“There is no world in which you can escape the effects of climate change. Even if you don't believe in climate change, climate change is coming for you.”
Aaron Bastani in conversation with environmental lawyer and green transition expert, Tessa Khan.
Watch the full episode of Downstream on our YouTube channel.
This summer’s weather has been record breaking in all the wrong ways. Extreme heat, droughts, crop failures, wildfires and thousands of excess deaths have left experts to realise that the climate is destabilising faster than predicted.
In the face of this undeniable crisis, what should be done? Tessa Khan is the founder of Uplift - an organisation that works to challenge the fossil fuel lobby and decarbonise our energy system before it’s too late. The former human rights lawyer realised a decade ago that none of the other social questions matter, if we don’t address the climate crisis. With family in Bangladesh, a nation with 175 million people, that is set to go underwater first, she understands what is at stake better than most. She also understands that Britain is rich in renewables, and the green transition is not just a challenge, but an opportunity to fix our broken economy.
Should Britain drill for more oil in the North Sea, or is this a distraction planted by the fossil fuel lobby? Should the energy system in Britain be nationalised? Are renewables also susceptible to economic shocks? What can we learn from the transition from oil to gas? How does the ageing population impact climate politics? And what exactly should Andy Burnham do, on climate change?
0:00 Intro
2:16 Giving Up on COP?
3:22 The Truth About Britain and Norway's North Sea Oil Supply
7:20 Why Shouldn't Britain Have Norway's System?
10:45 Are Reform Misinformed or Just Don't Care?
12:39 What Are the Rosebank and Jackdaw Fossil Fuel Reserves?
16:49 Doom Is a Luxury: Why We Have to Fight Like Hell to Stop Climate Change
20:00 Has the Summer of 2026 Been a Turning Point?
23:02 Should We Have Air Conditioning?
24:10 Who Is Worse on Climate: Reform or the Tories?
26:18 What Causes Climate Denial?
28:32 Debunking Right-wing Myths About Energy Prices
31:05 Anything Can Be a Battery
31:52 The Oil and Gas Lobby
35:52 Why the UK Should Be Leading on Climate
39:22 Uplift & the Green Transition : Lobbying for the Public Interest
44:51 Should Energy Be Nationalised?
46:39 Massive Opportunities for Green Industrialisation
50:45 Are Renewables Also Vulnerable to Shocks?
54:00 How to Resist Climate Anxiety
55:26 Billionaires Think They're Safe But They're Not
57:52 What About Just Stop Oil
1:01:22 Zack Polanski's Green Party
1:04:38 What Can We Learn from the Transition from Oil to Gas?
1:06:55 The Fossil Fuel Lobby Is Destroying our Future
1:10:12 How Does the Ageing Population Impact Climate Politics?
1:12:09 How Climate Change is Impacting Southern European Tourism
1:13:12 What Should Burnham Do on Climate?
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Tickets for Downstream IRL with Catherine Liu and Loki at EartH Hackney
https://dice.fm/event/bb9wxv-novara-medias-downstream-irl-trauma-farming-21st-sep-earth-london-tickets
Netanyahu was warned about the 7 October attacks, Hillary Clinton has said in an interview criticising the Israeli PM's “failure of leadership”.
Netanyahu was warned that Hamas was “preparing for a major event” days before the attack happened, according to allegations published in Haaretz this week.
On the Morning Joe talk show, the former US secretary of state suggested that Netanyahu ignored the warning, which came from UAE president Mohammed bin Zayed, “so that he could come down hard” on Palestinians.
Clinton added that she would like to see a new prime minister in Israel who would “crack down on settler violence”.
The Lifeboat charity RNLI has warned its volunteers against wearing its branding in public in light of harassment from far right agitators.
Plus: Albanians have been protesting for over 100 days against a luxury hotel development by the Trump family, we speak to veteran science writer Robert Wright about the growing panic over AI & Hilary Clinton has a surprising stance on October 7.
00:00 Intro
01:04 RNLI Scapegoated By The Far Right
18:02 Albanians Protest Trump Development
37:57 Polanksi Announces Candidacy For Starmer’s Former Seat
49:03 Robert Wright On AI
With Michael Walker, Barry Malone & Robert Wright.
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“Yesterday was not about individual settlements. Yesterday was about the entire ecosystem.”
Palestine’s ambassador to the UK, Husam Zomlot, praised the British government for banning the trade of goods and some services with illegal Israeli settlements earlier this week.
The ban is an admission that the problem is not individual settlers but “state-sponsored terrorism”, he told Michael Walker on Novara Live.
It’s not just billionaire Chris Rokos’s choice of jumper that is “bad vibes”.
The hedge fund tycoon has decided to leave the UK for to Greece. But while mainstream media has been quick to argue that he's fleeing Labour’s tax plans, Steven Methven points out on Novara Live that the numbers don't quite add up.
Donald Trump has promised a $5000 check to every American if the Republicans win the mid-terms. Now, JD Vance has appeared to walk back that offer.
Plus: Kemi Badenoch defends massive proposed cuts to benefits, we speak to a Palestine Action activist’s mother who was denied a mortgage by her bank, new far right poster boy Danny Tommo embarrasses himself in front of his footsoldiers, and two of the Inbetweeners declare intergenerational war.
00:00 Intro
1:03 Is Trump Trying To Bribe The Electorate?
19:32 Austerity Is Back On The Menu
37:41 Palestine Action Mum Denied Mortgage
53:17 The Inbetweeners VS The Boomers
With NoJusticeMTG & Dalia Gebrial, & Emma Kamio.
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The ‘Godfather of AI’ has supported the claim that there is a 10% chance that artificial intelligence will kill all humans within 10 years.
Geoffrey Hinton, who won the Nobel Prize for computer science, told Victoria Derbyshire on Newsnight that the 10% prediction is “not an unreasonable estimate”, leaving Derbyshire visibly shaken.
He explained that AI could build biological viruses or orchestrate cyber-attacks, adding that the ways it could harm humanity are “countless”.
It follows an X post on Wednesday from Jacob Coxon, a former researcher at Anthropic, who said that the people building AI earnestly believe that it could kill us all by the end of the decade.
As the UK’s Chief Rabbi decries the new settler sanctions, we speak to Palestine’s UK ambassador for his reaction.
Plus: England’s youth are (nearly) leading the western world in reading, science & maths, and Anthropic loses an employee over their reckless race to AIG.
With Michael Walker, Aaron Bastani, Husam Zomlot & Garrison Lovely.
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Ed Miliband led a diplomatic shift between the UK and Israel yesterday, announcing a trade ban on goods with illegal Israeli settlements in the West Bank while describing the actions of "settler terrorists” as the “ethnic cleansing of Palestinians".
While many recognised the shortcomings of the announcement — such as continuing arms sales and the sharing of British intelligence with Israel — Banseka Kayembe argues on Novara Live that it's still important to celebrate this moment as a win.
Watch the full conversation and interviews with political analyst Daniel Levy and Amnesty International’s Tom Guha on Novara Media's YouTube channel.
"In 500 years, our distant descendants will look back and say... 'Boy, was it a f*cking mistake to put all that carbon in the atmosphere to make chatbots.' "
Michael Walker in conversation with technology critic and author, Cory Doctorow.
Watch the full episode of Downstream on our YouTube channel.
Foreign secretary Ed Miliband has announced new economic sanctions against illegal Israeli settlements in the occupied West Bank.
Plus: Billionaire Chris Rokos makes headlines as he plans to leave for Greece, but is the UK tax system really to blame?
00:00 Intro
01:21 New Sanctions On Illegal Settlements
10:24 Interview With Daniel Levy
24:17 -Interview With Amnesty’s Tom Guha
53:01 Netanyahu Was Warned About October 7th
1:06:27 Billionaire Tax Row
With Steven Methven, Banseka Kaymebe, Daniel Levy & Tom Guha.
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Buy Novara Media merch:
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Hundreds of men decked out in balaclavas doesn’t make women and children feel safer.
On Novara Live, Ash Sarkar points out that some of the far-right agitators behind the weekend’s protests in Dover and Portsmouth reportedly have criminal convictions for violent acts, including violence against women.
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