Climate Confident

• How Lignin Could Replace 40% of the World’s Plastics, and Cut Emissions Fast

  Send me a messageIn this week’s episode of Climate Confident, I sat down with Christopher Carrick, founder and CTO of Lignin Industries, to explore a game-changing innovation in the fight against plastic pollution, turning waste from the paper industry into carbon-negative bioplastics.Christopher’s story starts in his kitchen, where curiosity (and a Star Wars ice-cube tray) led to a breakthrough: modifying lignin, the brown polymer in wood, so it can be melted, shaped, and blended into everyday plastics like polypropylene, polyethylene, and ABS. The result? Materials that can replace up to 40 percent of fossil plastics, perform just as well, and even smell faintly of forest.We unpacked how this process works, why recyclability and stability are critical, and how Lignin’s bioplastics outperform many “green” alternatives by avoiding thermal degradation during recycling. Christopher also explains why regulation — not technology — is now the biggest bottleneck in decarbonising the plastics sector.What struck me most is the scale of impact possible here. Plastics are one of the hardest sectors to clean up, yet Lignin’s approach shows that circularity, chemistry, and creativity can combine to make fossil-free materials commercially viable.We also touched on scalability, partnerships, and the hope Christopher finds in consumers — the moment someone holds one of their wood-scented bags and realises that sustainability can feel good too.🎧 Listen in to hear how lignin could transform the global plastics market — and why the future might just smell like trees.👉 Available now on climateconfidentpodcast.com and all major podcast platforms.Keywords: bioplastics, lignin, sustainable materials, circular economy, plastic recycling, decarbonisation, climate innovation, fossil-free plasticsPodcast supportersI'd like to sincerely thank this podcast's amazing subscribers: Ben Gross Jerry Sweeney Andreas Werner Stephen Carroll Roger Arnold And remember you too can Subscribe to the Podcast - it is really easy and hugely important as it will enable me to continue to create more excellent Climate Confident episodes like this one, as well as give you access to the entire back catalog of Climate Confident episodes.ContactIf you have any comments/suggestions or questions for the podcast - get in touch via direct message on Twitter/LinkedIn. If you liked this show, please don't forget to rate and/or review it. It makes a big difference to help new people discover the show. CreditsMusic credits - Intro by Joseph McDade, and Outro music for this podcast was composed, played, and produced by my daughter Luna Juniper

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• Food for the Planet: How Elior North America Cut Food Waste by 64% and are Decarbonising Food

  Send me a messageIn this week’s episode of Climate Confident, I’m joined by Sherie Nelson, Senior Director of Responsibility & Wellness at Elior North America, a food service company serving millions of meals daily across schools, hospitals, universities, and businesses. Sherie sits at the fascinating intersection of nutrition, sustainability, and systems change - proving that what’s good for people is, quite literally, good for the planet.We discuss how Elior has cut food waste by 64% since 2022, rolled out data-driven carbon tracking across thousands of kitchens, and committed to making 50% of all new menus meatless by 2025. Sherie explains how her team is re-engineering menus to be both craveable and climate-friendly, and why naming and presentation matter just as much as emissions data when driving behaviour change.From plant-forward menu design and sustainable packaging to the hard truths of scalability and regulation, Sherie offers a masterclass in how large-scale food operations can reduce emissions without compromising on flavour or health.If you’ve ever wondered how the global food service industry can help deliver on climate goals, or how data and diet can work together to cut emissions at scale, this episode is a must-listen.Listen now to learn why the future of sustainable dining starts with the choices we make, and the stories we tell, on every plate.#Sustainability #ClimateAction #FoodSystems #NetZero #PlantBased #CircularEconomy #ClimateConfidentPodcast supportersI'd like to sincerely thank this podcast's amazing subscribers: Ben Gross Jerry Sweeney Andreas Werner Stephen Carroll Roger Arnold And remember you too can Subscribe to the Podcast - it is really easy and hugely important as it will enable me to continue to create more excellent Climate Confident episodes like this one, as well as give you access to the entire back catalog of Climate Confident episodes.ContactIf you have any comments/suggestions or questions for the podcast - get in touch via direct message on Twitter/LinkedIn. If you liked this show, please don't forget to rate and/or review it. It makes a big difference to help new people discover the show. CreditsMusic credits - Intro by Joseph McDade, and Outro music for this podcast was composed, played, and produced by my daughter Luna Juniper

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• The Economics of Climate Risk: Gary Yohe on Abating, Adapting, and Surviving

  Send me a messageIn this week’s episode of the Climate Confident Podcast, I sit down with Dr. Gary Yohe, one of the world’s leading climate economists, long-time IPCC author, and a member of the Nobel Peace Prize, winning IPCC team of 2007. Gary has spent over four decades shaping how we understand climate change, not just as an environmental issue, but as a fundamental risk management challenge.We explore his powerful framework: abate, adapt, or suffer. These are, he argues, the only three choices humanity has left, and crucially, some level of suffering is now unavoidable. Mitigation slows the pace of warming, adaptation reduces impacts, but neither can eliminate all risks. The insurance crisis unfolding in California and beyond shows what happens when climate risks become uninsurable, raising the threat of financial instability on a global scale.Gary also reminds us that climate decisions must be iterative. Policies cannot be fixed for 100 years; they must evolve as science, technology, and risk tolerance change. He illustrates this with striking examples, from New York’s evacuation planning after Hurricane Sandy to San Francisco’s flexible approach to sea-level rise.Yet, despite the scale of the challenge, Gary insists on hope, not blind optimism, but the conviction, as Václav Havel wrote, that action makes sense regardless of outcome. It’s this perspective that has kept him, and many others, working relentlessly on solutions for over 40 years.If you want to understand why climate change is ultimately a risk management problem, why insurance, finance, and resilience are inseparable, and why hope is a strategy we can’t do without, this episode is essential listening.Podcast supportersI'd like to sincerely thank this podcast's amazing subscribers: Ben Gross Jerry Sweeney Andreas Werner Stephen Carroll Roger Arnold And remember you too can Subscribe to the Podcast - it is really easy and hugely important as it will enable me to continue to create more excellent Climate Confident episodes like this one, as well as give you access to the entire back catalog of Climate Confident episodes.ContactIf you have any comments/suggestions or questions for the podcast - get in touch via direct message on Twitter/LinkedIn. If you liked this show, please don't forget to rate and/or review it. It makes a big difference to help new people discover the show. CreditsMusic credits - Intro by Joseph McDade, and Outro music for this podcast was composed, played, and produced by my daughter Luna Juniper

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• Turning Vulnerability into Innovation: The Climate Solutions Emerging from Small Islands

  Send me a messageIn this week’s episode of Climate Confident, I sit down with Emily Wilkinson, Principal Research Fellow at ODI Global and Director of the Resilient and Sustainable Islands Initiative (RESI), to explore one of the most pressing and least discussed frontlines of the climate crisis: small island developing states (SIDS).These 39 nations, scattered across the Caribbean, Pacific and Indian Ocean, contribute less than 1% of global emissions yet face the most existential threats, from rising seas and saltwater intrusion to increasingly frequent Category 5 hurricanes. Emily explains why Dominica’s 2017 disaster, damage equivalent to 226% of its GDP, was a turning point, sparking its bold ambition to become the world’s first climate-resilient nation.We also dive into the financial side of resilience. Emily outlines groundbreaking tools such as climate-resilient debt clauses, debt-for-nature swaps, and pooled insurance schemes, innovations that give vulnerable economies breathing space after disasters. She shares examples of islands turning challenges into opportunities, like converting invasive sargassum seaweed into clean biogas, deploying floating solar in lagoons, and tapping geothermal energy beneath volcanic islands.We discuss the Bridgetown Initiative spearheaded by Mia Mottley, which is reshaping global climate finance debates, and how small island leaders are punching above their weight on the international stage.If you want to understand why SIDS are both the most vulnerable and the most innovative actors in the climate fight, and what their experiments can teach the rest of us, this is an episode you won’t want to miss.Listen now to hear how small islands are rewriting the rules of resilience.Also check out Emily's podcast - Small Islands, Big PicturePodcast supportersI'd like to sincerely thank this podcast's amazing subscribers: Ben Gross Jerry Sweeney Andreas Werner Stephen Carroll Roger Arnold And remember you too can Subscribe to the Podcast - it is really easy and hugely important as it will enable me to continue to create more excellent Climate Confident episodes like this one, as well as give you access to the entire back catalog of Climate Confident episodes.ContactIf you have any comments/suggestions or questions for the podcast - get in touch via direct message on Twitter/LinkedIn. If you liked this show, please don't forget to rate and/or review it. It makes a big difference to help new people discover the show. CreditsMusic credits - Intro by Joseph McDade, and Outro music for this podcast was composed, played, and produced by my daughter Luna Juniper

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• How Your Pension Could Be the Biggest Climate Lever You’re Ignoring

  Send me a messageWhen people think about tackling the climate crisis, they often talk about energy, food, or transport. But what about money? In this week’s episode of Climate Confident, I sat down with Scott Ryan, founder and CEO of Investature, to unpack one of the biggest blind spots in corporate climate strategies, the financial supply chain.Scott argues that pensions, retirement savings, and even our everyday bank accounts may be the largest single drivers of greenhouse gas emissions for many organisations, often dwarfing their direct operations and traditional Scope 3 supply chains. He explained how most retirement funds are still heavily invested in fossil fuels and high-pollution industries, even though those assets will almost certainly become stranded as the world pushes for net zero.The numbers are staggering. Globally, pensions account for over $100 trillion. Redirecting just 1% of that towards climate solutions would close a third of the climate finance gap, enough to massively accelerate the transition in energy, mobility, agriculture, and adaptation. Yet most companies and individuals remain unaware of the scale of this leverage.We explored why financial supply chains have been overlooked in frameworks like TCFD and GRI, and why leading employers are now beginning to integrate sustainable retirement options into their benefits. Scott also shared practical steps individuals can take, such as shifting to green banks, exploring climate-positive ETFs, or pushing employers to offer sustainable pension plans.This is not just about risk management; it’s about turning finance into a genuine engine for climate solutions. If you’ve ever wondered how your savings could work for or against the planet, this episode will give you a fresh lens on climate action.Podcast supportersI'd like to sincerely thank this podcast's amazing subscribers: Ben Gross Jerry Sweeney Andreas Werner Stephen Carroll Roger Arnold And remember you too can Subscribe to the Podcast - it is really easy and hugely important as it will enable me to continue to create more excellent Climate Confident episodes like this one, as well as give you access to the entire back catalog of Climate Confident episodes.ContactIf you have any comments/suggestions or questions for the podcast - get in touch via direct message on Twitter/LinkedIn. If you liked this show, please don't forget to rate and/or review it. It makes a big difference to help new people discover the show. CreditsMusic credits - Intro by Joseph McDade, and Outro music for this podcast was composed, played, and produced by my daughter Luna Juniper

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