The Sustainable Futures Report

If you work hard on making your organisation sustainable, isn't it nice to be recognised? Karen Sutton founded the Global Good Awards. Here's how it happened.

A wide-ranging interview with James Murray, Editor in Chief of Business Green. Our conversation included the role of China, carbon capture and storage, the resignation of the CEO of Verra (the offset certification body) and even the sponsorship by Drax Power of the upcoming Net Zero Festival.

The WMO warns that we will hit 1.5℃ within the next two or three years. How is the legal profession approaching climate issues and climate-damaging clients, and why are cyclists bad for the economy?

Yes, the King’s coronation has taken place and we’ll hear more about that a bit later. Well, not so much about the coronation itself as about what went on on the sidelines. If you can't stand the heat take it out of the kitchen with new technology which may not be quite as new as some reporters suggest. We hear from Naomi Klein on the hallucinations of artificial intelligence, and from Zoe Cohen, friend of the Sustainable Futures Report, addressing the annual general meeting of Barclays Bank. Nuclear fusion is the immense reaction which powers the sun. Now some Israeli scientists want to replicate it in a shipping container. And there’s advance notice of the Net Zero Festival which takes place in London next October.

This week I talk to Tim Clover, CEO and founder of Glow, a consumer research technology company, about how ESG influences consumer choices. Comments also on that book - How to Blow Up a Pipeline - and a warning about the potential dangers of AI.

Extinction Rebellion held a four-day demonstration in Whitehall last weekend. Will it make any difference? Or should we blow up a pipeline?

An interview with Leo Taylor, CEO of YumBug. A man who is bringing insect-based cuisine to a pub or restaurant near you.

The Threat from Artificial Intelligence ... and a long promised review of micro-mobility

Much of our environment is at risk from more than Climate Change. It is at risk from human activity damaging biodiversity, and in some cases driving parts of it to extinction. Who cares and who is responsible? Well increasingly governments care and shareholders care and those who lead major corporations may be at risk if they don't recognise their actions or the actions of their organisations are damaging biodiversity. That brings us to this week’s interview.

The AR6 report from the IPCCwill be the main story today so I'm going to hold over micro mobility and 15 minute communities until I can spend enough time on them to do them justice. But we’ll also have time to take a trip to a swimming pool, a cathedral and a secret vault in the Arctic.

I recently had the opportunity to talk to Christophe Bourguignat about insurance in the context of natural disasters and the climate crisis.

This week I'm talking about the power of the press, about how the rich view the climate crisis and what are they doing about it, how NASA is saving the world and a different perspective on one of the oil majors. First, we are back to carbon offsets and Verra's U-turn.

I promised you more detail on the carbon offset controversy which was started by a report in the press last month. Here's an interview with someone with firsthand knowledge of the market, Chief Impact Officer and co-founder of Compensate, Niklas Kaskeala.

This week’s headline is Regenesis, the title of a book by George Monbiot. I'll tell you what I think and indeed what others think about his latest ideas. I'm also bringing you a few stories that you might have missed; some about food, some about geo-engineering, the threat of a new pandemic and another book I’m just reading.

Each week I write between 2,000 and 4,000 words to bring you an episode of the Sustainable Futures Report. I also write to the paper from time time and sometimes I get published...

Is the law an ass? Or is it something more sinister?

Sustainability news doesn’t stop, nor does the weather, nor do GHG emissions. I’ve a bit of catching up to do, including XR, more extreme weather, wood burning stoves, the government’s environmental plan, FOMO and FOFO, the controversy over Verra and carbon offsets, the future for podcasts, the financial climate, the unlawful arrest of journalists, biodiversity and the cost of Twitter, a comment from Greta and a whole lot more that I’m going to have to hold over until next week.

If we are to preserve a habitable environment and successfully meet the challenge of the climate crisis our organisations need competent, sustainable leadership. I spoke to Clarke Murphy, who knows about these things.

My guest this week, Leonardo Zangrando, wants to save the oceans and wants to inspire 100 million people to help him do that. Sounds a lot, although given that world population passed 8 billion last year is it really a lot? The oceans, he tells us, are the lungs of the planet. Forget the tropical rainforests - the oceans are far more significant. Everything, everything we do, affects the oceans. And the oceans affect us.

Trees are good for the planet. Hank Dearden explains how trees do so much more for us than just sequester carbon. We can all help too!