Speaking

Seminar: Into the Storm – Global Systems Institute, University of Exeter

24th May 2021 I gave a talk at the Global Systems Institute at the University of Exeter that explored the grand strategy for re-stabilising the natural world – or lack thereof – and how this will have to increasingly contend with the destabilising consequences of the environmental emergency. Check out the video below and readContinue reading “Seminar: Into the Storm – Global Systems Institute, University of Exeter”

Interview: A World to Win

Mathew Lawrence and I joined Grace Blakeley to discuss Planet on Fire on the A World to Win podcast.

Interview: The Owen Jones Show

Mat Lawrence and I spoke with Owen Jones about Planet on Fire, how we face an overall environmental emergency, it’s caused by (deeply unjust) economic systems over individuals – so our response can and must be political and transformational.

Interview: The Nomiki Show

I spoke to Nomiki Konst on the Nomiki Show about the environmental emergency, the role of economic systems in driving the disaster, and how our response can and must be political and transformation. I joined by Mat Lawrence and we also spoke about our new book, Planet on Fire.

Foul is no longer fair: Towards an economics for planetary stability

Talk to the Council for the Human Future conference, 21st March 2021 It is never hard to find commentary on why we are collectively failing to address the accelerating environmental emergency.  ‘We’re not wired to empathize with our descendants,’ laments a psychology professor in the Washington Post. ‘We lack courage,’ concludes President Macron to worldContinue reading “Foul is no longer fair: Towards an economics for planetary stability”

Video: What now? A personal reflection on the future as part of the Great Unraveling? series

In this final video of the series, I challenge the false binary beliefs that tell us we still have time to prevent crises like climate breakdown or that it’s too late and hopeless, and argues strongly for honest appraisal of our predicament and urgency in responding to the interconnected environmental and societal challenges we faceContinue reading “Video: What now? A personal reflection on the future as part of the Great Unraveling? series”

Video: Emotional and Psychological Resilience to Current and Looming Crises. Leslie Davenport

More and more individuals and communities are struggling to cope with the psychological and emotional toll of environmental and social systems gone awry, with this trend likely to get more severe in the coming years and decades. In this episode of the “Great Unraveling?” series, Leslie Davenport joins me to explore the emotional and psychologicalContinue reading “Video: Emotional and Psychological Resilience to Current and Looming Crises. Leslie Davenport”

Video: The Cycles of Societies and Where We Find Ourselves. Interview with Daniel Hoyer

Around the world today you see societies in varying degrees of stability and instability. Looking back throughout history, we may be able to identify certain patterns in how societies develop, change, fall into crisis, and evolve into new phases of development. In this episode of the “Great Unraveling?” series, Daniel Hoyer joins me to exploreContinue reading “Video: The Cycles of Societies and Where We Find Ourselves. Interview with Daniel Hoyer”

Video: The Critical Need for and Challenges Facing the Energy Transition. Interview with Richard Heinberg

Access to energy is of foundational importance for societies, but constraints on our abilities to meet societies’ energy requirements are growing. Foremost among them is the pressing challenge of transitioning to a zero-carbon energy system. In this episode of the “Great Unraveling?” series, Richard Heinberg joins me to explore the crucial role of energy inContinue reading “Video: The Critical Need for and Challenges Facing the Energy Transition. Interview with Richard Heinberg”

Video: The Rise of Far-Right Counter-Revolution around the World. Interview with Walden Bello

Regressive political movements have increased in size and power over the last decade, with dissatisfaction with the status quo and political conflict on the rise. In this episode of the “Great Unraveling?” series, Walden Bello joins me to explore the factors behind the rise in political fragmentation in both the global south and global north,Continue reading “Video: The Rise of Far-Right Counter-Revolution around the World. Interview with Walden Bello”

Video: Growing Economic and Environmental Inequality. Interview with Jason Hickel

Despite prevalent claims that economic well-being has been on the rise in recent decades globally, the post-colonial period has been one of increasing, not decreasing, inequality between the Global North and Global South. Growing economic and social inequality is a driving factor in a range of major problems, from poor health to political fragmentation, butContinue reading “Video: Growing Economic and Environmental Inequality. Interview with Jason Hickel”

Video: Geopolitical Balance in an Increasingly Unstable World. Interview with Christine Parthemore

The coronavirus pandemic is impacting the global geopolitical balance, the shifting of which was already underway. As ever, this opens up new threats and opportunities for peace and security across the world. In this episode of the “Great Unraveling?” series, Christine Parthemore joins me to discuss how growing destabilisation, in part driven by the worseningContinue reading “Video: Geopolitical Balance in an Increasingly Unstable World. Interview with Christine Parthemore”

Video: What’s Driving the Migration of Humans and Other Species? Interview with Sonia Shah

Over 70 million people have been forcibly displaced worldwide, with large increases in recent years having been driven by a complex mix of factors, including environmental shocks, conflict, and economic crisis. As ever, the vast majority of these people stay within countries or regions and suffer. Meanwhile perceptions of migration — which are often incorrectContinue reading “Video: What’s Driving the Migration of Humans and Other Species? Interview with Sonia Shah”

Video: Fragility in Economic Systems. Interview with Nate Hagens

Ten years after a financial crisis, the inherent instability of financial markets has been further confirmed by the coronavirus pandemic, while fragilities in wider economic systems have been exacerbated, from precarious work to the consequences of high levels of debt in the global south and across the corporate sector. In this episode of the “GreatContinue reading “Video: Fragility in Economic Systems. Interview with Nate Hagens”

Video: Fragility in Food Systems. Interview with Raj Patel

Food systems around the world are dependent on supply chains that connect the fate of consumers in one region to producers in another. A range of major problems are already buffeting these systems, from the chronic failure to provide adequate nutrition to growing environmental shocks. In this episode of the “Great Unraveling?” series, Raj PatelContinue reading “Video: Fragility in Food Systems. Interview with Raj Patel”

Video: Fragile and Interdependent Systems in a World of Worsening Crises. Interview with Nafeez Ahmed

The coronavirus pandemic has exposed the fragilities and interdependencies of the world’s complex socio-economic systems, and the challenge of predicting and planning for known threats, let alone the unknown. In this episode of the “Great Unraveling?” series, Nafeez Ahmed joins me to explore some of these dynamics and what they might mean for how weContinue reading “Video: Fragile and Interdependent Systems in a World of Worsening Crises. Interview with Nafeez Ahmed”

Video: The Relationship Between Imperialism, Racism, and the Environmental Crisis. Interview with Asad Rehman

The expansion of colonial empires and the emergence of a globalised economic system brought about a rapid increase in the destabilisation of local and global environments, as well as the exploitation and destruction of indigenous peoples. In doing so, they created structures and dynamics that exist to this day. In this episode of the “GreatContinue reading “Video: The Relationship Between Imperialism, Racism, and the Environmental Crisis. Interview with Asad Rehman”

Video: Who’s Already Suffering the Consequences of the Environmental Crisis? Interview with Nnimmo Bassey

The consequences of environmental degradation have impacted people across the world for hundreds of years. In recent decades, the negative social, economic and health impacts of global environmental problems have fallen disproportionately on those least responsible. In this episode of the “Great Unraveling?” series, Nnimmo Bassey joins me to explore how environmental destruction has impactedContinue reading “Video: Who’s Already Suffering the Consequences of the Environmental Crisis? Interview with Nnimmo Bassey”

Video: How Bad Is the Wider Environmental Crisis? Interview with Johan Rockström

Human destabilisation of the environment encompasses a range of critical natural systems and processes. In this episode of the “Great Unraveling?” series, Johan Rockström joins me to set climate breakdown within the full picture of overall environmental breakdown, explore destabilisation of natural systems, and the consequences. Professor Johan Rockström is a world-leading global sustainability scientistContinue reading “Video: How Bad Is the Wider Environmental Crisis? Interview with Johan Rockström”

Video: How bad is the climate crisis? Interview with Michael Mann

Average global surface temperatures have passed 1.1º Celsius above pre-industrial levels. In this episode of the “Great Unraveling?” series, Michael Mann joins me to explore the current status of the climate crisis and the unprecedented minefield we enter as we head to and exceed 1.5º Celsius. Dr. Michael E. Mann is a world renowned expertContinue reading “Video: How bad is the climate crisis? Interview with Michael Mann”

Video: Introduction to the “Great Unraveling?” Series

Here I introduce the Great Unraveling? interview series: its purpose, what topics will be covered, and why we’re initiating this timely discussion. Over summer 2020 I conducted brief interviews with some of the world’s foremost experts on a broad range of environmental and societal challenges, to set a foundation for understanding the accelerating and interrelatedContinue reading “Video: Introduction to the “Great Unraveling?” Series”

Panel: We Are Not Ready

I spoke at and chaired a panel at the launch of the final report of my IPPR programme on environmental breakdown.

Panel: Change Only Through Crisis?

I spoke at a Forum for a New Economy, Berlin conference about the role of pandemics in driving political and economic change.

What’s Causing the Environmental Crisis? Interview with Julia Steinberger

Human destabilisation of natural systems is related to a range of factors, including technology, population, and, importantly, levels and types of consumption. In turn, these factors are affected by a host of economic, political, legal and cultural considerations, which differ markedly throughout the world. In this episode of the “Great Unraveling?” series, Julia Steinberger joinsContinue reading “What’s Causing the Environmental Crisis? Interview with Julia Steinberger”

Podcast: Back to the Future

I spoke on Ed Miliband and Geoff Lloyd’s Reasons to be Cheerful podcast about the intergenerational issues at the heart of the environmental emergency.

Video: A Toxic Inheritance

I did a video on my latest IPPR report – Inheriting the Earth? – which looked at the huge intergenerational issues at the heart of the environmental emergency.

Panel: The Big Tent Ideas Festival

I spoke at the Big Tent Idea Festival about a new economic system capable of dealing with the challenges of the present and future.

Video: Resilience and Africa

I spoke at the Wilton Park Climate Resilience Conference on the role of younger generations in responding to the huge challenges of environmental breakdown.

Video: This is a Crisis

The introductory video for the IPPR This is a crisis: Facing up to the age of environmental breakdown report.

Video: How Do We Democratise Data?

Mathew Lawrence and I talk about our new IPPR report: The Digital Commonwealth: From private enclosure to collective benefit.

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