Shows
Your Brain On ClimateSomewhere, with Karl DudmanWe vote in our self interest, right? So how come people living on islands disappearing because of climate change - and they know it - keep voting for Donald Trump? The answer to that goes to the heart of our climate politics. But it also tells us something very important about how different people think about climate change and what should be done about it, even when they can see it literally killing the place they love. This episode is a fascinating chat with anthropologist Dr Karl Dudman. He talks all about his time spent wi...2025-06-1358 minYour Brain On ClimateMICRO: Kill All PestsI'm out in the garden looking for that pile of jobby I found the other day, and it made me think back to my chat in episode 17 with Erica McAlister all about flies (and fleas). Erica is the London Natural History Museum's expert on all things dipeteric (flies) and siphonapteric (fleas), and an extremely funny and nice person too. Reaching for that fly-killer? WAIT A MINUTE. Must we call kill all pests? (Must we even think of them as pests in the first place?) If you like the show please do consider chipping in a cou...2025-05-3009 minYour Brain On ClimateBullsh*t, with Mike Berners-LeeAn episode all about the subtle art of talking bollocks. We live in a golden age of bullshit. It can seem that our politics is riddled with it. Corporate climate communications are drenched in it. And despite the looming eco-crisis, perhaps our own brains are too. In this episode, Dave meets author Mike Berners-Lee to chew over his new book, A Climate of Truth. It's a brilliant balance of home truths about the state of things, with unputdownable optimism that humanity can - and must - do better. What distinguishes glorious bul...2025-05-1157 min
Contractor GuysContractor Guys with special guest, with special guests, Dave Neal, ElectricianThe Contractor Guys, Greg Powell and Gary "the caveman" Crovo are joined by a special guest—Dave Neal who is an independent electrician. In this episode, the Contractor Guys talk about electricity, how it works and what do do if it goes down in the building. AND... shocking tips on wiring and when to replace breakers.This podcast is an archive from the radio show that originally aired September 25, 1996.How did you like the show? Send us a text! All conversations between the hosts and guests are meant to be lighthearted and entertaining as...2025-05-0642 minYour Brain On ClimateMICRO: You Disgust MeIn this bite-sized edition we look back at perhaps my favouritest episode ever - episode 9 about disgust, with Yoel Inbar. We all have a gag reflex. But when we find people - like polluters - disgusting, are we feeing *actually* disgusted, or is it just a metaphor? What about how we might feel about things like climate change itself? Does it make us want, literally, to vom?If you like the show please do consider chipping in a couple of quid over at http://www.patreon.com/yourbrainonclimate. And a written review would be ace. P...2025-04-2711 minYour Brain On ClimateI Contain Multitudes, with Sarah Stein LubranoAn episode all about cognitive dissonance. Ever feel like there are two yous in the same head? The one that cares about the planet, and the one that doesn't act like it does? And that having two yous makes at least one of your yous freak out? You (and you) are not alone. Welcome to cognitive dissonance. As Walt Whitman wrote: you contain multitudes. It's a feature, not a bug, of being alive. Humans, it turns out, are very good at thinking conflicting things at the same time. This helps us get...2025-04-1759 min
Gig Gab - The Working Musician's PodcastMonique Powell of Save Ferris: Ska, Struggles, and Sweet ComebacksMonique Powell of Save Ferris joins you for a no-holds-barred dive into the grind, grit, and glory behind making a band thrive. From opera training to ska dreams, Monique shares how preparation and passion powered her transformation from “Mo Sing Song” to full-on band manager (and back again…and forth again). You’ll hear how she navigated shifting to external management, dealt with label fallout, and used setbacks as fuel—because when the machine breaks, you fix it or build your own. Her fight to save her voice wasn’t just personal—it became a mission driven by fans who refused to...2025-04-1457 minYour Brain On ClimateMICRO: Running Up That HillIn this YBOC microdose, a hark back to my inspirational chat with ultrarunner and climate activist Damian Hall, who dispensed his wisdom about how to keep up the slog - advice that's as useful for changing the world as it is for running up that hill. Sorting climate change is the definition of a marathon, not a sprint. It particularly feels that way right now. What we need is ENDURANCE, and plenty of it - and the right perspective to keep on keeping on. For the full chat, check out episode 23 here. If you...2025-03-2809 minYour Brain On ClimateConfirmation Bias, with Adam HarrisOr: why we all hear what we want to hear, and disregard the rest. Confirmation bias is hardwired into human brains, and without it we'd never get through our day. But it doesn't half get us - and the planet - into trouble sometimes. In this episode Dave learns all about confirmation bias from the splendid Professor Adam Harris off of University College London. Learn about how casinos make their cash, why lefties should read righty-press sometimes, why confirmation bias once caused a plane to crash into a massive volcano, and why climate deniers and activists alike cou...2025-03-1053 min
The Krieger FilesToday's economic news and historian author Scott Powell joins The Krieger Files! Award-winning journalist Dave Krieger eviscerates the latest economic news that matters to everyday Americans, followed by Scott Powell and his recently-released book Rediscovering America and Scott shares the historical perspectives and how they relate to today's events! 2025-03-0754 minYour Brain On ClimateMICRO: The Conservative LagWhy is social change so hard - particularly right now? Part of the reason lies in pluralistic ignorance - the social phenomena that helps to explains everything from imposter syndrome to slow progress on climate change. In this micro episode, we explore a nugget of insight from Professor Deborah Prentice - currently vice-Chancellor of Cambridge University and at the time of our chat back in 2021, provost of Princeton. What is pluralistic ignorance, and how does it lead to a 'conservative lag' in society? For the full chat, check out episode 6 here. If you like...2025-02-2709 minYour Brain On Climate(Getting Your Head Around) the End of the World, with Laurie LaybournWe're reasonably good at imagining what nuclear war would be like (although it'd probably be even worse than that). But it's not the same for most other complicated, really really scary risks. Eg: the UK government is still not taking seriously the risk of another pandemic - and that's despite the fact we LITERALLY JUST HAD ONE, GUYS. And it's the same for climate change - with knobs on. For sure, our politicians, banks and cultures just aren't ready for the climate-clusterfudge. But if you're anything like me, there's a limit to how much of it...2025-02-101h 03Your Brain On ClimateStories of Action, with Kris de MeyerIf you want someone to change their mind, it's best if they persuade themselves. And they're much more likely to do that if they actually *do* something new, rather than just pathetically feeling like they *should*. There's nothing like getting yer metaphorical hands dirty to show you you can do things you never thought you could - from bleeding radiators to leading climate marches. And everyday stories of people *doing stuff* are far more effective than simply telling people there's a climate crisis going on - so why don't we tell more of them? This e...2025-01-1256 minYour Brain On ClimateCommon Sense, with Dannagal YoungCommon sense? Ain't nothing common about it. Populists - like Donald Trump - love to appeal to 'common sense', while pushing ideas as contentious as they come. But what does Trump get right about how he talks to people about big ideas - and what can everyone else learn from it? And what does all this mean for how to talk about something as complex and polarised as climate change? In this episode I'm joined by Dr Dannagal Young, Professor of Communication and Political Science at the University of Delaware. Danna is the author of 'Wro...2024-12-0152 minYour Brain On ClimateThe neutrality myth, with Lydia MesslingIs climate science 'neutral'? Should it be? Are humans even capable of being neutral about anything? In this new-format episode, I dig into accusations that climate scientists risk undermining their work by going on climate marches. Can that really be true? Doesn't the scientific method speak for itself? And is it realistic to expect people to spend all day immersed in awful data, and NOT want to change the world afterwards? I'm joined this episode by the fab Dr Lydia Messling, climate engagement expert and a very thoughtful and clever person. Lydia talks about her...2024-10-3045 minYour Brain On ClimateMental heat, with Alessandro MassazzaWhen it gets hot, we all get a bit stroppy: think 'shouting at people on the internet' stroppy. But that's only the tip of the (melting) iceberg. Too much heat can trigger or make worse a range of mental health conditions. And what does climate change bring? More heat. So what are the mental health implications of rising global temperatures? Joining Dave this episode is Dr Alessandro Massazza (X / LinkedIn) - Policy Advisor for United for Global Mental Health. Ale tells Dave all about what the science has to say about the very many ways getting too ho...2024-09-3047 minYour Brain On ClimateLong Time, with Ella SaltmarsheTime. You work on a human timescale, but the planet doesn't. Sometimes we can think long term but mostly real life gets in the way: but the decisions we collectively take will have a huge impact on life on Earth now, and for generations to come. What are the biases that peg us to short term thinking? How can we shift our perspective to the day after tomorrow, and how can that help everyday life? And what do pigeons have to do with it? Joining Dave this episode is Ella Saltmarshe, Director of the Long Tim...2024-08-2851 min