Your Brain On Climate

Dave Powell
  • 5.0 (7)
  • Earth Sciences
  • Updated Fortnightly

A show about climate change and climate psychology. But sideways. Explore human brains doing amazing or awful things, learn why, then see what it means for the planet. 

  1. 1 hr ago

    What Lies Beneath, with Renée Lertzman

    You're a mature, rational adult who can face massive, existential problems head-on, right? Or is your brain more like a medieval dungeon: a deep dark place in which you chuck things you don't want to think about, and throw away the key? Uh-oh.  My guest on this episode, the esteemed psychologist, TED talker and author Dr Renée Lertzman, thinks it's the latter - and she thinks it's about time you got them complex thoughts out.   Renée tells me why most traditional climate chat is more likely to cause us to shut down than authentically connect with how we feel about climate change (and all the rest of it). She draws from the worlds of therapy and trauma management to urge us all to be guides, not lecturers - and to help others to dig into what lies beneath.  Let me know your thoughts on the show - hello@yourbrainonclimate.com. Please rate, review and subscribe, and share the show on socials. And do consider chucking this humble indie podcaster a few quid at www.patreon.com/yourbrainonclimate.  Owl noises = references below. 18:14 - Psychosocial research = how our inner worlds relate to our social lives. 22:23 - Marshall Alcorn's Resistance to Learning.  24:49 - A Substack from Renée, including on how naming complex truths makes our immune system work better. 32:50 - Lisa Feldman Barrett's amazing work on how emotions work. 37:30 - A fascinating long read/listen on accompaniment.  44:56 - Another of Renée's Substacks, this time on the three As. Your Brain on Climate is a show about human brains vs the climate crisis. It's  hosted and produced by me, Dave Powell. You can follow the show on instagram @yourbrainonclimate, and I occasionally put up a Substack.  YBOC theme music and iterations thereof, by me. Thanks as always to Ruth Everett for the voices. Show logo by Arthur Stovell at https://mondial-studio.com/.

  2. 2 Aug

    The Psychology of Flying

    Why do people who care about climate change still jet off on planes (including, occasionally, me?) This is an excerpt of me attempting to answer that surprisingly complicated question on Joel Walker's Look Near First podcast - where Joel asked me all about the psychology and culture of flying.  How come despite knowing about climate change, and the damage aviation causes, those who fly keep on doing so - even if they're ostensibly really concerned about the planet? And if facts don't do it, what might persuade said people to holiday closer to home? I have a go at marshalling everything this show has taught me about human brains and how they work.   It was a pleasure to be invited on Look Near First. Here's a link to the full episode of my chat with Joel, and I commend his show to you in the highest terms.  Joel appeared on Your Brain on Climate a few episodes back telling me his story - the pilot who quit because of his climate anxiety.  Please do consider chipping in a couple of quid over at http://www.patreon.com/yourbrainonclimate. And a written review would be ace. Please thank you please.  The show is hosted and produced by me, Dave Powell. The show is over on Instagram at @yourbrainonclimate.  YBOC theme music and iterations thereof, by me.  Show logo by Arthur Stovell at www.designbymondial.com.

  3. 17 July

    The War on Net Zero, with Becca Massey-Chase

    For most of the last two decades, the right of UK politics were all for climate action. Heck, in 2019 a Conservative Prime Minister signed us up to net zero emissions by 2050!  But a few short years later both of the two major parties on the right are now very much against 'net "stupid" zero', and everything they think that means.  What's going on? What are they trying to do? And - will it work?  I'm joined by Becca Massey-Chase, Head of Citizen Engagement at the Institute for Public Policy Research (IPPR).  Becca tells me the different attack lines that the right are using against net zero - whether they are persuasive to the average person, and what deeper stories they're tapping into.  We discuss why the right has done such a reverse ferret on climate change, after decades of broad consensus - and how much of it is cynical politics vs sincerely held worldviews.  And I ask: if some people's views about climate action can really shift that quickly - what does that reveal about how firmly any of us really believe what we think we believe about it?  You can find Becca's brilliant report here.   Let me know your thoughts on the show - hello@yourbrainonclimate.com. Please rate, review and subscribe, and share the show on socials. And do consider chucking this humble indie podcaster a few quid at www.patreon.com/yourbrainonclimate.  Owl noises = references below. 21:34: Political identity guides climate belief. 22:14: Motivated reasoning. 30:00. Becca's research (again). 40.04: Janan Ganesh's vibes theory of politics (paywalled alas)43.06: A brilliant piece from Climate Barometer about climate salience. Your Brain on Climate is a show about human brains vs the climate crisis. It's  hosted and produced by me, Dave Powell. You can follow the show on instagram @yourbrainonclimate, and I occasionally put up a Substack.  YBOC theme music and iterations thereof, by me. Thanks as always to Ruth Everett for the voices. Show logo by Arthur Stovell at https://mondial-studio.com/.

  4. 3 July

    Thick Description

    If you've ever caught yourself writing off a  group of people with a simple and dismissive description of why they do what they do - or been thusly written off yourself - then you'll be familiar with 'thin description'. It's a bad way to learn what makes someone tick and probably annoys them as well. So instead, here's the idea of 'thick description': properly spending time with people to understand their complex inner lives and what they really think about things, including climate change.  In this Micro episode, I revisit my chat from 2025 with anthropologist Karl Dudman. Karl's  inspiring work with the Trump-voting yet climate-threatened communities of Down East is description that is beautifully, nourishingly, and enlightenlingly thick.  I also mention my appearance on the Look Near First podcast, talking about the psychology of flying and aviation. Check that out here.  Please do consider chipping in a couple of quid over at http://www.patreon.com/yourbrainonclimate. And a written review would be ace. Please thank you please.  The show is hosted and produced by me, Dave Powell. The show is over on Instagram at @yourbrainonclimate.  YBOC theme music and iterations thereof, by me.  Show logo by Arthur Stovell at www.designbymondial.com.

  5. 13 June

    The Activist Script, with Anthea Lawson

    I am good. I protest. I save people. I must save the world - now.  If this even slightly feels like something you've told yourself, then this episode is for you.  Author and campaigner Anthea Lawson's brilliant new book is called How Not To Save The World. It's about the 'script' that activists - including her - tell ourselves, often without realising it. From this script, which can come from deep cultural and psychological places, comes many things that aren't much help - like burnout, the excusing of bad behaviour, and pushing people away rather than persuading them.  Instead Anthea's got a new recipe for change-making which is better for the activists, and better for the world.  I loved Anthea's book and, as will become abundantly clear, it spoke to me good and proper. If you've ever wrestled with how to be a good activist, I commend it, and this chat, to you in the highest terms.  Let me know your thoughts on the show - hello@yourbrainonclimate.com. Please rate, review and subscribe, and share the show on socials. And do consider chucking this humble indie podcaster a few quid at www.patreon.com/yourbrainonclimate.  Owl noises = references below. 01:19: the episode of Sustainababble in which I talked about why I quit.  16:47: here's Wikipedia explaining (using too many long words in my opinion) the Cartesian divide.20:44: a great article about Jung's idea of the shadow.  24:46: What's the amygdala? 39:03: More in Common's deep dive into Progressive Activists.40:00: My interview with Deborah Prentice about pluralistic ignorance.  Your Brain on Climate is a show about human brains vs the climate crisis. It's  hosted and produced by me, Dave Powell. You can follow the show on instagram @yourbrainonclimate, and I occasionally put up a Substack.  YBOC theme music and iterations thereof, by me. Thanks as always to Ruth Everett for the voices. Show logo by Arthur Stovell at https://mondial-studio.com/.

  6. 1 June

    In Praise of Being Bored

    When's the last time you were bored? Thanks to our phones, it's easier than ever to be distracted, stimulated, and fed attention calories of varying quality so you never have to worry about being bored again. But what do we miss when we live life without giving ourselves time not to do anything at all?  In this Micro episode, I revisit my chat from 2024 with broadcaster Simon Mundie, remembering what Simon told me about how much about the natural world - good and bad - we can notice and experience if we put away our phones for a bit.  Please do consider chipping in a couple of quid over at http://www.patreon.com/yourbrainonclimate. And a written review would be ace. Please thank you please.  The show is hosted and produced by me, Dave Powell. The show is over on Instagram at @yourbrainonclimate.  YBOC theme music and iterations thereof, by me.  Show logo by Arthur Stovell at www.designbymondial.com.

  7. 13 May

    The Pilot who Quit for the Climate, with Joel Walker

    In this episode I go for a walk in the woods with a former airline pilot who packed it in because of his climate anxiety. Joel Walker flew for years but could never quite ignore the state of the planet - like the forest fires and melting glaciers he could see from his cockpit. Eventually, in 2025, the cognitive dissonance got too much and Joel left flying forever.   As we natter through the trees not far from Luton Airport, Joel tells me what it feels like to walk away from a prestigious career he'd trained for for years, because he could no longer bear what it was doing to the world. He tells me about the culture of being a pilot, the ruthless logic of aviation expansion, and what he's learned about how to live a more fulfilling life from his rollercoaster journey.  Joel is funny, kind and quietly inspiring. This is a fascinating chat with a man who has grappled hard with things we all face at some point. How to take big decisions when your values are telling you to do one thing, but your identity (and salary!) is built around doing something else. And what happens when you can no longer look away from how entangled you are with the climate crisis - whether you're an airline pilot or not.  Let me know your thoughts on the show - hello@yourbrainonclimate.com. Please rate, review and subscribe, and share the show on socials. And do consider chucking this humble indie podcaster a few quid at www.patreon.com/yourbrainonclimate.  Owl noises = references below. One additional last-minute reference: for more on 'sustainable' aviation and if it's possible, check out the latest Outrage and Optimism.   21:34 - the Jeavons Paradox explained. 24:23 - the Safe Landing group. 34:31 - the overview effect: what seeing Earth from space does to you. 37:36 - more about how contrails increase the warming effect.  38:56 - slightly old stat, but 70% of flights taken by 15% of people is here. 41:33 - extreme day trips. 52:23 - my chat with Geoff Beattie about climate anxiety. 57:00 -  Look Near First, Joel's new thing. 58:08 - Joel profiled in the Times. The show is hosted and produced by me, Dave Powell. You can follow the show on instagram @yourbrainonclimate, and I occasionally put up a Substack.  YBOC theme music and iterations thereof, by me. Thanks as always to Ruth Everett for the voices. Show logo by Arthur Stovell at https://mondial-studio.com/.

  8. 1 May

    Discounting the Future

    Would you rather have a fiver today or a tenner this time next year? That kind of calculation is called 'discounting', and the more you'd rather have the fiver today, the more you are discounting the future.  Humans are hardwired to lean towards getting things now, unless the deal is sufficiently sweet.  That preference makes sense when you evolved to not know where your next antelope was coming from. But our bias towards discounting the future is one of the reasons we haven't done enough about climate change. So.... we'd better learn to hack it.   On this Micro episode, I revisit my chat from 2023 with cognitive scientist Adam Bulley. We chatted then all about foresight; the brain's amazing ability to jump forward (and backward in time) to make calculations about what to do today - and how it's a deeply imperfect but very human part of what made us the species we are today.  OWL at 3:00: here's more about economic discounting.  Please do consider chipping in a couple of quid over at http://www.patreon.com/yourbrainonclimate. And a written review would be ace. Please thank you please.  The show is hosted and produced by me, Dave Powell. The show is over on Instagram at @yourbrainonclimate.  YBOC theme music and iterations thereof, by me.  Show logo by Arthur Stovell at www.designbymondial.com.

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About

A show about climate change and climate psychology. But sideways. Explore human brains doing amazing or awful things, learn why, then see what it means for the planet. 

Information

  • Creator
    Dave Powell
  • Years Active
    2021 - 2026
  • Episodes
    73
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © 2026 Your Brain On Climate
  • Show Website
    Your Brain On Climate

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