How did scrapping a climate target bring down a First Minister? What would a good transition to net zero look like in Scotland? And what should be the climate priorities for the Scottish Government's new leadership?

Amy talks with Miriam Brett, Co-Director of the Future Economy Scotland think tank. Future Economy Scotland is non-partisan and aims to create a new economy that is, in its words, “democratic, sustainable and just”.

Produced and presented by Amy Mount.

Edited by Sarah Eldridge.

For more insights, read the Political Heat newsletter at https://politicalheat.substack.com/

How can the government drive investment into the net zero transition? What opportunities and constraints does it face? And why did the Labour Party adopt - and then drop - its £28bn green investment commitment?

Amy talks with Carys Roberts, one of the UK’s leading thinkers on economic policy. She’s executive director of the Institute for Public Policy Research, a progressive think tank.

Produced and presented by Amy Mount.

Edited by Sarah Eldridge.

For more insights, read the Political Heat newsletter at https://politicalheat.substack.com/

How has climate politics in the UK been shaped by this country’s longer history of environmentalism? Do economic arguments fully capture what’s at stake in climate policy? And how can we navigate tensions between action for the climate and the countryside?

Amy talks with Dame Fiona Reynolds, a former Director-General of the National Trust, and author of The Fight for Beauty: Our Path to a Better Future.

Produced and presented by Amy Mount.

Edited by Sarah Eldridge.

For more insights and references, read the Political Heat newsletter at https://politicalheat.substack.com/

Why was the Climate Change Act such an important moment of UK leadership? Why did it happen when it did? And what were the politics that made it possible?

Amy talks with Baroness Bryony Worthington, who campaigned for and then drafted the legislation.

Produced and presented by Amy Mount.

Edited by Sarah Eldridge.

For more insights and references, read the Political Heat newsletter at https://politicalheat.substack.com/

What’s it like to negotiate climate agreements with other countries? What are the most consequential power dynamics at the UN climate talks? And how does climate sit alongside other foreign policy objectives?

Amy talks with Camilla Born, who held the pen on the strategy for COP26, the UN climate talks that the UK hosted in 2021. She then went on to be right-hand woman to the COP President, Alok Sharma, as his advisor.

Produced and presented by Amy Mount.

Edited by Sarah Eldridge.

For more insights, read the Political Heat newsletter at https://politicalheat.substack.com/

Are fights brewing over the new infrastructure needed for clean electricity? What’s the real difference between the Conservative government’s 2035 target and Labour’s 2030 target? What do energy companies think about net zero - and what do they need from policymakers to help them transition?

Amy talks with Emma Pinchbeck, CEO of the Energy UK trade association. Energy UK represents more than 100 suppliers, generators and service providers.

Produced and presented by Amy Mount.

Edited by Sarah Eldridge.

For more insights, read the Political Heat newsletter at https://politicalheat.substack.com/

Does it matter what the UK does on climate change, when China’s annual emissions are now so much higher? Is it reasonable to ask “what about China?” - or is it a delaying tactic? And what assumptions does the question reflect about the pros and cons of climate action?

Amy talks with Sepi Golzari-Munro, formerly executive director of the Energy and Climate Intelligence Unit and now an independent writer, broadcaster and strategist.

Produced and presented by Amy Mount.

Edited by Sarah Eldridge.

For more insights, read the Political Heat newsletter at https://politicalheat.substack.com/

Is our democracy up to the challenge of responding to climate change? What do MPs see as their role on climate? And how was it possible for the government to approve a new coal mine in Cumbria, despite being signed up to net zero?

Amy talks with Rebecca Willis, Professor in Energy and Climate Governance at the Lancaster Environment Centre, and author of “Too hot to handle? The democratic challenge of climate change”.

Produced and presented by Amy Mount.

Edited by Sarah Eldridge.

For more insights, read the Political Heat newsletter at https://politicalheat.substack.com/