Climate Change Briefing Podcast Hosted By Nick Breeze - ClimateGenn

Nick Breeze

Climate Genn is a leading climate change podcast hosted by Nick Breeze, featuring insightful conversations with scientists, policymakers, activists, and innovators on the frontlines of climate action. Each episode dives deep into the urgent issues shaping our planet’s future — from energy transition and carbon removal to adaptation, biodiversity, and climate justice. Whether you're a policymaker, researcher, or an engaged The podcast is produced by Nick Breeze - find out more at https://genn.cc + https://patreon.com/genncc Please subscribe to the podcast. Thank you, Nick Breeze ClimateGenn

  1. 4d ago

    Bill McGuire: Fossil Fuels, Climate Collapse and The Fate of the World

    Why are governments continuing to support fossil fuel production while climate scientists warn of increasingly dangerous planetary warming? Visit Genn.cc for more interviews Following the UK's decision to approve gas production at the Jackdaw field in the North Sea, Professor Bill McGuire joins Nick Breeze to discuss his book The Fate of the World and the extraordinary changes humanity may face. Bill takes us back millions of years to periods when Earth was considerably warmer, explaining what these ancient climates reveal about the risks of today's rapidly changing atmosphere. The conversation examines Earth's energy imbalance, the possibility of a future hothouse climate, the relationship between capitalism and environmental destruction and three potential pathways for human civilisation. Could escalating climate shocks undermine the global economy? Is geoengineering a dangerous distraction? And how can individuals and communities prepare for an increasingly unstable world? Despite the severity of his warnings, Bill concludes with a message of determination: every effort to limit warming still matters. A GENN conversation with Professor Bill McGuire, hosted by Nick Breeze.

    Bill McGuire: Fossil Fuels, Climate Collapse and The Fate of the World

  2. Oct 13

    Caroline Lucas & Rupert Read: How Can Climate Action Become Popular Again?

    Former Green Party leader Caroline Lucas and Climate Majority Project co-director Rupert Read join Nick Breeze to discuss their new report, Climate Popularism. As climate impacts intensify, why is opposition to climate action growing? And can a new approach focused on living costs, community resilience and democratic participation rebuild public support? We discuss the political backlash against net zero, practical climate solutions already transforming communities, the psychological effects of climate breakdown and how citizens' assemblies could help restore trust and agency. A wide-ranging conversation about moving beyond climate culture wars towards practical action that improves people's lives. Download the report:https://assets.climatemajorityproject.com/Climate%20popularism%20%7C%20Climate%20Majority%20Project.pdf GENN Podcast | Hosted by Nick Breeze

    Caroline Lucas & Rupert Read: How Can Climate Action Become Popular Again?

  3. Sep 25

    Erin Sikorsky: Climate Security, China and the Coming Geoengineering Debate

    Climate change is increasingly being treated not simply as an environmental problem, but as an issue of national security, energy independence, industrial strategy and geopolitics. Fresh from UNGA and Climate Week NYC, climate security analyst Erin Sikorsky joins Nick Breeze to discuss what actually changed during the week. They examine new moves by the UK, EU and Kenya to put climate and ecosystem risks firmly on the security agenda, and why Russia's invasion of Ukraine, the war in Iran and disruption around the Strait of Hormuz have strengthened the strategic case for renewable energy and electrification. But electrification creates its own geopolitical dilemma. With China dominant across important parts of the clean-tech and battery supply chain, Sikorsky discusses how Western governments can reduce fossil-fuel dependency without simply creating a new strategic dependency on China. The conversation also explores climate liability and loss and damage, including Nepal's case and the increasingly difficult question of which countries should pay as the traditional distinction between developed and developing economies becomes harder to sustain. Then they turn to solar geoengineering. Sikorsky explains why SRM is beginning to move beyond its specialist scientific community and into climate-security discussions, and why misunderstanding, mistrust and geopolitical escalation may present risks every bit as important as the underlying technology. Finally, looking towards the developing El Niño, Sikorsky argues that governments have a window in which to prepare for a potentially extraordinary summer — and an opportunity to learn what a warmer future may increasingly look like.

    Erin Sikorsky: Climate Security, China and the Coming Geoengineering Debate

  4. Sep 7

    Extreme Heat, Food & Conflict: The Climate Security Risk | David Spratt

    A food crisis can become a security crisis. In the second part of my conversation with climate analyst David Spratt, we look at what happens when climate disruption, extreme heat, food insecurity and geopolitical tensions begin to interact. The Indo-Pacific is particularly vulnerable. Australia and its neighbours face increasing heat and dryness while the region is already shaped by political and security tensions. David explores how a food and heat crisis could potentially destabilise the wider region — and why governments need to prepare for these risks before they become emergencies. We discuss the need for stronger climate-security intelligence, food stockpiles, resilience, adaptation and disaster preparedness. David also examines the relationship between climate disruption, displacement and political instability, drawing on examples including Syria and the Arab Spring. The conversation also turns to Australia's contradictory climate policy, the vulnerability of Indonesia and the question of whether governments are responding adequately as extreme climate events repeatedly exceed expectations. David's central message is that climate impacts cannot be treated simply as isolated environmental events. They can interact with existing vulnerabilities, creating cascading consequences across food systems, societies and national security. In this episode: • How a food and heat crisis could become a security crisis• Why the Indo-Pacific is particularly vulnerable• Australia, China and a contested Pacific• The need for climate-security intelligence• Why governments need to prepare before crises arrive• Food insecurity, migration and political instability• Lessons from Syria and the Arab Spring• Indonesia's vulnerability to climate disruption• Australia's contradictory climate and energy policy• Why extreme climate events are repeatedly exceeding expectations• Resilience, adaptation and disaster preparedness• An El Niño with no historical analogue David Spratt is a climate analyst and researcher with the Australian Security Leaders Climate Group. This conversation explores a plausible risk scenario, not a prediction. Part 1: War, Fertiliser & El Niño: A Recipe for Food Crisis?

    Extreme Heat, Food & Conflict: The Climate Security Risk | David Spratt

  5. Sep 4

    The Next Food Crisis? War, Fertiliser & El Niño | David Spratt

    What happens when war, fertiliser shortages, extreme heat and El Niño collide? In this episode of ClimateGen, Nick Breeze speaks with climate analyst David Spratt about a potentially dangerous food-security crisis unfolding across the Indo-Pacific. David is the co-author of Recipe for Food Insecurity: War, Fertiliser and the El Niño, which examines what could happen when several systemic shocks occur at the same time: reduced fertiliser availability, lower crop plantings, extreme heat, drought and a powerful El Niño affecting some of the world's most important agricultural regions. Rice is at the centre of the concern. Much of Asia depends heavily on rice, while the international rice market is relatively small. A significant production shock could therefore have rapid consequences for prices and food availability. David draws a comparison with the wheat crisis of 2009–10, when simultaneous crop failures contributed to a dramatic rise in wheat prices in the Middle East and helped create conditions that fed into the Arab Spring. He is careful to stress that this is not a prediction, but a plausible scenario that governments should be preparing for. The conversation explores how food insecurity can interact with extreme heat, existing conflicts and political instability — and how a food and climate crisis could ultimately become a security crisis. We discuss: • Why El Niño could create exceptionally hot and dry conditions across Asia and Australia• The fertiliser crisis and why its effects could persist for years• Why rice is particularly vulnerable• The relationship between food prices, insecurity and social unrest• Lessons from the 2009–10 wheat crisis and the Arab Spring• How climate disruption can contribute to regional instability• Why governments need better climate-security intelligence and preparedness• The importance of resilience, adaptation and planning before crises arrive David Spratt is a climate analyst and researcher with the Australian Security Leaders Climate Group. This episode explores a plausible risk scenario — not a forecast.

    The Next Food Crisis? War, Fertiliser & El Niño | David Spratt

  6. Aug 26

    How Industrial Farming and Climate Chaos Are Pushing Diseases Into Humans

    In this Climate Genn episode, I speak with author Michael Dulaney about his new book, Sentinels: When Diseases Spread Between Animals and Humans. Michael takes us on a journey to meet the animals, citizens and scientists living and working under pressure, as unsustainable practices—such as industrial chicken and beef production—combine with ever more extreme weather events driven by climate change. As with so many climate and biodiversity topics, the embedded complexity, full of both beauty and tragedy, leaves us scrambling to make sense of the damage done—and the calamity we continue to bring on ourselves. #ClimateChange #Pandemics #BirdFlu #Zoonosis #IndustrialFarming #BiodiversityLoss #ClimateGenn #SentinelsBook #OneHealth #EcoAnxiety

    How Industrial Farming and Climate Chaos Are Pushing Diseases Into Humans

  7. Aug 6

    Polluters Pay — So Why Are We Footing the $100 Trillion Bill?

    In this Climate Genn episode I am speaking with climate analyst Genevieve Walker about how we are not preparing for the dangerously extreme climate we have created for ourselves. Genevieve points out that we are continuing to pump out the highest volume of emissions, while incrementally preparing our infrastructure for a climate that we have already said good-bye to. A note on the terminology. Genevieve uses the terminology of climate science reporting to describe pathways to the future. In particular there is the SSP1, SSP3 and SSP5, where SSP stands for Shared Socioeconomic Pathways. These translate roughly as the following: “SSP1 – Safer future: Some climate disruption, but many impacts remain manageable.”  “SSP3 – Divided world: Heat, floods and crop failures become widespread; many communities cannot adapt.” “SSP5– Fossil‑fuel dominated world where we were not meant to go: Multiple systems fail – major cities, food systems and ecosystems face catastrophic stress.” Remember, that last one is SSP5. With many of the poorest, most vulnerable people suffering already, it is worth adding that we, in places like northwest Europe, are no where near ready for the dangerous extremes coming our way. Please do share your thoughts in the comments - I do try to read and reply to as much as possible.  Thank you to all who watch, comment, share and subscribe. It is really appreciated. You can subscribe to see episodes early and support this work.

    Polluters Pay — So Why Are We Footing the $100 Trillion Bill?

  8. Jul 20

    "We’re Not Ready": Inside the National Emergency Briefing on the Climate Shock Ahead

    In this episode of GENN, Nick Breeze talks to Professor Mike Berners-Lee, Chair of the National Emergency Briefing (NEB), about why the UK is “not ready” for the accelerating climate and nature emergency. Visit: https://nebriefing.org They begin with the recent Europe-wide heat dome that led to an estimated 20,000 excess deaths and record breaking UK temperatures, then explore what this tells us about how exposed our societies have become to extreme weather. Mike explains why the conditions we are living through now are likely to be the least extreme we will ever see in the UK, with a super El Niño expected to drive even more intense heat in the near term. The conversation covers the UK’s ageing infrastructure, under investment in resilience and the rapid shift from “one in a thousand year” events to risks that now carry a realistic chance of occurring every year. Mike argues that the climate and nature transition is entirely doable and economically attractive, highlighting analysis that shows large scale investment in net zero and retrofit pays back rapidly and creates skilled jobs across the country. Nick and Mike dig into the role of disinformation and comforting narratives such as “we cannot afford it” or “Britain is only one per cent of global emissions so does not matter,” and why these stories amount to denial of the scale of response now needed. Mike explains how the NEB takes a different view of the public, treating people as capable of handling difficult truth, and how honest communication can improve psychological health by replacing vague anxiety with clear agency. They discuss systemic risk across food security, national security and infrastructure breakdown, including the possibility of a future food shock that could act as a national wake up call. Mike describes the NEB’s work to create trusted briefings for leaders and the public, the energy in the Westminster briefing where no one felt the situation was exaggerated, and the growing movement around the People’s Emergency Briefing film presented by Chris Packham. You will also hear how NEB screenings are snowballing across the UK and beyond, how the initiative is building support for a televised government supported national emergency briefing on climate and nature, and why Mike believes there is “nothing not to like” about a fair green transition that strengthens communities, farmers and livelihoods. The episode closes with a focus on agency: from attending NEB screenings and inviting MPs, to getting involved in local resilience and non partisan political work, and helping to take this emergency briefing model international. Mike sets out a theory of change for how public engagement, honest information and systemic action can still turn the tide, even in the face of deep geopolitical barriers. Key topics: Europe-wide heat dome and excess deaths Why “we are not ready” for extreme weather UK infrastructure, heatwaves and super El Niño Net zero investment, jobs and payback Disinformation, denial and national narratives Food security, biodiversity and systemic risk The National Emergency Briefing and People’s Emergency Briefing film Public agency, psychological health and community resilience How to get involved and help NEB go mainstream Links mentioned: National Emergency Briefing: nebriefing.org Would you like a shorter, 2–3 paragraph version of these notes as well for platforms that truncate descriptions more aggressively?

    "We’re Not Ready": Inside the National Emergency Briefing on the Climate Shock Ahead
See All (198)

Ratings & Reviews

5
out of 5
7 Ratings

About

Climate Genn is a leading climate change podcast hosted by Nick Breeze, featuring insightful conversations with scientists, policymakers, activists, and innovators on the frontlines of climate action. Each episode dives deep into the urgent issues shaping our planet’s future — from energy transition and carbon removal to adaptation, biodiversity, and climate justice. Whether you're a policymaker, researcher, or an engaged The podcast is produced by Nick Breeze - find out more at https://genn.cc + https://patreon.com/genncc Please subscribe to the podcast. Thank you, Nick Breeze ClimateGenn

Information

You Might Also Like