Positive Tipping Points with Prof. Tim Lenton, Director of the Global Systems Institute, University of Exeter

Welcome to Episode 1 of the Positive Tipping Points Special! A 7-episode special series on the road to COP30 in Belem, with guest host Liz Courtney. 

What if the smartest way to cut climate risk is to make progress contagious? We sit down with Professor Tim Lenton to decode climate and positive tipping points—how small, smart pushes can trigger self-propelling change in technology, policy, and social norms. 

Tim unpacks why systems slow down before they snap, and how that same nonlinear logic powers breakthroughs: Norway’s EV market tipping to ~95% battery electric sales through activist-driven policy, learning curves that crushed battery costs and boosted range, and solar’s decades-long price freefall that’s delivering the cheapest electricity in history. We dig into green hydrogen for zero‑emissions steel, green ammonia shipping that cleans port air, and synthetic aviation fuels that cut contrail warming—plus the policy mandates that can push these solutions over the edge so scale takes care of the rest.

Your Hosts:
Dan Leverington
Loreto Gutierrez

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