Utopia is Now

Xavier Logan-Sievers

Multi-disciplinary conversations with experts about the ecological crisis. Learn more: https://linktr.ee/utopiaisnow

  1. 28.07.2025

    Power is Progress: The Fight for Global Energy Access | Bob Freling

    Bob has been the executive director of the Solar Electric Light Fund (or SELF for short) since 1997. Under his leadership, SELF has installed over 650 solar energy systems in 25 countries, making it one of the world’s leading nongovernmental organizations that designs and implements solar energy-based solutions for those living without access to electricity. An early advocate of access to energy as being essential to achieving the Millennium Development Goals, he is widely considered an authority on the subject of energy poverty. During his tenure he has broadened SELF’s mission and vision to address the broader implications of energy poverty. In 2000, he developed the Whole Village Development Model, an innovative approach for using solar energy to help communities improve their health, education, food and water security, and economic development programs. In 2008, Bob received the King Hussein Leadership Award from Her Majesty Queen Noor. Links______________________ SELF: https://www.self.org/Partner with SELF: https://www.self.org/partner-with-us/Bob's Profile: https://www.linkedin.com/in/bob-freling Timestamps __________________ 0:00 - Introduction 1:12 - What is energy poverty and why is it important? 7:58 - Where is energy poverty most prevalent around the world? 11:08 - How much progress has been made with energy access over the past few decades 14:20 - What does life without electricity look like? 20:02 - What do people use at heat/light sources instead of electricity? 23:08 - The profound consequences of energy poverty 32:40 - Why can’t more communities be connected to the grid? 38:59 - What work does the Solar Electric Light Fund? 44:21 - What are the unexpected benefits of electrification? 47:36 - What is the road ahead for eliminating energy poverty and SELF? 53:20 - Final takeaways

    57 Min.

  2. 13.03.2025

    Misinformation 101: Climate Change Denial and How to Fight Back | Dr. John Cook, PhD

    Introduction Today I am joined by Dr. John Cook. Dr. Cook is a Senior Research Fellow with the Melbourne Centre for Behaviour Change at the University of Melbourne. He obtained his PhD at the University of Western Australia, studying the cognitive psychology of climate science denial. His research focus is understanding and countering misinformation about climate change. In 2007, he founded Skeptical Science, a website which won the 2011 Australian Museum Eureka Prize for the Advancement of Climate Change Knowledge and the 2016 Friend of the Planet Award from the National Center for Science Education. John authored the book Cranky Uncle vs. Climate Change, which combines climate science, critical thinking, and cartoons to explain and counter climate misinformation. He also co-authored the college textbooks Climate Change: Examining the Facts and Climate Change Science: A Modern Synthesis, as well as the book Climate Change Denial: Heads in the Sand. In 2013, he published a paper finding a 97% scientific consensus on human-caused global warming, a finding that has been highlighted by President Obama and UK Prime Minister David Cameron. Links John Cook: https://findanexpert.unimelb.edu.au/profile/1028119-john-cook Cranky Uncle: https://crankyuncle.com/ Skeptical Science: https://skepticalscience.com/ Timestamps 0:00 - Introduction 1:32 - Why can’t we ignore misinformation? 2:50 - What is the difference between misinformation and disinformation? 7:20 - How has climate change denial changed over the past 20 years? 8:46 - Who are the sources of misinformation? 9:41 - Science denial is not a unique challenge 12:55 - Cognitive psychology and its importance in tackling climate change 17:55 - What are the drivers of belief in climate change misinformation? 21:23 - What are the types of climate change misinformation? 28:51 - The persuasiveness of purveyors of misinformation 31:51 - How can we counter misinformation? 42:48 - F.L.I.C.C. - The climate change misinformation taxonomy 43:40 - F - Fake experts 44:41 - L - Logical fallacies 49:37 - I - Impossible expectations 54:50 - C - Cherry-picking 59:55 - C - Conspiracy theories 1:02:28 - Misinformation breakdown - Example 1 1:08:07 - Misinformation breakdown - Example 2 1:11:19 - Misinformation breakdown - Example 3 1:17:22 - Final takeaways

    1 Std. 20 Min.

  3. 27.01.2025

    Carbon Markets 101: A Beginners Guide to Carbon Markets | Dr. Roger Cohen, PhD

    Dr. Roger Cohen is an entrepreneur, focused on addressing climate change through innovative solutions. He leads C2Zero and the Real Carbon Price Index (RCPI), initiatives aimed at reducing carbon emissions. Roger was part of the founding team at BetaShares and has held senior roles at Macquarie Bank, Deutsche Bank, and NatWest. Roger has lectured in risk management to engineering students at the University of Sydney and serves as a senior adviser at the Monash Centre for Financial Studies. A Fulbright Scholar in the USA in 1988, Roger holds a PhD in Mechanical Engineering from the University of Sydney and is a Fellow of the Financial Services Institute of Australia. Links ____________________________________ Roger’s Profile: https://www.linkedin.com/in/portablebeta/ Effectiveness of compliance market mechanisms: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jclepro.2024.143761 Only 20% of emissions are covered by compliance schemes: https://www.realcarbonindex.org/ Less than 16% of carbon credits issued constitute real emission reductions.https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-024-53645-z Corporations creating demand for low-integrity carbon offsets: https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-024-51151-w Renewable energy offsets are no longer considered ‘high integrity’: https://icvcm.org/carbon-credits-from-current-renewable-energy-methodologies-will-not-receive-high-integrity-ccp-label/ Timestamps ____________________________________ 0:00 Intro 1:00 - Consilience and Siloed Thinking 3:55 - A brief overview of carbon markets 18:06 - What are compliance carbon markets? 23:00 - Example 1: Carbon Tax 26:45 - Example 2: Emissions Trading Schemes 34:22 - Are compliance schemes effective at reducing greenhouse gas emissions? 40:00 - Are compliance schemes reducing emissions fast enough? 46:22 - Summary of compliance carbon markets discussion 47:41 - What is the voluntary carbon markets? 49:31 - What are carbon offsets? 54:47 - What is the problem with carbon offsets? 1:04:07 - Do we need carbon offsets? 1:08:57 - Prognosis on the future of carbon markets

    1 Std. 12 Min.

  4. 06.01.2025

    Why Climate Change Divides Us | George Marshall

    George Marshall (born 1964) is a British environmental campaigner, communications specialist and writer. He is the founder of Climate Outreach and is a specialist in climate communication. He is the author of Carbon Detox (2007) and Don't Even Think About It: Why Our Brains Are Wired to Ignore Climate Change (2014). Links ______________________________ Profile: https://uk.linkedin.com/in/climategeorgeIntergroup Conflict Paper: https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1002/ejsp.3127 Conservative vs Socialist Paper: https://theconversation.com/conservative-governments-protect-more-land-while-socialists-and-nationalists-threaten-more-species-236519 Timestamps ______________________________ 0:00 - Introduction 0:22 - Why psychology is critical to mitigating the impact of climate change 9:33 - How can we communicate more effectively on climate change? 14:29 - Can climate change be addressed as a policy issue, rather than a political issue? 22:07 - Building broader political identities to mobilise action on Climate Change 32:38 - The need for trusted messengers 43:00 - How to push beyond political identities to mobilise action? 51:39 - The weaknesses of climate change as a motivator for action

    1 Std. 5 Min.

  5. 03.12.2024

    The Warming World Order: How Climate Change Fuels Geopolitical Risks | Prof. Dhanasree Jayaram, PhD

    Dr. Dhanasree Jayaram is a Senior Assistant Professor at Manipal Academy of Higher Education and serves as the co-coordinator of the Centre for Climate Studies. She specialises in geopolitics and international relations, with a focus on environmental and climate security, climate diplomacy, and environmental geopolitics in Southern Asia, the Indo-Pacific, and polar regions. Dr. Jayaram is the author of Breaking out of the Green House: Indian Leadership in Times of Environmental Change (2012) and Climate Diplomacy and Emerging Economies: India as a Case Study (2021). Links ______________________________ Profile: https://www.manipal.edu/gir/department-faculty/faculty-list/dr--dhanasree-jayaram-ms--ph-d/_jcr_content.html Timestamps ______________________________ 0:00 - Dr Jayaram’s background 6:30 - What is geopolitics, and why does it matter? 11:57 - How do geopolitical and security concerns intersect with climate change? 17:57 - Examples of geopolitics and climate change 25:23 - Geopolitics is an overlooked issue with considerations to climate change 31:44 - What is climate diplomacy? 37:00 - Do we need ‘climate-borders’? 44:45 - Is climate change one of the biggest security risks for countries around the world? 49:19 - Corporations influence on geopolitics 55:20 - Final takeaway

    59 Min.
  6. The Language of Climate Politics | Dr. Genevieve Guenther, PhD

    21.10.2024

    The Language of Climate Politics | Dr. Genevieve Guenther, PhD

    Genevieve Guenther is the founding director of End Climate Silence and affiliate faculty at The New School, where she sits on the board of the Tishman Environment and Design Center. While writing the End Climate Silence newsletter, Dr. Guenther advises NGOs, corporations, and policymakers on fossil-fuel disinformation and climate communication, and she serves as an Expert Reviewer for the United Nations Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change. Her research has appeared in both scholarly journals and media outlets such as Scientific American, The New Republic, and MSNBC, and she has been invited to speak about climate and language to audiences at Duke, Columbia, and Harvard, among other universities. She lives in New York City with her family. Links _______________________ Genevieve Guenther: ⁠https://genevieveguenther.com/ The Book: The Book: https://www.amazon.com.au/Language-Climate-Politics-Fossil-Fuel-Propaganda/dp/0197642233 Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/1hcQAzzFak4ITdykd5XvSX?si=c721b45ebe8e4e7a Instagram/Twitter/Linkedin: ‪@utopiaisnow‬ Timestamps ____________________ 0:00 - Intro 2:40 - How words construct our political imaginations 6:21 - Language is used and abused to influence how we think about the climate crisis 12:27 - Everything we experience is shaped by language 16:29 - The Language of Climate Politics 19:01 - A quick word game - How is the term ‘alarm-ism' being misused? 32:22 -  Facing the climate crisis with courage 35:20 - What language should we use to fight the climate crisis? 40:45 - Closing words

    42 Min.

  7. 29.09.2024

    Misreading Climate Change: An Anthropological Perspective on Bangladesh | Prof. Camelia Dewan, PhD

    Dr Camelia Dewan is an environmental anthropologist focusing on the anthropology of development. She holds a PhD in Social Anthropology and Environment from the University of London (SOAS/Birkbeck) and is an Associate Senior Lecturer in Cultural Anthropology examining the socio-environmental effects of shipbreaking in Bangladesh. Dr Dewan is the author of Misreading the Bengal Delta: Climate Change, Development and Livelihoods in Coastal Bangladesh (University of Washington Press, 2021). Links _______________________ Camelia Dewan: https://www.uu.se/en/contact-and-orga... Spotify: https://spoti.fi/3jkFkD3 Apple Podcast: https://apple.co/3A4PPjZ Google Podcast: https://bit.ly/2SwB9Jr Instagram/Twitter/Linkedin: ‪@utopiaisnow‬ Timestamps ____________________ 0:00 - What does it mean to be an anthropologist? 5:25 - Climate discourse about Bangladesh 13:29 - Climate victimisation and Bangladesh’s environmental history 26:25 - Climate reductionisms in Bangladesh 36:15 - The politics of climate change 47:35 - Parting thoughts 52:22- Key takeaways Credits ____________________ Thumbnail: Headshot Music: A Journey Through The Universe – Lesion X #anthropology #climatechange #bangladesh

    59 Min.

  8. 29.01.2024

    The Social Psychology Behind Climate Change Inaction | Prof. Jeffrey Rotman, PhD

    Dr Jeff Rotman is a Senior Lecturer in the Department of Marketing and co-director of the Better Consumption Lab at Deakin Business School. He is the recipient of the 2021 Vice-Chancellor’s Early Career Researcher Award for Career Excellence. He specialises in research on consumer psychology with a specific focus on the areas of ethics, emotion, and sustainability. Links _______________________ Jeff Rotman: https://www.deakin.edu.au/about-deakin/people/jeffrey-rotman Spotify: https://spoti.fi/3jkFkD3 Apple Podcast: https://apple.co/3A4PPjZ Google Podcast: https://bit.ly/2SwB9Jr Instagram/Twitter/Linkedin: @utopiaisnow Timestamps ____________________ 0:00 - Teaser 1:34 - Our minds handle risk strangely – and that’s partly why we delayed climate action so long 12:46 - What is motivated reasoning and why is it crucial to understand? 22:18 - Group identity and survival 33:07 - Us vs. them morality, selective reasoning, and green beard traits 46:19 - What are the ways we can shift our perception to mitigating climate change? 53:28 - Is shame an effective motivator in mitigating climate change? 1:03:12 - Status seeking as a strategy for encouraging green solutions 1:09:28 - The one marketing insight that everyone should know 1:12:50 - What is Jeff’s Utopia? Credits ____________________ Thumbnail: Headshot Music: A Journey Through The Universe – Lesion X

    1 Std. 16 Min.
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Multi-disciplinary conversations with experts about the ecological crisis. Learn more: https://linktr.ee/utopiaisnow

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    Xavier Logan-Sievers
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