustainability, and how ISEP evolved from IEMA 01:10
How ISEP supports more than 21,000 members across over 120 countries 05:43
What the latest State of the Profession report reveals about political headwinds, resilience, and funding 08:29
Why businesses are reframing sustainability as resilience, risk management, and business continuity 08:40
The insurance and finance implications of weak climate adaptation plans 11:19
Sarah Mukherjee’s advice: “Plan for 2, stress test for 4” degrees of warming 14:16
How sustainability professionals can bring climate risk into boardroom conversations 16:53
Why blaming and shaming people over flying can alienate the audiences sustainability needs to reach 19:40
Focusing on material emissions and savings instead of treating every intervention as equal 25:51
The opportunities and risks of AI for sustainability professionals 29:18
Why AI-generated work still requires professional judgement, accountability, and human oversight 30:33
The case for optimism, even when progress feels slower than the challenge 35:34
Why sustainability professionals need permission to experiment, fail, learn, and try again 41:38

Key quotes
“Plan for 2, stress test for 4.”Sarah Mukherjee explains how organisations can test whether their business models remain viable under more severe climate conditions 14:16.“If you save carbon, if you save inputs, it’s going to save money.”Sarah Mukherjee makes the case for connecting decarbonisation with resource efficiency and business savings 26:13.“The way of losing it is to give up.”Sarah Mukherjee reflects on the importance of persistence in sustainability work 38:12.“The most important thing you can do is fail and then recover.”Sarah Mukherjee discusses resilience, career setbacks, and the role of failure in professional development 42:30.Listen for
Emma Burlow and Sarah Mukherjee challenge narrow sustainability messaging and argue for a more practical focus on resilience, business continuity, material emissions, financial risk, and solutions that people can realistically adopt 24:25.
Sarah Mukherjee MBE | LinkedIn
ISEP - Institute of Sustainability and Environmental Professionals
State of the Profession - ISEP
Book a Power Hour with Emma
https://calendly.com/emma-lighthouse/power-hour

Connect with Emma
Website
Email
Emma Burlow | LinkedIn
Not Sustainable

Emma Berlow marks 100 episodes of Straight Talking Sustainability by reflecting on why she started the podcast, what has surprised her, and where the show goes next.
In this episode
Why a podcast felt more achievable than writing a book after nearly 30 years in sustainability 03:07
The need for more female voices in sustainability podcasting 03:59
How the podcast helps Emma Berlow share experience, connect with others, and create more impact 05:06
Reaching 12,000 downloads, with an average of 128 downloads a week 01:57
The importance of process, even for people who prefer to wing it 08:40
Why podcasting is a “dark art” and why authenticity matters more than polished production 09:30
The slow growth of podcast numbers and the danger of fixating on them 11:15
Creating conversations that feel more like the valuable, informal discussions after a conference 12:29
A sharper focus on practical questions, useful experiences, and getting “to the nub of the issue” 13:29
Plans for more book reviews, a resource Padlet, and video episodes 15:47

Episodes recommended
The 52 Sustainability Hacks series, including spring, summer, autumn, and winter editions 17:42
Getting Past “Yes in Principle” 18:41
Is Climate Anxiety Actually Healthy? 19:07
Early episodes on working in communities and sustainability leadership 18:18

Key quote
“Winging it is great until it isn’t great.” 08:54Emma Berlow invites listeners to share feedback, suggest future topics and books, and recommend the podcast to a friend or colleague. 19:52
Book a Power Hour with Emma
https://calendly.com/emma-lighthouse/power-hour

Connect with Emma
Website
Email
Emma Burlow | LinkedIn
Not Sustainable

Emma Burlow talks with Jessica Riches, independent filmmaker and existential crisis communication strategist, about using sex, entertainment, humour, and trusted creators to make climate communication cut through.
In this episode
Why climate communicators need to “jump off the cliff of the norm” rather than take small steps, as Jessica Riches explains at 02:57.
The three reasons people shut down when confronted with existential risks: unfamiliar unknowns, exponential risk, and the feeling that they have no agency 06:42.
How parasocial relationships and trusted voices can communicate complex ideas more effectively than distant institutions or experts 09:29.
Why Jessica Riches turned to OnlyFans as a space for reaching audiences who are often overlooked by climate campaigns 14:51.
The thinking behind Headline Newds, a campaign delivering climate news through adult-content creators 24:24.
How the project worked with creators as co-creators rather than handing them a rigid communications brief 23:38.
Why facts alone haven’t shifted public understanding of climate change, and why the messenger matters as much as the message 29:56.
The campaign’s reach, including hundreds of thousands of views and strong levels of shares and saves despite widespread shadow banning 32:28.
Why climate communicators should stop treating people as corporate audiences and start recognising them as humans with existing interests, relationships, and communities 44:55.
Jessica Riches’ advice to take bigger creative risks, challenge conventional impact metrics, and consider a “little mini revolution” 45:48.

Memorable moments
“Better facts are not going to make this better.” Jessica Riches argues that climate communication has focused too heavily on accuracy, while overlooking story, trust, and cultural relevance at 30:00.
Jessica Riches describes Headline Newds as a way to combine climate facts with “a few puns and some sexual innuendo” while reaching communities that climate campaigns rarely prioritise 43:15.
The central challenge for sustainability professionals: being boring is rarely safer than being unexpected, especially when the goal is to reach people beyond the usual sustainability audience 45:07.
Content warning
This episode includes sexual content, strong language, discussions of pornography and sex work, and references to climate-related death and societal collapse.
Jessica Riches | LinkedIn
Jessica Riches (@notpeterthiel_) • Instagram photos and videos
Jessica Riches – Jessica Riches is the world's first existential crisis comms strategist – working in climate change and AI risk
Book a Power Hour with Emma
https://calendly.com/emma-lighthouse/power-hour

Connect with Emma
Website
Email
Emma Burlow | LinkedIn
Not Sustainable

The conversation focused on the implications of the UNEP report Limiting Overshoot, which warns that global warming could reach 1.8°C even under the best-case pathway, with current policies potentially leading to 2.6°C.
The discussion explored whether sustainability professionals should replace the 1.5°C message with 1.8°C, or stay focused on the existing target. The answer depends on the audience. People who already understand the science may be ready to discuss overshoot in more depth. For others, introducing another number could create confusion, weaken existing targets, or encourage a “what’s the point?” response.
Key takeaways
The UNEP report says overshoot is unavoidable, but warming can still be brought back down through a “peak and decline” strategy.
Current policies could lead to 2.6°C of warming 04:18.
Every fraction of a degree above 1.5°C increases the risks 04:40.
The required actions include immediate emissions cuts, methane reductions, a rapid transition to net zero, carbon dioxide removal, and adaptation 05:15.
Don’t add complexity before people understand the basics of climate change, urgency, and agency 07:21.
If an organisation already has a 1.5°C target, introducing 1.8°C without context could muddy the waters 10:00.
Sustainability messaging should reflect the audience’s level of awareness and readiness 10:52.
If the basics aren’t in place, focus on carbon literacy training, lunch and learns, e-learning supported by real engagement, or showing the National Emergency Briefing 14:08.
If the basics are in place, identify what’s preventing faster emissions reductions, stronger advocacy, supply-chain transformation, or industry leadership 15:46.
Overwhelm can be reduced by finding the “nugget of truth,” breaking the issue down, and acting on what’s achievable 12:19.
Supporting sustainability teams matters, even when sustainability isn’t part of the job title 13:43.

Ask honestly:
Do the climate basics exist across the organisation?
Is the current target driving real progress?
What’s stopping faster and bigger carbon reductions?
Is there a rock in the way that needs to be identified and removed?

The episode’s central message is clear: 1.8°C is a warning, not a reason to stop. There’s still a great deal to do 18:47.
Yes, we’re heading towards 1.8 degrees of warming, but there’s still a damn lot we can do in the meantime. Don’t stay in overwhelm. Get the basics in place, support each other, and take action.
Limiting Overshoot UNEP Report
Book a Power Hour with Emma
https://calendly.com/emma-lighthouse/power-hour

Connect with Emma
Website
Email
Emma Burlow | LinkedIn
Not Sustainable