To a Lesser Degree—a climate podcast from The Economist

RISING GLOBAL temperatures have already increased the frequency of floods, wildfires, droughts and heatwaves around the world. If humanity does not change course rapidly, the effects of climate change will become more extreme. What can be done to avoid this outcome?

“To a Lesser Degree” is a thought-provoking new podcast series on climate change from The Economist. Over eight episodes we take a clear-eyed look at the technologies, the adaptation and the politics needed to address extreme climate change.

On the eighth and final episode of “To a Lesser Degree”: COP26 has come to a close. What does the outcome mean for the future of the planet? We measure it against earlier landmarks of environmental summitry.

Gro Harlem Brundtland, a former Norwegian prime minister and pioneer of environmental dealmaking, tells us the process is yielding results. And science fiction author Kim Stanley Robinson makes the case for optimism. Listen here:

On the seventh episode: the COP26 conference is taking place amid an energy crisis. How will political pressures on the negotiators from activists, public opinion, and a troubled energy market influence the outcome?

UN Deputy Secretary-General Amina Mohammed tells us why the negotiations are so important to the poor world. We go to The Netherlands, where green activists have turned to the courts and we look at America’s tricky energy politics. Listen here:

On the sixth: as the COP26 climate conference begins in Glasgow, much is at stake. Will the leaders gathered there be able to reach an agreement to slow global warming?

US climate envoy John Kerry tells us why he is optimistic. We report from Australia, one of the rich countries lagging in its climate commitments, to look at the politics behind the negotiations. Listen below:

In the fifth episode: can humanity learn how to adapt to a hotter world? Actions to combat climate change have been primarily focused on mitigation - limiting the amount of greenhouse-gas emissions in the atmosphere. But even with those efforts, the planet’s temperature will continue to rise, leading to more extreme weather events. How will humanity adapt?

Bill Gates, the co-founder of Microsoft, tells us why adaptation in agriculture is critical to feeding the world. We go to China to explore a “sponge city,” designed to absorb water. And we look at the peril and promise of solar geoengineering. Listen here:

In episode four: the green revolution won’t be cheap, but there is enough money to make it happen - if it goes to the right places. What role can finance play in steering economies towards a low-carbon future?

Elemental Excelerator’s Dawn Lippert tells us why Hawaii is the best place to help climate start-ups find funding. Tariq Fancy, who ran sustainable investments for Blackrock, asks whether environmental investing makes any difference at all. Listen below:

In episode three: lowering gas emissions won’t be enough to stop the world from overheating. Carbon needs to be sucked out of the atmosphere. But can that be done quickly enough -- and on what scale?

Nathalie Seddon of the Nature-Based Solutions Initiative explores the ways ecosystems can be enhanced to store carbon. And we go to Iceland to visit the world’s largest direct air capture facility that removes carbon from the air, which is then injected into volcanic rock. Listen below:

In episode two: eating less meat or giving up flying are palpable ways people can help mitigate climate change. But how much does personal action matter? And how should societies meet the challenge of lowering greenhouse gas emissions?

Yael Parag of the Reichman University in Tel Aviv weighs the merits of individual carbon budgets. Bruce Friedrich of the Good Food Institute highlights the impact of eating beef. And Jon Fasman, The Economist’s US digital editor, tries a lab-grown meat substitute to assess its flavour and potential. Listen to the episode:

And in the first episode of “To a Lesser Degree”: our editors map out the challenge. It's not too late to avert a climate disaster. The question is, how?

We map out the three priorities: reducing emissions and finding ways to suck carbon out of the air, adapting to climate change; and navigating the fraught global politics to reach agreement at November’s UN Climate Conference in Glasgow. John McDermott, The Economist’s Chief Africa Correspondent, reports from South Africa on the difficulties of weaning the country off coal. Listen below:

Each episode draws on the expertise of special guests and The Economist’s global network of correspondents, to report on the decisions that matter for the future of our planet.

World leaders gather in November in Glasgow, Scotland, for a United Nations climate conference known as COP26. The goal is to agree on action to slow the heating of the Earth.

It’s the most significant meeting since the 2015 Paris summit, when almost 200 countries agreed to keep the Earth’s temperature well below 2.0°C over pre-industrial levels and preferably no more than 1.5°C. The global average has already increased by roughly 1.1°C - 1.2°C and if dramatic action isn’t taken, it could hit 3°C—a catastrophe for the critical Earth systems upon which humanity relies.

In the run up to the conference, we’ll be asking:

• Can humanity slow the pace of global warming?
• How well can people adapt to climate change?
• Who will pay the price of a hotter planet?
• What innovations could counteract the damage done by climate change?

The new podcast is hosted by Vijay Vaitheeswaran, The Economist’s global energy & climate innovation editor, with Catherine Brahic, environment editor, and Oliver Morton, briefings editor.

Together they ask expert guests whether and how the pace of global warming can be slowed and explore how everything - from finance to agriculture, transport to international policy - might need to change in order to do it.

The series will map out the path to tackling climate change with intelligent and informed analysis of the three key steps that need to happen: reducing emissions and removing greenhouse gases from the atmosphere; adapting to climate change; and getting the politics right in Glasgow and beyond.

“To a Lesser Degree” is an eight-part special series, with new episodes published every Monday, starting 27th September 2021.

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“To a Lesser Degree” is part of our collection of award-winning podcasts which include “The Intelligence”, “The Economist Asks”, "Money Talks" and “Checks and Balance”.

The podcast is complemented by our newsletter “The Climate Issue”, published fortnightly on Mondays and in this package we aim to give our readers and listeners fair-minded analysis of a politically, and emotionally, heated topic.

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