Climate Unf*cked

Rob Cooper
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  • Earth Sciences

"How can we unf*ck our climate and planet" is what I'm asking leaders, decision-makers, entrepreneurs, activists, policy-makers and doers taking action for our climate and planet.

  1. Does laughing about the end of the world help? Stuart Goldsmith & Professor Lauren Feldman

    2d ago ·  Video

    Does laughing about the end of the world help? Stuart Goldsmith & Professor Lauren Feldman

    Stuart Goldsmith is a stand-up comedian with 20 years of experience who's spent the last five years doing something almost no other comic attempts: making audiences laugh about the climate crisis. Professor Lauren Feldman teaches Media and Climate Change at Rutgers University, where her students regularly bring in clips of Stuart's work to dissect in class. She's the co-author of A Comedian and an Activist Walk into a Bar: The Serious Role of Comedy in Social Justice, and her research unpacks why comedy is one of the most powerful tools we have for breaking through climate denial, fear, and apathy. This conversation explores why it's so hard to make people laugh about something that genuinely terrifies you, why comedy works when facts and fear don't, and why the brand of climate action is so catastrophically bad that we desperately need comedians to fix it. We talk about the psychology of counter-arguing, why charged information shuts down the prefrontal cortex, and how comedy creates a kind of social lubricant that lets unpalatable truths slip past our defenses. Stuart explains why he had to convince himself not to cry on stage, why his climate confessions format helps people admit their hypocrisy without shame, and why he's trying to write the perfect joke about how activists are the only professionals not allowed to fly. Lauren shares research showing that comedy increases engagement, makes messages more memorable, and helps people feel less alone in their climate anxiety. We also talk about why partisan comedy backfires with skeptical audiences, why the tabloid press treated Britain's hottest May on record like a beach party, and why Stuart believes the more you learn about climate change, the less paralyzed you feel. —— Find Stuart's work and UK tour dates at stuartgoldsmith.com Find Lauren's book A Comedian and an Activist Walk into a Bar on Amazon and University of California Press Subscribe to the Climate Unf*cked podcast at https://climateunfucked.substack.com/ And connect with me on LinkedIn at: https://www.linkedin.com/in/rob-coop/ —— Chapters 00:00 Lauren studies Stuart's work 01:53 Is it odd to make people laugh about something that scares you? 04:18 What emotion should comedy target? 05:59 Comedy as a social lubricant 08:23 Why learning more makes you less scared 11:40 The brand of climate is terrible 13:44 Lauren's research: nonpartisan vs partisan comedy 17:39 Does comedy break down barriers better than other mediums? 20:11 How comedy reduces counter-arguing 23:43 Jokes as compressed files 24:38 The hypocrisy bit: flying to a climate conference 26:27 Do you lean into virtue signalling or stay away? 29:02 Climate confessions and why they work 33:05 Does shaming change behaviour? 35:44 Disrupting the doomism narrative 39:33 Does it work differently online? 45:16 The heatwave and making the invisible visible 48:48 Arthur's Seat caught fire: complexity in comedy 50:16 Talking about effects vs causes 51:34 The Joint Intelligence Committee report on biodiversity 54:52 Your phones are fine, everyone else's have slave minerals 56:17 If you had a billboard, what would it say? 1:03:09 The joke Stuart wishes he could write 1:06:51 Personal action as background work, not the solution 1:09:58 Where to find Stuart and Lauren's work

    1h 12m

  2. Jun 8 ·  Video

    Why you’ve heard of recycling but not…

    Check out the UK's most trusted climate action platform, Ecologi at: https://tinyurl.com/kfswnxth Vojtech Vosecky is one of the world's leading voices on the circular economy, with nearly a quarter of a million people following his work on LinkedIn. He's an environmental engineer who's spent over a decade working inside the European Parliament, advising governments, training over 350 circular economy professionals, and building a global community of changemakers across 20 cities from Barcelona to Melbourne. His mission is simple: turn as many people as possible into circular economists, because he believes that's where the exponential impact lies in unfucking our climate. This conversation unpacks why 90% of people think climate change is only about energy when the other half of the coin is resources. We dive into what the circular economy actually is, why nature has always been circular, and why recycling is the worst of all the good options we have. Vojtech explains why 45% of global emissions come from how we make, use, and waste stuff, and why the plastic bottle you drink from in 30 seconds represents months of materials, fossil fuels, and energy that's lost the moment you throw it away. This is a masterclass in rethinking waste, rethinking consumption, and rethinking what it means to be a changemaker instead of a consumer. —— This podcast is sponsored by Ecologi, the UK's most trusted climate action platform. They help businesses reduce their emissions, restore our planet and report their progress for every step of their climate journey. Check them out here: https://tinyurl.com/kfswnxth —— Find Vojtech on LinkedIn and learn more about his circular economy training program: https://www.linkedin.com/in/vojtechvosecky/ Subscribe to the Climate Unf*cked podcast at https://climateunfucked.substack.com/ And connect with me on LinkedIn at: https://www.linkedin.com/in/rob-coop/ —— Chapters 00:00 What is the circular economy? 06:30 Linear vs circular: the plastic bottle example 12:15 Why climate isn't just about energy 18:40 The problem with the carbon footprint 24:50 Individual action vs systemic change 30:20 Building a community of circular economists 36:45 Which sectors need circularity most? 42:10 Gothenburg's housing crisis solved without building 48:30 How Philips pivoted from selling to leasing light 54:00 The 9 circular business models explained 1:02:15 Why 40% of food is wasted before it's eaten 1:08:40 Designing waste out of the system 1:14:20 What individuals can actually do 1:20:30 Stop being a consumer, start being a changemaker

    1 hr

  3. May 26 ·  Video

    How Much Europe’s Energy Dependence Costs You | Aurélie Maréchal, Postive Money Europe Director

    Check out the UK's most trusted climate action platform, Ecologi at: https://tinyurl.com/kfswnxth Aurélie Maréchal is the Director of Positive Money Europe, an organisation working to reform the economic system so that it works for people and the planet. She's spent 15 years inside the European policy machine, watching the Green Deal go from a fringe idea to the headline of the European Commission, and then watching it disappear from political discourse entirely in just five years. She now spends her time showing policymakers, central banks, and businesses why the way we handle money, interest rates, and investment is one of the most powerful climate levers we're not using properly. This conversation unpacks the relationship between climate and economics that almost nobody explains clearly: why fossil fuels drive inflation, why raising interest rates to fight that inflation actually makes renewable energy harder to finance, and why the European Central Bank's standard playbook is accidentally locking us into the very system we're trying to escape. We talk about fossil inflation and climate inflation, why renewable energy projects are more sensitive to interest rate changes than fossil fuel infrastructure, and why the Green Deal went from mainstream policy to politically toxic in the space of two election cycles. Aurélie also shares what it's like working as an insider in Brussels, why lobbying isn't a dirty word but power imbalances make it dangerous, and why the arguments that work today aren't about saving the planet, they're about sovereignty, security, and competitiveness. —— This podcast is sponsored by Ecologi, the UK's most trusted climate action platform. They help businesses reduce their emissions, restore our planet and report their progress for every step of their climate journey. Check them out here: https://tinyurl.com/kfswnxth —— Find Positive Money at: https://positivemoney.org Follow Positive Money Europe on LinkedIn, Facebook, Bluesky, and TikTok Subscribe to the Climate Unf*cked podcast at https://climateunfucked.substack.com/ And connect with me on LinkedIn at: https://www.linkedin.com/in/rob-coop/ —— Chapters 00:00 Why are we talking about money? 06:30 What is monetary policy? 12:45 What is fossil inflation and climateflation? 18:20 Why raising interest rates makes renewables harder to finance 24:10 Evidence that renewables reduce electricity prices 29:40 The rise and fall of the Green Deal 35:50 Why climate arguments don't work anymore 41:15 The insider/outsider strategy 47:30 How lobbying actually works 54:00 What can you do after this episode?

    1h 5m

  4. May 12 ·  Video

    UN Advisor: How Al-Shabaab Is Weaponising Climate Change | Christophe Hodder

    Check out the UK's most trusted climate action platform, Ecologi at: https://tinyurl.com/kfswnxth Christophe Hodder is the world's first UN-appointed Climate Peace and Security Advisor, working in Somalia, the 5th most climate-vulnerable country on Earth. He's spent six years on the frontlines of where climate breakdown meets armed conflict, helping communities navigate droughts, floods, displacement, and violence in a country that contributes just 0.08% of global emissions but bears some of the heaviest consequences. This conversation goes deep into what climate insecurity actually looks like on the ground: two goat herders fighting over shrinking grazing land, clans feuding over water access, young men with guns caught in cycles of violence made worse by collapsing ecosystems. Christophe explains why climate change doesn't directly cause conflict, but it intensifies every existing tension, and why restoring land, building trust between communities, and creating economic opportunities are all part of the same solution. We also talk about what climate finance pays for when it's done right, how Al-Shabab uses resource control as a weapon, and how the instability happening in Somalia can eventually show up on Britain's doorstep through migration, terrorism, and disrupted global trade. —— This podcast is sponsored by Ecologi, the UK's most trusted climate action platform. They help businesses reduce their emissions, restore our planet and report their progress for every step of their climate journey. Check them out here: https://tinyurl.com/kfswnxth —— Find out more about the UN Climate Security Mechanism and follow Chris on LinkedIn Subscribe to the Climate Unf*cked podcast at https://climateunfucked.substack.com/ And connect with me on LinkedIn at: https://www.linkedin.com/in/rob-coop/ —— Chapters 00:00 What is a Climate Peace and Security Advisor? 04:15 How climate impacts show up as violence on the ground 08:45 Somalia's conflict context and why it matters 13:20 How drought and flooding drive resource competition 18:10 The Mataban project: building trust between clans 24:30 Somalia's first £100 million in climate finance 29:50 How Al-Shabab exploits resource scarcity 35:15 Why half of Somalia's population is under 30 40:20 Kenya vs Somalia: stable ecosystems vs conflict spirals 46:10 What surprised Chris most in six years 51:30 Success stories: from small trials to big programs 56:45 Why this matters to someone in the UK 1:07:10 What Chris wishes more people would ask 1:10:30 Where to learn more and get involved

    48 min

  5. Apr 27 ·  Video

    The National Security Topic Britain Is Too Scared to Cover | General Richard Nugee CB CVO CBE

    Check out the UK's most trusted climate action platform, Ecologi at: https://tinyurl.com/kfswnxth General Richard Nugee CB CVO CBE spent 35 years in the British military, rising to the executive committee of defence. He's now one of the most important voices connecting climate change to national security, arguing that the biggest threats to Britain aren't just missiles and tanks, but water scarcity, food system collapse, migration flows, and the geopolitical contests opening up in a melting Arctic. This conversation was recorded twice. The first time was on the day the Iran war started. Given that Richard's expertise sits at the intersection of conflict, energy security, and climate, we decided to re-record a few weeks later to capture how the war has changed the global energy landscape and what it means for the UK's climate and security strategy going forward. We talk about why national security is much more than defence spending, why the Straits of Hormuz closing should terrify anyone who cares about food or fuel, and why building renewable energy isn't just good for the planet, it's one of the smartest military strategies we could deploy. Richard also explains why electric tanks are a stupid idea, why biodiversity loss is the crisis nobody's talking about, and why pragmatic optimism is the only mindset that works when facing a problem this big. —— This podcast is sponsored by Ecologi, the UK's most trusted climate action platform. They help businesses reduce their emissions, restore our planet and report their progress for every step of their climate journey. Check them out here: https://tinyurl.com/kfswnxth —— Subscribe to the Climate Unf*cked podcast at https://climateunfucked.substack.com/ And connect with me on LinkedIn at: https://www.linkedin.com/in/rob-coop/ —— 00:59 Impact of Iran War 05:34 Will the war speed up renewables? 09:18 Africa's hidden fertilizer crisis 12:08 Defence spending vs the green transition 18:52 What national security actually means 20:49 Food, water and energy are already under threat 23:37 The 5 types of climate security 25:35 The Arctic: a new geopolitical battleground 26:58 Migration is where the rubber hits the road 43:49 Biodiversity: the dog that hasn't barked 50:00 Iraq, heat and a military turning point 56:15 How do you make the military care about climate? 1:02:46 The company that proved sustainability is cheaper 1:11:20 Why electric tanks is the wrong question 1:14:45 $250 a litre: fuel cost soldiers' lives 1:19:49 The UK port responsible for 25% of our energy 1:25:54 Pragmatic optimism: the military mindset 1:31:01 "UK is only 2%" — Richard's answer 1:39:20 Hope and opportunity: what to take away

    2h 22m

  6. Apr 13 ·  Video

    Climate YouTuber: Lies might be winning. But there's good news. | Dr Simon Clark (4K)

    Check out the UK's most trusted climate action platform, Ecologi at: https://tinyurl.com/kfswnxth Dr Simon Clark is a climate YouTuber with 720,000+ subscribers who's spent 15 years translating climate science for audiences who didn't know they needed it. He's a physicist by training, a communicator by choice, and someone who's watched misinformation campaigns evolve from fringe conspiracy theories into sophisticated, well-funded operations that now shape how millions of people understand the climate crisis. This conversation goes deep into why lies are winning, why the truth resists simplicity, and why the platforms we rely on to spread information are fundamentally designed to reward the wrong things. We also talk about what's actually working when it comes to UK climate policy, why Ed Miliband might be the most underrated figure in British politics right now, and why Simon thinks the Iran crisis could be Asia's Ukraine moment for clean energy. We cover: Why climate misinformation is so successful: it's simple, it fits social media, and it tells people what they want to hear The fundamental shift from debunking to pre-bunking, and why signal-boosting bad arguments by responding to them is a trap Why food misinformation has escaped scrutiny in a way fossil fuels haven't, and how Big Tobacco's playbook was inherited by the food industry The conditions that created the misinformation crisis: a deficit in media literacy, platforms designed to reward sensationalism, and billionaires buying up media to control the algorithm Why democratic oversight of discovery algorithms is one of the most important climate conversations we're not having Trojan Horse videos: how Simon packages climate content to look like skeptic material, then pulls the rug two minutes in to reach people outside the choir Why the UK has reduced domestic emissions by over 50% since 1990, and why almost nobody knows that Simon's honest assessment of the UK government's climate policy: energy gets four stars out of five, nature and biodiversity gets two Why Ed Miliband knows his stuff, why carbon capture isn't as stupid as people think, and why the decision not to introduce zonal pricing was actually defensible The Iran crisis as a potential turning point: why this could be Asia's Ukraine moment for renewables, and why it's extraordinary good fortune that the world's largest emitter is also the country building all the clean technology Why Trump might go down in history as the president who accidentally accelerated the energy transition by creating an oil crisis The balance between hope and despair, why Simon hates being asked that question, and why the only way to guarantee we don't make it is by stopping —— This podcast is sponsored by Ecologi, the UK's most trusted climate action platform. They help businesses reduce their emissions, restore our planet and report their progress for every step of their climate journey. Check them out here: https://tinyurl.com/kfswnxth —— Find Simon's work at www.youtube.com/@SimonClark Subscribe to the Climate Unf*cked podcast at https://climateunfucked.substack.com/ And connect with me on LinkedIn at: https://www.linkedin.com/in/rob-coop/ —— Chapters 00:00 Why is climate misinformation so successful? 08:30 How do you tackle it? 15:42 Food misinformation and the Big Tobacco playbook 23:15 What conditions created the misinformation? 32:40 Should algorithms have oversight? 38:20 Using a Trojan Horse to break out the echo chamber 47:15 The UK’s climate wins most people don’t realise 54:30 How well is the UK gov. really doing? 1:06:20 Carbon capture, zonal pricing, and Ed Miliband 1:18:45 The Iran crisis as Asia's Ukraine moment 1:27:30 Why Trump might accidentally accelerate the transition 1:35:10 The hypothetical video with £100,000 1:42:50 Hope, despair, and why stopping guarantees failure

    1h 30m

  7. Mar 31 ·  Video

    The Formula For Making ANYONE Care About Climate | Phil Korbel, Carbon Literacy Project

    Check out the UK's most trusted climate action platform, Ecologi at: https://tinyurl.com/kfswnxth This is a slightly different ep. The first ½ is a more traditional podcast chat. But the 2nd ½ is me putting Phil to the test by roleplaying as 4 different people: A secondary school teacher, a middle-class retiree, a young professional and a right-wing politician Phil Korbel is the co-founder of the Carbon Literacy Project, a Manchester-based charity that has trained over 153,000 people across 50 countries in climate action. Starting from a shared desk with no salary and a big idea, Phil and his co-founder Dave Coleman have built one of the most powerful climate education movements in the world - reaching everyone from security guards to IPCC scientists, wedding planners to funeral directors. We cover: Why recycling is near the bottom of the list, and what actually moves the needle The Carbon Literacy formula: how does acting on climate help you thrive in your specific role? Why polar bears are banned from Phil's training (and what that says about climate communication) The emotional structure of a carbon literacy day and why doom without agency is dangerous How 153,000 people got trained mostly through word of mouth Why professional advisors - lawyers, accountants, financial advisors - need to understand climate as a core competency The "Burt the security guard" story that perfectly captures what a culture shift actually looks like How to handle a denier in the room without letting them suck up all the oxygen What Phil says to a right-wing politician who thinks clean energy means living in caves Why anger about climate might be your most useful tool - if you channel it right —— This podcast is sponsored by Ecologi, the UK's most trusted climate action platform. They help businesses reduce their emissions, restore our planet and report their progress for every step of their climate journey. Check them out here: https://tinyurl.com/kfswnxth —— Find out more about the Carbon Literacy Project and get trained at carbonliteracy.com —— Chapters 00:00 Why Phil banned polar bears from carbon literacy training 03:30 What is the Carbon Literacy Project? 09:30 Why does ‘relevance’ matter? 12:40 From a shared desk with no salary to 153,000 people trained 15:42 Why they gave away the IP and became a charity 17:44 What caused the hockey stick growth 20:08 Do you work with high-emitting companies? 22:26 How to handle a denier in the room 25:50 Why doom without agency is dangerous 28:41 Phil’s approach to skeptics 37:02 Role-play 1: The secondary school teacher 46:15 Role-play 2: The middle-class retiree 1:00:26 Role-play 3: The young professional 1:09:32 Role-play 4: The right-wing politician 1:11:05 Energy sovereignty, batteries and the Reform mayor who quietly signed up 1:19:36 The 97 engineers on the bridge

    1h 22m

  8. Mar 17 ·  Video

    Climate Scientist: Why Net Zero 2050 is a Dangerous Delusion | Kevin Anderson

    Check out the UK’s most trusted climate action platform, Ecologi at: https://tinyurl.com/kfswnxth Kevin Anderson is one of the world's leading climate scientists and Professor of Energy and Climate Change at the University of Manchester's Tyndall Centre. A former oil and gas engineer turned academic, he's advised governments across the UK and Wales, worked closely with Greta Thunberg, and spent three decades arguing that the gap between what climate science demands and what policymakers actually do isn't accidental — it's a choice. In this conversation, we get into the raw numbers behind our climate commitments, why the people who know the most tend to say the least, and why Kevin believes the real agents of change aren't the experts or politicians. They're us. We cover: The three numbers everyone needs to understand about climate change Why 1.5°C is almost certainly already gone Why net zero 2050 is a moving goalpost that nobody's updating The academic "delusion" — why experts say one thing on microphones and something very different over a pint Carbon capture, blue hydrogen and SAF How climate change is a continuation of colonialism Why we are absolutely not "all in this together" — and why pretending we are suits exactly the people it should embarrass What he learned fromGreta Thunberg Where hope actually lives (hint: it's not renewable energy stats) —— This podcast is sponsored by Ecologi, the UK's most trusted climate action platform. They help businesses reduce their emissions, restore our planet and report their progress for every step of their climate journey. Check them out here: https://tinyurl.com/kfswnxth —— Find Kevin's writing and talks at climateuncensored.com —— Chapters 00:00 3 things everyone needs to understand about climate 04:50 Why 1.5 degrees is gone 08:21 Should China’s declining emissions be celebrated? 11:11 Why we should talk about impacts, not temperature 13:41 Where is the communication breaking down? 17:06 Why Kevin believes his field has been deliberately dishonest 19:54 What climate models hide 24:24 How do you find the truth when the whole system is delusional? 29:09 What happens when you challenge academics off the record? 32:28 Why Kevin won't spin the cheery yarn 36:50 How does Kevin know Greta Thunberg? 42:19 How is our approach to climate colonial? 47:03 "We are not all in this together" — emissions inequality within the UK 52:56 Private luxury, public squalor — and who's really paying 57:37 The 4.5x gap between high and low income households 1:05:15 If we could start again, how would we talk about climate differently? 1:10:07 What actually gives Kevin hope? 1:16:36 The questions he wishes people would ask 1:17:42 The question he's tired of being asked 1:19:27 What he wants to leave you with 🎙️

    1h 24m
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About

"How can we unf*ck our climate and planet" is what I'm asking leaders, decision-makers, entrepreneurs, activists, policy-makers and doers taking action for our climate and planet.

Information

  • Creator
    Rob Cooper
  • Years Active
    2025 - 2026
  • Episodes
    19
  • Rating
    Explicit
  • Copyright
    © 2026 Rob Cooper
  • Show Website
    Climate Unf*cked

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