Outrage + Optimism

👀 LAST CHANCE TO VOTE! If you've enjoyed the podcast or found it valuable this year, we'd love you to vote for us in the British Podcast Awards Listeners' Choice category 🗳 It literally takes seconds and could really make a difference in getting Outrage + Optimism to a wider audience. Head to https://lnkd.in/evuyHz5s to vote and feel free to share 💞 🙏Thank you! **VOTING CLOSES 29 AUGUST**

Disturbing news about plastics this week - alongside encouraging developments with the UN Global Plastics Treaty underway. This treaty is by no means a done deal - to add your voice to demand ambitious and strong measures look up the Greenpeace global plastics treaty petition here: https://lnkd.in/eUEndW7Z. Plus: 🔥 OUTRAGE 1: In a new study of microplastics in human brain tissue, 24 brain samples collected in 2024 measured on average 0.5% plastic by weight. Previous animal studies have linked microplastics to fertility issues, cancers and more. 🌱 OPTIMISM 1: The US now supports the global UN treaty calling for a reduction in new plastic production. The US previously did not support limiting production, focusing instead on recycling and cleaning up plastic litter. 🔥 OUTRAGE 2:  An Amazonian reserve will be carved up to clear space for a new highway in Belem, in preparation for the COP30 climate conference in 2025. While the highway would improve traffic in the city, this is surely too high a price to pay. 🌱 OPTIMISM 2: Massive Attack showed that decarbonised music touring is possible with their new show 100% powered by renewable energy. Train travel to the gig was incentivised with VIP bar and toilet access - and no car park. 🔥 OUTRAGE 3: The Shell USA Company Foundation has donated over $500K to rightwing causes, many of which deny the climate crisis and support Project 2025. Unsurprising perhaps. Outrageous nevertheless. 🌱 OPTIMISM 3: The production of electric power from solar energy reached an all-time high in Germany in July - despite more rainy days than last year. Which news stories touched you this week? Note: Each item we’ve included is a complex story in its own right, reduced here to a single line as a potential signpost for further reading. You can find the links to the news sources in the comments. 🎧 Feed your ears with more outrage and optimism - we’re on a podcast break for a few weeks, but you can find our brilliant back catalog here: https://bit.ly/OOeps #outrageandoptimism #stubbornoptimism

We're in a climate emergency. Let's act accordingly and urge governments to do the same. The 'State of the Climate' report is an international annual review, led by scientists from NOAA’s National Centers for Environmental Information and based on contributions from more than 590 scientists in nearly 60 countries. It provides "the most comprehensive update on Earth’s climate indicators, notable weather events and other data collected by environmental monitoring stations and instruments located on land, water, ice and in space."

NATURE AND CLIMATE ARE NOT SEPARATE! And of course never have been (although we humans in our infinite wisdom decided at some point that they should be 😬) The UN biodiversity #COP16 is coming up in Cali, Colombia this October, with the climate #COP29 in Baku, Azerbaijan following soon after - we’ll be keeping you updated on both 🗞️ More from Susana Muhamad on COP16's aims: https://lnkd.in/gjs5avmD

😳 Despite the constant warnings of the scientific community, there is no binding mechanism to limit the production of fossil fuels. 💡 50 years ago the world used international treaties to defuse the threats posed by nuclear weapons - we can do the same now to tackle fossil fuels, one of the biggest threats to our safe and healthy existence. 🌍 The Fossil Fuel Non-Proliferation Treaty Initiative is working to do just that: phase out fossil fuels, support dependent economies, workers and communities to diversify away from fossil fuels, ensure 100% access to renewable energy globally and promote a just transition that leaves no-one behind. You can support this vital initiative by calling on your city or country to endorse the treaty. Head to https://lnkd.in/d37teZs to learn more. Revisit our conversation with Chair of the FFNPT Tzeporah Berman to find out more: https://lnkd.in/e8DBiKK8 #fossilfueltreaty

Collaboration with nature and each other is the only way forward - clearly illustrated by our stories of optimism this week… while our stories of outrage echo the emergency warnings being sent to us every day by our home planet 📣 🌱 OPTIMISM 1: To help combat flooding Chinese urban planning firm Turenscape have designed nature-based “sponge cities” which work with nature rather than against it, soaking up and retaining stormwater before releasing it back into the environment. 🔥 OUTRAGE 1: Meanwhile, flooding intensifies across the globe and the World Weather Attribution, found that the recent heavy rain in Kerala that resulted in hundreds of deaths was more intense because of global warming. 🌱 OPTIMISM 2: The International Court of Justice will clarify states’ legal responsibility for impacts of climate change. Although non-binding, its opinion will matter for thousands of climate lawsuits. This could be “one of the most consequential developments in climate policy since the Paris agreement” 🔥 OUTRAGE 2: An El Nino-induced drought which has wiped out crops across Southern Africa has left 68 million people (17% of the region’s population) in need of aid. 🌱 OPTIMISM 3: A new study looked at the factors influencing our chances of staying within 1.5C limit of warming and found the ability of governments to implement climate policies effectively to be the most important. A reason for optimism OR outrage, depending on how you look at it… we choose stand in a place of stubborn optimism, knowing that the task at hand is physically achievable. 🔥 OUTRAGE 3: The Mediterranean Sea reached its highest temperature on record 15 August, breaking last July’s record with a daily median of 28.90ºC. 🤔Which news stories touched you this week? Note: Each item we’ve included is a complex story in its own right, reduced here to a single line as a potential signpost for further reading. You can find the links to the news sources in the comments. 🎧 Feed your ears with more outrage and optimism - we’re on a podcast break for a few weeks, but you can find our brilliant back catalog here: https://bit.ly/OOeps #outrageandoptimism #stubbornoptimism

It’s all very complicated, and also very simple. 🌱🌱🌱 If you enjoyed our miniseries Our Story of Nature earlier this year, look out for a special release of the full uncut guest interviews - details of how to access coming soon 👀

Climate tipping points are approaching faster than we thought. We must act now, balancing a sense of urgency with ‘realistic optimism’. 👉To learn more, look up Johan Rockström’s recent @TED talk ‘The tipping points of climate change — and where we stand’ which provides an excellent summary : https://lnkd.in/eenMg8Sj 👉For more in-depth analysis. find the study ‘Achieving net zero greenhouse gas emissions critical to limit climate tipping risks’ co-authored by Rockström here: https://lnkd.in/e5UnvnRc 👉To learn more about the planetary boundaries, listen to our conversation with Johan Rockström and Sandrine Dixson-Declève ‘The path to sustainability is equity’ https://lnkd.in/eKruTetP

Climate tipping points can be hard for our brains to compute. These excellent visuals from The New York Times make it easier to see where we are with coral reef mass death, permafrost thawing, loss of rainforest, Atlantic current shutdown and other tipping points - and when we might be likely to cross them. https://lnkd.in/gBdVkQqy

This is outrageous beyond belief. Head to Fossil Fuel Non-Proliferation Treaty Initiative to find out more and read the open letter here: https://lnkd.in/ennzGy4w And if you want to learn more about the Fossil Fuel Non-Proliferation Treaty have a listen to our episode ‘The Journey Matters: Ending Fossil Fuel Supply’ with Founder Tzeporah Berman: https://lnkd.in/e8DBiKK8 #fossilfueltreaty #summitofthefuture