If you were a farmer and the climate changed, what would you do about it? At first you might simply try small experiments to adapt – after all, farmers are used to annual variations in the weather. But what about if the changes aren’t just annual variations, but are serious shifts in weather patterns associated with climate change? Drier weather, higher temperatures, more frequent storms, prolongued periods of rainfall. 

These issues are the subject of a new WRI report, "Food systems at risk: transformative adaptation for long term food security". In this podcast two of the authors, Rebecca Carter and Tyler Ferdinand, talk to Nicholas Walton about why transformative adaptation is happening, what the challenges are, and how it can be made more effective.

Big Ideas Into Action #22: Transformative Adaptation in Agriculture

ACT2025: Rules - for more go to www.wri.org/ACT2025

This new series of World Resources Institute podcasts looks at what vulnerable countries want from COP26 climate conference in Glasgow. Success at COP26 is seen as critical if the world is going to avoid catastrophic climate change. 

We’re increasingly familiar with what many of the world’s richer and larger countries are saying ahead of the conference, about their apparent ambitions to make reductions in the amount of carbon they’re putting into the atmosphere. But what of smaller, poorer, more vulnerable nations? Many have joined a grouping called ACT2025 to make sure their voices are heard — and this series is about the issues that are important to them. WRI is the secretariat and a core partner of ACT2025. 

This first episode deals with RULES, and was put together by Molly Bergen and Nicholas Walton. It features WRI's Yamide Dagnet, Tony La Viña of the Manila Observatory, and Sandra Guzman of the Climate Finance Group for Latin America and the Caribbean.

Big Ideas Into Action #27: ACT2025 - Rules

Cities are a place of opportunity and inequality, and where more than half the world's population will experience the impacts of climate change. They're also part of the solution. 

This podcast draws on WRI's major new report, "Towards a more equal city", which uses its six years of research to look at the challenges of the world's cities through the lens of equity. 

THIS PAPER WILL LAUNCH ON OCTOBER 19th. PLEASE VISIT THIS PAGE TO REGISTER FOR THE LAUNCH: https://events.wri.org/world-resources-report-synthesis-launch-seven-transformations-for-more-equitable-and-sustainable-cities/

The podcast guests are Ani Dasgupta, Anjali Mahendra, and Robin King. The presenter is Nicholas Walton.

Big Ideas Into Action #31: Towards a more equal city

This new series of short WRI podcasts looks at why COP26 matters for different issues. In this episode Nicholas Walton looks at the Circular Economy with Stientje van Veldhoven. 

Other episodes look at Oceans, Cities, Energy, Food and Land Use, Clean Air, Business, and an overall look ahead to COP26.

For more on #COP26 go to our resource hub: www.wri.org/un-climate-change-conference-resource-hub

COP26 Shorts: Circular Economy

This new series of short WRI podcasts looks at why COP26 matters for different issues. In this episode Nicholas Walton looks at Food and Land Use with Morgan Gillespy. 

Other episodes look at Oceans, Cities, Circular Economy, Energy, Clean Air, Business, and an overall look ahead to COP26.

For more on #COP26 go to our resource hub: www.wri.org/un-climate-change-conference-resource-hub

COP26 Shorts: Food and Land Use

Is it possible to predict conflict? That's what the Water, Peace and Security Partnership's machine learning early warning tool sets out to do. Four times a year the predictions are analyzed and turned into a quarterly report. 

We'll be doing a short podcast about the headline story from each quarterly report - this time the focus is on the Horn of Africa, especially Ethiopia, Somalia and northern Kenya, and the interviewee was WRI's Charlie Iceland. 

You can read the quarterly report in more depth at www.waterpeacesecurity.org, and follow the Partnership on Twitter, @waterpeacesec. 

WRI is one of the Water, Peace and Security partners.

Big Ideas Into Action #42: Water Peace and Security Quarterly Update 1

Beyond the immediate human suffering, what are the wider implications of Russia's invasion of Ukraine on energy and food? This is an edited, public version of a WRI press call examining the issues and the questions that will need to be asked in the coming months and years. 

The podcast features four WRI experts: Stientje van Veldhoven, Craig Hanson, Jennifer Layke and Dan Lashof. It was produced and presented by Nicholas Walton. For more, go to www.wri.org/podcasts

Big Ideas Into Action #48: Ukraine, energy and food

How has Africa been affected by the growing food crisis sparked by Russia's invasion of Ukraine? In this podcast we hear from three experts, their analysis of the situation, and their solutions - both to the immediate challenge and to making Africa's food system more resilient in the face of challenges such as climate change and conflict. 

The podcast features Lawrence Haddad of GAIN, Ndidi Nwuneli of Sahel Consulting, and Assan Ngombe of AGRA, along with voices from Addis Ababa's food markets (thanks to Kalkidan Wondimu of the Food and Land Use Coalition) and UN Secretary General António Guterres (https://unsdg.un.org/latest/announcements/un-chiefs-remarks-launch-global-crisis-response-group-food-energy-and-finances). The podcast was presented and produced by Nicholas Walton.

Big Ideas Into Action #52: solutions to the African food crisis caused by the Ukraine War

It’s one of the thorniest issues in the shift to low carbon economies – what happens to those whose lives, livelihoods and communities are left behind as we move away from fossil fuels. To help examine these transitions we've put together a podcast miniseries that looks at the challenges, opportunities and solutions of just transition. 

In this Just Transition In Action podcast series we’ve this opening podcast looking at the broad issues, and then we'll examine three case studies – from Australia, India and the US – and ask what we can learn from them. 

We’ve also got a special resource section of our website where you can find out much, much more – go to wri.org/just-transitions. 

Go to wri.org/podcasts for many more of these WRI podcasts on all sorts of environment-related issues from cities and energy to forests, oceans, restoration and food - or you can subscribe using any podcast app. And don't forget to rate us! Thank you.

WRI Big Ideas Into Action #53: What is a Just Transition?

What happens to the workers and communities connected to an Australian coal-fired power station when it is closed down? As the world shifts towards renewable energy more fossil fuel-fired power stations will close down. Learning from what's happened in previous case studies will help us to identify challenges, opportunities and solutions. 

This case study from Australia is the second in WRI's Just Transition In Action podcast series. In the opening episode we looked at the broad issues, and after this one we'll be looking at two further case studies in India and in the US. 

We’ve also got a special resource section of our website where you can find out much, much more – go to wri.org/just-transitions.

Go to wri.org/podcasts for many more of these WRI podcasts on all sorts of environment-related issues from cities and energy to forests, oceans, restoration and food - or you can subscribe using any podcast app. And don't forget to rate us! Thank you.

WRI Big Ideas Into Action #54: Just Transition in Australia

When a coal-fired power station near the US-Canada border closed, what happened to the local community, shorn of its jobs and the healthy tax revenues that it brought in? As the world shifts toward renewable energy we need to grasp the challenges that this throws up, finding new funding and sources of jobs and economic growth, while enjoying opportunities such as reduced pollution and lower carbon emissions. Learning from what's happened in previous case studies will help us to identify challenges, opportunities and solutions.

This case study from upstate New York is the third in WRI's Just Transition In Action podcast series. In the previous two episodes we dealt with broad just transition issues and looked at a case study of finding new jobs for workers in Australia. In the next episode we'll be looking at the development of a vast solar farm in India. 

We’ve also got a special resource section of our website where you can find out much, much more – go to wri.org/just-transitions.

Go to wri.org/podcasts for many more of these WRI podcasts on all sorts of environment-related issues from cities and energy to forests, oceans, restoration and food - or you can subscribe using any podcast app. And don't forget to rate us! Thank you.

WRI Big Ideas Into Action #55: Just Transition in the United States

Some cases of just transition are obvious - such as finding replacement jobs and taxation money when a local coal-fired power station closes down. But as we transition towards a low-carbon economy some other impacts on livelihoods and communities may not be so easy to predict. 

This case study from Karnatka in India examines the unintended consequences of building a vast new solar energy farm on seemingly underused land. It is the fourth in WRI's Just Transition In Action podcast series. In the previous three episodes we dealt with broad just transition issues and looked at case studies in both Australia and the United States. 

We’ve also got a special resource section of our website where you can find out much, much more – go to wri.org/just-transitions.

Go to wri.org/podcasts for many more of these WRI podcasts on all sorts of environment-related issues from cities and energy to forests, oceans, restoration and food - or you can subscribe using any podcast app. And don't forget to rate us! Thank you.

WRI Big Ideas Into Action #56: Just Transition in India

The Inflation Reduction Act that has been signed into law by President Biden is seen as good news for US efforts to combat climate change. But what are the international implications of the Act? 

In this short podcast the President of WRI, Ani Dasgupta, talks about how the Act will add momentum to international climate action with Nicholas Walton. 

You can find out more here:
* 6 benefits from the Inflation Reduction Act: https://www.wri.org/insights/inflation-reduction-act-benefits 
* WRI statement about the Inflation Reduction Act: https://www.wri.org/news/statement-us-house-representatives-passes-inflation-reduction-act-historic-climate-measures

WRI Big Ideas Into Action #57: international implications of the Inflation Reduction Act

Is it possible to predict conflict? That's what the Water, Peace and Security Partnership's machine learning early warning tool sets out to do. Four times a year the predictions are analyzed and turned into a quarterly report.

In this third WPS quarterly report podcast we look at the water stresses facing Iraq, from water shortages to water quality, and hear why they're undermining governance in the south of the country. The interviewee is Laura Birkman, head of the Climate and Security Program at the Hague Centre for Strategic Studies, and the producer and presenter is Nicholas Walton of WRI.

https://waterpeacesecurity.org/
https://hcss.nl/expert/laura-birkman/

Big Ideas Into Action #58: Iraq and the Water Peace and Security Quarterly Update

The World Resources Institute is now 40 years old, but how have the world's climate challenges changed in that time? And how has WRI evolved to meet them? 

In this podcast, Ani Dasgupta talks about 4 decades of climate action, about technology, growing global awareness of climate change, and the need to make sure climate action is about equity as well as carbon reduction. Former WRI presidents Gus Speth and Jonathan Lash also feature. 

WRI Big Ideas Into Action podcasts are produced and presented by Nicholas Walton.

Big Ideas Into Action #59: 40 years of climate action at WRI

Why is climate finance such an important issue, and how does it affect the world's most climate-vulnerable countries? In this podcast we look at the Pacific island nation of Fiji, which is on the frontline of climate change-related impacts such as coral bleaching, sea level rises, and extreme weather events. 

Fiji's attempts to meet this challenge were dealt a severe blow by Cyclone Winston and then - especially - the Covid 19 pandemic, which hit the tourism-dependent economy very hard. In this WRI podcast we hear about the challenges, the solutions that are being found, and the central role that climate finance plays in this.

The interviewees are Caitlin Smith and Prashant Chandra of WRI, and Prelish Lal of Fiji's Ministry of Economy. The podcast is presented by Nicholas Walton, who also produced it with significant help from Hayden Higgins from WRI's Finance team.

Big Ideas Into Action #60: Fiji and the Climate Finance challenge

Tackling climate change and its impacts is complex and multifaceted, and involves everything from simply reducing the fossil fuel emissions in energy generation through to looking at agricultural land use. And then there’s the role of the circular economy in making a decisive impact on tackling climate change. That’s the subject of a new report led by the Platform for Accelerating the Circular Economy, or PACE, titled 'Circular Economy as a Climate Strategy: current knowledge and calls-to-action'. 

In this podcast we hear from three of the report's authors: Ke Wang of PACE; Patrick Schröder of Chatham House; and Garvin Heath of the National Renewable Energy Laboratory in the United States. The presenter and producer is Nicholas Walton of WRI. 

You can find out more at www.pacecircular.org and @pacecircular.

Big Ideas Into Action #61: the circular economy and climate action

The evidence continues to mount that the climate crisis is urgent, and action needs to be taken now to avert it and to minimise its impacts. Nowhere is this more true than for those vulnerable countries who are most at risk from its impacts. Many of these countries are part of a grouping called ACT2025, which tries to ensure that their voices are heard. So what exactly do they want? 

In this podcast we hear from Preety Bhandari of WRI, and Maria Laura Rojas of Transforma, an ACT2025 partner in Colombia. The presenter and producer is Nicholas Walton. 

For more:

* https://www.wri.org/initiatives/allied-climate-transformation-act2025/resources/cop27-call-enhanced-implementation
* https://www.wri.org/initiatives/allied-climate-transformation-act2025/act2025-podcast
* https://www.wri.org/un-climate-change-conference-resource-hub

Big Ideas Into Action #62: Climate-vulnerable countries and COP27

What is being done to stop marine biodiversity loss? Marine ecosystems are essential for all life on earth, providing benefits ranging from food to economic and recreational opportunities and more – with 3 billion people depending directly on marine and coastal biodiversity for their livelihoods. However, it is being lost at an alarming rate.  

COP15 in Montreal saw governments from around the world take a step towards addressing this threat to nature by agreeing ‘30 by 30’, effective conservation and management of at least 30% of the world’s lands, inland waters, coastal areas and oceans by 2030. 

In this podcast, we learn about the cost of marine biodiversity loss in Mexico, a megadiverse country and home to almost 70% of the world’s diversity of species. We hear how Mexico are working to go above and beyond ‘30 by 30’, to manage 100% of the ocean under national jurisdictions, as part of their role on the High Level Panel for a Sustainable Ocean Economy.  

Global Director of WRI’s Ocean Program, Kristian Teleki sat down with Martha Delgado and Andrew Rhodes from the government of Mexico during COP15, to discuss what these targets mean and what happens next for the future of our ocean.

Big Ideas Into Action #63: COP15 and Mexico's biodiversity

What are the big stories to watch for 2023? In this World Resources Institute podcast Ani Dasgupta and Nicholas Walton discuss four: the longer term impact of Russian's invasion of Ukraine on energy; what the re-election of President Lula in Brazil means for tropical forests; why 2023 is a big year for climate finance; and how is the Inflation Reduction Act affecting the US and beyond? 

You can see Ani's full presentation of Stories To Watch 2023 at https://www.wri.org/events/2023/1/stories-watch-2023

Big Ideas Into Action #64: four Stories To Watch for 2023

Carbon Dioxide Removal promises to be an important tool in fighting climate change, but how can countries best use it as they reduce their emissions? WRI recently published a working paper on the challenges and questions surrounding carbon dioxide removal, such as equity, its role in mitigation, and how its use can be monitored. In this WRI podcast Nicholas Walton asks the authors - Katie Lebling, Clea Schumer and Danielle Riedl - about their findings and recommendations.

WRI Big Ideas Into Action #65: where does Carbon Dioxide Removal fit in?

What do climate-vulnerable countries want from the forthcoming COP28 conference? In this podcast Nicholas Walton talks to Mark Bynoe and Maria Laura Rojas, two members of the ACT2025 grouping, a coalition amplifying the voices of vulnerable countries in the climate negotiations. What are they hoping for, what are their concerns, and how optimistic are they ahead of COP28?

WRI Big Ideas Into Action #66: ACT2025 and vulnerable nations ahead of COP28

Modern supply chains are global, complex, and touch nearly everyone in some way — you’re either part of the production process for a given commodity, a consumer of that product or service, or both. However, current supply chain practices fail to properly value our natural resources and the people working within them.

Over the course of three episodes, you'll hear from a dozen experts who will explain why centering people is an effective strategy for large corporations to meet their supply chain sustainability goals. This first episode is focused on a key missing ingredient in most corporate plans: the voices of small- and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) and their workers.

Across any global supply chain, workers upstream and the small businesses they work for typically share one thing; a lack of representation and decision-making power when it comes to the buyers furthest downstream setting sustainability targets for the whole value chain.

In fact, as Dan Viederman from the Working Capital Fund points out, there are more than 1,000,000,000 workers who don't make enough money from their jobs to support their livelihoods. While supply chains are increasingly more complex, a simple solution to improve them is by treating the most vulnerable workers better.

This series — hosted, produced and edited by Daniel Baker —  is funded by the Ares Charitable Foundation as part of their CREST Initiative; a 5-year career preparation and reskilling project that aims to close the gap between the demand for a skilled workforce for green jobs and the number of people prepared for these opportunities to build an equitable, low-carbon economy.

Episode 2 premiers on Wednesday, April 24. Episode 3 premiers on Wednesday, May 1. Make sure to subscribe to WRI's Big Ideas Into Action podcast to hear the rest of the series.

Episode 1 Featured Guests:
Adel Guitouni | Associate Professor of Business, University of Victoria
Andrew Olah | Founder, Ethical Denim Council
Becca Coughlan | Senior Advocacy Manager, Remake
Brian Lipinski | 10x20x30 Initiative Project Manager, WRI
Dan Viederman | Partner, Working Capital Fund 
Jacques Leslie | Yale Environment 360 & LA Times Writer
Jason Judd | Executive Director, Global Labor Institute & Professor, Cornell University
Lydia Elliott | Deputy Director of Supply Chain Decarbonization, We Mean Business Coalition's SME Climate Hub
Namit Agarwal | Social Transformation Lead, World Benchmarking Alliance
Rene Zamora | Restoration Policy Senior Manager, WRI
Sheri Hinish | Global Sustainable Supply Chain Leader, Ernst & Young (EY) & Podcast Host, Supply Chain Revolution
Taj Eldridge | Managing Director for Climate Innovations, Jobs for the Future (JFF) Labs

Voices on Supply Chains Episode 1 - The Lack Of Worker Power

The approach that many corporations take with their supply chains passes the environmental and monetary costs down to the small businesses and workers that rely on them. These workers are far more vulnerable to supply chain disruptions – which are becoming more frequent and more destructive as climate impacts worsen.

In part two of this three-part series, we discuss the ways that large companies and small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) can establish partnerships founded on trust and transparency. The ripple effects of strong partnerships could improve supply chains and working conditions for workers around the globe.

Voices on Supply Chains Episode 2 - The Power Imbalance

Ultimately, the story of supply chains is a story about people. We spoke with a dozen different supply chain experts from around the world who guided us through the relationships between large corporations and the small- and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) that make up their supply chain.

As we wrap up this three-part series, our guests explain what companies stand to gain by working more intentionally and in partnership with small businesses in their supply chains. These partnerships may look different within a single supply chain or specific sector, but many share similar elements. 

The experts we spoke with highlight the best partnership examples from the corporate world in Part 3 of Voices on Supply Chains.

Voices on Supply Chains Episode 3 - The Power Of Partnerships

On this episode of the WRI Podcast, Lawrence MacDonald sits down with Ani Dasgupta, global director of WRI Ross Center for Sustainable Cities.

Dasgupta highlights two recent developments that shed light on how city leaders can tackle these challenges. 

The recent Habitat III conference in Quito, Ecuador, brought together leaders from around the world to discuss housing and sustainable urban development. World leaders ultimately agreed on a New Urban Agenda, which will set a course for the next two decades of urban development.

Dasgupta also previews the World Resources Report (WRR), which focuses on how to make cities more equitable and sustainable places to live. Moving developing cities away from car-centric roads, investing in services for the poor, and the interconnection between environment and economy stand out as central conclusions. Preliminary findings suggest that if decision-makers view climate change, economic productivity and quality of life as interconnected urban challenges, they’ll ultimately create more sustainable cities that work better for all citizens.

WRI Podcast #10 - Planning the City of the Future With Ani Dasgupta

In this episode, WRI Vice President for Communications Lawrence MacDonald interviews Jessica Seddon, director of integrated urban strategy for the WRI Ross Center for Sustainable Cities, about her work to improve air quality around the world. Beginning with her time as an academic in San Diego, where she first realized the importance of air quality, we follow her through years in India before she came to WRI, learning about the ways that air quality intersects with health, agriculture, and even renewable energy.

WRI Podcast #29: Air Quality with Jessica Seddon

Three authors of WRI's World Resources Report, "Creating a Sustainable Food Future: A Menu of Solutions for Feeding Nearly 10 Billion People by 2050" join WRI Vice President for Communications Lawrence MacDonald to talk about how we'll feed the world without destroying the planet. Features Janet Ranganathan, Tim Searchinger, and Richard Waite.

WRI Podcast #32: Creating a Sustainable Food Future

WRI Water Program Director Betsy Otto knows the world should be stressed about water: her team's research showed this year that one-quarter of the world's population lives in extreme water stress. In this conversation with WRI Vice President for Communications Lawrence MacDonald, though, she talks about the solutions--technological, political, and managerial--that we can apply to alleviate the strain.

WRI Podcast #39: Solutions to the Global Water Crisis with Betsy Otto

Jane Lubchenco is one of the world's foremost ocean ecologists. Formerly the head of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, she is now a co-chair of the expert group for the High Level Panel for the Sustainable Ocean Economy. She's interviewed on this podcast by Lawrence MacDonald, vice president of communications at WRI.

WRI Podcast #44: Jane Lubchenco's New Narrative for the Ocean

"Big Ideas Into Action" is the relaunched podcast from the World Resources Institute, bringing you the big ideas that combat the world's most pressing environmental and developmental challenges. You'll hear the voices of those meeting the challenges on the ground across the globe and find out about the way we're finding the answers and translating them into action. 

We'll be podcasting in series of six to eight at a time, once a week, with occasional special episodes to add our insights and analysis in response to big events. 

The World Resources Institute works around the globe to turn big ideas into action at the nexus of environment, economic opportunity, and human well-being. We focus on seven urgent global challenges that must be addressed to reduce poverty, grow economies and protect natural systems: climate change, energy, food, forests, water, cities, and the ocean.

Popular tracks by WRI's Big Ideas Into Action podcast