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 152: Interview with Timothée Parrique: why we need to degrow the economy. Now.
Episode 151: Professor Robert Eccles discusses ESG trends, and the importance of sustainability ratings
Episode 150: Sunrise co-founder William Lawrence shares some lessons and insights from the growth and development of the Sunrise movement
Episode 149 Professor Kevin Gallagher and Richard Kozul-Wright discuss their ideas for a new Bretton Woods to deal with inequality and climate breakdown
Episode 148: Interview with Ann Pettifor on finance and climate and stranded assets
Episode 147: Professor Ruth DeFries on lessons from the natural world on how to deal with environmental crises.
Episode 146: Interview with Mark Campanale, Founder of the Carbon Tracker Initiative
Episode 145 Interview with MSCI’s Global Head of ESG and Climate Research Linda-Eling Lee
Episode 144: Interview with Kenyan conservationist Dr Mordecai Ogada on conservation trends in Kenya.
Episode 143 Interview with pioneering American political activist, urban theorist and Marxist environmentalist Mike Davis
Episode 142: Sir Ronald Cohen, "the father of social investment," discusses his new book, Impact, Reshaping capitalism to drive real change.
Episode 141 Interview with Professor Katharina Pistor on How the Law Creates Wealth and Inequality
Episode 140 COP26 SPECIAL Deep dive on the outcome of COP26, the structure and future of the COPs with professor Stefan Aykut
Episode 139 COP26 SPECIAL: Candid interview with former XR spokesperson Rupert Read on the outcomes of COP26
Episode 138 Interview with James Thornton, CEO of legal powerhouse ClientEarth, on using the law to deal with nature loss and climate change
Episode 137 COP26 SPECIAL: Interview with youth activists Sohanur Rahman, Lucy Jordan and John Paul Jose about COP26 –expectations and reality
Episode 136 COP26 SPECIAL Frédéric Hache from Green Finance Observatory: a critical analysis of carbon offsets and related market mechanisms
Episode 135 COP26 SPECIAL: Professor Mike Hulme talks about his expectations for COP26
Episode 134: Interview with Dr Genevieve Guenther on how fossil-fuel interests have manipulated language and the media to suppress support for climate action
Episode 133: Interview with Professor Daniel Aldrich on resilience and the importance of social capital in post-disaster recovery
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