If you’re listening to this, you’re probably familiar with the term “net zero,” commonly defined as a state in which greenhouse gases emitted into the atmosphere are balanced out by those removed. But is it that simple – or even true? What’s the role of emissions reductions and offsetting in helping us achieve such a balance? Have humans ever had a net-zero relationship with the climate? In the last episode of our GLF Live mini-series of “climate crash courses,” we’re joined by Kate Dooley,...

There are seemingly endless new reports on how global warming, disastrous weather events and biodiversity loss are happening more quickly than anticipated and slipping further from our control. But just how bad are things? Is there any chance of keeping temperature-rise in check? As countries go through another round of climate negotiations at COP27, are we on a path toward creating a livable future or furthering climate disaster – or are we on any clear path at all? In this in the third...

One of the key topics at this month’s COP27 Climate Change Conference is “loss and damage” – the impacts of climate change that require adaptation or recovery to degrees often falling outside of people’s means. But what does it mean in terms of countries’ negotiations and agreements with one another? Is it a legal liability for those that could be said to have caused climate change the most? How is it different from adaptation or mitigation efforts, and why is it coming into the limelight...

We hear a lot about greenhouse gases, the main culprits of global warming and climate change. But have you ever stopped to think about what a greenhouse gas is at a molecular level? Why do they lead to temperature rise – and some more than others? Are they different from other gases, and if so, how? Once released, can they be re-captured? In the first episode of our GLF Live mini-series of “climate crash courses” – 15-minute lessons on foundational terms and topics we might have overlooked...

Register now for GLF Climate (11–12 November): https://events.globallandscapesforum.org/climate-2022/ From organizing climate strikes to delivering powerful speeches, leading restoration projects and pioneering innovative technologies, the youth generation of today is determined to defend their right to a healthy planet. In this episode, originally aired in July 2021 in collaboration with the Youth in Landscapes Initiative, we hear from three environmental activists around the world...

Young people all over the world are organizing climate strikes, leading restoration projects, joining learning programs and trailblazing with innovative technologies to address climate change. Yet these activists are also adamant that every action taken should also work toward another goal: universal climate justice. But what does climate justice really mean in practice? And how can its pursuit be inclusive of everyone, everywhere? Originally aired in November 2021 in collaboration with the...

In 1989, the term “intersectionality” was coined to account for how social identifiers – age, gender, ethnicity, class and so on – fuel discrimination and privilege in an interconnected, domino-like fashion rather than piecemeal. But now, given the undeniable relationship between environmental health and vulnerability levels, it’s clear that planetary factors must be taken into account, too. Activism around climate change and social justice are increasingly interwoven, giving rise to the...

Human activity has degraded the planet and its ecosystems for centuries, resulting in runaway climate change, the mass extinction of species, and now a global pandemic. With the world at the brink, young people are now inheriting catastrophes that stem from the profligacy of their ancestors. Yet there is a growing global youth climate movement that refuses to be victims of their fate and is pushing to implement their own solutions. Young leaders, including students and young professionals,...

It’s not just the tangible future that climate change affects; it’s also the imagined, which has the longest and darkest horizon in the minds of young people who can’t help but fear how they’ll eat, drink, breathe and live on a planet that’s headed in the direction it is now. Yes: children and youth worldwide are living in an age of ‘eco-anxiety’ – a term Oxford Dictionaries shortlisted as 2019’s Word of the Year (losing out to ‘climate emergency’ instead) – and it’s affecting their mental...

Nearly all humans, in some form or fashion, use wild species in their daily lives. From food to energy, industry, furniture, infrastructure, apparel and simple enjoyment outdoors, wild species underpin our health, wealth and overall way of life. And yet, our unsustainable use of nature is one of the main drivers casting an omen of extinction onto some 1 million forms of wildlife. In July 2022, the Intergovernmental Science Policy Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services (IPBES), the...

In the digital age, when we are bombarded by media and competing narratives from all directions, awareness is key. Are we passive or active in what stories we consume? How well-versed are we in the digital lexicon, and what does this mean for our position in society? How does today’s media foster relationships, and between whom? In this episode, which originally aired at the GLF Bonn 2020 Digital Conference in June 2020, we spoke with Douglas Rushkoff, a leading thinker and explorer of the...

Our understanding of reality is science, and so science shapes our reality. Facts, research and evidence are ideally the foundations of how consequential decisions are made in policy, business and institutions, but also in households, relationships and one’s own life. Now, what role is science playing in creating a true narrative during crises such as COVID-19 and climate change? And vice versa: how are crises affecting science’s narrative and public trust? In this timeless episode,...

For a number of reasons – climate change, the war in Ukraine, and the COVID-19 pandemic to name a few – large parts of Africa are facing famine. This probably doesn’t seem surprising, as we often hear narratives of African nations struggling to eat. But when taking a step back, this shouldn’t make such sense. Some of the world’s most nutritious and abundant crops are native to African soil, crops that people in other parts of the world call ‘superfoods’ and ‘miracle grains.’ So, why don’t...

Consider the immensity of Africa’s powers – of its energy sources, rising generations of youth, biodiversity and landscapes, birthplaces of cultures and religions and philosophies. And now, consider the common narratives on Africa – that it’s impoverished, in conflict, drought- and famine-stricken, a country. Why is it that the way Africa is portrayed in global media and discourse is so different from the realities of its 54 nations? Why is it that it’s more common to hear about what its...

In the summer of 2020, the Black Lives Matter movement swept the globe with demands for racial equity. What does racism have to do with climate change and the environment? For starters, the world’s poorest countries, which have contributed the least to climate change, are among the worst affected by it. Indigenous lands are constantly threatened by the expansion of industry, lack of rights, and even conservation and restoration efforts conducted without proper inclusion. In the U.S., people...

Last year, the UN’s Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) released its Sixth Assessment Report, featuring inputs from more than 700 experts from around the world. Over a third of the report’s co-authors were women, a higher percentage than ever before. According to the UNESCO Institute for Statistics, women account for less than 30% of all researchers globally. From career progression to publishing to salaries, there are sizable gaps between men and women in science – which is why...

On International Women’s Day (8 March) each year, we honor 16 women who are combating the climate crisis and restoring the Earth through science, finance, policymaking, art, activism, Indigenous rights, and many other professions and passions. In this episode, we speak with three women honored in our 2022 list: Musonda Mumba, director for The Rome Centre for Sustainable Development of the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP); Katharine Hayhoe, a prolific writer and chief scientist at...

Like many previous pandemics, the COVID-19 pandemic most likely started when a new coronavirus crossed over from wildlife to humans. Unfortunately, our destruction of the planet is causing new disease outbreaks, and we can expect many more pandemics to come unless we change our ways and build a more harmonious relationship with nature. This week’s episode is a throwback to April 2020, when we spoke with two top experts on the spread of zoonotic diseases about how biodiversity loss causes...

Forests can help us solve the climate, hunger and cost of living crises, but they’re rapidly vanishing just when we need them the most. Just under a third of the planet is forested, but that figure is diminishing by around 10 million hectares each year. Not only does deforestation put most of the world’s mammal, bird and amphibian species under threat, but it’s also releasing vast amounts of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere and putting us at greater risk of another pandemic. In this...

In this episode, we discuss some of the world’s most remote communities: the isolated peoples of the Amazon rainforest. Most of the Amazon’s some 400 Indigenous groups have made contact with the outside world over the course of the past five centuries, but a rare few remain off the map, living in almost incomprehensible harmony with the rainforest. Yet the expansion of human activity in the Amazon puts these groups at risk of annihilation, threatening not only the survival of their peoples...

The COVID-19 pandemic is just the latest in a long line of pandemics that started with a virus spilling over from animals to humans. But what if we could make this pandemic the last – by identifying all of the world’s viruses before they pose a threat? One project aims to do just that. The Global Virome Project, a global leader in pandemic research, has estimated that all future viral threats could be identified at a cost of around USD 4 billion. But where should this funding come from, and...

According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture, Ukraine produces about 10% of global wheat exports and 14% of corn exports, in addition to about half of all sunflower oil and a substantial amount of barley and fertilizers. Due to the Russian invasion, much of these supplies are now trapped in both countries, driving up food prices and upending our global food system. This episode, originally aired live in March 2022, brought in leading food expert and GAIN executive director Lawrence Haddad...