GND Media

We've been sounding the alarm about biodiversity from the very beginning of this podcast. If the ecology of the planet goes, we all go with it. So what are nation states doing to reverse the damage done?  This week on the show we are joined by climate journalist Daisy Dunne. Daisy is a special correspondent for Carbon Brief and was part of their team covering COP 15 in Montreal. We discuss what happen at COP 15, what are the new biodiversity targets, how geopolitics shapes the targets and why the biodiversity summit gets scant attention compared to the COP on carbon emissions. We also discussed the difficulties of being a climate journalist and how to balance being the canary in the coal mine while leading a normal life.  LinksThe COP15 Agreement Daisy's coverage of COP 15Daisy's piece on the disappearance of our glaciers for Carbon Brief Marlowe Hood: Watching the world burnShout outsHome Tree- a project to rejuvenate Ireland's Atlantic rain forest. Marlowe Hood- excellent climate journalist Lützerath bleibt! - German activists that have occupied a town to stop the expansion of a coal mine. Support the show

Happy New Pod! It's a new year, so its the perfect time to reassess where we are and what we are fighting for. Let's get back to basics: Carbon emissions, average temperatures and 1.5°C. Can we still keep a habitable planet?This week on the show we are delighted to have back on the podcast Professor Kevin Anderson. Kevin is a energy and climate scientist formerly of the Tyndall Centre for Climate Change.  We discuss what is Net Zero and why it is hindering our ability to reduce emissions. Is 1.5°C warming still viable? And what would that mean for the planet? Kevin also talks us through what governments of the world need to do right now to keep the planet safe.   Links Climate Uncensored: Kevin's new climate science education project. Shout outs Michael Gove MP: for focusing the country on the government's disastrous fossil fuel projects, including the Cumbria coalmine. Olúfẹ́mi O. Táíwò: for their excellent work on climate change and colonialism. We'd love you to come on the show!Everyone out there building and fighting for a better world in 2023.Support the show

Merry Christmas! Happy Hanukkah and a happy festive time to all!We've got the whole team around the Christmas dinner table to discuss the ups and downs of 2022. Expect copious amounts of gravy, a lump of coal in Cumbria's stocking  and some half earth socialism too. Thanks for everyone who's supported us on Patreon this year, with your help we've been able to commission fantastic articles over on gndmedia.co.uk , publish videos, send the team to events and run the best climate podcast in the north west. why don't you give the gift of climate journalism this year and join the fine folk over at pateron.com/gndmediaukWe shall see you bright and early in 2023Support the show

Public ownership is back on the agenda. With energy companies reporting record profits while people choose between eating and heating this winter, calls for renationalising our energy system are gaining traction. However, our demands cannot be shackled to past solutions. To create a truly democratic and sustainable energy sector fit for the 21st century, we must envisage new models of public ownership.This weeks show is a live panel from The World Transformed at Labour Conference 2022.   Chris Saltmarsh co-founder Labour for a Green New Deal and author of "Burnt: Fighting for climate justice"Hazel Nolan: regional organiser for GMB in the North East, Yorkshire and HumberMatthew Lawrence founder of the think tank Common Wealth and co-author of "Owning the Future: Power and property  in an age of crisis." The panel is chaired by India Burgess from the think tank Autonomy Support the show

This episode originally aired on November 8th 2021If you've seen the news in the UK in the last month, you'll be well aware that our old energy system is having a bad time.With gas prices spiking, all the noise from COP26, and the public's temperament towards climate activism cooling, it's probably worth figuring out what the hell is going on with our energy supply, and how we make it equitable and  sustainable for generations to come.This week on the show we are joined by Jan Rosenow (@janrosenow). Jan is the European director of the Regulatory assistance project (RAP) which is dedicated to speeding up the transition to clean and green energy. He also is a special advisor to the UK government's Department of Business, Energy and industrial Strategy (BEIS).We discuss what is causing the current energy crisis,  who has a stake in for the UK's future energy mix (and what measures they'll go to to defend those stakes,) what politics is created by energy production, and the viability of community energy systems.Shout outsLouise Sunderland  (@sunderlandlouis)Ellie Radcliffe and Laura Williams for their work on the community wealth building tool kit with CLES (@ellieradcliffe9)LinksCLES Community wealth building toolkithttps://t.co/i7IhBNtewA?amp=1Rhiannon Osbourne (@rhiannon_osborn) confronting Kwasi Kwartenghttps://twitter.com/StopCambo/status/1456271753223671810If you like the show tell your comrades!Find us on:Twitter: @MCRGND_PODInsta: mcrgndpodFB: MCRGNDPODYou can support the show and get some of that sweet, sweet exclusive content head towww.patreon.com/mcrgndpodOr if you'd prefer to give a one off donation we also have a PayPalpaypal.me/mcrngndpod Support the show

This summer immense flooding struck Pakistan and devastated the landscape and its people.  31 million people have been displaced and the country is a long way from recovery. Today COP 27 starts in Egypt. Loss and Damages are right at the top of the agenda and the fight continues for reparation  for those already affected by climate breakdown.  This week we welcome back on the show Asad Rehman from War on Want.  We discuss the cataclysmic flooding in Pakistan, how colonialism exacerbated the flooding  and how the global south is left defenseless through debt . Asad also talks us through COP27, what's on the line and how mass movements from Africa and round the world are fighting for change in Egypt and against the Egyptian government. LinksWalter Rodney: How Europe underdeveloped Africa Naomi Klein in the Intercept "from Blah Blah Blah to blood,blood blood"War on want - https://waronwant.org/Cop27 Coalition -https://www.cop27coalition.org/Shout outsVia Campesina- the global coalition of farm workershttps://viacampesina.org/en/Refugee Council- for speaking out against the Home secretary  https://www.refugeecouncil.org.uk/RNLI - who continue to rescue refugees in the English Channel against the will of the British Government. DJ Pro P for bringing the heat at the working class voices eventSupport the show

If you've taken a walk in England chances are you've seen a sign that says "private property" or "trespassers will be persecuted". Turns out over 90% of the land in England is in private hands and our access to the green and pleasant lands are minimal.  So how do we get it back? This week on the show we are joined by Right to Roam campaigners Nadia Shaikh and Harry Jenkins. We discuss the history of Right to Roam campaign and the trespassing laws, why the language of trespass is framed against the working class, the hypocrisies of  government ministers on access rights and why connecting back to the land is so important in building the climate coalition. LINKSThe New Enclosure by Brett ChristophersThe Twitter thread on mass trespass that inspired this episode https://www.righttoroam.org.uk/Shout outsindigenous peoples stewarding 85% of all biodiversity in the world.and Evie Muir(@xeviemuir)  from Peaks of Colour (@PeaksOfColour)Lilly Hill - save rybanks fields Lilly's article on the rybanks fields campaign. Ruth Sullivan - GRT activist Our very own Dan Weegmann @DanLdnMcr for his cracking design work. Support the show

It's safe to say last week was political hell in the UK. So let's take a break and check out what happening on the other side of the pond. Texas, the second largest state in the USA, has one of the most deregulated energy sectors in the country and after biting cold snaps, intense heat and rocketing energy prices something has to change. To discuss with us the forces at work in Texas and the challenges for Socialists,  Trade Unionists and Progressives, we are joined by David Griscom (@DavidGriscom). David is a born and bred Texan and political commentator known from the Micheal Brooks Show and Left Reckoning. We discuss the current state of Texas' energy sector, the union busting taking place at oil and gas companies, why the renewable sector isn't a just transition for workers yet and if the Inflation Reduction Act is all it's cracked up to be? LinksDavid's piece on liberal climate politicsAlex's article on retrofit in the Guardian.Texas Climate Jobs ProjectMatt Huber's piece on the Inflation Reduction Act Shout outTexas Climate Jobs Project@TXClimateJobsSupport the show

For the last three years we've been discussing how climate breakdown needs to be drawn into all areas of life if we are to stand a chance of surviving it. This weeks guests have picked up the gauntlet and are intertwining there workplace fights and the climate. We are delighted to be joined by two organisers from UCU, Marianne Quick Bargaining and Negotiations Official (Prisons and Sustainability) and Ben Crawford a green rep at the University of Liverpool to discuss UCU's Green New Deal pay claim. We discuss how UCU brought climate into their bargaining agenda, the green pay claim at University of Liverpool, the tensions of traditional trade unionism and climate protection, and how trade unions can keep institutions honest when it comes to their Net Zero commitments.   LinksUCU- Green New Deal The German Union Marianne mentions is DGB, here's a link to their just transition paper Students organising for Sustainability Shout outSave Rimrose Valley  https://twitter.com/saverimroseStudents organsing for Sustainability All UCU members at the ballot or the picket at the moment. Support the show

This episode was recorded on the 28th of July 2022It could be argued that the climate movement is split into two camps.  Those studying and discussing the affects of climate change and those that are drawing the new worlds we could live in when the catastrophe is finally  over.  So the question we should really be asking is "How do we get from here, to there?"This week on the show we are joined by GND Media stalwart Kai Heron and his co-author on a new piece about transition for the climate movement Jodi Dean. We discuss  how the Leninist tradition of  anti-imperialism should be a key component in the political battles that will take place to stop climate breakdown, why institutions are key battle grounds for the climate movement and how the establishment is already adapting to climate breakdown.  LinksJodi and Kai's article "Climate Leninism and Revolutionary Transition" Shout outs Tina Landis and there book climate solutions beyond capitalism  Party of Socialism and Liberation Mick Lynch - General sec of the RMTThea Riofrancos review of Andreas Malms work at the Nation "Should the climate movement embrace sabotage?"Rank and file union workers on strike Dont Pay UK Support the show