Climate Confident - Practical Climate Solutions That Cut Emissions
Climate Confident is for business leaders, climate professionals and policymakers who need to understand what is actually cutting emissions—and what it takes to make those solutions work at scale.
Each Wednesday, I speak with the executives, engineers, scientists, founders and policymakers turning climate ambition into measurable progress. Together, we examine the technologies, business models, policies and implementation strategies reshaping energy, transport, industry, supply chains, food and finance.
These are not conversations about distant targets, vague pledges or greenwash. They are candid discussions about what is working, what is failing, where the real bottlenecks lie, and how leaders can make better decisions about decarbonisation, resilience, investment and risk.
You will hear:
- Proven approaches to reducing emissions
- Hard-earned lessons from real-world implementation
- Analysis of the markets, technologies and policies driving the transition
- Honest examination of costs, trade-offs, setbacks and unintended consequences
- Practical ideas for turning climate commitments into action
New episodes are published every Wednesday at 7am CET. Subscribers also receive bonus episodes featuring highlights, analysis and emerging themes from across the series.
Follow Climate Confident for practical climate solutions, informed debate and the insights you need to turn ambition into measurable progress.
Guest suggestions and feedback are welcome at Tom@tomraftery.com.
Climate Confident - Practical Climate Solutions That Cut Emissions
Why Local Climate Action Scales Faster Than You Think
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In this enlightening episode of the Climate Confident podcast, I, Tom Raftery, have the privilege of hosting Laird Christensen, the Graduate Director of two pivotal graduate programmes at Prescott College, focusing on Resilience, Sustainable Communities, and Environmental Studies. Laird shares his journey from environmental activism to fostering future leaders equipped to tackle the nuanced challenges of climate change through community engagement and sustainable practices.
Laird's insights shed light on the significant, yet often overlooked, intersection of climate activism with mental health and community resilience. He emphasises the necessity of local and personal actions amidst global environmental crises, underlining the power of grassroots movements and the importance of adapting our daily lives to mitigate the impact of climate change.
Furthermore, Laird touches on the critical role of emotional resilience for activists, introducing the concept of 'Active Hope' and the therapeutic potential of communal support in navigating the psychological toll of climate anxiety.
Our discussion also ventures into the realm of effective communication and political engagement, exploring how these can be leveraged to foster more inclusive and sustainable communities.
Join us as we unpack the layers of climate action beyond the technical solutions, highlighting the transformative potential of empathy, local initiatives, and personal accountability in crafting a more sustainable future.
Your feedback and thoughts are always welcome, so please don't hesitate to reach out via social media or email. Together, let's continue to explore and advocate for actionable solutions to climate change.
Also, don't forget to check out the video version of this episode on YouTube.
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Podcast subscribers
I'd like to sincerely thank this podcast's amazing subscribers:
- Anita Krajnc
- Cecilia Skarupa
- 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.
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And a quick note before you go: I’ve started a new Reddit community for serious, evidence-led discussion on climate solutions, clean energy, decarbonisation, policy, technology, and what actually works in practice.
If you’d like to suggest future guests, challenge ideas from the show, or share climate reports and solutions worth discussing, join us at r/ClimateConfident
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