Climate Curious

“The poorest people in the world contribute exactly nothing to climate change,” says Nobel Prize-winning economist Esther Duflo. For decades, she has worked to tackle the so-called “wicked problem” of poverty. In this conversation with Climate Curious co-host Ben Hurst, Esther connects the dots between poverty and climate change. Esther shares how she’s removing the capital “P” in poverty, instead focussing on actionable and effective solutions for adapting to changing environments, through her work with the Poverty Action Lab. Recorded live at TED Countdown 2025.

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With his life-sized animal puppets stampeding their way across the globe representing nature’s struggle in the face of the climate crisis, Climate Curious’ co-hosts Maryam Pasha and Ben Hurst caught up with playwright, producer, and director, David Lan on how public art and street theatre is a powerful tool to engage mass audiences on climate action. David also shares stories from 18 year tenure as Artistic Director at The Young Vic, to his role with the 12-foot puppet art project of a 10-year-old Syrian refugee girl ‘Little Amal’. Recorded live at Ladbroke Hall in London.

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Kenya has become a global leader in geothermal energy over the past 13 years, with 42% of all energy used by the country produced in geothermal plants, says geothermal scientist Dr. Anna Mwangi on Climate Curious. In conversation with co-host Ben Hurst, Anna shares why the geology of the Great Rift Valley makes geothermal a great energy solution for Kenyans.   Recorded live at TED Countdown in Nairobi.

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What are the tactics and propaganda playbook of Big Oil, and what role can artists and popular culture take in reclaiming the narrative? From the flaws of the Paris Agreement to why the net zero narrative is a political football, tune in to hear insights from investigative journalists, climate advocates and lawyers as they pinpoint solutions at this Climate Curious Live, recorded at EarthPercent x Climate Spring’s collaboration at Ladbroke Hall, London, moderated by Tori Tsui.

Featuring:

Amy Westervelt, investigative journalist, Founder, Critical Frequency

Tessa Khan, Founder & Director, Uplift

Na...

Female small-holder farmers in India, Pakistan, and Bangladesh are adapting to climate change using both new and old farming techniques. From intercropping to help balance nitrogen in the soil, to nurturing a composting side hustle for increased agricultural income, women are gaining the knowledge and skills needed to become more resilient to the advances of climate change impacts being felt in their communities. Climate Curious spoke to Alison Ward, the CEO of CottonConnect, and farmers Noha Ali and Samah Salah to learn more about how community-based initiatives can play a vital role in building resilience among women farmers.

“The youth climate movement was effective at raising attention to levels that it had never been at before,” says Mexican-Chilean climate activist and member of the indigenous Mexican Otomi-Toltec nation, Xiye Bastida, on the Climate Curious podcast. Growing up in Mexico and experiencing a climate disaster for the first time at age 13, Xiye was determined to raise awareness of climate change; but with a difference. Her focus would be on justice for countries already experiencing climate impacts in the Global South, highlighting indigenous and immigrant wisdom. Enter her breakout moment, speaking at a UN conference aged just 15, organising a prot...

Women are key to climate action in Kenya, says Maasai climate advocate, Miss Climate Kenya, and the world's first Miss Climate, Dorcas Naishorua. Sharing how climate change drives poverty and therefore reinforces child marriage and FGM, Dorcas shares lessons from people already deeply affected by climate change, and ultimately, why empowering women empowers entire communites. Recorded live at TED Countdown in Nairobi with Climate Curious co-host Ben Hurst.

Check out the full 30-minute conversation on youtube! - https://youtu.be/p7KVQN6_cKM

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How the climate crisis drives child...

Gamers are getting playful in the name of climate action, and it’s working! Featuring a digital wardrobe entrepreneur, a creative coder, an urban greening technologist, and a climate meme shitposter, Climate Curious asks – how are games encouraging people to play their way into being an environmentalist? Recorded live at Sexy Climate Change and Nowaday’s on Earth’s event, ‘Game On: Playing for the Planet’.

Featuring:

Issey Gladston, Sexy Climate Change: https://www.sexyclimatechange.co.uk

Kalpana Arias, Nowadays on Earth: https://www.instagram.com/nowadaysonearth 

Lex Fefegha, Climate Crisis: Bridge...

What drives someone to swap a job at Goldman Sachs for a one-way ticket to the Congo? Journalist and mathematician Anjan Sundaram joins Climate Curious to share his journey from elite institutions to some of the most dangerous places on Earth, reporting on climate conflicts and the lives – and deaths – of the world’s bravest environmental defenders. In conversation with Climate Curious’ co-host Ben Hurst, Anjan explains why independent journalism is vital to the climate fight, what stories the mainstream media is still missing when it comes to climate, and how his new initiative, The Stringer Foundation, is supporting the next g...

Sci-fi film-making can be sustainable, says film professor and filmmaker Dr. Itandehui Jansen on the Climate Curious podcast. From filming in natural light, walking to set, and not creating set-builds, Itandehui shares the low-carbon filmmaking approaches that helped her to create the experimental sci-fi film ‘Itu Ninu’ – a story of two climate migrants in 2084 connecting through letter-writing. Recorded live at Oxford University's Right Here Right Now Global Climate Action Summit in conversation with executive producer, Josie Colter.

Watch ‘Itu Ninu’ on https://miradanativa.org/en/home

Check out Itandehui’s climate film recommendations:

Reclamat...

“There may well be measures that we can take on a temporary basis to cool the Arctic and to prolong Arctic sea ice”, says Brad Ack, the CEO of Ocean Visions. He joins Climate Curious to discuss how the ocean can play a central role in re-stabalising the climate. From its role in providing zero carbon food and energy and cleaning up carbon pollution, to the critical research scientists are undertaking into refreezing the Arctic. Recorded live at TED 2025.

Watch Brad’s TEDxBoston talk, ‘Lessons from the Arctic teach us we need a new version of conserva...

Who gets labelled a criminal in the fight for climate justice – and why? In this episode of Climate Curious, filmmakers Becky Burchell and Sophie Austin discuss the making of their latest documentary, Climate Criminals?, a documentary that retells the stories of frontline climate activists, in their own words. From Just Stop Oil’s Stonehenge protest to the far-reaching consequences of the UK’s 2023 Public Order Act, the conversation moves beyond headlines and handcuffs to reveal the real people behind the protests. Tune in to dive into the tensions surrounding civil disobedience and ask the vital question: who really deserves the la...

What if the answers you’re searching for are already within you? Icelandic author and filmmaker Hrund Gunnsteinsdóttir joins Climate Curious to explore InnSæi – the Icelandic concept of intuition, self-awareness, and inner connection. Hrund shares her path to rediscovering presence and alignment with intuition through mindfulness and journaling, before leading a short guided meditation to help you do the same.

Check out Hrund’s book, InnSæi, Heal, Revive and Reset.

Watch Hrund’s TED Talk, Listen to your Intuition. 

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Imagine a garbage collector, but for your digital junk. Vijay Karia joins Climate Curious to share his solution for tackling the invisible but growing problem of digital waste – a platform designed to help organisations identify and eliminate unnecessary digital storage, cutting carbon emissions in the process. What’s even better? Profits from cleaning up the cloud are reinvested back into Canopy for Humanity, a nonprofit supporting Indigenous communities in the Amazon. Recorded live at TED 2025 in conversation with co-host Maryam Pasha. 

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“Live without fear,” says Hollywood actor and Oglala Lakota citizen Mo Brings Plenty, star of the hit series Yellowstone, on Climate Curious. Saddle up for an epic episode as Mo shares stories of growing up on the reservation, what baby buffalos have taught him about life, and how he’s determined to kick down more doors for American Indian folks to get on screen. Plus a Kevin Costner story you won’t want to miss. Recorded live at Oxford’s Right Here Right Now Global Climate Summit 2025, hosted by executive producer Josie Colter.

Continue the Climate Curious co...

“Water is more than a resource; it’s a relative,” says water professor and protector Kelsey Leonard on the Climate Curious podcast, recorded live at TED 2025. In conversation with co-host Maryam Pasha, Kelsey shares how she’s working to ensure water gets the same legal rights as humans – legal “personhood”. Because even though water is essential to life, it still remains relatively unprotected under the law.

Watch Kelsey’s TED Talk, Why lakes and rivers should have the same rights as humans.

Created by TEDxLondon

Executive produced by Josie Colter

Produced by Ben...

"Focusing on the solutions gives you the motivation to wake up every day and be like, okay, we are doing something," says Jacquelyn Francis, founder and executive director of the Global Warming Mitigation Project on Climate Curious. From solar huts in sub-saharan Africa to electric drones delivering medical supplies in the U.S., Jacquelyn shares why she has a solutionist mindset and how to cultivate yours. Recorded live at TED 2025 in conversation with co-host Maryam Pasha.

Created by TEDxLondon

Executive produced by Josie Colter

Produced by Ben Beheshty

Curated by...

What if rivers, forests, and mountains had legal rights–just like humans? Nature should be able to defend its rights, just like people can, says Earth Law Center’s Executive Director Grant Wilson on the Climate Curious podcast. Current laws only protect nature for the benefit of people, corporations, and profit, but Grant Wilson and his team of super lawyers are changing that. From the innovative ‘Nature on the Board’ concept to gaining legal personhood for Nature to pre-emptively protect its rights, Grant joins Climate Curious’ co-host Maryam Pasha to share stories of landmark wins around the world from Peru to Ir...

"When people's lives are better and easier, they will not need to sell charcoal or cut down trees to feed their family," says food security specialist at the University of Maryland and NASA Harvest, Catherine Nakalembe. Catherine joins Climate Curious’s Maryam Pasha to share how satellite technology is used to monitor and predict agricultural conditions, including understanding subsurface water levels, creating detailed maps of crop types and health, ultimately giving people on the front lines of the climate crisis the information they need to adapt. Recorded live at TED 2025.

Continue the Climate Cu...

Are ‘The Herds’ roaming through a city near you? At our Climate Curious live event for London Climate Action Week, we sat down with David Lan, the producer of the worldwide street performance highlighting nature’s struggles through the medium of animal puppets, dance, and music. He shares what people can expect from their upcoming events in London and Manchester, as well as the reaction it’s getting out in the wild!

Find THE HERDS near you!

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“When I try to do things, I have to take it out to the streets,” says Palestinian-born creative director of The Herds, Amir Nizar Zuabi. With his life-sized animal puppets that have made their way across the globe representing nature’s struggle, Climate Curious caught up with Nizar on what he has planned for London Climate Action Week, as well as what brought him to the project in the first place.

Created by TEDxLondon

Executive produced by Josie Colter

Produced by Ben Beheshty

Curated by Deesha Chandra

Hosted by Mar...

The future of energy may be closer than we think, says Steffi Diem, an experimental plasma physicist on Climate Curious. She sits down Maryam Pasha live at TED 2025 to explain what fusion energy is, and how it could unlock a new frontier of clean energy in our lifetime, yay! Replacing fossil fuels with readily available hydrogen, Steffi shares why she’s dedicated her life’s work to ensuring this once distant sci-fi dream becomes a stunning energy-abundant reality. 

Created by TEDxLondon

Executive produced by Josie Colter

Produced by Ben Beheshty

Curate...

If we can’t track it, we can’t fix it. That’s the idea behind MapBiomas, a project using satellite data to reveal exactly how land use is changing across the tropics. Founder Tasso Azevedo joins us live from TED 2025 to explain how the google maps for deforestation is empowering farmers and policymakers to turn their land into carbon sinks, not sources—proving that maps, satellites, and transparent data is a powerful climate tool.

Join the upcoming Climate Curious Live podcast event in London, Monday 23 June, 2025. Tickets are free, be quick!

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“Use the arts and creativity as a way to speak to people's humanity around climate” says Willow Defebaugh, Editor-in-chief of the nature publication ‘Atmos’. This week Climate Curious is taking notes from Willow’s work blending creativity and climate storytelling into her unique and beautiful biannual magazine. Not to mention, we’ll be picking her brain on the experience hosting season one of her excellent podcast ‘The Nature Of’, with guests like Maggie Rogers and Esther Perel, to name a few. Aspiring climate creatives–listening along for tips and inspiration!

Join the upcoming Climate Curious Live podcast event in L...

Not all that glitters is gold. Especially when it’s tinged with the poison of toxic mercury. On this week’s Curious Climate, co-host Maryam Pasha speaks to the rainforest toxicologist exposing mercury contamination in artisanal gold mining in the Amazon, live at TED 2025. The founding mercury research director at the Centro de Innovación Científica Amazónica (CINCIA) and TED Fellow Claudia Vega partners with miners, healthcare workers, and policy makers, to transform cutting-edge science into tangible solutions to protect gold miners and critical ecosystems.

Created by TEDxLondon

Executive produced by Josie Colter<...

New ways of growing baby corals are bringing life back to fading coral reefs, says Executive Director of Impact at the Great Barrier Reef Foundation, Theresa Fyffe on the Climate Curious podcast recorded live at TED 2025. From teaming up with First Nations communities, to inviting tourists to play reef gardener by planting baby corals raised in coral micro-nurseries; Theresa shares how growing heat tolerant corals is giving marine ecosystems a second chance.

Created by TEDxLondon

Executive produced by Josie Colter

Produced by Ben Beheshty

Curated by Deesha Chandra

...

Wild rivers in Europe are vanishing fast—but not on Besjana Guri and Olsi Nika’s watch. In this episode of Climate Curious, the Albanian conservation activists share how over a ten year period they overcame big business, government pressure, and plenty of red tape to protect the Vjosa River in The Balkans—one of the last truly wild rivers in Europe. Their win earned them the 2025 Goldman Environmental Prize, but they stress that the work doesn’t end here. Tune in to hear the story of their momentous climate win!

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Executiv...

Medical professionals are powerful voices in the climate conversation, says doctor turned climate advocate Dr. Bruce Bekkar on Climate Curious. From noticing the effects of pollution on his patients to taking his first steps into climate action, Bruce shares why protecting our environment is also about protecting our health. Recorded live at TED 2025. 

Created by TEDxLondon

Executive produced by Josie Colter

Produced by Ben Beheshty

Curated by Deesha Chandra

Hosted by Maryam Pasha and Ben Hurst

Communications by Tara Cooper and Issey Gladston

I...

Feeling wobbly about your place in the climate movement? You’re not alone. Writer, activist, and All We Can Save co-founder Katharine Wilkinson joins Climate Curious to share how even the tiniest action—whether in your job, your community, or your conversations—can ground you and spark bigger change. As she tells us at TED 2025, sometimes you just need to “squeak a toe in” to find your next step.

Created by TEDxLondon

Executive produced by Josie Colter

Produced by Ben Beheshty

Curated by Deesha Chandra

Hosted by Maryam Pasha and...

Crop failure, drought and extreme weather is pushing families to look for income outside of their normal routes, shares Dr. Mark Ofua, a wildlife veterinarian and the founder of the Pangolin Nigeria Trust. Tune in to understand the unsettling drivers behind climate, wildlife conservation and economics–and how this is impacting the rare and magical Pangolins.

Created by TEDxLondon

Executive produced by Josie Colter

Produced by Ben Beheshty

Curated by Deesha Chandra

Hosted by Maryam Pasha and Ben Hurst

Communications by Tara Cooper and Issey Gladston

With 25% of marine biodiversity found on coral reefs, it’s vital they are kept healthy! On Climate Curious today we hear from marine biologist, data scientist, and TEDxLondon speaker, Ben Williams, on how he’s utilising AI models to scan through years of underwater audio. His work focuses on measuring the health of coral reefs in an effort to help keep them ship-shape, as well as keeping an ear out for illegal bomb-fishing!

Listen to Ben’s TEDxLondon talk here

Calling in our coral

Building coral

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From microplastic contamination in our food supply, to endless plastic ending up in landfill our dependence on oil-based materials poses a major challenge. Climate Curious speaks to a bacteria trainer who has developed a very promising solution to this problem. 2025 TED Fellow Patricia Ayma Maldonado trains powerful bacteria to synthesise completely natural and biodegradable plastics, offering a regenerative alternative to fossil-fuel-based polymers. A bioplastic that matches conventional plastic in performance and versatility. Recorded live at TED 2025.

Created by TEDxLondon

Executive produced by Josie Colter

Produced by Ben Beheshty

Curated by...

Happy Earth Day! This year, we’re celebrating climate progress. We spoke to our Climate Curious experts about what keeps them going during challenging times. Tune in to receive six chunks of wisdom on how to keep positive when progress might feel hopeless. Recorded live at TED 2025 in Vancouver.

Featuring:

Vijay Karia

Kelsey Leonard

Jacquelyn Francis

Tasso Azevedo

Theresa Fyffe

Bruce Bekkar

Created by TEDxLondon

Executive produced by Josie Colter

Produced by Ben Beheshty

Curated by...

 Environmentalism isn't a one dimensional thing, says environmental justice technologist and author Joycelyn Longdon on the Climate Curious podcast. In conversation with co-host Ben Hurst, Joycelyn shares the thinking behind her new book, ‘Natural Connection’, and breaks down how anyone can step into their inner environmentalist by tapping into rage, imagination, innovation, theory, healing, and care. Tune in to learn why climate action isn’t about achieving a checklist of individualistic traits, and instead, maybe it's about being… you!

Buy Joycelyn’s book: https://www.penguin.co.uk/books/454481/natural-connection-by-longdon-joycelyn/9781529902662

Watch Joycelyn’s TEDxLondon Talk: https...

Sea otters are helping to capture carbon, says Alister Scott, the co-director of the Global Rewilding Alliance, on Climate Curious. By reintroducing sea otters back to their habitat in San Francisco, scientists have seen a growth in sea grass, which is a massive carbon sink. Tune in to learn more about this otterly wonderful natural climate solution – rewilding!

Created by TEDxLondon

Executive produced by Josie Colter

Produced by Ben Beheshty

Curated by Deesha Chandra

Hosted by Maryam Pasha and Ben Hurst

Communications by Tara Cooper and Iss...

From conveniently hiding key climate science to flat out running misinformation campaigns, Climate Curious takes a look at the far right’s influence on climate. We’re joined by journalist and ‘Alt Reich’ author Dr. Nafeez Ahmed to connect the dots between techno-authoritarian power players, right wing politics, and attempts to stall climate action. Nafeez’s take? We shouldn't give up on climate progress.

Created by TEDxLondon

Executive produced by Josie Colter

Produced by Ben Beheshty

Curated by Deesha Chandra

Hosted by Maryam Pasha and Ben Hurst

Communicat...

Sources and sinks aren’t bathroom fixtures, they’re our most powerful tools to turn up or dial down climate change, says Project Drawdown’s Executive Director, Jon Foley, on the Climate Curious podcast.   The real solution starts with cutting the pollution at source, not trying to suck it up after the fact. As Jon puts it, “now is better than new”. Tune in to learn about  his six main areas of focus that can help us reduce pollution and reverse climate change the fastest.

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Executive produced by Josie Colter

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Based on a true story: last Friday saw the cinema release of the post-apocalyptic musical ‘The End'. Climate Curious co-hosts Maryam Pasha and Ben Hurst sat down with the academy award nominated and BAFTA winning director Joshua Oppenheimer to find out what inspired his bleak take on the surviving family of a energy exec after a world ending climate event.

Tickets: www.mubi.com/theend

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Executive produced by Josie Colter

Produced by Ben Beheshty

Curation by Deesha Chandra

Hosted by Maryam Pasha an...

Uru Uru team are using giant reeds called ‘totora’ to revive polluted lakes in Bolivia. Environmental activist Gustavo Blanco joins Climate Curious to dive into how restoring his local lakes protects so much more than just nature. It protects people and livelihoods. 

Learn more about the Uru Uru team: https://theirisproject.org/winner/the-uru-uru-team

Apply to the Iris Prize. Closes April 15th: https://theirisproject.org/how-to-apply

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Climate leadership comes from each and everyone of us, not just the United Nations, says Project Drawdown’s Executive Director Jon Foley on the Climate Curious. In conversation with Maryam Pasha and Ben Hurst, tune in to learn how we invigorate a new sort of bottom-up climate leadership, which climate solutions are the best and should be accelerated, why Jon thinks climate doomists are worse than deniers, and why fossil fuels are dead men walking.

Created by TEDxLondon

Executive produced by Josie Colter

Produced by Ben Beheshty

Hosted by Maryam Pa...