The Green Blob: Recent Episodes
Green Blob Productions
Your weekly digest of climate and nature-related news in UK current affairs.
Join Toryn, Will and guests as we sift through the political psychodrama and focus on what matters, the climate crisis.
Send your questions, comments and everything in-between to us at: thegreenblobpod@gmail.com.
Graphic design: Nahal Sheikh
Produced with enormous thanks to KCL Radio.
From cold snaps to Christmas quizzes, welcome to our Christmas special!
In this episode Toryn, Will and Zenzo discuss the deaths of crabs and lobsters in the North East and Thérèse Coffey's stuttering performance answering questions from the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs committee about the incident.
Next week is the British Ecological Society's annual conference in Edinburgh, and we are joined by the 2022 Sidnie Manton Award winner Kristy Ferraro to chat animals and nutrient cycling.
Finally, in true Christmas spirit a quiz! But not just any quiz, a very green and blobish one to end the year...
In this episode Toryn, Will and Zenzo discuss the FIFA World Cup taking place in Qatar and its impact upon the environment and the global effort to combat climate change. They boys are also dumbfounded by the decision of Levelling Up Secretary Michael Gove to approve a new coal mine in Cumbria, the first in the UK for 30 years.
This week's episode of The Green Blob was presented by Toryn Whitehead, William Leah and Zenzo Madubeko. Contact us at: thegreenblobpod@gmail.com.
In this episode, Will and Toryn talk biodiversity with Laura Kor & Constance Schere, and the progress being made by governments towards protecting the natural environment and delicate ecosystems both on land and in the sea.
Laura Kor is a doctoral researcher at KCL interested in biodiversity conservation, focusing on the protection of useful plants in Colombia.
Constance Schere is also a doctoral researcher at KCL, but she specialises in marine conservation, focusing on marine protected areas in the Irish Sea.
This week's episode of The Green Blob was presented by Toryn Whitehead and William Leah. Contact us at: thegreenblobpod@gmail.com.
In this episode, Will and Toryn discuss Chancellor of the Exchequer Jeremy Hunt's Autumn Statement and how his announcements on new windfall taxes and the Energy Price Guarantee will likely impact the UK's fight against climate change.
Toryn also interviews Dr. Helen Adams, an environmental social scientist and a Contributing Author on the Human Security chapter in the IPCC's Fifth Assessment Report, Working Group II. Together they discuss her involvement in COP26 and her thoughts on COP27 so far.
This week's episode of The Green Blob was presented by Toryn Whitehead and William Leah. Contact us at: thegreenblobpod@gmail.com.
Following the beginning of COP27 Toryn, Will and Zenzo discuss the origins of the international conference and its image as a central part of humanity's effort to fight climate change. We also discuss the soft influence or two British climate change denialists and the wider issue of oil company lobbying.
Link to bbc sounds podcast on oil industry lobbying
This week's episode of The Green Blob was presented by Toryn Whitehead, William Leah and Zenzo Madubeko. Contact us at: thegreenblobpod@gmail.com.
Despite scientists warning that there can be no new oil and gas fields in the North Sea if we are to limit global warming to 1.5 °C, nearly 900 locations are being offered for exploration and and as many as 100 licenses are set to be awarded by the government. In response, Just Stop Oil have been actively protesting against these plans across London, causing major disruptions and dividing opinions. Toryn and Zenzo react to the Just Stop Oil protests, and ask whether or not they are an effective way to communicate the climate crisis and spark greater action?
In response to the news on Friday morning that Sizewell C nuclear power plant had been placed under review, Neil Macaulay, a lawyer with over 30 years of experience who now focuses on environmental issues and lives locally to the area where Sizewell C nuclear power plant is planned give us his live reaction to the news that Sizewell C has been placed under review.
Tara Bryer, a climate change communication expert from Climate Outreach joins us on the pod with a view to COP27, where global leaders, policy makers and scientists will be convening to discuss the climate crisis, to explain to us how everyday people can effectively talk about the climate crisis with their friends, family and colleagues. You can find Climate Outreach's Talking Climate handbook that we mentioned on the pod here.
This week's episode of The Green Blob was made by Toryn Whitehead, with Zenzo Madubeko, Neil Macaulay and Tara Bryer. The technical producer was William Leah. Contact us at: thegreenblobpod@gmail.com.
In this episode Toryn & Will are joined by Zenzo to discuss the climate credentials of Rishi Sunak and his new government.
Special guest interview with Jack Ellerby from Friends of the Lake District about ongoing Dark Skies Festival in Cumbria.
We also explore the intersection between the climate crisis and Black History Month.
Massive thanks to KCL Radio for their support producing this podcast!
Further Reading:
- Dark Skies Festival 2022
- Jone De Roode Jauregui's Article on Black History Month and Sustainability
- Grant Shapp's 2009 Article on Insulating homes
Hello, and welcome to the Green Blob!
In this first episode Toryn & Will reflect on the recent developments surrounding the resignation of Prime Minister Liz Truss and discuss Fracking, the Attack on Nature and the Just Stop Oil Protests inside the National Gallery.
Massive thanks to KCL Radio for providing us with professional equipment and guidance on how to operate it!