Outrage + Optimism

?? What’s the most impactful action we can take right now for a fairer world? International lawyer, activist, and longtime UN negotiator Farhana Yamin urges us to actively listen to, witness, and support those already facing the devastating consequences of climate change—challenges now intensified by global aid cuts and shifting geopolitical forces. Yet, amid these struggles, there is a powerful movement toward justice. Small island states are reclaiming their sovereignty, shedding colonial legacies, and demanding the clean, sustainable future that is rightfully theirs. As we look ahead, can COP30 in Brazil be a turning point? Will it help rebalance power dynamics and drive real action, as Farhana suggests? ?? What are your thoughts? Let us know in the comments?? ?? Listen to the full conversation on the podcast: https://bit.ly/3X0uaX8 or wherever you get your podcasts.

Ever wondered what really happens behind the scenes at a UN climate summit? We’ve just watched Kyoto, the brilliant new play about the 1997 climate negotiations—and let’s just say… the drama is real. Listen to this week's episode of Outrage + Optimism, recorded live after seeing the play (a powerful fictional retelling of the summit), to hear from: ?? Farhana Yamin, longtime negotiator for small island states, on how Kyoto helped amplify the voices of vulnerable nations for the first time. ?? Nick Mabey, co-founder of E3G, on how Kyoto sparked a global clean tech revolution by making climate action economically viable. ?? Richard Kinley, former Deputy Executive Secretary of the UNFCCC, on the diplomacy that shaped Kyoto. And all of them share the most exciting thing that happened at a COP ?? ?? Listen to the full conversation on the podcast: https://bit.ly/3X0uaX8 ?? Kyoto is on at the @sohoplace theatre until 3 May, highly recommended! https://lnkd.in/eh-DJzUr

What did it take to get nearly 200 nations to agree on tackling climate change for the Kyoto Protocol back in 1997? And what have we learned since? At a time when multilateralism is floundering, we're reflecting on the significance of this momentous agreement now. Don't miss our next two episodes in which we go behind the scenes of the Royal Shakespeare Company’s acclaimed production of Kyoto, and talk to key players who were in the room at COP3 in Kyoto, as well as some of those now shaping the path to COP30 in Belém and beyond. In tomorrow's episode hear from?Farhana Yamin, Nick Mabey, Richard Kinley and Ed King for rare insights into the climate negotiations process, plus Kyoto playwrights Joe Murphy and Joe Robertson about how they turned bureaucratic negotiations into riveting on-stage drama. Next week, hear from Tessa Khan, Kirsty Hamilton OBE, Joanna Depledge and Pilita Clark about the nefarious influence of fossil fuel giants on the multilateral process, then and now. ?? Main image: Richard Kinley, former Deputy Executive Secretary of the UNFCCC and Joanna Depledge, formerly part of the the UN's Climate Secretariat holding a Japanese newspaper from the day of the agreement. Both of them are in the picture on the front page. ?? Swipe to see Christiana Figueres, Tom Rivett-Carnac and Paul Dickinson behind the scenes at our live event at The Conduit, our panels, and a close up of the newspaper ?? ?? Tune in tomorrow, wherever you get your podcasts. ?? Kyoto is on at the @sohoplace theatre until 3 May, highly recommended! https://lnkd.in/eh-DJzUr

?? Over 90% of children breathe dirty air worldwide. 90%! This is not a problem 'over there', this affects all of us. Toxic air is harming our children's growing lungs, brains, and hearts, causing chronic diseases from asthma to cancer. We join Our Kids' Climate in calling for the phasing out of fossil fuels and an urgent transition to clean, renewable energy. This week is the World Health Organization's Second Global Conference on Air Pollution and Health - let's make some noise! Please share this video to demand clean air for every child, everywhere ??

This summer, an intense marine heatwave has driven sea surface temperatures up to a shocking 4°C above the summer average in Australia, causing coral bleaching which reef experts have called “heartbreaking” and “a profoundly distressing moment”. ?? We invite you to pause in the heartbreak of this great loss for a moment before moving on to the story of optimism which follows. We need both heartbreak (as well as the outrage it might ignite) and optimism - giving ourselves time and space to feel it deeply in our bodies might be one of the most important things we can do at this moment. ?? Read more on this story - and all our other stories of outrage and optimism via the links to all our news sources in the comments. ??ICYMI last week we took a close-up look at Mark Carney’s new premiership within the context of Canada’s climate history. Elbows up everyone! ???? ?Join us on Thursday for this week’s special episode, where we explore the role of multilateralism in climate action and reflect on the impact of the 1997 Kyoto Protocol. We’ll also share our thoughts on the new play, Kyoto, currently running at?@sohoplace?theatre in London - and spoiler: we were big fans ?

Nurdles - tiny plastic balls used in plastics production - are devastating for marine life & the ocean's ecosystem. Their similarity in size to fish eggs makes them deadly to seabirds who mistake them for food, posing a risk to the entire food chain, including humans. It is estimated that 11.5 TRILLION nurdles end up in the ocean every year through disasters and everyday losses, the most recent being last week's North Sea crash; and while a full-scale oil pollution disaster was averted this time, the creeping harm caused by plastics pollutions may be just as damaging over time. Once again, the urgent need for action on plastics is clear - it's all too easy to close our eyes to the potential dangers until things go seriously wrong. Read more here: https://lnkd.in/eFxXfcZ5 And catch up with our recent episode on the UN Global Plastics Pollution Treaty with Christiana Figueres and Dame Ellen MacArther of the Ellen MacArthur Foundation here: https://lnkd.in/e-VZx2F4 Big thanks to listener Louise Dobler who created this brilliant?live scribing of the episode while listening! ????

How do we shape climate policy that actually connects with people? Catherine McKenna, former Canadian Minister of Environment & Climate Change ???? says it comes down to: ?? Economic impact—talk dollars & jobs. ?? Risk—climate disasters are already reshaping industries & livelihoods. ??? Solutions—what bold leadership in climate action looks like. ?? Anything you would add? Tune in to this week’s episode for a deep dive in to Canada and climate: https://bit.ly/3X0uaX8 or wherever you listen to podcasts.

We are outraged. Last week we celebrated climate litigation as a vital lever of change to combat the creeping dominance of the fossil fuel industry but unfortunately the tool of litigation can be used both ways. Yesterday a North Dakota jury ruled that Greenpeace must pay at least $660m over the Dakota pipeline protests of 2016 and 2017, claiming that Greenpeace “incited” people to protest by using a “misinformation campaign”. The audacity of big oil seems to know no bounds. This is about more than just one organisation or even one nation - it’s an attack on the fundamental rights of freedom of speech and protest across the globe. Big oil is using intimidation to try to silence activism - and the truth. What can we do? As Paul Dickinson and Catherine McKenna say in this week's episode, we must making noise, we must keep talking about it. ⊙ Share this story: https://lnkd.in/dBP9S9Pa ⊙ Stand with Greenpeace: https://lnkd.in/d8ZVkdWr #ImWithGreenpeace

???? ?? ‘Elbows Up’ is Canada’s new climate mindset— is this something more of us need to adopt? ?? In this week's episode, Catherine McKenna, former Minister of Environment and Climate Change for Canada takes us inside the fight for bold climate leadership, asking: ?? Is a carbon tax really the best climate policy? Catherine exposes the political games that almost derailed Canada’s revenue-neutral approach. ?? What happens when climate policy meets Trump-era tariffs? Hear the inside story of standing firm while navigating fossil fuel politics. Is #ElbowsUp the stance we need now? Drop your take in the comments. ?? Listen to the full episode here: https://bit.ly/3X0uaX8 or wherever you get your podcasts.

Taking the reins in this week's newsletter, Paul Dickinson is talking corporations, climate litigation and Canada ?? ?? ???? Read all about it! ?? Laura Clarke OBE ClientEarth Catherine McKenna Climate and Nature Solutions #canada