GND Media

50% of all new cars are SUV's, which may come as a surprise to you, considering the various noises around the world about moves to green transport. Is this just people with more disposable income wanting bigger cars, is it for the prestige? Or do car companies need you to buy bigger?This week on the show Lucy and Andrew are joined by political economist Dr Tom Haines-Doran, to discuss his recent paper " The financialisation of car consumption". They discuss how the car industry is slowly destroying itself through over production, why fiance and debt companies want you to own a bigger car,  why the majority of cars are pretty much the same and the fall out of the the botched Low Traffic Neighbourhood scheme in Levenshulme.  LinksRead Tom's paper "The financialisation of car consumption" Herehttps://eprints.whiterose.ac.uk/204987/Read " The political economy of car dependence: A systems of provision approach" Herehttps://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2214629620300633Shout outStreets for People-  @s4plbWalk Ride GM-  @WalkRideGMSupport the show

When people think about environmentalists, the next words they probably say are, "Oh, like Extinction Rebellion?" The impact of XR on the the climate movement probably can't be over stated. From ubiquitous association to the effects on organising practice, Extinction Rebellion has been at the forefront of climate action for the last five years.  In the U.K many campaigns and activist are holding their breath, waiting for the Labour Party to take the reins of government, so the question is: what next for XR?This week Ads and Andrew are joined by XR and Just Stop Oil co-founder Roger Hallam.  They discuss how the efffects of climate change spurred Roger into working on building a climate movement, how XR was built, its successes and shortcomings, why revolution is the only answer now as we head past 1.5 degrees and why citzens assemblies can be the mechanism for the revolution. Check out Roger's "The Work We Need to Do" herehttps://drive.google.com/file/d/13UFxnwIEb4afjEzRdZQ72WUtLvvPB0PM/view?ref=rogerhallam.comRoger's Websitehttps://rogerhallam.com/Shout outYou can check out Rogers humanity project and get involved here. https://rogerhallam.com/humanity/Support the show

Support the show on Patreon https://www.patreon.com/gndmediaukTwitter: @gndmediaukInstagram: gndmediauk This week on the show we are joined by the Deputy Leader of the Green Party of England and Wales, Zack Polanski. We discuss how Zack ended up in the Green Party, what makes the party different from Labour, what would a Green Party in Government mean for British industry and how Zack sees personal choices versus systemic change.Shout Out United voices of the worldhttps://www.uvwunion.org.uk/en/ Support the show

If there is any one word that is synonymous with tackling climate change it is “electrification”. Yes, getting off fossil fuels and taking the majority of CO2 out of our economy are the goals of many working on the climate, but if there was one silver bullet for the climate movement its generating more clean electricity.  Renewable forms of energy have sharply decreased in price over the last twenty years, and battery storage solutions are coming on in leaps and bounds, but most of the world is still tied to oil and gas for their electricity use. So our question today is: Why aren't we moving faster on the green energy transition?  luckily we've found a guy who might know. Our guest today is Brett Christophers, Brett is a political economist and economic geographer, and has just published his new book “The Price is Wrong “Why capitalism won’t save the Planet “  on Verso books.  Andrew and Lucy discuss with Brett why the energy sector is so complex, how it favors fossil fuel based energy production , why isn't investment pouring into green energy and how china and India's energy needs should be a focus for the years to come. LinksPick up a copy of Brett's book herehttps://www.versobooks.com/en-gb/products/3069-the-price-is-wrongShout outhttps://heatmap.news/Support the show

It's our yearly stock take, where are we now in the fight to save the planet, and what do we need to do, to make progress faster?  Friend of the show Professor Kevin Anderson joins us to cut through the crap and get the heart of the matter.  Kevin is the chair of  energy and climate change at the School of Mechanical, Aerospace and Civil Engineering (MACE) at the University of Manchester and works at the Tyndall center for climate change research. Ad's and Andrew discuss how much more carbon has been emitted since last year,  Why there is political cowardice at the top of the UK's politics, why inequality and climate change are intrinsically linked and how the framing around "Net Zero" has done more damage than good.   This episode was recorded before the Labour Party dropped their £28bn a year pledge on green investment. Thanks lads. Shout outRena Jones- Notts and Derbyshire councils and all the climate officers at local authorities fighting hard for change with no resources. Support the show

 You would be very hard pressed to say 2023 was not an awful year for natural disasters and climate related tragedy. Wildfires in Canada and the US, extreme flooding in Bulgaria and Bangladesh, and record breaking heatwaves in Northern Africa and the Mediterranean. When the science is pointing in this direction, of destruction and chaos and those in power aren't listening, what do you do? This week we are joined by Peter Kalmus, Climate scientist at the NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, California*. Peter is also a member of Science Rebellion and co-founder of Undeniable Network.  We discuss how NASA plays it part in monitoring the changes in the earths climate, how he speaks to his family about climate change,  what is the science behind reversing climate change and what political action needs to take place to do that. Then we discuss the importance of the next US election, and how it affects the global effort get off fossil fuels. *Peter Kalmus speaks on behalf of himself and not NASA. Linksundeniable networkCheck out Peter's book "Live Well and Spark the Climate Revolution" https://peterkalmus.net/books/Shout Out Peter's brothers and sisters in Scientist Rebellion Support the show

To say the modern world is dependent on materials we dig out of the ground is an understatement. From the lithium in your phone battery to the cup you're drinking your tea in, mining and mineral extraction play a vital part of how survive on earth. With the race to get off fossil fuels, and electrify our entire transport network kicking off, dependency on rare earth minerals like lithium  is going to increase, and the conditions of the people mining it brought ever to our attention. This week on the show Lucy and Andrew are  joined by  Thea Riofrancos, Professor at Providence College in the US and the author of "Resource Radicals" and "A Planet to Win".  They discuss how Lithium is a key resource when it comes to the transition away from fossil fuels, how mineral exploitation in South America has shaped the politics of the region and how Unions are now driving the just transition in the Americas.    LinksCheck out Thea's website herehttps://www.theariofrancos.com/The Lithium Problem (interview by Alyssa Battistoni). Dissent, 2023.https://www.dissentmagazine.org/article/the-lithium-problemElectric vehicles alone won’t take us to a decarbonized future. The Hill, 2023https://thehill.com/opinion/energy-environment/3861795-electric-vehicles-alone-wont-take-us-to-a-decarbonized-future/Chile: White Gold Rush. Chatham House’s The World Today, 2022 https://www.chathamhouse.org/publications/the-world-today/2022-06/chile-white-gold-rushShifting Mining from the Global South Misses the Point of Climate Justice. Foreign Policy, 2022 https://foreignpolicy.com/2022/02/07/renewable-energy-transition-critical-minerals-mining-onshoring-lithium-evs-climate-justice/?tpcc=recirc_latest062921ShoutoutFriend of the show Asad Rahman of War on Want, for his stirring speech at COP 28 on Palestine. Support the show

2023 is over and the battle for 2024 is about to begin. It's the end of the year so gather round the wireless to hear Ads, Alex, Lucy and Andrew discuss where we are at a end of 2023 and guess which of us had some very strong one nation Tory opinions as a child.Have a fantastic Christmas and see you in 2024. Support the show

The worlds biggest climate negotiations are happening as you read this, in Dubai at COP28. The President of COP has just said "There is no scientific basis for climate change"...... I think its time to take a breather, go outside and hangout with nature, and think a little locally. This week Ad's is joined by Paul Handrick aka "The Bee Guy". Paul runs the worlds first native wild  Bee sanctuary, based in the republic of Ireland.  They discuss how Paul transitioned from gigging musician to  running the only organic vegan farm in Ireland,   the problem with the profit motive, frustrations working with the environment movement and how everyone can support Bees, Insects and other wildlife in their own gardens.  LinksFollow the link below for more info on the Bee sanctuary. https://savingbees.ie/Shout outCEO responsible futures Sam CandeSupport the show

The world’s attention right now is focused on the desperate situation in Gaza. This human catastrophe has major ramifications for the wider Arab region encompassing North Africa and the Gulf States, an area that is also at the heart of fossil capitalism and thus an important region when it comes to turning the planet away from hydrocarbons and climate catastrophe.  While being the generator of 35% of the all the hydrocarbons in the world, it is also the site of potentially immense green energy.  So how might a just transition take place here? And how do the political and environmental conditions of the region shape this transition?This week Alex is joined by Hamza Hamouchene ( @BenToumert) and Katie Sandwell ( @KatieSandwell) the editors of a new collection of essays called "Dismantling Green Colonialism, Energy and Climate Justice in the Arab Region"Hamza and Katie both work for the Transitional Institute, an international research and advocacy institute committed to building a just, democratic and sustainable planet. They discuss with Alex how Fossil Capitalism is already scooping up land for renewables and carbon offsets in the Arab region, how the World Bank and the IMF along with local elites push the Arab region toward extractive industries instead of focusing on climate adaption. How Green Colonialism has developed in the region and what a Just Transition would look like, that does not put North Africa at the service of Europe. LinksPick up a copy of Hamza and Katie's book from Pluto Press Herehttps://www.plutobooks.com/9780745349213/dismantling-green-colonialism/#:~:text='A%20brave%20and%20timely%20bookShout outsPalestinians in Gaza and the Diaspora Social justice and environmental justice activist in Arab region. Mohad Gasmi: currently in prison in Algeria for criticizing the current government. You can learn more about what has happened to Mohad Herehttps://www.frontlinedefenders.org/en/case/human-rights-defender-sentenced-3-years-prisonSupport the show