News from a World in Flux Ep. 39: A warning from the food industry, crossing planetary boundaries, and super El Niño

 Extinction Rebellion’s co-founder Clare Farrell and conservation scientist Dr Charlie Gardner team up to discuss issues and stories they feel are not getting enough airtime. They want to make sure that the latest news in science and important reports that are relevant to the climate and ecological crisis are flagged and explained in ways that are easy to understand.

EPISODE 39: A warning from the food industry, crossing planetary boundaries, and super El Niño

In this episode, Clare Farrell and Charlie Gardner examine the latest warning about the state of our planet: seven of the nine planetary boundaries have now been breached. They explain what these boundaries mean, why ocean acidification and the degradation of natural systems matter, and how focusing on carbon alone can obscure the wider planetary crisis. They then look at the prospect of a powerful El Niño, its potential to intensify extreme weather and disrupt harvests, and the growing risks to global food security. Finally, they discuss warnings from food industry insiders about the fragility of supply chains, the failure to make necessary systemic changes, and how governments are increasingly shifting responsibility for preparing for crises onto individuals while continuing to make them worse.

REFERENCES

Planetary Health Check 2026 – Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research
https://www.planetaryhealthcheck.org/2026-planetary-health-check-launched-at-new-york-climate-week/

Planetary Boundaries: The 2026 assessment – Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research
https://www.pik-potsdam.de/en/news/latest-news/planetary-health-check-2026-finds-mounting-pressures-across-earth2019s-life-support-systems

Seven of nine planetary boundaries now at record breach levels – Oceanographic Magazine
https://oceanographicmagazine.com/news/seven-of-nine-planetary-boundaries-now-at-record-breach-levels/

El Niño/La Niña Update – World Meteorological Organization
https://public.wmo.int/resources/publication-series/el-ninola-nina-updates/august-2026

What could El Niño mean for our weather? – Yorkshire Evening Post
https://www.yorkshireeveningpost.co.uk/news/weather/leeds-el-nino-uk-impacts-9184644

The Illusion of Resilience in a Degrading Supply Chain – Inside Track
https://www.insidetrack.org.uk/releases/food-resilience 2026–2027

El Niño food security impacts – FEWS NET
https://fews.net/global/special-report/october-2026

Stockpile food – and wash your hands: is that really how to prepare for environmental catastrophe? – George Monbiot, The Guardian
https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2026/oct/08/stockpile-food-wash-hands-how-to-prepare-environmental-catastrophe

 --------------------- 

Follow us on BlueSky
Clare Farrell
@claretotty.bsky.social

Charlie Gardner
@charliejgardner.bsky.social

If you can, please donate to help with the production of this show
https://ko-fi.com/worldinflux