In this special weekend edition of the podcast, hosts Tom, Christiana, and Paul catch up with The Rt Hon David Lammy, the UK’s new Secretary of State for the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs Office. In a fascinating conversation, they delve into his decision to place climate change at the heart of his first major speech as Foreign Secretary and discuss why he sees the climate emergency as a national security issue. The Foreign Secretary expresses his outrage at recent trends which have seen climate change used as a political ping pong issue and shares insights into how we might build consensus across parties on the climate and nature agenda.

The hosts also take a moment to congratulate him on the appointment of friend of the podcast, Rachel Kyte, as the UK’s new Climate Envoy.

Tune in to hear the full conversation and discover why the Foreign Secretary’s answers convince the hosts that the UK is once again a global leader in climate action.Make sure to tune in Thursday October 3rd to our brand new five-part series called How To Live a Good Life in a Climate Crisis. Exploring dilemmas around issues like flying, food and parenting, the hosts explore how we might still have meaningful and good lives amidst the overwhelm and turmoil of the climate crisis.

NOTES AND RESOURCES

Rachel Kyte Appointed as the UK’s Special Representative for Climate

The Kew Lecture: UK Foreign Secretary David Lammy’s speech on the climate crisis

David Lammy’s TED Talk: Climate Justice can’t happen without racial justice

The Sophia Point Rainforest Research Centre

GUEST

The Rt Hon David Lammy, Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs of the United Kingdom

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This week, The Climate Pledge turns five and Tom and Christiana talk to Kara Hurst, Chief Sustainability Officer at Amazon, to reflect on the journey of this initiative co-founded by Amazon and Global Optimism.

At the top of the episode, Tom and Christiana anticipate the frantic and sometimes frustrating weeks ahead in this hectic period for those working in climate, and as wild weather continues to wreak havoc, Christiana and Tom invite us to pause for a moment. How can we listen and better contribute? How can we roll up our sleeves - with hope - and get to work on having a positive impact and building momentum?

In their thoughtful interview with Kara, the hosts reflect on how The Climate Pledge has grown over the last five years to over 500 signatories - companies who share an ambition to innovate, accelerate joint action and collaborate across sectors to get to net zero carbon emissions by 2040, ten years earlier than the Paris Agreement.

Kara, Tom and Christiana discuss the specific challenges companies face and the solutions and strategies they’re adopting to meet targets. Sharing failures has been just as valuable as sharing successes because, as Tom points out, none of us have decarbonised the global economy before. Unafraid to go deep, they question how we would reduce emissions and redesign society if we kept in mind the earth’s atmosphere.

NOTES AND RESOURCES

Outrage + Optimism, Live at Climate Week NYC

Event Title: It’s Time To Unite For Mission 2025

Event Details: Tuesday 24th September, 12:00 - 13:00 ET, Glasshouse (NYC)

Event Description: Mission 2025 is a coalition of courageous leaders - mayors, governors, CEOs, investors, athletes, musicians and citizens - who are inviting governments to ratchet upcoming national climate plans (known as Nationally Determined Contributions) in line with the Paris Agreement target of limiting global warming to 1.5C.

Described as ‘Defenders of Paris’, Mission 2025 Partners arrive at Climate Week New York with a major update of new organizations who are ready to embolden governments to set more ambitious plans and accelerate implementation because they know this can unlock trillions in private investment, scale cheap renewable energy, support industries to compete in a low carbon economy, and safeguard living standards equitably for our people.

As a live recorded Outrage + Optimism podcast, this flagship event will demonstrate how these plans can be upgraded by showcasing government and real economy leaders who are driving towards ‘positive tipping points’ across the three themes of energy, nature & food, and finance.

The event is supported by the Mission 2025 Partners and convened by Groundswell – a collaboration between Global Optimism, Bezos Earth Fund and Systems Change Lab – together with the Climate Group.

Registering: Please reach out to groundswell@globaloptimism.com if you are interested in joining this event

The Climate Pledge

The Climate Pledge and C40 Cities Launch Laneshift

GUEST

Kara Hurst, Chief Sustainability Officer at Amazon

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Learn more about the Paris Agreement.

It’s official, we’re a TED Audio Collective Podcast - Proof!

Check out more podcasts from The TED Audio Collective

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