The Big Questions

S02E10 - Is climate change turning Greenland into a global prize?

Although news highlights have moved on in the last month, the Greenland question hasn't gone away and it'll no doubt rear its head again soon. The short question: why? Having spent most of modern history on the geopolitical sidelines, this quiet corner of the map is starting to look very different as the climate warms and the ice retreats. Shipping routes are opening, minerals are attracting interest, and major powers are suddenly paying very close attention. In this episode, we unpack why Greenland is becoming one of the most strategically important places on Earth. Join David Carlin and Simon Messenger as they explore how a territory of just 56,000 people has found itself at the centre of a global power struggle!

S02E09 - why is climate messaging failing so badly?

Climate change is not just a science crisis. It is a communication disaster. We have clearer data than ever, stronger evidence than ever, and louder warnings than ever, yet public understanding still trails far behind reality. Somewhere between charts, headlines, and soundbites, the message keeps slipping through the cracks. Why? In this episode, we dig into why misleading framing spreads faster than facts, why doom-laden messaging can shut people down instead of mobilising them, and how the loudest voices often win even when they are wrong. From media narratives to industry spin, we explore how persuasion, not just policy, is shaping the climate fight. Join David Carlin and Simon Messenger as they confront a blunt question: if the science is clear and the stakes are existential, why does the story still sound so fuzzy, and who benefits from that confusion?

S02E08 - 2026: what to expect!

As 2026 approaches, climate policy looks contradictory: governments pulling back in some places, doubling down in others, and markets charging ahead regardless. Is this chaos, clarity, or a slightly cursed mix of both? In this episode, we unpack four forces quietly reshaping the climate landscape: regulation shifting from promises to implementation, international cooperation fragmenting into regional blocs, climate damage starting to strain insurance and public finances, and central banks treating climate risk as a core threat to financial stability. Join David Carlin and Simon Messenger as they map out what this new phase really looks like: less about grand speeches, more about spreadsheets, supply chains, and learning how the global economy adapts to a hotter, riskier world.

S02E07 - How to boost the impact of COPs?

After three decades of climate summits, endless negotiations, and carefully worded communiqués, global emissions are still rising. The question is unavoidable: how can we improve the impact of COPs? In this episode (and while fully supporting the overall value of COPs), we take a hard look at what’s no longer optimal, from the unanimity rule that gives every nation a veto to the strange taboo of not saying “fossil fuels” out loud. We explore how the process might actually work better: smaller coalitions, modern voting, and a sharper focus on what really drives emissions. Join David Carlin and Simon Messenger as they ask what it would take to make global climate diplomacy move at the speed of physics, not politics.

S02E06 - COP30 outcomes: bad, very bad, or just about OK?

COP30 was billed as the “COP of Truth”: the moment the world would finally stop sketching climate plans and start delivering them. Set in the heart of the Amazon, the summit carried huge symbolic and political weight. Expectations were high; urgency even higher. Across two tense weeks, progress did happen: on finance, adaptation, forests, and the new Just Transition Mechanism. But the headline story was what didn’t make it into the final text: any mention of fossil fuels at all. After 30 COPs, the world still couldn’t name the main source of emissions, leaving a sense of frustration hanging over an otherwise productive summit. Join David Carlin and Simon Messenger as they break down what moved forward, what stalled, and what COP30 means for the road to COP31 and for the future of a global process struggling to keep up with a fast-warming planet.