In this last episode of the series, we’ll be exploring how stories work for and against climate change. 

We cover a lot of ground: from hippos and polar bears to how many times ‘sex’ and ‘tea’ were mentioned on TV between 2017 and 2018… so what’s all of this got to do with sustainability and climate change? Join us to find out!

Our storytelling experts this time are Richard Staley (lecturer in the history and philosophy of science, Sarah Dillon (author, researcher and broadcaster) and Martin Rees (cosmologist, astrophysicist, and Astronomer Royal).

This episode was produced by Nick Saffell, James Dolan, and Naomi Clements-Brod.

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In this episode:

0:00 - Introductions

04:05 - When and how did we start telling stories about the environment?

08:30 - What is the purpose of a story and how do they work?

10:30 - Climate models and climate fictions.

12:53 - Models as fiction. The reliability of models.

13:30 - The climate in the past. Modelling the future to think long-term.

15:45 - Recap

19:00 - How we experience the weather and the climate.

20:05 - The importance of Indigenous stories.

22:55 - How does storytelling differ across the world

25:10 - Could there be one story to save them all?

26:55 - How frequently is climate change mentioned in mainstream stories?

29:10 - Engaging with climate change, without engaging with climate change.

30:15 - Do we think about climate change as climatic change?

31:25 - Can we use stories to communicate to policymakers?

Guest Bios:

Martin Rees (@LordMartinRees)

Martin Rees (Lord Rees...