Nordic Talks The Nordics

Are young people today interested in politics? Surveys show that the answer is yes. Eighty-five percent of Europeans under 30 say that they discuss politics with friends and relatives. Yet on election day, less than half of them turn out to vote – be it in local, national, or European elections.

In this episode we ask three young voices from the political world how we can increase Generation Z's participation in politics. What role does social media play? What is the right voting age? And how do we get more young people to enter politics?

This episode comes from a Nordic Talks event hosted by the Nordic Council of Ministers Office in Lithuania.

How do we manufacture our products? What energy sources do we use? How do we transport goods and how do we package them? All these questions need to be answered as we try to decarbonize the world's manufacturing industries and reach the Paris Agreement goals for reducing global greenhouse gas emissions.

In this episode we dive into the challenges facing sectors such as the motor vehicle and textile industries, as well as the packaging industry and manufacturing in general. We take the temperature on new EU regulations and their potential effect on industry inside and outside Europe. And we look at the new ideas and solutions coming from the Nordics and Türkiye – a country with a major manufacturing sector.

This episode comes from a Nordic Talks event in Istanbul, arranged by the Nordic missions in Türkiye together with Business Finland and Business Sweden as part of the Türkiye Circular Economy Week.

Internet, smartphones, and now artificial intelligence - the digital revolution has made us more connected, given us better access to information and led to greater transparency. Digital tools are used to promote international peace, security, and democracy, but at the same time, authoritarian regimes are becoming increasingly good at navigating the digital world - spreading propaganda, disinformation and exercising control.

In this episode, we ask how we can use digital tools to advocate for peace and democracy. What kinds of challenges and opportunities does the digital media landscape present for democratic societies? And what is the future of democracy worldwide in the era of digitalization?

This episode comes from a Nordic Talks event held at the University of Creativity in Tokyo, arranged by the Nordic Embassies in Japan.

The entrepreneur Ada Osakwe is the founder of the fastest-growing sustainable fast-food chain in Nigeria. She is also advising politicians and other decisionmakers on how to improve the infrastructure for food production in the Global South. Listen as Ada sits down with the Estonian Climate Youth Delegate, Anna Celine Kraus, to talk about the complexities of sustainable food systems, and how we can reimagine them worldwide.

This Nordic Talks episode is the last of five special podcast episodes, recorded at COP28 in Dubai.

Founder and CEO of Springs of ASAL, Mana Omar, has first-hand experience with gender inequality in climate vulnerable communities. In a sit-down with the Norwegian Youth Delegate, Amalie Holmefjord, she tells her story of growing up in a pastoralist community in Kenya and the challenges that came with it. Listen as Mana and Amalie talk about Mana's role as a youth leader of the UN Women's Action Coalition and her organization's work on climate resilient and gender equal societies, as well as how the Nordic countries can take lead in securing a gender just transition for all.

This Nordic Talks episode is the fourth of five special podcast episodes, recorded at COP28 in Dubai.

Benjamin Van Bunderen Robberechts lost his friend Rosa in the floods in Belgium in 2021. After this tragedy, he founded the initiative "Climate Justice for Rosa", which has sparked worldwide attention and contributed to an EU Day for the Victims of the Global Climate Crisis. Listen as the 17-year-old Belgian sits down with Danish Youth Delegates, Lise Coermann Nygaard and Marcus Taulborg, to talk about his personal story, as well as having a conversation about climate anxiety and intergenerational justice.

This Nordic Talks episode is the third of five special podcast episodes, recorded at COP28 in Dubai.