The Land & Climate Podcast

A major report published ahead of COP27 analysed national climate policies and found that "over-reliance on carbon removals could push ecosystems, land rights and food security to the brink." Alasdair spoke to Dr. Kate Dooley, one of the Land Gap Report authors and a Research Fellow at Melbourne University’s Climate & Energy College, to hear about what policymakers are getting wrong.Further reading from Dr. Dooley: Read the full Land Gap Report. 'Nature restoration no substitute for cutting fossil fuels'; Pursuit, 2022'No more excuses: restoring nature is not a silver bullet for global warming, we must cut emissions outright'; The Conversation, 2022'Forests can’t handle all the net-zero emissions plans – companies and countries expect nature to offset too much carbon'; The Conversation, 2022'COP27: Urgent need to respect human rights in all climate change action, say UN experts', 2022Click here for our website to read all our most recent Land and Climate Review features and pieces.

As COP27 begins in Egypt following historic floods in Pakistan and a summer of international droughts, will this finally be the year rich governments begin to take climate finance seriously? Bertie speaks to Karim Ahmed about his recent white policy paper on loss and damage, which is being presented at COP27. Dr. Ahmed is a director of the Global Council for Science and the Environment, and a Professor at the University of Connecticut Health Center. He has previously had high level roles at NRDC, US Government departments, UN environmental bodies, and the World Bank.Further reading from Dr. Ahmed: The Impact of Global Climate Change on Vulnerable Communities: Climate-Related Loss & Damage and Financial Reparations, a Policy White Paper (2022)Climate Justice, Humans Rights, and the Case for Reparations, Health and Human Rights Journal (2021)Why we need a Global Climate Reparations Fund, ELCI (2022)What is the financial cost of loss and damage from climate change?, ELCI (2022)Click here for our website to read all our most recent Land and Climate Review features and pieces.

Governments and the aviation industry have been promising for decades that fuel made from plants could solve the transport sector's CO2 emissions. Why hasn't it happened? John DeCicco, Professor Emeritus at University of Michigan, has been studying transport emissions & biofuels for decades. Alasdair asked him about the alarming findings of his research: liquid biofuels could be worse for the climate than fossil fuels.Further reading: 'Biofuels turn out to be a climate mistake – here's why' - The Conversation 'U.S. corn-based ethanol worse for the climate than gasoline, study finds' - Reuters 'Cellulosic ethanol falling far short of the hype' - Forbes 'Biofuel isn't as carbon neutral as we want it to be' - GreenBizTwo of Professor DeCicco's papers: 'Reconsidering bioenergy given the urgency of climate protection'; 'Carbon balance effects of U.S. biofuel production and use'Also see our podcasts with John Sterman (forest bioenergy) and Finlay Asher (sustainable aviation fuel), and browse our online bioenergy hub. Click here for our website to read all our most recent Land and Climate Review features and pieces.

Bertie talks to science journalist Matt Simon about his upcoming book; A Poison Like No Other: How Microplastics Corrupted Our Planet and Our Bodies. Further reading: pre-order Matt's book from Island PressPlastic: A Toxic Love StoryRead Wired's reporting on plasticRead Beyond Plastic's report on the link between plastics and climate changeThe Human Planet: How We Created the AnthropoceneThe Waste MakersClick here for our website to read all our most recent Land and Climate Review features and pieces.

After being "stonewalled" by his bosses over concerns about decarbonisation claims, Finlay Asher quit his job as a senior aviation engineer at Rolls Royce to found Safe Landing, an organisation that campaigns against growing the aviation sector. Alasdair spoke to him about this journey, the reasons technological and market-based solutions to aviation emissions are not going to get us to net-zero, and what the sector should be doing instead. Further reading: Check out Finlay's Youtube channelStay Grounded’s greenwashing fact sheet seriesT&E’s EU Aviation 2050 roadmapICCT’s ‘Aligning Aviation with the Paris Agreement'Click here for our website to read all our most recent Land and Climate Review features and pieces.

On 23 May 2022, the Australian Labor Party entered government for the first time since 2013, under the leadership of Prime Minister Anthony Albanese. Alasdair spoke to Dr. Marija Taflaga, Director of the Australian National University's Center for the Study of Australian Politics, to talk about shifting climate politics in the county, and what the new government could mean for the green transition. Further reading: 'The frontline: Inside Australia's climate emergency' in The Guardian. Read here. Superpower: Australia's Low-Carbon Opportunity by Ross Garnaut. Read more and purchase here. How to Talk About Climate Change in a Way That Makes a Difference by Rebecca Huntley. Read more and purchase here. The Carbon Club: How a network of influential climate sceptics, politicians and business leaders fought to control Australia's climate policy by Marian Wilkinson, Allen and Unwin, 2020Click here for our website to read all our most recent Land and Climate Review features and pieces.

Lauren talks to Tania Li, Professor of Anthropology at the University of Toronto, about the sustainability of the oil that's in 50% of supermarket food products - and the issues with labour and land rights in Indonesia's palm oil industry. Further reading: Tania's books and other publications can be found on her website, taniali.org Oil palm development in Thailand: economic, social and environmental considerations, by Jonas DallingerRainforest Alliance:  Our Response to the EU Regulation on Deforestation-Free Products Chain Action Research:  EU Deforestation Regulation: Implications for the Palm Oil Industry and Its Financers Chain Action Research:  Indonesian Moratoria: Loopholes, Lack of Sanctions Fail to Stop Palm Oil-Linked Deforestation Click here for our website to read all our most recent Land and Climate Review features and pieces.

Sri Lanka is in the midst of an acute economic, energy, and political crisis. With fuel, food and electricity shortages, protestors have taken to the streets and are now being arrested in the thousands. On June 8, Bertie spoke to Melani Gunathilaka, an activist with Extinction Rebellion and Climate Action Now who has become a leading voice in the Gotagogama protests. They discussed the role of climate policy in the cascading crises and corruption allegations that have recently plagued the country. Further reading: Is organic farming really to blame for Sri Lanka's ongoing food crisis?What is the financial cost of loss and damage from climate change? Watch: 'Inside Sri Lanka's economic crisis'Melani shared a list of demands made by Gotagogama protestors. You can read page one of the demands here, and then page two here. Click here for our website to read all our most recent Land and Climate Review features and pieces.

Bertie talks to Drew Pendergrass, coauthor of Half Earth Socialism, recently published by Verso books. They discuss geoengineering, population scaremongering, climate colonialism, and the big question for many on the left: will we be able to mitigate the climate crisis under capitalism?Further reading: Buy Half Earth Socialism from Verso, currently at a discount.Read Bertie's review of the book on Land and Climate here. Play Troy and Drew's climate simulation game here.Find more from Troy and Drew on their website. Click here for our website to read all our most recent Land and Climate Review features and pieces.

Lauren talks to Assaad Razzouk, host of the Angry Clean Energy Guy podcast and British Lebanese clean energy entrepreneur. They talk about the recent elections in Lebanon, systemic problems with climate finance, and the ways a clean energy transition could help struggling economies. Click here for our website to read all our most recent Land and Climate Review features and pieces.