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Fossil vs Future

Fossil vs Future

By: James Cameron and Daisy Nicholls
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This is Fossil vs Future, a warm conversation between generations on climate change. - Each podcast episode will be focusing on a different climate-related challenge, as godfather and goddaughter, James and Daisy, share their individual experiences and perspectives, with the hope of fostering understanding between generations. - James is at the later stage of his working life dedicated to dealing with climate change, through law, finance, and social entrepreneurship, and Daisy is at an earlier stage of her career, equally focused on the climate and how to drive systemic change through her experience in the finance, business, and non-profit sectors. - We want to use intergenerational dialogue as a tool to learn, inspire, and get stuff done! - LinkedIn | https://www.linkedin.com/company/fossil-vs-future Instagram | https://www.instagram.com/fossil_vs_future TikTok | https://www.tiktok.com/@fossil_vs_future© 2026 James Cameron and Daisy Nicholls Biological Sciences Earth Sciences Science
Episodes
  • WHAT ABOUT WHAT JUST HAPPENED? (SPRING 2026)

    WHAT ABOUT WHAT JUST HAPPENED? (SPRING 2026)
    May 19 2026
    We often finish a recording and think of more things we wish we’d said. Or something happens days after that would have been key to mention. In this episode, James and Daisy catch up on those “missing pieces” from 2026 so far. How might the Iran war impact the energy transition? What is on the COP31 Action Agenda? What happened at the first conference on Transitioning Away from Fossil Fuels? “Sunlight has to travel 93 million miles to reach the Earth, but none of those miles go through the Strait of Hormuz.” – Bill McKibben.SOME RECOMMENDATIONS: Outrage + Optimism (2026) – Listen to this podcast episode on how the Iran crisis proves just how dangerously dependent the global economy is on fossil fuels. Michael Liebreich (2026) – The Electrification Staircase is a framework that tries to answer the question: “What should we be rolling out right now at speed, versus treating like a pilot or a trial for commercialisation in coming decades”.Holcim Foundation – An independent non-profit organisation dedicated to accelerating sustainable construction worldwide. Holcim UK, alongside the Holcim Innovation Centre in Lyon, has produced a net zero concrete using an innovative mix containing biochar produced from coppiced wood and spent coffee grounds collected from Canary Wharf coffee shops.FT (2026) – Piece by Pilita Clark on “the messy, chaotic and possibly quixotic quest to phase out fossil fuels.” OTHER ADVOCATES AND RESOURCES:IEA (2026) – The IEA’s Executive Director Fatih Birol says the combined impacts of the disruption to oil and gas flows through the Strait of Hormuz and attacks on energy infrastructure across the Middle East amount to "the greatest threat to global energy security in history." Around 25% of the world’s seaborne oil trade transited the Strait in 2025. About 80% of oil and oil products transiting the Strait in 2025 was destined for Asia. WRI (2026) – Describes how countries with abundant clean energy are faring better with the fuel shortages and price spikes caused by the Iran war. Ember (2025) – Analysis showing how growth in emerging markets turbocharged global EV sales in 2025. The Guardian (2026) – Last year, Ethiopia became the first country to ban imports of combustion engine vehicles. Now, Ethiopia sees roughly 115,000 EVs on its roads out of a total of 1.5m cars in the country. Data Center Watch – A research project that tracks grassroots opposition to data center development across the United States.NY Times (2026) – The “hyperscalers” have forecast spending $710 billion on data centers across North America in 2026. However, according to Data Center Watch, at least $156 billion across 48 projects with publicly disclosed values was blocked or stalled amid coordinated local opposition in 2025.UNFCCC (2026) – COP31 President-Designate Murat Kurum’s first letter outlining the 2026 Action Agenda and naming Sally Higgins as Youth Climate Champion.FT (2026) – Sir Christopher Hohn’s hedge fund TCI has dumped almost all of its $8bn stake in US software giant Microsoft, telling investors that artificial intelligence poses a threat to the company’s dominant software products.Carbon Brief (2026) – A summary of the first summit on ‘transitioning away’ from fossil fuels which saw 57 countries – representing one-third of the world’s economy – debate practical ways to move away from coal, oil and gas. Countries including China, Russia, the US, and India were not invited.Thank you for listening! Please follow us on social media to join the conversation: LinkedIn | Instagram | TikTokYou can also now watch us on YouTube.Music: “Just Because Some Bad Wind Blows” by Nick Nuttall, Reptiphon Records. Available at https://nicknuttallmusic.bandcamp.com/album/just-because-some-bad-wind-blows-3Producer: Podshop StudiosHuge thanks to Siobhán Foster, a vital member of the team offering design advice, critical review and organisation that we depend upon.Stay tuned for more insightful discussions on navigating the transition away from fossil fuels to a sustainable future.
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    42 mins
  • WHAT ABOUT CARBON REMOVAL? Climate solution or corporate distraction?

    WHAT ABOUT CARBON REMOVAL? Climate solution or corporate distraction?
    Apr 28 2026
    To mitigate climate change, we must reduce new emissions. But what about the greenhouse gases already in the atmosphere? And what about the emissions that we can’t easily reduce with existing technologies? In this episode, James and Daisy discuss carbon dioxide removal (CDR). How is it done? What does it cost? And do we really need it?SOME RECOMMENDATIONS: The State of CDR – Reports on the state of progress. Nearly 2.1 billion tonnes of CO₂ are already being removed annually, but around 7–9 billion tonnes are needed by mid-century.CDR.fyi – Provides trusted insights and analytics on durable CDR orders, projects, and financings across the carbon removal market.Counteract – Backs early-stage founders fostering innovation in carbon removal. OTHER ADVOCATES AND RESOURCES:IPCC – CDR refers to technologies, practices, and approaches that remove and durably store carbon dioxide from the atmosphere. It only refers to human activities that intentionally remove CO2 (not natural CO2 removal such as natural forest growth). RMI (2023) – CDR approaches can be sorted into three categories: (1) Biogenic CDR (plants); (2) Geochemical CDR (minerals); and (3) Synthetic CDR (energy). WRI (2026) – Outlines six carbon removal methods. Note: carbon removal is different from carbon capture and storage (CCS), which captures emissions at the source (a form of emission reduction).RMI (2024) – Five charts showing how much CO2 we need to remove from the atmosphere. CDR.fyi (2026) – Approximately $3.6B in private capital was invested in CDR companies between 2021 and 2025, with Direct Air Capture (DAC) accounting for ~61%.Climeworks – A Swiss company specialising in DAC and storage (DACCS) technology. 1PointFive – Once operational, the STRATOS facility in Texas aims to capture up to 500,000 tonnes of CO2 per year.XPRIZE – The XPRIZE Carbon Removal competition is a $100 million global challenge intended to accelerate scalable solutions for removing carbon dioxide from the atmosphere. The 2025 winner was Mati Carbon, who use enhanced rock weathering – spreading crushed basalt on smallholder farms in India – to lock CO₂ as bicarbonate for millennia while enhancing soils and boosting crop yields.BCG (2025) – Smallholder farmers in India that work with enhanced rock weathering providers have seen ~20%–30% higher yields and ~30% lower fertilizer use, resulting in nearly 20%–25% higher household incomes. ESG Today (2026) – Microsoft signed agreements to remove 45 million metric tonnes of CO2 in 2025. By comparison, Frontier Buyers coalition (the second largest purchaser) has purchased around 1.8 million tonnes to date. Microsoft has confirmed that their carbon removal program has not ended but that at times they may “adjust the pace or volume” of procurement. Frontier Climate – An advance market commitment to buy an initial $1B+ of permanent carbon removal between 2022 and 2030. It was founded by Stripe, Alphabet, Shopify, Meta, McKinsey and tens of thousands of businesses using Stripe Climate.Responsible Investor (2025) – SBTi allows high quality removals to be used for residual emissions (capped at 10% of total emissions).Interface – Created the first-ever carbon negative carpet tile. Thank you for listening! Please follow us on social media to join the conversation: LinkedIn | Instagram | TikTokYou can also now watch us on YouTube.Music: “Just Because Some Bad Wind Blows” by Nick Nuttall, Reptiphon Records. Available at https://nicknuttallmusic.bandcamp.com/album/just-because-some-bad-wind-blows-3Producer: Podshop StudiosHuge thanks to Siobhán Foster, a vital member of the team offering design advice, critical review and organisation that we depend upon.Stay tuned for more insightful discussions on navigating the transition away from fossil fuels to a sustainable future.
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    41 mins
  • WHAT ABOUT COP31? FT. BULA COP31! (PART TWO)

    WHAT ABOUT COP31? FT. BULA COP31! (PART TWO)
    Apr 14 2026
    This is part two of our collaboration with Bula COP31! We recommend listening to part one first. This November, Türkiye hosts COP31 with Australia leading the negotiations. In this cross-continental episode, James and Daisy are joined by Jack Whelan and Heidi Dumesich (hosts of Bula COP31!) for an intergenerational conversation on what we hope to see from this year’s conference. What will make it onto the Action Agenda? What is the Fossil Fuel Non-Proliferation Treaty? And what should the COP31 closing speech say? SOME RECOMMENDATIONS: BulaCOP31! – To learn more about what it means for Australia and Türkiye to co-host COP31, listen to Jack and Heidi’s podcast.OTHER ADVOCATES AND RESOURCES:COP31 – Türkiye will be the formal COP31 President while Australia will serve as the President of Negotiations.COP30 (2026) – The Action Agenda is the space for actors who do not negotiate, but who are essential for implementation. The COP30 Action Agenda was organized around six thematic pillars and the “Five Year Vision” established a framework to guide the acceleration of Paris Agreement implementation between 2026 and 2030. Climate Watch – 62 countries have yet to submit updated Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs).Pacific Resilience Facility – The first Pacific-led, member-owned and managed regional financing facility. The Guardian (2026) – A leaked draft of the COP31 Action Agenda includes 14 items but omits mention of fossil fuel phaseout, prioritising “zero waste” and “tourism and cultural heritage” instead.Dialogue Earth (2025) – Türkiye is one of the world’s largest electric arc furnace steel producers and Australia is the world’s biggest iron ore exporter.Ember – In 2024, Türkiye’s renewable electricity generation (156 TWh) outpaced Australia’s (98.8 TWh).The Fossil Fuel Treaty Initiative – An alliance of nation-states and civil society working to secure a global just transition from coal, oil and gas. 18 nations have already joined. UN – The Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons (NPT) is a landmark international treaty whose objective is to prevent the spread of nuclear weapons and weapons technology, to promote cooperation in the peaceful uses of nuclear energy and to further the goal of achieving nuclear disarmament and general and complete disarmament.Transitioning Away from Fossil Fuels – Colombia and the Netherlands will co-host this conference in Santa Marta (24-29 April 2026) as a space for countries, subnational governments and other stakeholders that recognize the need to implement a transition away from fossil fuels in a just, orderly and equitable manner, in line with climate goals and the best available science.IEA (2025) – Fossil fuels still comprised 10% of Colombia’s GDP and 45% of total exports in 2024. The Belém Declaration – An agreement supported by 35+ countries aiming to accelerate green industrialization.Earth Negotiations Bulletin (ENB) – The flagship publication of the International Institute for Sustainable Development (IISD) on UN environment and development negotiations. UNFCCC – Article 6 of the Paris Agreement enables international cooperation to tackle climate change and to unlock financial support for developing countries.COP30 (2026) – In this letter, COP30 President Corrêa do Lago proposes a “two-tier” model for multilateralism: one anchored in consensus, and one focused on implementation.WEF (2026) – Prime Minister of Canada, Mark Carney, made a special address at Davos: “We know the old order is not coming back. We shouldn't mourn it. Nostalgia is not a strategy, but we believe that from the fracture, we can build something bigger, better, stronger, more just.”Thank you for listening! Please follow us on social media to join the conversation: LinkedIn | Instagram | TikTokYou can also now watch us on YouTube.Music: “Just Because Some Bad Wind Blows” by Nick Nuttall, Reptiphon Records. Available at https://nicknuttallmusic.bandcamp.com/album/just-because-some-bad-wind-blows-3Producer: Podshop StudiosHuge thanks to Siobhán Foster, a vital member of the team offering design advice, critical review and organisation that we depend upon.Stay tuned for more insightful discussions on navigating the transition away from fossil fuels to a sustainable future.
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    52 mins
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