When Business Is Political: Climate commitments in an age of backlash
Outrage + Optimism: The Climate Podcast
Persephonica
4.7 • 1.1K Ratings
🗓️ 22 May 2025
⏱️ 54 minutes
🧾️ Download transcript
Summary
As the US federal government drifts further into anti-climate rhetoric and abandons its national and international commitments, can non-state actors hold the line?
With Christiana Figueres away in Vanuatu, Tom Rivett-Carnac and Paul Dickinson take the reins to explore how climate progress is increasingly being driven by - or being left to - businesses and non-profits. They unpack the mounting challenges facing climate-aligned companies, the promise and complexity of existing voluntary initiatives, and the role that the private sector can play in driving innovation, accountability, and ambition in the absence of strong national leadership.
Later, they speak with Helen Clarkson, CEO of the Climate Group, about the shifting reality for businesses trying to lead on climate in the US and beyond. And they ask her to address some of the rumours surrounding Climate Week NYC: Is it happening? Will it definitely be held in New York? And how can it become a beacon of action in an age of political uncertainty?
Plus: Tom and Paul consider the upcoming ruling in a ground-breaking climate liability case with potentially seismic impacts.
Learn more
⚖️ Details and documents on the Luciano Lliusya v. RWE EG legal case
🛢️ ‘Scientists Tally Oil Majors’ Climate Damage With Eye to Legal Liability’ in Bloomberg
🛑 ‘The End of Rule of Law in America’ by J. Michael Luttig, in The Atlantic
📺 ‘Every day I have been shocked and disgusted’ - J. Michael Luttig on MSNBC
🌎 Find out more about Climate Week NYC, or the Climate Group’s RE100 and EV100
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Producer: Ben Weaver-Hincks
Video Producer: Caitlin Hanrahan
Exec Producer: Ellie Clifford
Commissioning Editor: Sarah Thomas
This is a Persephonica production for Global Optimism and is part of the Acast Creator Network.
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Transcript
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| 0:00.0 | So it's happened again, Paul, I'm afraid. No, no Christiana this week. She's in Vanuatu. |
| 0:04.7 | Where is she? She's in Vanuatu. You and I are going to have to carry this. Just the two of us. Can we do it alone? |
| 0:10.9 | Or how? I mean, the danger when we speak is that we end up going down on a sort of nerdy rabbit hole and we'll talk about something that no listeners have ever heard of. Couldn't you say nerdy is like technically expert? Couldn't you say that or not? I mean, I suppose that's the other route is we rebrand it and try and turn our weaknesses |
| 0:24.6 | into a strength. |
| 0:25.6 | That's what I'm going for. |
| 0:26.6 | Yeah. |
| 0:27.6 | If you can't fix it, feature it, as they always used to say. |
| 0:29.6 | Okay, I'm going to sort of say that with Christiana not to go geek, go deep, go tech and... |
| 0:38.3 | Uncorked, yeah. |
| 0:39.3 | Exactly. Dickinson and Rivikarnack unleashed. |
| 0:42.3 | Hello and welcome to outrage and optimism. I'm Tom Rivikarnak. |
| 0:46.3 | And I'm Paul Dickinson. And where's Christiana? |
| 0:50.3 | We're going to do our best. She is away in Vanuatu. More on that in a minute. |
| 0:53.3 | But in Christiana's absence, we're going to speak about an incredibly consequential court case that has a ruling upcoming and the retreat of federal climate leadership in the US, what that might mean for subnational engagement and for climate week. And we speak to Helen Clarkson, CEO of the Climate Group. Thanks for being here. |
| 1:12.6 | So Paul, we're struggling on this week. No Christiana. It's the first episode she's missed in a while, actually. |
| 1:17.6 | But for the last couple of weeks, she has been in the South Pacific, pursuing some very interesting opportunities there. |
| 1:23.7 | And also putting together a series on Vanuatu and the South Pacific Islands and what's |
| 1:28.5 | happening to them. So that is going to be upcoming. That's something for listeners to look forward to, |
| 1:32.6 | but you and I will continue in her absence. And I think she's going to send us a note which will |
| 1:38.0 | frame our conversation with Helen Clarks, and so I'm looking forward to hearing from her a little |
| 1:41.0 | bit later in the show. Absolutely. So we've had much communication from her. I think she's had quite an inspiring time, although I'm sure also that is |
| 1:48.1 | really the front lines of the climate crisis down in the South Pacific. So I know it's also been |
... |
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