Save the Planet, Wine Not - Episode 4

The topic accompanying this week's delectation of a rich, full-bodied 'Lussec Saint Emillion' wine is money. Noah and Timo challenge the fallacy that our governments cannot afford to pay for the types of deep structural investments and decarbonising strategies required to meet the IPCC's sustainability goals. The money exists, it's just a case of acquiring the political will to claim it through various taxation schemes. By scrapping subsidies to fossil fuel companies, cutting military spending, introducing a billionaire's tax, and taxing Big Business, the massive funds needed for a Green transition can be scraped together. The episode also examines the flip-side of the 'polluter pays' concept, stressing the importance of not letting the brunt of the cost fall on already disadvantaged social groups. Finally, they question the concept of green philanthropy, with case studies ranging from Richard Branson to Bill Gates. Is the current profit-fuelled economic system just too lucrative for these "environmentally-conscious" billionaires to turn their backs on? Ought we put ourselves at the mercy of these individuals' goodwill?