Advertise on podcast: Communicating Climate Change

This episode features a conversation with award-winning investigative climate journalist, Amy Westervelt. It was recorded in June 2025. Amy has been on the climate beat for more than 20 years, reporting for a wide range of outlets including Inside Climate News, The Washington Post, The Guardian, The Nation, The Intercept, NPR, and many more.  In the past 10 years, Amy has worked extensively in the audio realm, most notably with Drilled, a true crime podcast about climate denial. What was planned to be a single limited-run audio series was an absolute hit, and has now grown into an ongoing investigative reporting project digging into the various forces obstructing action on climate. Despite her successes in audio though, Amy continues to write regularly for a wide range of publications. In 2023 she was named one of Covering Climate Now’s Journalist of the Year and her work has previously received Murrow, ONA, SEJ, Rachel Carson, and Folio awards, as well as a Peabody nomination. Amongst other things, Amy and I discussed the structural influence the fossil fuel industry has carefully crafted over our information ecosystem; the magic that narrative injects into climate journalism; and the need for more of us to don our tin-foil hats a bit more often, because things are frequently way wackier than we’d maybe like to believe. Additional links Drilled: https://drilled.media/ Amy’s 5 petroganda narratives: https://drilled.media/news/petroganda-narratives Ben Franta’s paper on weaponising economics: https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/09644016.2021.1947636 The Media Matters bubble graph: https://www.mediamatters.org/google/right-dominates-online-media-ecosystem-seeping-sports-comedy-and-other-supposedly The Black Thread: https://communicatingclimatechange.com/the-black-thread

The Black Thread is a new documentary podcast series unravelling Norway’s complex relationship with prosperity, identity, and responsibility in a warming world. Episodes will be dropping weekly over on Drilled Media.

This episode features a conversation with Diya Deb, executive director of Mindworks. It was recorded in April 2025. Growing up as an activist in India, Diya has in-depth experience of working in harsh political and social realities.  With a variety of leadership roles under her belt from Amnesty and Greenpeace India, and a background in campaigning and program management too, she holds a deep belief in the need to decolonise knowledge and drive systemic change in Global Majority countries.  At the helm of Mindworks, Diya works to apply cognitive and social science insights to support organisations and changemakers, particularly in Asia, Africa and Latin America, to campaign innovatively to address climate and other systemic issues. Amongst other things, Diya and I discussed the ways that mindsets in places like India and Indonesia demand new strategies and emphasis from climate communicators, the fresh ways that denial emerges in such contexts, and the desperate need for more listening in developing interventions and engagement that resonates. Additional links: Visit the Mindworks website Dig in to the Anger & Agency Monitor Check out the Time to Talk insights and toolkit

This episode features a conversation with Rupert Read, co-director of The Climate Majority Project. It was recorded in March 2025. Rupert is an Emeritus Professor of Philosophy at the University of East Anglia, a former spokesperson for Extinction Rebellion, and at the Climate Majority Project, works to build a mass, moderate climate movement by supporting community-led adaptation, democratic participation, and practical climate action across the UK.  He’s the author of several influential books on climate and society, and is a frequent commentator on the likes of the BBC, Al Jazeera, and other major platforms. His latest book, Transformative Adaptation: Another world is still just possible, argues that we are now beyond the safe climate threshold and must bring adaptation to the cenre of our response — not as retreat, but as an opportunity for deep change.  Transformative Adaptation offers a framework for reimagining how we live, work, and govern in the face of climate impacts. It champions localism, community resilience, and working with nature, while challenging dominant systems that are no longer fit for purpose. Amongst other things, Rupert and I discussed how communicators can help audiences meet the realities of our current predicament with active hope and a sense of agency, which actions and interventions need to be taken and how we can support them, and what the concept of “thrutopia” offers for imagining what it all might look like. Additional links: Get Rupert’s book Transformative Adaptation: A new world is still just possible Check out Rupert’s website The Climate Majority Project website Some words from Rupert on Thrutopia Article with Caroline Lucas about climate populism

This episode features a conversation with Ingmar Rentzhog, founder and CEO of We Don’t Have Time, the world’s largest media platform dedicated to climate action. It was recorded in March 2025. Ingmar is a serial entrepreneur in finance and communication, as well as a climate changemaker who’s been recognized internationally for his impact. He’s a European Climate Pact Ambassador and a member of Al Gore’s Climate Reality Project, and through his work at We Don't Have Time, he’s mobilising millions to hold businesses, leaders, and governments accountable and drive genuine progress.  With a mission to democratize knowledge about climate solutions and mobilize global action toward a prosperous and fossil-free future, We Don’t Have Time boasts a community of more than 120,000 climate professionals and influencers spanning 180 countries, as well as partnerships with more than 450 companies, governments, and civil society organizations. We Don’t Have Time reaches 200 million people each month on social media! Amongst other things, Ingmar and I discussed the ways that technological infrastructures like media platforms and social networks can support grassroots action, the importance of both sticks and carrots in engaging companies, governments, and other actors on climate issues, and how understanding financial flows can help us propel our much needed societal transformation forward. Additional links: Check out We Don’t Have Time and join the community! Find out more about the Make Science Great Again campaign

This episode features a conversation with writer, editor and strategic communications consultant, Chinelo Onwualu. It was recorded in March 2025. Chinelo is co-founder of Omenana, a magazine dedicated to African speculative fiction, and is the former chief spokesperson for the African Speculative Fiction Society. She’s also one of the reviewers of entries for Grist’s Imagine 2200 climate fiction contest. Her writing has been featured in several anthologies and magazines, including Uncanny magazine, Strange Horizons, The Kalahari Review, and Brittle Paper. It has also earned her many merits including a nomination for the British Science Fiction Awards, as well as for the Nommo Awards for African Speculative Fiction, and also the Short Story Day Africa Award. With a background in journalism, Chinelo previously worked as a reporter and online editor in Nigeria and the United States, including as a senior editor for Cassava Republic Press, one of the leading independent publishers in all of Africa. In her consultancy work, Chinelo has spent more than a decade supporting multi-national non-profits across the world with their strategic communications, including WE Charity International, ActionAid Nigeria, The BBC World Trust, and the University of Sussex's Institute for Development Studies. Amongst other things, Chinelo and I discussed the importance of stories in shaping our societies, how fiction can help us make changes in our real lives, and what Western storytellers might learn from those whose cultures have already faced apocalyptic scenarios. Additional links: Visit Chinelo’s website Grist's Imagine 2200 climate fiction contest Check out Omenana Peruse Rosarium Publishing and Flame Tree Press Explore Roy Okupe’s comics Discover Nightmare magazine and Uncanny magazine Read more about Chinese author Cixin Liu

This episode features a conversation with film director, Joshua Oppenheimer. It was recorded in March 2025. Joshua gained notoriety through his documentaries The Act of Killing and The Look of Silence, which, amongst their many accolades, gained him Academy Award and BAFTA nominations.  In fact, back in 2012, it was his extraordinarily beautiful and bizarre film, The Act of Killing, which follows former Indonesian death-squad leaders in reenacting their mass-killings through cinematic set pieces and lavish musical numbers, that put Joshua on my radar. The Guardian called it “The most compelling thing you’ll ever see.” I tend to agree.  His latest film, entitled The End, hit cinemas in the UK and Germany last week. The End stars Tilda Swinton, Michael Shannon, and George MacKay, as a wealthy family living isolated lives in a luxurious bunker, two decades after an environmental catastrophe renders Earth's surface uninhabitable. But this isn’t your run-of-the-mill, seen-it-before disaster take, The End is a genre-bending tale that urges us to reconsider the illusions we hold about the fate of our planet and, perhaps crucially, our role in shaping that fate.  Amongst other things, Joshua and I discussed The End, why we often find living in lies a more comforting situation than facing reality, and the need to challenge the silence and the self-deception that is all around us when it comes to climate. Additional links: The End is out now in Germany and the UK. Get tickets to cinemas near you here. Find out where to stream The End in your location by going here. Watch the trailer for The End. Get a sense of Joshua’s inspiration from The Umbrellas of Cherbourg. Check out the trailers for The Act of Killing and The Look of Silence. Here’s the panel discussion I mentioned, discussing silence around fossil fuels in Norway. Creatives for Climate is the largest and most diverse network of change-agents using creativity to drive climate action. Read George Lakoff’s book, Don’t Think of An Elephant.

This episode features a conversation with Boaz Paldi, Chief Creative Officer at the United Nations Development Programme. It was recorded in February 2025. In this role, Boaz oversees UNDP’s advocacy, campaigns, events, and activations. For example, back in 2021, he launched the now iconic #DontChooseExtinction campaign, featuring a dinosaur gatecrashing the UN General Assembly, highlighting research that revealed that for every dollar pledged to tackle the climate crisis, four dollars are spent on fossil fuel subsidies that keep that same crisis alive. Last year, Boaz delivered the award-winning #WeatherKids campaign, which used children to deliver weather reports from the future, spotlighting the catastrophic consequences of global inaction on climate change and its impact on the next generations. Through these, and other, activations at the UN, Boaz continues to push the envelope on the kinds of communication we see when it comes to climate, more broadly, as well as shifting what’s expected, and see as acceptable, when it comes to the messaging coming out of the most significant organization on the planet. Prior to joining UNDP, Boaz worked as a TV journalist for almost two decades, covering conflicts, natural disasters, and human-interest stories across Africa, the Middle East, Asia and Europe, first for the BBC, then for Reuters, where he worked as Executive Producer for TV News. Amongst other things, Boaz and I discussed the essential components of great climate campaigns, what happens behind the scenes to bring groundbreaking activations to life, and how the element of surprise can help us break through the noise. Additional links: Watch the #Don’tChooseExtinction campaign film Find out more about #WeatherKids Watch Weather Kids on YouTube Check out Activista Agency See more from the Framestore Production House Explore work from climate writer Casey Rand Discover Anzu in-game advertising See more work from The Artery See Oli Frost annoy fossil fuel financiers Check out the documentary film, The Game Changers

This episode features a conversation with Natalia Vega-Tracy, founder of centralised communications hub, New Zero World, and multi-sector coalition, EPIC, the Earth Public Information Collaborative. It was recorded in July 2024. Natalia is a leader in global advocacy and social impact, with more than 25 years of experience leading campaigns and content designed to influence culture and drive positive change in the world. She’s been the driving force behind collaborations with international partners across all sectors, from progressive brands and corporations to humanitarian non-profits and both governmental and intergovernmental organizations, where her work has earned nominations and awards from many of the most renowned international festivals in the advertising world. Natalia has been widely recognized for her work creating innovative strategies, campaigns, films and experiential events in support of the United Nations, and was named one of the “Top 10 most influential media and communications executives" for her work supporting the Sustainable Development Goals. In 2022, she founded New Zero World to shift public opinion and promote behavioural change by building new climate narratives and positively reimagining our visions of the future. New Zero World’s flagship report entitled, “A New Era In Climate Communications” gathers world-leading research and insights from the best minds in science communications, creativity, and cultural influence. The resource is a must-read for anyone working in and around climate communication, with chapters dedicated to practically every facet of the craft. In 2024, together with the Global Commons Alliance, New Zero World launched EPIC, the Earth Public Information Collaborative, with the vision to bring together businesses, media platforms, ad agencies, creators, philanthropy and, of course, science, to reposition climate change across every community on earth. Acting as a campaign in itself, the process is designed to not only engage agencies, industry and media, but also the public. It’s described as a campaign for all of us, involving all of us – taking a whole earth approach. Amongst other things, Natalia and I discussed the power of using creativity for good, the need to fill an imagination gap about the future we’re heading towards, and how the sausage is made when it comes to large, multi-stakeholder coalitions. Additional links: Check out whitepaper, A New Era in Climate Communications Visit the New Zero World website Explore the Earth Public Information Collaborative website Howard Bloom’s book, Global Brain Watch the trailer for the film, 2040

This episode features a conversation with Kris De Meyer, Director of the UCL Climate Action Unit. It was recorded in July 2024. Kris is a neuroscientist, a science communicator and a science-policy co-production expert, bringing insights from neuroscience and psychology to the domain of climate change. He specialises in how people become entrenched in their beliefs, how this leads to polarisation in society, and how to overcome these conditions.  The Climate Action Unit works to change how scientists, policymakers, businesses, media, civil society organisations and citizens engage with each other about climate change. And Kris is responsible for the neuroscientific basis of the interventions that the unit designs and delivers.  Kris is also a Senior Research Fellow in UCL’s Department of Earth Sciences, has co-produced an award-winning documentary, called Right Between Your Ears, exploring how people views become ingrained, and co-created The Justice Syndicate, a participatory play about how we disagree.  Amongst other things, Kris and I discussed fear and agency, where the conventional wisdom gets things wrong, and why stories about actions taken in response to climate change offer the total package when it comes to stimulating meaningful responses from our audiences. Additional links: Visit the Climate Action Unit website Watch Kris’ brilliant TEDx Talk Transforming the stories we tell about climate change: from issue to action Check out Elliot Aronson’s article Fear, Denial, and Sensible Action in the Face of Disasters Explore the UN Climate Chief’s speech “2 years to save the world” Read Mike Hulme’s article on “Deadline-ism”

This time, instead of chatting to a special guest, listeners just like you are joining the conversation. It’s a Call-In Show! Over the last couple of months, all kinds of voice messages have been submitted by listeners to act as a springboard for brainstorming, problem solving, and broader discussion around a range of climate communication challenges, observations, and questions.  Through the course of this episode, we’ll dig into a number of them, exploring themes like framing, psychological distance, climate deadlines, and some fundamentals of climate communications, across formats ranging from social media posts to speeches, and more. But we won’t just be pointing out flaws and failures. This is a show about solutions. So, I’ll be looking to a kaleidoscope of disciplines and perspectives, as well as the wisdom of previous Communicating Climate Change podcast guests, to find a path forward in each case. If you want to leave a voice message of your own, whether to respond to a topic discussed in this episode or to raise a new one for consideration for the next call-in show, just head over to the Call-In Show page. It couldn’t be easier to get involved! Guidance on submitting to the Call-In Show: Step 1: Go to the Call-In Show page. Step 2: Hit the “Start Recording” button. Step 3: Describe your challenge, example, or observation. Step 4: Hit the “Stop” button when you’re done. Step 5: Enter your name and email if you want (it’s optional) and hit “Send”. Step 6: Tune in to the Call-In Show to see if your message gets featured! I can’t wait hear from you! Additional links Communicating Climate Change With Funmibi Ogunlesi Communicating Climate Change With Josh Garrett Communicating Climate Change With Kevin Green Bohn and Rogge paper “The Framing of Green Innovations” Tesla Cybertruck beats Porsche 911 while towing a 911 Adam Corner on how to reach people beyond the green bubble Full transcript of Simon Stiell’s speech at Chatham House My attempt at rewriting Simon Stiell’s speech Here’s some recent research about doomerism and shareablity Here’s the link to the Mike Hulme piece on deadline-ism Link to the original Climate Crisis Advisory Group post on LinkedIn

This episode features a conversation with Izzy Howden, Senior Campaign Manager at Make My Money Matter, an organization working to transform the financial system. It was recorded in August 2024. Over the past 3 years, Izzy has worked across all of Make My Money Matter’s public campaign activity, including the viral films, The Hidden Relationship, featuring Kit Harington and Rose Leslie, and Oblivian, featuring Olivia Coleman, which have racked up hundreds of millions of views, generated massive media coverage, and picked up a slew of awards. She’s also directly engaged the financial sector to drive climate action, following Make My Money Matter’s mission to move money from the destructive, harmful investments of the past, into those that help build a future we can be proud of. Before joining Make My Money Matter, Izzy developed strategic, creative campaigns for clients such as the Global Project for Education, the World Economic Forum, Peace One Day, and Footprint Coalition.  Amongst other things, Izzy and I discussed the task of making pensions and climate finance engaging for audiences, how working with celebrities can take things to the next level, and how embracing creativity, humour, and satire can give campaigns an edge. Additional links: Visit the Make My Money Matter website Watch Oblivian with Olivia Coleman Watch The Hidden Relationship with Kit Harington and Rose Leslie Watch the “Saving Jane” deforestation animation

This episode features a conversation with Sam Narr, Founder and CEO of Kibbo Kift Agency, a specialist PR and performance marketing agency exclusively promoting climate solutions and social justice initiatives.  Heavily influenced by his third-generation immigrant background, working-class roots, and an education in radical social movements and pop culture, Sam’s motivation to work in environmentalism stems from an ambition to rebalance society's social and racial inequities. Over the last five years, Kibbo Kift Agency has worked with 60+ clients including climate activists, corporate pressure groups, innovative tech start-ups, responsible fashion brands, global climate organisations, and more. Kibbo Kift's projects have included a national campaign with Greenpeace UK, a national campaign to pressure MPs to support the only proposed legislation that ensures a joined-up approach to tackling the dual climate and nature crises, as well as ongoing media management of advertising and PR pressure group Clean Creatives, and global press office management for the world's largest digital clock, The Climate Clock, which counts down the time left until humanity passes the 1.5C threshold. Amongst other things, Sam and I discussed the rightwards political shift happening across the UK, Europe, and the United States, where this issue gets tangled up with climate, and what can be learned from the campaigns that brought us Brexit and Trump. Additional links: Visit the Kibbo Kift Agency website Check out the Climate and Nature Bill campaign Explore Britain Talks Climate from Climate Outreach Ding dong, it’s The Climate Clock Dig in to the Communicating Climate Change E-Learning Course on the Creatives for Climate Community Hub See The Brexit Bus Read about the Stop the Boats campaign Reclaiming Englishness with Caroline Lucas Communicating Climate Change Call-In Show #1

This episode features a conversation with investigative journalist, Tsira Gvasalia. It was recorded in person, in Tbilisi, Georgia, in August, 2024, at the n-ost conference for climate journalism. It is one of four episodes dedicated to issues complicating climate communication in Eastern Europe and the Caucasus region.  Tsira is an investigative and science journalist based in Tbilisi, Georgia. She is the founder of Cactus Media, a bilingual news platform raising awareness about the interconnection of human health and environmental pollution.  Since 2010, she’s worked for a number of Georgian print and online media organizations, while also contributing to international outlets. With a focus on investigating corruption connected to natural resource extraction and environmental pollution in Georgia, as well as Russian business interests in precious metal mining across the region, Tsira works to shed light on the lack of climate, environment, and health data in Post-Soviet countries, stressing the importance of improving data collection and evidence-based decision-making processes.  Amongst other things, Tsira and I discussed the challenges facing climate journalists living under rising authoritarianism, the interconnectedness of climate change and the rest of our lives, and the identity crises facing post-Soviet countries like Georgia, as they try to establish who they are and what they stand for.  Additional links: Check out Tsira’s platform, Cactus Media Read the article about gold mining producing golden pollution Read about the Shovi landslide disaster Katherine Dunn’s piece about the Georgian Foreign Agent Law Institute for the Study of War’s article about the 2024 Georgian election Tsira’s profile on the n-ost website Tsira’s profile on the Journalismfund Europe website

This episode features a conversation with Alexei Ovchinnikov, Editor-in-Chief of the Ukraine War Environmental Consequences Work Group. It was recorded in person, in Tbilisi, Georgia, in August, 2024, at the n-ost conference for climate journalism. It is one of four episodes dedicated to issues complicating climate communication in Eastern Europe and the Caucasus region.  Alexei is a Belarusian environmental activist, journalist, researcher, and member of Green Network, an environmental organization in exile.  He was an author and co-editor of independent Belarusian environmental media outlet, Green Belarus, as well as an author and co-editor of Ukrainian regional environmental protection platform, Eco.Rayon. In September 2021, he left Belarus for political reasons, first living in Ukraine and now in Georgia. At the beginning of Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine, Alexei started to analyze and report on the environmental consequences of the conflict.  Today, he continues his environmental activities in exile, organizing local environmental meetings and workshops, and advocating for international recognition of ecocide.  Amongst other things, Alexei and I discussed climate propaganda, the need to perform due diligence when reporting on the environmental impacts of war, and the surprising solutions stories coming out of Ukraine. Additional links: Check out the Ukraine War Environmental Consequences Work Group website Read about the Kahovka dam incident Learn about the impacts of the war on forests Alexei’s profile on the n-ost website Visit the Razom We Stand website Check out Ecoaction.ua