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The Land & Climate Podcast — Government
The Land & Climate Podcast

The editorial team from The Land and Climate Review interview thinkers and policymakers in the world of economics, land-use and climate policy. Find more on our site at www.landclimate.org

Copyright: © 2026 The Land & Climate Podcast

Latest Episodes:

Are carbon removal targets unrealistic about land requirements? Nov 11, 2022

Show notes

A major report published ahead of COP27 analysed national climate policies and found that "over-reliance on carbon removals could push ecosystems, land rights and food security to the brink."
Alasdair spoke to Dr. Kate Dooley, one of the Land Gap Report authors and a Research Fellow at Melbourne University’s Climate & Energy College, to hear about what policymakers are getting wrong.
Further reading from Dr. Dooley:

Read the full Land Gap Report.
'Nature restoration no substitute for cutting fossil fuels'; Pursuit, 2022
'No more excuses: restoring nature is not a silver bullet for global warming, we must cut emissions outright'; The Conversation, 2022
'Forests can’t handle all the net-zero emissions plans – companies and countries expect nature to offset too much carbon'; The Conversation, 2022
'COP27: Urgent need to respect human rights in all climate change action, say UN experts', 2022

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Find all our latest investigations, features and interviews at www.landclimate.org

Why has international diplomacy failed on climate loss and damage? Nov 05, 2022

Show notes

As COP27 begins in Egypt following historic floods in Pakistan and a summer of international droughts, will this finally be the year rich governments begin to take climate finance seriously?
Bertie speaks to Karim Ahmed about his recent white policy paper on loss and damage, which is being presented at COP27. Dr. Ahmed is a director of the Global Council for Science and the Environment, and a Professor at the University of Connecticut Health Center. He has previously had high level roles at NRDC, US Government departments, UN environmental bodies, and the World Bank.
Further reading from Dr. Ahmed:

The Impact of Global Climate Change on Vulnerable Communities: Climate-Related Loss & Damage and Financial Reparations, a Policy White Paper(2022)
Climate Justice, Humans Rights, and the Case for Reparations, Health and Human Rights Journal (2021)
Why we need a Global Climate Reparations Fund, ELCI (2022)
What is the financial cost of loss and damage from climate change?, ELCI (2022)

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Find all our latest investigations, features and interviews at www.landclimate.org

Are biofuels worse for the climate than petrol and jet fuel? Oct 21, 2022

Show notes

Governments and the aviation industry have been promising for decades that fuel made from plants could solve the transport sector's CO2 emissions. Why hasn't it happened?
John DeCicco, Professor Emeritus at University of Michigan, has been studying transport emissions & biofuels for decades. Alasdair asked him about the alarming findings of his research: liquid biofuels could be worse for the climate than fossil fuels.
Further reading:

'Biofuels turn out to be a climate mistake – here's why' - The Conversation
'U.S. corn-based ethanol worse for the climate than gasoline, study finds' - Reuters
'Cellulosic ethanol falling far short of the hype' - Forbes
'Biofuel isn't as carbon neutral as we want it to be' - GreenBiz
Two of Professor DeCicco's papers: 'Reconsidering bioenergy given the urgency of climate protection'; 'Carbon balance effects of U.S. biofuel production and use'
Also see our podcasts with John Sterman (forest bioenergy) and Finlay Asher (sustainable aviation fuel), and browse our online bioenergy hub.

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Find all our latest investigations, features and interviews at www.landclimate.org

How badly have microplastics harmed ecosystems, climate, and human health? Oct 07, 2022

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Bertie talks to science journalist Matt Simon about his upcoming book; A Poison Like No Other: How Microplastics Corrupted Our Planet and Our Bodies.
Further reading:

pre-order Matt's book from Island Press
Plastic: A Toxic Love Story
Read Wired's reporting on plastic
Read Beyond Plastic's report on the link between plastics and climate change
The Human Planet: How We Created the Anthropocene
The Waste Makers

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Find all our latest investigations, features and interviews at www.landclimate.org

Is there any hope for a green aviation industry? Sep 23, 2022

Show notes

After being "stonewalled" by his bosses over concerns about decarbonisation claims, Finlay Asher quit his job as a senior aviation engineer at Rolls Royce to found Safe Landing, an organisation that campaigns against growing the aviation sector.
Alasdair spoke to him about this journey, the reasons technological and market-based solutions to aviation emissions are not going to get us to net-zero, and what the sector should be doing instead.
Further reading:

Check out Finlay's Youtube channel
Stay Grounded’s greenwashing fact sheet series
T&E’s EU Aviation 2050 roadmap
ICCT’s ‘Aligning Aviation with the Paris Agreement'

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Find all our latest investigations, features and interviews at www.landclimate.org

What does Australia's new Labor government mean for climate politics? Aug 04, 2022

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On 23 May 2022, the Australian Labor Party entered government for the first time since 2013, under the leadership of Prime Minister Anthony Albanese.
Alasdair spoke to Dr. Marija Taflaga, Director of the Australian National University's Center for the Study of Australian Politics, to talk about shifting climate politics in the county, and what the new government could mean for the green transition.
Further reading:

'The frontline: Inside Australia's climate emergency' in The Guardian. Read here.
Superpower: Australia's Low-Carbon Opportunity by Ross Garnaut. Read more and purchase here.
How to Talk About Climate Change in a Way That Makes a Difference by Rebecca Huntley. Read more and purchase here.
The Carbon Club: How a network of influential climate sceptics, politicians and business leaders fought to control Australia's climate policy by Marian Wilkinson, Allen and Unwin, 2020

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Can palm oil be ethical and sustainable in Indonesia? Jul 22, 2022

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Lauren talks to Tania Li, Professor of Anthropology at the University of Toronto, about the sustainability of the oil that's in 50% of supermarket food products - and the issues with labour and land rights in Indonesia's palm oil industry.
Further reading:

Tania's books and other publications can be found on her website, taniali.org
Oil palm development in Thailand: economic, social and environmental considerations, by Jonas Dallinger
Rainforest Alliance: Our Response to the EU Regulation on Deforestation-Free Products
Chain Action Research: EU Deforestation Regulation: Implications for the Palm Oil Industry and Its Financers
Chain Action Research: Indonesian Moratoria: Loopholes, Lack of Sanctions Fail to Stop Palm Oil-Linked Deforestation

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Has environmental policy contributed to the crisis in Sri Lanka? Jul 07, 2022

Show notes

Sri Lanka is in the midst of an acute economic, energy, and political crisis. With fuel, food and electricity shortages, protestors have taken to the streets and are now being arrested in the thousands.
On June 8, Bertie spoke to Melani Gunathilaka, an activist with Extinction Rebellion and Climate Action Now who has become a leading voice in the Gotagogama protests. They discussed the role of climate policy in the cascading crises and corruption allegations that have recently plagued the country.
Further reading:

Is organic farming really to blame for Sri Lanka's ongoing food crisis?
What is the financial cost of loss and damage from climate change?
Watch: 'Inside Sri Lanka's economic crisis'
Melani shared a list of demands made by Gotagogama protestors. You can read page one of the demands here, and then page two here.

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Is a utopian future still possible with climate breakdown? Jul 01, 2022

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Bertie talks to Drew Pendergrass, coauthor of Half Earth Socialism, recently published by Verso books. They discuss geoengineering, population scaremongering, climate colonialism, and the big question for many on the left: will we be able to mitigate the climate crisis under capitalism?
Further reading:

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How has climate change affected Lebanon? Jun 24, 2022

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Lauren talks to Assaad Razzouk, host of the Angry Clean Energy Guy podcast and British Lebanese clean energy entrepreneur. They talk about the recent elections in Lebanon, systemic problems with climate finance, and the ways a clean energy transition could help struggling economies.

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Find all our latest investigations, features and interviews at www.landclimate.org

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