PODCAST · science
Climate Curious
by TEDxLondon
Are you Climate Curious? If you care about the world, but find the current conversation about climate change confusing, scary or boring – then this might be the podcast for you. Join TEDxLondon and co-hosts Maryam Pasha and Ben Hurst as we lift the lid on the climate emergency by speaking to the world’s leading and most relatable climate pioneers. Find out why cities are key to the climate fight, why we need to tackle systemic problems (and not just plastic straws), and why we’re all a bit crap at sustainability. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Episodes
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Why VIP climate shocks aren’t the worst thing, with Dana R. Fisher
When Nicholas Cage’s Malibu home nearly got swallowed by a sinkhole last month, we knew climate change had hit the rich. And after a summer of deadly heatwaves sweeping Europe and North America, governments and businesses were forced to sit up a little straighter and start clocking the climate...
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The #1 audience climate communicators aren’t speaking to, with Dana R. Fisher
Climate communicators are quite frankly, terrible at talking to each other. Or that’s what new research just published by the Talking Climate Collaborative shows. Climate Curious invited the study’s lead researcher, sociologist and professor Dana R. Fisher to jump on the podcast during New York...
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Why cutting down trees can save Britain's woodlands, with Luke Barley
“It seems quite counterintuitive to wade in with our chainsaws, but we are replicating a natural process that we're missing,” says National Trust woodland advisor and author, Luke Barley. Whilst one side of the battle for our world's forests involves protecting trees from destructive…
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How local clean energy is going global: perspectives from Brazil, China and Ethiopia
A solar panel in Shanghai and a wind turbine in Brasília might sound worlds apart, but the people installing renewables around the globe are breaking similar barriers and achieving the same wins: cheaper bills, cleaner energy, and better jobs! After last week's trip to Oxfordshire's Westmill…
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How a community built its own renewable energy farm, with Westmill Energy
Fancy making over a million quid for your community and beyond from shared renewable energy resources? Climate Curious spent a day in sunny Oxfordshire with the fine folks at Westmill Energy to hear how they took clean shared renewable energy generation into their own hands! 17 years, 3,000...
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Can going to the pub be a climate action? With Adam Bastock
“AI can do a lot of good things, but I'd like to see it out-drink a room of 30 people” jokes the founder of Small99 and People Planet Pint, Adam Bastock. From sleepless heatwaves to un-lit candles melting, Adam joins Climate Curious’s Ben Hurst to share how saying cheers to the climate has helped...
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How to write a constitutional climate amendment on your notes app, with Lake Liao
"I literally took out my notes app, and I wrote an amendment," says 21-year-old climate activist and Director of the Federal Climate Amendment Institute, Lake Liao. Tune in to Climate Curious to hear how an AOC video he watched on a bus ride home changed everything, why court wins in Montana and...
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Can markets beat illegal mining in the Andean Amazon?
“The private sector entering the Amazon is most often flanked by soldiers, allowing the extractive companies to come in,” says impact investor Michelle Arévalo-Carpenter. But many of the Amazon’s new threats are also being driven by an illicit private sector, particularly illegal mining. Tune in...
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What cacao can teach us about protecting the Amazon, with Michelle Arévalo-Carpenter
"When you ask a young indigenous man to give up all of his land for $20,000, he'll say no way, because what grows in there is gold, cacao is gold!" Michelle Arévalo-Carpenter tells Climate Curious, breaking down how investing in the companies that bring Amazon-grown products to market is key to...
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How the prisoner’s dilemma can reveal climate priorities
“Games can go into spaces where sometimes it's hard to have these conversations,” say game designers Nathan Harrison and Mel Frances, as they unpack how gaming and scenario roleplay can help us reveal our inner climate priorities! Nathan and Mel break down key moments of their ‘Future for...
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How to make shipping part of the climate solution, with Joojin Kim
If global shipping was a country, it would be the world's sixth largest greenhouse gas emitter. But help is on its way. Joojin Kim tells Climate Curious we can sink shipping's dirty old habits by following the money. "It's common sense. The alternatives are all there. It's just the policy,...
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How Nigeria is leading a repair transition, not just an energy one, with Vincent Egoro
Africa is solar rich. But what happens when the panels stop working? Vincent Egoro – a former architecture student who once studied by candlelight and now founder of Energy Transition Africa – is betting on training over throwaway tech. His mission: teach local workers to maintain and fix solar...
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How to unlock billions for climate and stay chill, with Jennifer Kitt
"Unless we come together, we can't build it. So yeah, I'm chill," says Jennifer Kitt on the Climate Curious podcast. If new money is moving into climate, this philanthropy aficionado knows about it. And asking people for billions to solve the crisis? Doesn't daunt her one bit. On why raising…
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Why climate doesn't need better solutions, it needs bigger bets, with Jennifer Kitt
“80 of the most urgent [climate solutions] could take $5 billion tomorrow,” says Jennifer Kitt on Climate Curious. Recorded live in London with Climate Curious co-hosts Ben Hurst and Maryam Pasha, the Climate Lead President shares a 101 on how climate philanthropy actually works, why inviting...
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How $147m supported citizens across America doing what most pundits said was impossible: ending the reign of King Coal, with Bruce Nilles
“We walked out of his office, to the first bar, had a couple shots of tequila, and then got to work”, says environmental lawyer Bruce Nilles on stage as our guest at ‘Climate Curious Live: Climate Impossible?’ in London, June 2026. In conversation with co-hosts Ben Hurst and Maryam Pasha, Bruce...
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What the end of 'King Coal' means for Big Oil & Gas, with Bruce Nilles
"I love doing it and I'll be doing it for a while, 'cause we ain't done yet," says the legendary lawyer who spurred a global campaign that led to the closing of 390 U.S. coal plants, forever: Bruce Nilles. Live on stage at Climate Curious Live 'Climate Impossible?', he shares the story of an epic...
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Are you ready to lead your town through an extreme weather event? With the game designers behind ‘The Future For Beginners’
Could you protect your city through an extreme weather event? ‘The Future For Beginners’ is a game exploring climate risk and decision-making under uncertainty. Working together over 80 minutes, 30 players negotiate challenges and make decisions to create an unforgettable cultural event in the…
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Who are the incrementalists? with Dana R. Fisher
Break the system, don’t just tweak it. That’s what sociologist and professor Dana R. Fisher says on this week’s Climate Curious. Tune in with co-host Maryam Pasha to learn about incrementalists: people who think cleaning up a broken system leads to a sanitised version of the status quo – not real...
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How to move public outrage into systemic action, with Dana R. Fisher
“The deal is, we're gonna get the revolution we deserve,” says sociologist, author, and apocalyptic optimist, Dana R. Fisher. Having spent 26 years studying and documenting activism, Climate Curious host Maryam Pasha hears what it takes to forge unstoppable solidarity in the collective climate...
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The secret life of glaciers, with Dr M Jackson
“A glacier is full of one single snowflake holding hands with the next snowflake,” says glaciologist and Nat Geo explorer, Dr. M Jackson. “Billions and trillions of snowflakes become the most powerful force on this planet, shaping the landscapes, lives, and futures of almost every person on this...
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Why ebola and hantavirus are also climate warnings, with Dr. Neil Vora
“The solution is right at our fingertips,” says doctor and disease detective Dr. Neil Vora, talking about why ebola and hantavirus are also climate warnings on the Climate Curious podcast. From halting deforestation, to safeguarding animal farms, and cracking down on commercial wildlife...
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Could this literary genre help protect the planet? With author Helen Phillips
Speculative fiction – the latest tool for imagining what’s possible on climate? Author of ‘Hum’ and winner of the 2026 Climate Fiction Prize, Helen Phillips, joins Climate Curious to share the personal trigger that got her started in writing climate fiction, breaks down the genre of ‘speculative...
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How to feed a starving glacier, with glaciologist M Jackson
Our glaciers are starving, but there’s a solution! Says glaciologist, National Geographic Explorer and TED Fellow Dr. M Jackson on the Climate Curious podcast. In conversation with Maryam Pasha, M breaks down why our glaciers are currently starving and how they have the remarkable ability to grow...
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Why I blew up a dam on my birthday, with Amy Bowers Cordalis
“The river heals, the river's free, the salmon are free, and so are the people,” says Yurok Tribe attorney and devoted advocate for Indigenous rights and environmental restoration Amy Bowers Cordalis on the Climate Curious podcast. In conversation with Maryam Pasha, Amy breaks down how exactly…
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How history's biggest wild salmon restoration project in the Klamath River happened, with Amy Bowers Cordalis
“My colleague looks at me [on my birthday] and is like, do you wanna blow up a dam!?” Native Yurok attorney and Indigenous advocate Amy Bowers Cordalis campaigned with her community for 20 years before getting the go ahead to remove the dams that had blocked the Klamath River and infamously…
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Why chemists are conservationists too! With Tim Cernak
Chemistry is the new frontier of conservation, says professor of medicinal chemistry, Tim Cernak, on Climate Curious. Unable to ignore sick sea turtles washed up on the beach, Tim turned to the laboratory to apply medicinal solutions to nature. From fungal frogs to seal pups with avian flu –…
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Feel lost in eco-anxiety? Find your way with social scientist Katharine K. Wilkinson’s Climate Wayfinding method
Eco-anxious – rejoice! This week’s episode is a salve for the eco-shaken, (i.e. all of us!?). Katharine K. Wilkinson returns to share her new framework for navigating eco-anxiety with Climate Curious co-hosts Ben Hurst and Maryam Pasha – and it starts by getting honest about the emotional weight…
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How the oldest bees on earth gained legal rights, with Rosa Vásquez Espinoza
Stingless bees have been around since the dinosaurs, but until recently ignored by mainstream scientific studies From her lab in the heart of the Amazon, scientist Rosa Vásquez Espinoza has been busy proving that these insects are medicinal and agricultural superbugs that require respect – both...
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How Iroro Tanshi took on Nigeria’s wildfires to save this rare bat species
In Nigeria’s Afi Mountain Wildlife Sanctuary, a rare short-tailed roundleaf bat whose global population is less than 1500, is trying to survive – and their biggest threat is wildfire. Nigerian tropical ecologist, conservationist and 2026 Goldman Environmental Prize for Africa winner Iroro Tanshi...
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What really went down at the Supreme Court: the “Finch ruling”
The “Finch ruling” case started small – with £20 donations from people that cared – but the eventual wins were big. What’s less well known, is the legal rollercoaster Sarah Finch and the Weald Action Group faced. After a failed High Court case and a failed Court of Appeal case, Sarah faced a…
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How a local petition became a national climate victory, with Sarah Finch of the “Finch ruling”
What does it really take to challenge the UK government on climate – and win? Enter climate winner – Sarah Finch of the legendary UK “Finch ruling”. From Surrey oil well to the Supreme Court, Sarah Finch and the Weald Action Group took the government to task – forcing it to rewrite how it…
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How a streamer built an online wildlife sanctuary, with Maya Higa
This conservation will be televised! “Live streaming meant the animals could reach way more people without having to meet any of them,” says YouTube and Twitch conservationist streamer Maya Higa. Since her rise to over a million livestream followers, Maya has used her platform to fund the…
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Why nature isn’t “other” it’s “mother”, with Paul Hawken
We’ve all heard the language: “fight,” “tackle,” “combat” the climate crisis, right? But what if the “warrior mindset” wasn’t just a battle cry, but actually part of the problem? According to OG environmentalist Paul Hawken, it is, because it “others” nature. Paul joins Climate Curious to share…
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Why the full truth of the climate crisis starts with grief, with Paul Hawken
“Grief is a blessing. It's a guide. It's a signal. It's us being our best self when we feel grief, because it's our heart,” says OG environmentalist Paul Hawken on the Climate Curious podcast. In conversation with co-hosts Ben Hurst and Maryam Pasha, Paul invites us to reframe fear as grief, take...
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How stingless bees made your morning coffee, with Rosa Vásquez Espinoza
“[Stingless bees] pollinate more than 80% of Amazonian flora, from your coffee, chocolate, and the avocado on your toast,” says Peruvian scientist and conservationist Rosa Vásquez Espinoza. These harmless and often overlooked buzzy fluffers play a large and often forgotten role in the World’s...
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How to wayfind without a map, with Katharine K. Wilkinson
The world is not going to stop changing. So what do we do with that? Katharine K. Wilkinson, author, climate strategist, and two-decade veteran of the climate movement, tells Climate Curious that resilience isn't about having answers. It's about building the navigational muscles to keep moving…
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How to trade hope for courage, with Paul Hawken
“Grief is a blessing, a guide; it's us being our best self when we feel grief,” says climate OG Paul Hawken on Climate Curious. With the rise of global conflict, Climate Curious co-hosts Ben Hurst and Maryam Pasha turn to environmental juggernaut Paul Hawken for a much needed pep talk. He shares...
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Why we need bugs, not bots, with Kalpana Arias
“Nature is a deep form of technology,” says nature campaigner, Kalpana Arias, on Climate Curious. It sometimes feels like“big tech” is coming to get us, from its roots in military structures, and an overall drive to replace human connection with convenience, but what if we could “glitch” the...
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How “Glitch Feminism” can bring us closer together, with Kalpana Arias
Embrace the “glitch” to unlock more sustainable, collective and joyful futures, says nature campaigner Kalpana Arias on the Climate Curious podcast. In conversation with Ben Hurst and Maryam Pasha, Kalpana explores the surprising nature/tech overlap, and how “Glitch Feminism” can help us take…
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Who gave Big Oil a backstage pass? With Tori Tsui
“There are no better messengers than artists” says climate campaigner, advisor, and author, Tori Tsui, as she unpicks the relationship between music and climate on the Climate Curious podcast. In conversation with Climate Curious co-hosts Ben Hurst and Maryam Pasha, Tori shares how some of the...
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Which pop stars are bursting Big Oil’s culture bubble? With Tori Tsui
From the civil rights movement to global stages stacked with the world’s biggest artists, campaigner, activist, and author Tori Tsui joins Climate Curious to connect the dots between music and climate. Tune in to explore the intentional overwhelm tactics used by Big Oil, how sponsorships help…
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How to close climate loopholes – in court, with Tessa Khan
"It sounds totally preposterous now – excluding the climate impact of burning oil," says Tessa Khan, environmental lawyer, campaigner, and founder of Uplift. Live on stage at Climate Curious Live in London, Tessa breaks down the legal strategy behind taking the previous UK government to court…
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The UK’s biggest climate wins – and what comes next, with Tessa Khan
“I feel upbeat about what's possible," says Tessa Khan, environmental lawyer, campaigner, and founder of Uplift. In this live episode, Tessa joins co-hosts Maryam Pasha and Ben Hurst for a stocktake of the UK's most epic climate victories: ending new oil and gas exploration, shutting down the…
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Climate OG on how to stay optimistic in a “down cycle”
“We should be as optimistic as they [Big Oil] are,” says economist, diplomat, key architect of the Paris Agreement, and climate heavy-hitter Laurence Tubiana. Having spent decades navigating the political domain of global climate policy, in this Climate Curious short she dives into why the…
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Why climate action is a combat sport, with Laurence Tubiana
“Climate is a combat sport”, says French economist, diplomat, and climate heavy-hitter Laurence Tubiana, live on stage at Climate Curious Live Climate OGs event last week. As one of the key architects of the Paris Agreement, very few people have the experience and political perspective she does…
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What Big Oil doesn’t want you to know about plastic, with journalist Beth Gardiner
From WWII radars to Tupperware, LEGO, and even heart transplants, plastic permeates every facet of our lives. But how much of this was Big Oil's "Plan B” strategy to triple production and keep profits high? Climate Curious gets the scoop on big plastic's secret and shocking history from...
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The court ruling Big Oil didn’t see coming, with Melinda Janki
“The judge said ExxonMobil’s liability is unlimited, so that could cost them billions,” says Melinda Janki, the lawyer leading the fight to protect Guyana from the oil curse on the latest Climate Curious. Tune in to hear Melinda speak about legal wins against big oil and understand how you…
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The 2025 climate success story no-one saw coming: China
Climate’s thousand pound gorilla in the room? China. Since 2016, China has been responsible for about 90% of global emissions growth. But as of 2025, China' s emissions have started to fall. So why is no-one talking about it? Climate Curious’ Ben Hurst and Maryam Pasha spoke to Fix The News’...
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Why climate solutions fail the poor – and how to fix it, with Nobel Prize-winning economist Esther Duflo
The world’s poorest people are on the front lines of climate change – yet they’re often an afterthought in climate policy. Nobel Prize-winning economist Esther Duflo joins Climate Curious co-host Ben Hurst to unpack why climate resilience begins with those who have contributed least to climate...
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What is black carbon? With science communicator & YouTuber, Simon Clark
“If you can target black carbon, you have a huge impact over a very short period of time,” says science communicator and YouTuber, Simon Clark. Black carbon is hundreds of times more polluting than CO2, but what is it? Where does it come from? And how can it be used as an emergency brake to…
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ABOUT THIS SHOW
Are you Climate Curious? If you care about the world, but find the current conversation about climate change confusing, scary or boring – then this might be the podcast for you. Join TEDxLondon and co-hosts Maryam Pasha and Ben Hurst as we lift the lid on the climate emergency by speaking to the world’s leading and most relatable climate pioneers. Find out why cities are key to the climate fight, why we need to tackle systemic problems (and not just plastic straws), and why we’re all a bit crap at sustainability.
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
HOSTED BY
TEDxLondon
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Frequently Asked Questions
How many episodes does Climate Curious have?
Climate Curious currently has 336 episodes available on PodParley. New episodes are automatically indexed when they're published to the podcast feed.
What is Climate Curious about?
Are you Climate Curious? If you care about the world, but find the current conversation about climate change confusing, scary or boring – then this might be the podcast for you. Join TEDxLondon and co-hosts Maryam Pasha and Ben Hurst as we lift the lid on the climate emergency by speaking to the...
How often does Climate Curious release new episodes?
Climate Curious publishes regularly with 336 episodes available. Check the episode list for the typical release schedule.
Where can I listen to Climate Curious?
You can listen to Climate Curious on PodParley by clicking any episode. We provide an embedded audio player for direct listening, and you can also subscribe via your preferred podcast app using the RSS feed.
Who hosts Climate Curious?
Climate Curious is created and hosted by TEDxLondon.
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