Ep.14: Politically, the time to act is now! AMOC collapse and its consequences

Ep.14: Politically, the time to act is now! AMOC collapse and its consequences

You might have heard of the AMOC collapse, but what is it, exactly? How does it work, and what does the Atlantic Meridional Overturning Circulation do? If it "collapses", what's it going to mean for you and the rest of the world? In this episode, Robi explains the functioning of the AMOC, while M. and Ani ask some basic physics questions. We learn about the AMOC weakening, as well as some of the implications, especially for the Northern and Western Europe. Finally, in the [Offering], M. reads a poem suited to this season. Timestamps 00:31 [Infospill] The physics and consequences of the AMOC collapse 45:16 [Offering] A spring poem: "Recipe with gathered sadness" by Maria Martelli 00:31 [Infospill] The physics and consequences of the AMOC collapse The Atlantic Meridional Overturning Circulation has been weakening. Scientists who study it show changes in its behaviour, and the possibility of its collapse is being contemplated. This would mean huge changes globally, with rainfall and temperatures harshly influenced. In Western and Northern Europe, it might mean freezing winters with -40C degrees and summer droughts. In this [Infospill], we learn about how the AMOC functions and what is affecting it (surprise, surprise... what might it be...) 45:16 [Offering] A spring poem: "Recipe with gathered sadness" by Maria Martelli To ground ourselves in the now, M. will read "Recipe with gathered sadness". It is not only a poem, but an invitation to you - and if you do not have all the ingredients, do not worry, they can be replaced with locally sourced edibles & emotions. Main reference https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thermohaline_circulation#/media/File:Thermohaline_Circulation_2.png RM van Westen, M Kliphuis and HA Dijkstra. Physics-based early warning signal shows that AMOC is on tipping course. [https://doi.org/10.1126/sciadv.adk1189] Science advances 10 (2024). Other resources S Rahmstorf. Our heating system is heading for shutdown [https://youtu.be/HKBTZ324COA]. ATLAS25 talk (2025). G Monbiot. A catastrophic climate event is upon us. Here is why you've heard do little about it. [https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2026/apr/23/catastrophic-climate-event-scientists-atlantic-system-collapse-billionaire-existential-crisis] The Guardian (2026). V Portmann et al. Observational constrains project a ~50% AMOC weakening by the end of this century. [https://doi.org/10.1126/sciadv.adx4298] Science Advances 12 (2026). S Drijfhout et al. Shutdown of the northern Atlantic overturning after 2100 following deep mixing collapse in CMIP6 projections. [https://doi.org/10.1088/1748-9326/adfa3b] Environmental Research Letters 20 (2025). - Hosted & Edited by: Robi, M. & Ani Sound engineering by: Marius Montage: Ioni Theme music: Teo Graphic artist & illustrator: Mina Social media: Grc - If you like our work, you can support us on Patreon https://www.patreon.com/cw/thelastfireflies [https://www.patreon.com/cw/thelastfireflies] or with a one time donation on ko-fi https://ko-fi.com/thelastfireflies [https://ko-fi.com/thelastfireflies]

Ep.13: Aerosols and climate sensitivity: what accelerated warming tells us about the future

In this episode we dig deeper into the dynamics that cause the accelerated warming, by examining the rules and factors that govern the global tug-of-war between greenhouse gases and aerosols. On the way we learn about the notion of climate sensitivity and how the IPCC has been systematically underestimating and underplaying the risks that we face. In the Offering section we learn how to avoid being overwhelmed by all this info, not by looking away, but by reorienting our attention to the living world around us. Timestamps 00:30 [Infospill] The tug-of-war between aerosols & GHGs and how the IPCC underestimates climate sensitivity 39:55 [Offering] Feeling overwhelmed? An invitation to (re)connect [Infospill] The tug-of-war between aerosols & GHGs and how the IPCC underestimates climate sensitivity According to Hansen et al., aerosols seem the most likely culprit behind the accelerated warming of the last decades. This scenario implies that the IPCC has been underestimating the cooling effect of aerosols and the warming potential of greenhouse gases all along. We explore what this means for the climate and our collective future. [Offering] Feeling overwhelmed? An invitation to (re)connect Taking in a lot of terrible news, including climate science, can be daunting. As Sara Ahmed argues, emotions are not private states, but they have a political dimension, shaping our bodies by what we pay attention to and shaping how we grow. So, this is an invitation to confront this overwhelming feeling by reorienting attention and tuning in to the more-than-human life around us. Main reference Van Westen, R.M., Kliphuis, M. and Dijkstra, H.A., 2024. Physics-based early warning signal shows that AMOC is on tipping course. [DOI:10.1126/sciadv.adk1189] Science advances, 10(6), p.eadk1189 Other resources: S Rahmstorf. Our heating system is heading for shutdown. [https://youtu.be/HKBTZ324COA] ATLAS25 talk (2025). G Monbiot. A catastrophic climate event is upon us. Here is why you've heard so little about it. The Guardian [https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2026/apr/23/catastrophic-climate-event-scientists-atlantic-system-collapse-billionaire-existential-crisis] (2026) V Portmann et al. Observational constrains project a ~50% AMOC weakening by the end of this century. Science Advances [DOI:10.1126/sciadv.adx4298] 12 (2026) S Drijhout et al. Shutdown of northern Atlantic overturning after 2100 following deep mixing collapse in CMIP6 projections. [DOI:10.1088/1748-9326/adfa3b] Environmental Research Letters 20 (2025). Sara Ahmed - The Cultural Politics of Emotions [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Cultural_Politics_of_Emotion] (book) Nick Montgomery and carla bergman - Joyful Militancy. Building Thriving Resistance in Toxic Times [https://www.akpress.org/joyful-militancy.html] (book) - Hosted & Edited by: Robi & Ani Sound engineering by: Marius Montage: Ioni Theme music: Teo Graphic artist & illustrator: Mina Social media: Grc - If you like our work, you can support us on Patreon https://www.patreon.com/cw/thelastfireflies [https://www.patreon.com/cw/thelastfireflies] or with a one time donation on ko-fi https://ko-fi.com/thelastfireflies [https://ko-fi.com/thelastfireflies]

Ep.12: It's not green (yet!) Climate struggles in the biggest oil & gas exporter in Europe w/ Jonas from XR

How do activists organize in the biggest oil & gas exporting country in Europe? And do you know which one it is? In this [Campfire talk], Jonas from Extinction Rebellion will talk us through some of the specifics of the climate struggle in Norway, as well as present some big and small actions they did, some of them, with great results. You'll learn about how Norway distributes fossil fuel wealth differently, how activists respond to divers challenges and risks, and, in the last section you'll learn [How to] organize an occupation. Timestamps 00:36 [Campfire talks] The case of Norway in the climate struggle. Actions and risks 32:52 [How to] Organize a big occupation!? Lessons from a Norwegian case 00:36 [Campfire talks] The case of Norway in the climate struggle. Actions and risks Norway is one of the largest oil & gas exporters globally. At the same time, fossil fuel extraction is entangled with the country's welfare system, which makes it difficult to campaign against. Jonas tells us about the efforts of the local Extinction Rebellion chapter in organizing occupations and blockades to stop the flow of oil and change the public perception around it. 32:52 [How to] Organize a big occupation!? Lessons from a Norwegian case Our guest describes the logistics involved in planning a big action, like the occupation of an oil rafinery. Scouting the location and the provision of food, transportation and a place to sleep prove to be as essential as the actual number of people willing to put their bodies on the line. Nonetheless, we learn that a small dedicated team is able to successfully organize such actions. Resources Extinction Rebellion Norway [https://extinctionrebellion.no/] Norway MPs reject calls to stop wealth fund investing in Israeli-occupied Palestinian territories [https://www.theguardian.com/world/2025/jun/04/norway-mps-reject-call-to-stop-wealth-fund-investing-in-occupied-palestinian-territories] (The Guardian) Greta Thunberg and climate activists block Norway oil rafinery [https://www.lemonde.fr/en/climate/article/2025/08/18/greta-thunberg-and-climate-activists-block-norway-oil-refinery_6744476_96.html] (Le Monde) - Hosted & Edited by: Robi Sound engineering by: Marius Montage: Ioni Theme music: Teo Graphic artist & illustrator: Mina Social media: Grc - If you like our work, you can support us on Patreon https://www.patreon.com/cw/thelastfireflies [https://www.patreon.com/cw/thelastfireflies] or with a one time donation on ko-fi https://ko-fi.com/thelastfireflies [https://ko-fi.com/thelastfireflies]

Ep.11: Why care about the future? On becoming ancestors beyond kin

Why do we bother struggling against climate chaos? This thing is so huge and the worst of it will come after our lifetimes (maybe). In this episode of [Curious tendrils], we are exploring our feelings towards the close and far future. We think of squirrels who plan for their future by burying nuts and nurturing the forest. And we think of humans and what we've been doing for a long time: both building and destroying. We ask ourselves: What is our investment in the future? How can we live good lives and also become good ancestors, as Roman Krznaric proposes? In the [Offering], we invite you to write a letter from the future, an exercise of visualisation from Joanna Macy and Molly Brown. We share our own letters full of curiosity, sadness and hope. Timestamps [00:30] [Curious tendrils] Why plan for the future during climate chaos - and some ideas on how to [39:37] [Offering] Letters from the future [Curious tendrils] Why plan for the future during climate chaos - and some ideas on how to Given the reality of the climate crisis, it's normal to have conflicting, difficult feelings about the future. In this episode, we talk about where we stand, how and why we keep fighting for the near and far future, inspired by many thinkers who visualized and wrote for deep time and alternative chronologies - Roman Krznaric, Octavia Butler, Jack Halbertstam, Alison Kafer, Angela Balzano and others. [Offering] Letters from the future We invite you to take an imaginary journey to the future, 200 years from now, and imagine what one human would write to you from that place. A visualization exercise from Joanna Macy and Molly Brown. - Resources Ted. "How to be a good ancestor | Roman Krznaric [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=61hRq0D8Zcs]" 2020 Talks at Google. "Roman Krznaric | The Good Ancestor: A Radical Presciption for Long Term Thinking | Talks at Google [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wnf8KsoXi30]" 2020 just wondering... "Making kin beyond babies - after Donna Haraway [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8UtrXjE9gPQ]" Grist. Imagine 2200 [https://grist.org/imagine2200/]. M. Zahir. "Do animals think about the future? [https://faunalytics.org/animals-think-future/]" Faunalytics. 2018 M. Steele & J. Koprowski. "Inside the secret lives of squirrels and their half-eaten acorns [https://www.smithsonianmag.com/blogs/smithsonian-books/2025/05/22/inside-the-secret-lives-of-squirrels-and-their-half-eaten-acorns/]" Smithsonian Mag. 2025 J. Byrne. "How squirrels actually find all their buried nuts [https://www.popsci.com/science/how-squirrels-find-nuts/]" Popular Science 2025 N. Klein & A. Taylor "The rise of end times fascism [https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/ng-interactive/2025/apr/13/end-times-fascism-far-right-trump-musk]". The Guardian 2025 Work that Reconnects. "Letter from the future [https://workthatreconnects.org/resources/letter-from-the-future/]" by Joanna Macy and Molly Brown Books recommended Angela Balzano. Per farla finita con la famiglia Octavia Butler. The Parable of the Sower Alison Kafer. Feminist Queer Crip Jack Halberstam. The queer art of failure Donna Haraway. Staying with the trouble - Hosted & Edited by: Robi, Ani & M. Sound engineering by: Marius Montage: Ioni Theme music: Teo Graphic artist & illustrator: Mina Social media: Grc - If you like our work, you can support us on Patreon https://www.patreon.com/cw/thelastfireflies [https://www.patreon.com/cw/thelastfireflies] or with a one time donation on ko-fi https://ko-fi.com/thelastfireflies [https://ko-fi.com/thelastfireflies]

Ep.10: On climate migration and living with grief, w/ Elisabeth from Ethos and Empathy

In this [Campfire Talk] we delve deep into a difficult, but necessary subject: climate grief. Our guest today is Elisabeth Dimitras, a neurodivergent queer soul activist and founder of the online antispeciesist website Ethos & Empathy. Elisabeth is from Greece, but had to move to Sweden due to climate change. She'll tell us about her dreams, the story of her loss, what she learned about the mourning the living, both human and non-human, and about climate grief. In the [Offering], Elisabeth will read us The Shambhala Warrior Prophecy as told by Joanna Macy. Attention: The episode can be a bit emotionally heavy at times. There is a mention of suicide in the last half. Timestamps 00:30 [Campfire talk] What is climate grief? A story of climate migration, change and loss 47:43 [Offering] The Shambhala Warrior Prophecy from Joanna Macy [Campfire talk] What is climate grief? A story of climate migration, change and loss Elisabeth and M. discuss a winding story of climate grief and ecological destruction, as Elisabeth tell us about the loss of her dream to establish a permaculture garden and animal sanctuary in Greece due to wildfires and droughts. We also learn about the Good Grief Network and how various resources helped Elisabeth cope with the loss of her beloved canine companion, Misoy. [Offering] The Shambhala Warrior Prophecy from Joanna Macy Elisabeth shares with us The Shambhala Warrior Prophecy from Joanna Macy, and why it is important to her. The prophecy comes from the Tibetan Buddhist tradition. We have replaced the use of the word "barbarians" in the original reading with "enemies", to avoid its negative connotations. Resources Ethos and Empathy [https://ethosandempathy.org/] Grief Recovery Method [https://www.griefrecoverymethod.com/grms/elisabeth-dimitras]. Elisabeth Dimitras. Embrace Grief [https://spectra.video/a/embrace_grief/video-channels]. Videos by Elisabeth. Good Grief Network [https://goodgriefnetwork.org/10steps/]. Climate Psychology Alliance [https://www.climatepsychologyalliance.org/]. Shapes of Grief [https://shapesofgrief.com/]. Embodied Philosophy. Yoga for ecological grief. [https://enroll.embodiedphilosophy.com/yoga-ecological-grief] H. Comtesse et al. "Ecological Grief as a Response to Environmental Change: A Mental Health Risk of Functional Response?" Int J Environ Res Public Health. 2021 Jan 16;18(2):734. doi: 10.3390/ijerph18020734 Beyond Species Podcast. "Caring for wild animals [https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/caring-for-wild-animals/id1490940164?i=1000466453905]". End of the world show. "The long dark with Francis Weller [https://endoftheworldshow.org/episodes/the-long-dark-with-francis-weller]". Work that reconnects network. "Joanna Macy on the Shambhala Warrior Prophecy [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Uc42aNYo8vw]". Elisabeth on Mastodon [https://veganism.social/@climatemigrant]. - Hosted & Edited by: M. Sound engineering by: Marius Montage: Ioni Theme music: Teo Graphic artist & illustrator: Mina Social media: Grc - If you like our work, you can support us on Patreon https://www.patreon.com/cw/thelastfireflies [https://www.patreon.com/cw/thelastfireflies] or with a one time donation on ko-fi https://ko-fi.com/thelastfireflies [https://ko-fi.com/thelastfireflies]