Outrage + Optimism: The Climate Podcast Podcast By Persephonica and Global Optimism cover art

Outrage + Optimism: The Climate Podcast

Outrage + Optimism: The Climate Podcast

By: Persephonica and Global Optimism
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Outrage + Optimism: The Climate Podcast is for anyone who is not ready to give up on making the world a better place. For unrivalled conversations with decision makers, visionary thinkers and a community of like-minded climate optimists, join former UN climate chief Christiana Figueres, political strategist Tom Rivett-Carnac and sustainable business consultant Paul Dickinson. Each week they make sense of all the top climate news stories, go behind the scenes at crucial talks and ensure you stay informed and inspired ahead of what is set to be the consequential year for climate action.


As we approach the middle of the decisive decade for world emissions, and the 10 year anniversary of the Paris climate agreement, subscribe to Outrage + Optimism: The Climate Podcast


And to see video content from the show, follow us on LinkedIn, on Instagram and X.


Got a question? Send us a voice message.


This is a Persephonica production for Global Optimism and is part of the Acast Creator Network.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Persephonica
Politics & Government Science Social Sciences
Episodes
  • *Breaking Planetary News*: The ICJ Climate Opinion Explained
    Jul 24 2025

    “An Existential Problem of Planetary Proportions”


    International Court of Justice President Yuji Iwasawa just delivered a landmark advisory opinion on climate change and human rights - one that could transform global climate action and accountability.


    A dancing and crying Christiana Figueres is joined by Tom Rivett-Carnac and Paul Dickinson, to react in real-time, and speak with two of the lawyers who helped make it happen.


    Fresh from the courtroom, Julian Aguon, the indigenous human rights lawyer who represented Pacific nations, and Jennifer Robinson, barrister for Vanuatu and the Marshall Islands, bring their raw, unfiltered reactions to this history-making ruling (before heading off to celebrate).


    As governments, legal teams, and corporate leaders worldwide scramble to interpret its implications, we have everything you need to know about what just happened in The Hague.


    The ICJ’s unanimous opinion states:

    • Climate action is now a legal duty: States are obligated under international law to prevent dangerous climate change.
    • 1.5°C has legal weight: States must pursue their “highest possible ambition” in their Nationally Determined Contributions and ensure collective measures can limit warming to 1.5°C.
    • Failure to act is unlawful: Granting fossil fuel licenses, providing subsidies, or failing to regulate emissions may constitute an internationally wrongful act.
    • Reparations are possible: Countries could be required to compensate or remedy the damage caused by their emissions - anywhere in the world.


    Could this be the legal tipping point that forces governments to act? Across capitals and boardrooms, the conversations have already started - and what happens next could reshape how nations and companies are held to account. Listen in and join us as this story unfolds.


    Learn more


    Listen back to our two previous episodes that explore the background to this case:


    🌿 Sovereignty and Survival: A Spotlight on Vanuatu, where Christiana reports on Vanuatu’s long fight for climate justice.


    ✊🏽 The Climate Case of the Century, where Cynthia Houniuhi shares her story of how the landmark ICJ case came to be.



    📖 Dive into the full advisory opinion from the ICJ.


    🎤 Leave us your voice notes and questions for upcoming episodes on SpeakPipe


    Follow us on social media for behind the scenes moments and to watch our videos:


    Instagram @outrageoptimism

    LinkedIn @outrageoptimism


    Or get in touch with us via this form.


    Producer: Ben Weaver-Hincks

    Video Producer: Caitlin Hanrahan

    Exec Producer: Ellie Clifford

    Commissioning Editor: Sarah Thomas


    This is a Persephonica production for Global Optimism and is part of the Acast Creator Network.

    Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

    Show more Show less
    53 mins
  • Planes, Protests, Pensions... and have banks given up on saving the planet?
    Jul 17 2025

    Can a pilot really be the change-maker who helps us to holiday nearer home? Why aren’t governments and institutions doing more to help climate activists? And can climate progress happen without sacrificing prosperity, especially in countries like Brazil?


    Christiana Figueres, Paul Dickinson and guest host Fiona McRaith (Director of The Climate Pledge at Global Optimism) are back with more of the knottiest and most urgent questions you’ve ever sent us.


    Plus: are the world’s biggest financial institutions abandoning climate action? Sue Reid (Climate Finance Advisor at Global Optimism) explains how banks and insurers are reacting to political pressure, why some net zero alliances appear to be fracturing, and why “green hushing” doesn’t mean giving up entirely.


    And: from climate visas to sponge cities, adaptation is finally rising on the global agenda - but is it fast or fair enough? Irene Suárez Pérez (Senior Advisor to Groundswell) walks us through some of the global hotspots of climate resilience, and why adaptation isn’t a consolation prize.



    Learn more


    Listen back to episodes referenced in this Q&A, including:


    ⏳ Momentum vs Perfection, where Fiona joins Tom to explore different theories of change within the climate movement.


    💼 When Business is Political: Climate Commitments in an Age of Backlash, where Tom and Paul speak to Helen Clarkson about the moves of large companies in the context of rising anti-ESG forces.



    💰 Learn more about greening pensions and investments: ShareAction, Third Act’s Banking on our Future and Make My Money Matter


    🎤 Get your chance to be featured on the show! Leave us your voice notes and questions for upcoming episodes on SpeakPipe


    And follow us on social media for behind the scenes moments and to watch our videos:


    Instagram @outrageoptimism

    LinkedIn @outrageoptimism


    Or get in touch with us via this form.


    Producer: Ben Weaver-Hincks

    Video Producer: Caitlin Hanrahan

    Additional production: Miriam Hall

    Exec Producer: Ellie Clifford

    Commissioning Editor: Sarah Thomas


    This is a Persephonica production for Global Optimism and is part of the Acast Creator Network.

    Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

    Show more Show less
    58 mins
  • From Outrage to Action: Your Questions, Our Answers
    Jul 10 2025

    We’re handing the mic over to you on this week’s Outrage + Optimism: The Climate Podcast.


    In this special Q&A episode, Christiana Figueres, Paul Dickinson and guest host Fiona McRaith (Director of The Climate Pledge at Global Optimism) respond to thought-provoking questions from listeners around the world. They consider the future of the COP model, whether the Pacific concept of may offer a better way to think about our local and global relationships, what a multipolar world might mean for climate diplomacy, and much more. Plus, friend of the show Nigel Topping (Founder of Ambition Loop) helps to explain why UK electricity prices are tied to gas - and how we can fix it.


    From the philosophical to the practical, this is a wide-ranging conversation about where climate progress is stalling, where it’s surging forward, and how global cooperation might evolve in the years ahead.


    Learn more


    Listen back to episodes referenced in this Q&A, including:


    ⏳ Momentum vs Perfection, where Fiona joins Tom to explore different theories of change within the climate movement.


    ✊🏽 The Climate Case of the Century, where Cynthia Houniuhi shares her story of how the landmark ICJ case came to be.


    🌿 Sovereignty and Survival: A Spotlight on Vanuatu, where Christiana reports back on her time in the South Pacific.


    🤝 COP30: Can Brazil deliver a global breakthrough?, where Tom brings back the latest from Belém ahead of this year's COP.


    🌎 Other episodes exploring the shifting geopolitics of climate, including deep dives on China, Australia and Canada


    🎤 Leave us your voice notes and questions on SpeakPipe


    Follow us on social media for behind the scenes moments and to watch our videos:


    Instagram @outrageoptimism

    LinkedIn @outrageoptimism


    Or get in touch with us via this form.


    Producer: Ben Weaver-Hincks

    Video Producer: Caitlin Hanrahan

    Additional production: Miriam Hall

    Exec Producer: Ellie Clifford

    Commissioning Editor: Sarah Thomas


    This is a Persephonica production for Global Optimism and is part of the Acast Creator Network.

    Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

    Show more Show less
    56 mins
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For the longest time , I have wanted to share with you that I see Outrage and Optimism as a 2X 2 matrix . And am sometimes high optimism , high outrage and sometimes high optimism and less outrage .
Right now , I proudly watch Smith college class of 21 commencement webcast from India as my daughter graduates on campus as a major in Quantitative economics . Was super excited to see Christina get an honorary degree at Smith for all her outstanding work in Climate change . Heartiest congratulations . Am a huge fan of you and your well produced podcast !!!!
Shefali Chhachhi , Gurgaon. India

Big fan of outrage and optimism

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