Fascinating interview exploring the interwoven geopolitical, economic, and political history of Western democratic societies since the early 20th century, revealing the way in which the battles for energy and for resources has shaped politics, the fault lines ultimately leading to many recent crises. Helen shares her perspective on the evolving relationship between the US and China—the underlying dynamics, emphasising how the Chinese leadership thinks in strategic terms about green energy –unlike the US. Helen also highlights the scale of the challenge of the energy transition which, she argues, is often underestimated, pointing out how energy transitions in the age of fossil fuels has largely been about more energy sources, not directly replacing one energy source with another.
Helen Thompson is Professor of Political Economy at Cambridge and a fellow and Director of Studies at Clare College, Cambridge. Her current research concentrates on the political economy of energy and the long history of the democratic, economic, and geopolitical disruptions of the twenty-first century. She is the author of Oil and the Western Economic Crisis (2017), China and the Mortgaging of America (2010), and Might, Right, Prosperity and Consent: Representative Democracy and the International Economy (2008). Helen is a contributing writer to the New Statesman and has written articles for the London Review of Books, the New York Times, and the Financial Times. Her new book Disorder: Hard Times in the 21st century was published in February.
Episode 172: Professor Neta Crawford discusses the emissions of the Pentagon -- the world’s largest single greenhouse gas emitter.
Episode 171: Interview with Dr Jeffrey Kiehl, climate scientist and Jungian analyst.
Episode 170: Interview with renowned climate scientist Will Steffen, first aired in June 2020, on the dangers of “tipping cascades” that could post an existential threat to civilization.
Episode 169: Interview with environmental anthropologist Peter Sutoris on new models for schooling and environmental activism.
Episode 168: Veteran activist Stephen Corry, former CEO of Survival International, provides a coruscating analysis of the outcome of COP15
Episode 167: Interview with Professor Daniela Gabor on funding the transition to a low carbon economy, first aired June 2021
Episode 166. Pascoe Sabido from Corporate Europe Observatory reflects on the outcome of COP27
Episode 165 Interview with pioneering American political activist, urban theorist and Marxist environmentalist Mike Davis, first aired in January 2022
Episode 164 Harjeet Singh, head of Global Political Strategy at Climate Action Network International on his expectations for COP27
Episode 163: Interview with David Loy, professor, writer, and Zen teacher of Japanese Zen Buddhism
Episode 162: Groundbreaking nuclear scholar Professor Elaine Scarry shares her views on today’s growing nuclear threats – and discusses how citizens and communities can prepare for emergency situa
Episode 161 Interview with Indian Marxist historian Vijay Prashad –looking at today’s environmental problems through a Marxist lens.shad
Episode 160 Author Ned Beauman talks about his satirical extinction novel, Venemous Lumpsucker
Episode 159: Deep dive on the destruction of the blue commons, with economist Guy Standing
Episode 158: interview with McKinsey partner Peter Spiller on how to deal with Scope 3 emissions
Episode 157: Interview with American theologian, philosopher, and environmentalist John B. Cobb
Episode 156: interview with Dasha Karma Ura, President of the Center for Bhutan studies, and Gross National Happiness Research
Episode 155: Art curator and critic Hans Ulrich Obrist discusses the role of art in climate communications and activism
Episode 153: Lord Adair Turner on the role of Carbon Dioxide Removals (CDR) in meeting global climate objectives
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