WTF Now? by S7

Michael Liebreich has spent decades working on climate solutions. He's also one of the sharpest critics of how the climate community argues its case.In the final part of this three-episode series, recorded at Rick's off-grid cabin above Oslo, the conversation turns to the narratives shaping the climate debate — and why getting them wrong damages the very cause they're meant to serve.In this episode:Why scientists should present options — not tell society what to doThe Bjorn Lomborg question — smart, data-driven, and yet persistently misleadingWhy the RCP 8.5 climate scenario was never plausible — and why using it handed ammunition to climate scepticsWhat the IPCC's own data actually says about extreme weather eventsWhy being "disagreeably honest" — about both sides of the debate — is the only robust strategy🎧 Parts 1 and 2 are live now — start from the beginning for the full picture! 🛎️ Tap follow so you don't miss the next episode.🔗 Find us everywhere: 🌐 systems7.co 💼 LinkedIn: https://shorturl.at/Eu0wY ▶️ YouTube: https://shorturl.at/KTCwj 🎧 Spotify: https://shorturl.at/HsVlW 🍏 Apple Podcasts: https://shorturl.at/deldU#WTFNow #MichaelLiebreich #EnergyTransition #ClimatePragmatism #BloombergNEF #ClimateAction #ClimateNarrative #Science #Leadership #NordicLeadership #Geopolitics #Sustainability

How does the energy transition look from the forest above Oslo — a city built on oil wealth but racing toward electrification? Part 2 of our conversation with BloombergNEF founder and Cleaning Up podcast co-host Michael Liebreich is now live. This time, Rick and Michael leave the electrification revolution happening on the streets of Oslo (see Part 1) and head into nature — hiking up to Rick’s semi off-grid cabin. Along the way, they explore: • The realities of off-grid heating in a Nordic climate • Whether bio has a genuine role in the future energy mix • Why the climate narrative may need a reset — and what better framing looks like • How to think about the role of the fossil fuel industry in the transition And more. (Including meeting a small new friend along the way 🐭) 🎧 Listen to Part 2 now! 🛎️ Part 3 drops at the same time next week. 🔗 Follow us around the web: 🌐 Website: http://www.systems7.co💼 LinkedIn: https://shorturl.at/Eu0wY▶️ YouTube: https://shorturl.at/KTCwj🎧 Spotify: https://shorturl.at/HsVlW🍏 Apple Podcast: https://shorturl.at/deldU #WTFNow #EnergyTransition #ClimatePragmatism #Hydrogen #Bioenergy

The energy transition and climate action: what's really going on? Part 1 | Michael LiebreichPart 1 is here! For this new episode of WTF Now?, we decided to change things up. Michael Liebreich, a leading global expert on clean energy and transport, joins S7's Rick Wheatley on a drive through Oslo before the pair head out of the city and hike up to Rick’s off-grid cabin. This episode is a response to the tired narrative that climate action is impossibly hard, expensive, or unpopular. That story is still loud — especially from those protecting the old system. But momentum is gathering at an unstoppable pace. And Michael, the founder and co-host of the @CleaningUpPod podcast helps us understand how to see that clearly. When we recorded with Michael, it quickly became clear that our conversation was too wide-ranging (and too useful) to squeeze into a single episode — so we’ve decided to release it as a series of short chapters, each focused on one big idea. In Part 1, Michael and Rick take a drive through Oslo to see first-hand what the energy transition has made possible in a place where an electrified future isn’t theoretical — but already visible on almost every street corner. 🎧 Listen to Part 1 now! 🛎️ Subscribe for more episodes of WTF Now? 🔗 Follow us around the web: 🌐 Website: http://www.systems7.co 💼 LinkedIn: https://shorturl.at/Eu0wY ▶️ YouTube: https://shorturl.at/KTCwj 🎧 Spotify: https://shorturl.at/HsVlW 🍏 Apple Podcast: https://shorturl.at/deldU #WTFNow #EnergyTransition #ClimateChange #MichaelLiebreich #NewEnergyFinance

In this episode of WTF Now?, Rick Wheatley sits down with Erin Sikorsky - Director of the Center for Climate and Security and author of Climate Change on the Battlefield: to explore how a hotter, more volatile climate is reshaping security, geopolitics, and business risk.From flooded bases to melting runways and strained military deployments, Erin explains why climate change is no longer a future risk but a present operating condition. She demonstrates how extreme weather is already straining armed forces, reshaping national security planning, and presenting new opportunities for adversaries — from extremist groups on the ground to state-backed disinformation campaigns online.Looking beyond the military lens, Rick and Erin connect these trends to the boardroom: what happens when companies still make decisions based on yesterday’s climate, and how organisations that act smartly on climate turn risk into decision advantage and resilience. They also look at the wider geopolitical picture — the retreat from science and evidence in parts of the West, and how Europe and China are positioning themselves in the race for a cleaner, more secure energy system.If you're part of an organisation trying to make sense of a world where risk is compounding faster than our institutions can adapt, this conversation is worth your time.🛎️ Subscribe for more episodes of WTF Now?🔗 Follow us around the web:🌐 Website: http://www.systems7.co💼 LinkedIn: https://shorturl.at/Eu0wY▶️ YouTube: https://shorturl.at/KTCwj🍏 Apple Podcast: https://shorturl.at/deldU#ClimateSecurity #NationalSecurity #ClimateRisk #Resilience #Geopolitics #Leadership #RiskManagement #Strategy #WTFNowPodcast

Enjoying the podcast? 👉 Tap Follow, leave us a ⭐️ review, or hit the 👍 Like button to support bold, honest conversations.In this episode, Rick Wheatley sits down with Lt Gen Sir Graeme Lamb, former Commander of the UK’s Field Army and the SAS, to open Season Two of WTF Now? — and to ask a pressing question: What the hell happened to the West?From the Cold War to Iraq and Afghanistan, Graeme has spent decades leading through volatility — and now advises global business and political leaders on how to navigate today’s contested, uncertain world.Together, Rick and Graeme explore:⚡️ How the West lost its balance and sense of responsibility⚡️ Why Europe must wake up to the realities of modern conflict⚡️ What “war” looks like today — from cyber to information⚡️ And how leaders can build character, culture, and clarity in chaosA candid, unfiltered conversation about leadership, history, and what it will take to lead through persistent uncertainty.🛎️ Subscribe for more episodes of WTF Now?🔗 Follow us around the web:🌐 Website: http://www.systems7.co💼 LinkedIn: https://shorturl.at/Eu0wY▶️ YouTube: https://shorturl.at/KTCwj🎧 Spotify: https://shorturl.at/HsVlW🍏 Apple Podcast: https://shorturl.at/deldU

Enjoying the podcast? Tap follow, leave a review, or give us a like.In this episode, Rick and Tariq Fancy, former Chief Investment Officer, Sustainable Investing at BlackRock, unpack why the sustainability movement may have been a dangerous distraction, giving governments cover to avoid real rule changes. We also dive into the deeper political questions—like why the Democrats keep losing—and what business leaders and Europe must do now to avoid getting “dragged into the pit” the US is in. A bold, unfiltered conversation to close out season one. Subscribe for more after the summer.Follow us around the web: ⁠Website⁠⁠LinkedIn⁠⁠YouTubeChapters:00:00 Time to get real about power, democracy and business02:49 Chapter 1: If you want to close the loopholes, you gotta call in the refs25:17 Chapter 2: Right and left, top and bottom47:26 Chapter 3: WTF Now?

Norway electrified faster and earlier than almost anyone, leading the world in renewable power generation, EV uptake and clean heating. Few countries have gone further in proving that a fully electrified society is possible. But instead of building industries to export technology at scale, Norway has largely kept its electricity advantage within its borders, while continuing to export hydrocarbons to the world. In this live episode, Rick Wheatley and Stephen Bull unpack Norway’s split identity, what others are doing to turn electrification into influence, and whether Norway can still lead.Follow us around the web: ⁠Website⁠⁠LinkedIn⁠⁠YouTubeChapters:00:00 Episode 4 live at the Conduit: Norway's split identity - electrostate or petrostate?01:53 Chapter 1: Norway's split identitty - electrostate or petrostate?24:25 Chapter 2: A squandered opportunity?32:33 Chapter 3: How China is converting electrification into jobs, exports and global influence38:36 Chapter 4: How might Norway seize the moment?43:26 Live Q&A with in-person and online audience

Enjoying the podcast? Tap follow, leave a review, or give us a like.As the internet grows more polarised and manipulated, we’re joined by Jon von Tetzchner—co-founder of Opera and CEO of Vivaldi—to reflect on its evolution and where it all went wrong. With rising social and geopolitical tensions, can businesses still rely on a global web and unchecked profiling? A founder driven by purpose over profit, Jon was there from the beginning and shares rare insights on how the internet went from hope to hazard, and what’s now at stake for society and business alike.Follow us around the web: ⁠Website⁠⁠LinkedIn⁠⁠YouTube⁠Chapters:00:00 WTF Now by S7: Episode 3 - How the internet went wrong02:16 Chapter 1: An origin story – the internet as a force for good for as many people as possible11:00 Chapter 2: The inflection point – how advertising morphed into social programming22:37 Chapter 3: What went wrong? (And what about AI?)31:54 Chapter 4: WTF Now?

Enjoying the podcast? Tap follow, leave a review, or give us a like.Somewhere along the way, we lost the room. For years, action on climate, inclusion and inequality shaped our politics, jobs and identities. Progress felt inevitable - until it didn’t. Now, many feel anxious, angry, and left out of the future they thought they were building.This episode’s guest, Yves Daccord, has worked in war zones and boardrooms alike, giving him a rare, human lens on our shifting world. Tune in for his take on what’s happening—and what it will take to build a future that feels safer, saner, and more shared.Follow us around the web: WebsiteLinkedInYouTubeChapters:00:00 - WTF Now by S7 – Episode 2: The professionalisation of anger and the people we forgot 03:17 - Chapter 1: The great parenthesis 17:16 - Chapter 2: The professionalisation of anger amid a loss of belonging 29:49 - Chapter 3: A shot of adrenaline to Europe 35:31 - Chapter 4: The next populist movement – young and pissed off

Enjoying the podcast? Tap follow, leave a review, or give us a like.In this first episode, we sit down with leading energy expert Jan Rosenow to explore—across three chapters—some surprising truths about the energy transition. We start with what we’ve dubbed the inconvenient truth about the energy system, uncovering shocking facts about its inefficiencies. Then, we dive into the hotly debated issue of whether renewable energy is driving up electricity prices, a topic currently making waves in the UK. Finally, we discuss China’s role in the renewable space and explore what Europe must do to avoid falling behind. Happy listening!Follow us around the web: ⁠Website⁠⁠LinkedIn⁠⁠YouTubeChapters:00:00 - Podcast intro: WTF Now? by S701:53 - Episode 1 intro: Three things that are still true about the energy transition with Dr. Jan Rosenow 05:02 - Chapter 1: The inconvenient truth of the energy system 20:19 - Chapter 2: Does renewable energy really lead to higher electricity prices? 31:18 - Chapter 3: China and renewables – what's the deal?

The world is crazy confusing at the moment. Long-held assumptions about the fabric of our societies, economies and industries are unravelling. Many business leaders are questioning the course their organisations have been on over the past decades – whether we are talking participation in the energy transition, reliance on cross-border supply chains, ambitious emission targets or their role in society writ large.And amidst the noise of politicisation, critical information is getting lost.Our podcast is designed for Nordic and European leaders trying to make sense of the tumult. The format is simple: we'll bring in a thoughtful, interesting expert (whom you probably won´t find in mainstream media) to help us cut through the noise on a hot topic. The plan is to start with four areas of exploration: the energy transition, sustainability and climate, geopolitics, people and society.If you're a leader asking '#WtfNow?’, this podcast is for you.Systems7 – S7 for short – is an Oslo-based advisory firm that exists to help the businesses that matter to the future outperform the ones that don’t.Follow us around the web: ⁠⁠Website⁠⁠⁠⁠LinkedIn⁠⁠⁠⁠YouTube