In the 22nd episode of Climate History, co-hosts Emma Moesswilde and Dagomar Degroot interview Christian Pfister, co-author (with Heinz Wanner) of a new book: "Climate and Society in Europe: The Last Thousand Years." 

Pfister is one of the founders of the related fields of climate history and historical climatology. He explains how he helped establish these fields, how they benefit from genuine collaboration between disciplines, and what they may be revealing about today's climate crisis. He also describes the most important themes in the last millennium of climate change in Europe - and why it is so important that scholars introduce their methods, models, and sources to a broad audience.

A Millennium of Climate Change in Europe: From Medieval Warming to Today's Climate Crisis

This is Generation One, the climate podcast from University College London – turning climate science and ideas into action. 

Hosted by Dr Simon Chin-Yee from the School of Public Policy, and Mark Maslin, Professor of Earth Systems Science at UCL.

We’re going to be tackling climate action in all its forms, from innovative business and tech solutions, to inspiring stories from the frontlines of collective activism. With fantastic guests and top UCL experts.

Look out for Series 5, coming soon on your favourite podcast platform.  

Learn more about UCL’s Generation One campaign and access the transcripts here https://www.ucl.ac.uk/climate-change/podcasts-videos/ucl-generation-one-climate-podcast. Or find us on X using #UCLGenerationOne.

Presenters: Prof. Mark Maslin and Dr. Simon Chin-Yee
Producers: Adam Batstone, Caitlin Mullin, Jane Yelloly

Welcome to Generation One - Trailer

You may not know her name, but Eunice Newton Foote made groundbreaking discoveries about the greenhouse effect in the 1850s. Her experiments showed that different gases, including carbon dioxide, absorb and trap heat, an early milestone in the history of climate science. And even though her findings were published in a leading scientific journal – a rarity in the days of a male-dominated field – her work remained virtually unknown until recently. Now, thanks to playwright Amanda Quaid, we have a dramatized portrait of the scientist’s life at the time she published her pioneering study, which lends its name to the title of the play.

This play is part of L.A. Theatre Works’ Relativity Series of science-themed plays. Lead funding for the Relativity Series is provided by the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation, bridging science and the arts in the modern world.

Recorded at The Invisible Studios, West Hollywood in November 2024.

Directed by Anna Lyse Erikson
Producing Director: Susan Albert Loewenberg

An L.A. Theatre Works Full-Cast Performance Featuring:
Geoffrey Arend as Elisha Foote
Tara Lynne Barr as Augusta Foote
Scott Brick as the Narrator and Joseph Henry
Jake Green as the Glazier
Monica McSwain as Mary Foote
Emily Swallow as Eunice Newton Foote

Senior Producer: Anna Lyse Erikson
Prepared for Audio by Mark Holden for The Invisible Studios, West Hollywood
Recording Engineer and Editor: Neil Wogensen
Mixing Engineer: Charles Carroll
Designed by Mark Holden and Charles Carroll for The Invisible Studios, West Hollywood
Senior Radio Producer: Ronn Lipkin
Foley Artist: Stacey Martinez



Circumstances Affecting the Heat of the Sun's Rays (Part 1)

You may not know her name, but Eunice Newton Foote made groundbreaking discoveries about the greenhouse effect in the 1850s. Her experiments showed that different gases, including carbon dioxide, absorb and trap heat, an early milestone in the history of climate science. And even though her findings were published in a leading scientific journal – a rarity in the days of a male-dominated field – her work remained virtually unknown until recently. Now, thanks to playwright Amanda Quaid, we have a dramatized portrait of the scientist’s life at the time she published her pioneering study, which lends its name to the title of the play.

This play is part of L.A. Theatre Works’ Relativity Series of science-themed plays. Lead funding for the Relativity Series is provided by the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation, bridging science and the arts in the modern world.

Recorded at The Invisible Studios, West Hollywood in November 2024.

Directed by Anna Lyse Erikson
Producing Director: Susan Albert Loewenberg

An L.A. Theatre Works Full-Cast Performance Featuring:
Geoffrey Arend as Elisha Foote
Tara Lynne Barr as Augusta Foote
Scott Brick as the Narrator and Joseph Henry
Jake Green as the Glazier
Monica McSwain as Mary Foote
Emily Swallow as Eunice Newton Foote

Senior Producer: Anna Lyse Erikson
Prepared for Audio by Mark Holden for The Invisible Studios, West Hollywood
Recording Engineer and Editor: Neil Wogensen
Mixing Engineer: Charles Carroll
Designed by Mark Holden and Charles Carroll for The Invisible Studios, West Hollywood
Senior Radio Producer: Ronn Lipkin
Foley Artist: Stacey Martinez

Circumstances Affecting the Heat of the Sun's Rays (Part 2)

What is the Climate and Nature Bill, and why does it matter? 

The Zero Hour campaign is here to tell us, as we dive into their efforts to secure widespread backing for the Climate and Nature Bill. The Bill, which had its Second Reading in Parliament on 24 January 2025, aims to strengthen the UK government’s commitments to cut emissions, restore nature, and ensure public consultation on the road to net zero. 

Hosts Mark and Simon are joined by Simon Oldridge, Policy Advisor at Zero Hour to break down the key components of the Bill, and why it’s crucial to tackling the climate emergency. Simon also sheds light on how Zero Hour managed to gain cross-party support for the Bill, and what individuals can do to help it get passed.  

We also hear from the Bill’s sponsor: Liberal Democrat MP Roz Savage, on why she believes it’s a vital step needed on climate action. And from Conservative MP Andrew Bowie, who shares his concerns about the Bill and why he remains a critic. 

Find out more about the Zero Hour campaign:  
https://www.zerohour.uk/ 
https://www.youtube.com/@zerohour_uk 

UCL’s Love Your Planet event: https://www.ucl.ac.uk/grand-challenges/events/2025/feb/love-your-planet-2025 

Transcript: https://www.ucl.ac.uk/climate-change/podcasts-videos/ucl-generation-one-climate-podcast 

Date of episode recording: 31st February 2025 
Duration: 32.51 mins 
Language of episode: English  
Presenter: Professor Mark Maslin and Dr Simon Chin-Yee  
Guests: 
Simon Oldridge, Policy Advisor at Zero Hour 
Producers:  
Adam Batstone 
Caitlin Mullin 

Season 5, Episode 4 - ‘Zero Hour’ for the Climate and Nature Bill

From an early age, conversations about criminal law and justice at home sparked her dream of studying at Harvard Law School—yet, when she was accepted and offered a full scholarship, it still came as a shock. Her mother’s Perry Mason stories contrasted starkly with the realities of the legal system, but Joyeeta had already found an alternative path to work on justice through her work on consumer and environmental law. In her work, she observed how weaker parties—those with fewer resources, less knowledge, or vague regulations are often exploited, and how there is a double standard when it comes to developing countries. Nowhere is this double standard more magnified than in climate change: despite decades of sound scientific knowledge, we continue to “dump” the consequences onto vulnerable communities thinking it won’t happen to us. Despite it all, Joyeeta remains optimistic. She highlights the power of education and the pivotal role of research in informing social movements, noting that every time a government falls, a window opens for transformative change— a change that can sometimes happen overnight.

research & interview: Annick van Rinsum
cover design: Nicole Spakman & Floreska Olmberg
video: Job Hulsebosch

Het Portret with Dr. Joyeeta Gupta

In the months of both Ramadan and Lent, Generation One joins in with reflections on the relationship between food, community, and health with our fifth episode of Season 5.  

Hosts Mark and Simon explore not only the impacts of climate change on global food availability, but societal behaviour around food and decision-making, and the effects of both on our health.

They’re joined by two UCL experts: Mark Miodownik (Professor of Materials & Society) who deconstructs the supply chain to highlight the damaging effects of packaging and microplastics. And Gail Taylor (Dean of the Faculty of Life Sciences), who explains how the latest developments in plant science and agrotechnology can help make food more nutritious and widely available. 

We also heard from Dr Andrew Simms of the New Economics Foundation. And from UCL students Carson and Valentina, leaders of the Students’ Union’s Zero Food Waste project, which aims to tackle food waste on campus. 

Zero Food Waste: https://studentsunionucl.org/volunteering/organisation/zero-food-waste 
Transcript: https://www.ucl.ac.uk/climate-change/podcasts-videos/ucl-generation-one-climate-podcast 

Date of episode recording: 6 and 21 March 2025 
Duration: 55.46 
Language of episode: English  
Presenter: Professor Mark Maslin and Dr Simon Chin-Yee  
Guests: 
Professor Mark Miodownik, UCL 
Professor Gail Taylor, UCL 
Yat Hin Carson Chan, UCL Students’ Union 
Valentina (Hye Won) Chang, UCL Students’ Union 
Producers:  
Adam Batstone 
Caitlin Mullin

Season 5, Episode 5 - Food security, consumerism and health: What’s the connection?

I speak with Dr. Daniel Swain, climate scientist and communicator, who focuses on the dynamics and impacts of extreme events—including droughts, floods, storms, and wildfires—on a warming planet. I asked Dr. Swain to elaborate on his role as a weather and climate science communicator, especially in disaster scenarios, like during the devastating wildfires that swept through Southern California in January, which is "expected to become the costliest global wildfire disaster on record.” 

// Support the work + listen to the full interview: https://www.patreon.com/lastborninthewilderness

Preview / Whiplash / Daniel Swain

I speak with Dr. Daniel Swain, climate scientist and science communicator. 

We begin with the recent news of the Trump administration's deep cuts to current and future research on the climate crisis, and what impact this will have on our ability to track weather and climate trends in the years to come. I asked him to elaborate on his role as a weather and climate science communicator, especially in disaster scenarios, like during the devastating wildfires that swept through Southern California in January, which is "expected to become the costliest global wildfire disaster on record.” And on track with that subject, I asked Swain to explain the dynamic of hydroclimate volatility, also called hydroclimate whiplash, and how this dynamic can help us understand how the wildfires in California become so destructive so quickly, and the role anthropogenic global heating has in making disasters like this more volatile and far more likely. 

// Episode notes: https://www.lastborninthewilderness.com/episodes/daniel-swain

// Sustain + support: https://www.patreon.com/lastborninthewilderness 

// Donate: https://www.paypal.me/lastbornpodcast


384 / Climate Whiplash / Daniel Swain

It’s crunch time for the oceans and shipping sector, and tensions are high. Dr Simon Chin-Yee brings you this special episode of #UCLGenerationOne in the midst of critical negotiations at the International Maritime Organization (IMO). 

Simon speaks to colleagues who have travelled across the oceans to the IMO - the UN agency responsible for regulating the shipping sector. In April 2025, countries came together to negotiate the IMO Net-Zero Framework, including a set of ‘mid-term measures’ to reduce greenhouse gas emissions in line with 2023 targets.

In this episode, Fijian performing artist and climate advocate John Taukave (Pacific Coordinating Group) and Eldine Glees (Maritime Policy Consultant) discuss the importance of a just and equitable transition for small islands and developing countries. 

 And as the dust settles, Simon picks up with Opportunity Green’s Emma Fenton to break down what actually happened, and what it means for the future of green shipping. 

The stakes are huge: will the IMO agree to decarbonise global shipping while ensuring no one is left behind? Find out in our podcast Talanoa!  

Transcript: https://www.ucl.ac.uk/climate-change/podcasts/ucl-generation-one-climate-podcast

 Date of episode recording: 5 and 16 April 2025 
Duration: 55:40 
Language of episode: English  
Presenter: Professor Mark Maslin and Dr Simon Chin-Yee  
Guests: 
John Taukave, Micronesian Center for Sustainable Transport 
Eldine Chilembo Glees, Micronesian Center for Sustainable Transport 
Emma Fenton, Senior Director, Climate Diplomacy at Opportunity Green 
Producers:  
Adam Batstone 
Caitlin Mullin

Series 5, Episode 6 - ‘Are we on course to decarbonise shipping?’: A podcast Talanoa at the IMO

Climate History features interviews and discussions about the history of climate change. Conversations consider what the past can tell us about our present and future.  It is hosted by Dr. Dagomar Degroot, associate professor of environmental history at Georgetown University, and Emma Moesswilde, a PhD student in environmental and climate history at Georgetown.

UCL (University College London) is consistently ranked among the world's top ten universities (QS World University Rankings 2010 - 2021). Our excellence extends across all academic disciplines, from one of the world's foremost centres for research and teaching in the biological sciences to world-renowned centres for architecture (UCL Bartlett), education (UCL IOE) and fine art (UCL Slade School).

UCL is London's leading multidisciplinary university, with more than 13,000 staff and 43,000 students from 150 different countries. Founded in 1826 in the heart of London, UCL was the first university in England to welcome students of any religion and the first to welcome women on equal terms with men.

UCL Minds brings together UCL’s knowledge, insights, and ideas through events, activities, and digital content open to everyone. Find out what’s on UCL Minds: www.ucl.ac.uk/minds

L.A. Theatre Works records plays live in performance. We stage our shows in an audio-friendly format, so actors speak directly into microphones while we add sound effects and music to create an immersive audio experience.

We've recorded over 500 plays in this way - everything from Shakespeare and Oscar Wilde to Arthur Miller and recent Tony winners - and turn the recordings into podcasts, streaming audio, radio shows, and CD’s, so you can listen to great theater anywhere.

Because of our unique format, we attract a lot of top-name talent: our actors have included Chris Rock, Bobby Cannavale, Jane Kaczmarek, Kathleen Turner, Simon Helberg, Amber Tamblyn, Dana Delany, Stacy Keach, Jon Hamm, Matthew Rhys, Alfred Molina, Jonathan Groff...and an ever-expanding list of stars from TV, stage, and film.

A podcast about transitions, death, the ruptures of life in between.

In Het Portret interviewt Annick van Rinsum gasten met een uniek perspectief op de wereld van nu. Uiteenlopende gasten, die zich ieder vanuit hun eigen interesse inzetten voor een meer rechtvaardige samenleving en deze een stukje mooier willen kleuren. Het portret is om de week op dinsdag te horen in je favoriete podcast app.

Popular tracks tagged #climate science