We hear it a lot, the idea that humans are bad at long-term thinking, that we’re not good at planning, that it’s hard for people to think beyond their own immediate problems. We've heard that people don’t really think about the future until they have children, that they seek immediate gratification, and will always prioritise short-term profit over long-term gains. This idea pops up everywhere, particularly with the subtext ‘climate action was always doomed because it's impossible for humans to act think sensibly about the future’. But is this true? In this episode we talk about fictional futures - fantastic, terrifying, and inspiring - that humans have imagined for the future of our species, and talk to authors about how to expand our own imaginations. Media mentioned:Borne by Jeff VandermeerWoman on the Edge of Time by Marge PiercySalvage by Jennifer MillsStar Trek: TNGWarhammerAuthors interviewed:Mantle by Romy AshFrom the publisher:Ursula is a self-possessed geologist. In her life on the mainland, she’s a guardian of the timescale, dividing history into segments and reading the Earth’s depths. It sounds like science fiction, but it’s simply science.When her ailing mother is struck with a mystery illness she is called to the coastline of lutruwita/Tasmania. What begins as an incurable rash evolves into something more dangerous.With the sickness spreading across the island, and beyond, Ursula finds herself stranded, stuck in her mother’s house and increasingly entangled with a younger man who she met at the pub. She is grieving, beginning to unhinge – and now she too has the rash.  The wild places of the island are solace, even as the world around her begins to shift. As she faces this eruption of new life, and grapples with death and decay, Ursula realises that this change may not signal an end, but a beginning. Deeply moving and utterly original, Mantle is a powerful novel that shows us our fate is intertwined with the people around us, and the fate of our world.Killionaires by Scott LeckieFrom the publisher:A provocative and imaginative story, Killionaire asks what might happen if humanity decided that extreme wealth had limits and began building something radically different in its place.‘The world has never had more billionaires - 3,300 of them. Between them they hold more than 20 trillion US dollars. Anyone who bothers to look can see that they are undermining the very foundations on which democracy is based. My book asks 'What if no one was allowed to become a billionaire?' Leckie says.Blending satire, social commentary, political imagination and sharp humour, Killionaire introduces readers to ‘Pacifica’, an ambitious social experiment that challenges conventional ideas about wealth, power and community.Conceived as a response to growing inequality, climate disruption and political division, Pacifica becomes the vehicle through which Leckie imagines an alternative future.With a cast of larger-than-life billionaire characters, including arms dealers, technology moguls and corporate powerbrokers, Killionaire examines the consequences of concentrated wealth and influence, asking what happens when money and power accumulate without limits. 

Shae speaks to Gavan, the Climate and Energy Program Manager at the Australian Conservation Foundation, who gives an update on the ACF's current campaigns, specifically Woodside Energy's proposed Browse gas development off the coast of WA, the planned fracking in the Beetaloo Basin and data centres expanding across Australia.  With the State Election less than three months away, astroturf groups are popping up fast and furious, (not so) covertly initiated by neo-liberal junk tanks backed by big fossil fuel companies, as the nefarious spread of disinformation is ramped up in an effort to swing voter support away from renewable energy projects. Rosie interviews Tim Lamacraft – former journalist, now head of media and communications at the Smart Energy Council, Australia's peak industry body for renewable energy, energy storage and clean technology. Decades spent in farming communities and regional fossil fuel hubs have given him a deep understanding of the harm astroturf groups do to the very communities they claim to represent. Tim discusses the shadowy origins and effects of astroturfing, and introduces us to the "vomit principle"! Take a look at these related links: Dayne Pratzky (aka Frackman) is a tradie-come-anti-fracking activist. He is also the subject of the 2015 documentary of the same name. His recent post on the astroturf group "Coalition for Conservation": https://www.facebook.com/FrackmanProject/posts/pfbid022xjqGgCV1mVNs423iPpqPy1t5Gre8toQQXFR9kzvDn9ySTAoGC5pYsKj22MkGKKcl?rdid=CEuc32dZnOG5O3nRRelated article:https://frackmanproject.substack.com/p/they-reckon-theyre-saving-a-forest Consumer Energy Solutions Index – provides a comprehensive picture of Australians' support for specific clean energy solutions, including barriers to their support: https://cleanenergysolutionsindex.com.au/key-findings/ TrueNorth weekly independent news updates – curated articles and commentary on the news of the day from Australia's independent news media publishers: https://truenorthnews.substack.com/aboutSLICK: Australia's Toxic Relationship with Big Oil, by Royce Kurmelovs – a powerful exposé of the global oil industry's decades-long capture of Australian governments: https://www.slickthebook.com.au

In June of this year, Comms Declare published a report titled From Cradle to Career, which looked into the influence and sponsorship of major coal, oil and gas corporations in childhood settings such as schools, museums, sporting clubs, scholarships and career pathway programs. It identified approximately 260 publicly documented programs, partnerships, sponsorships and other initiatives through which major fossil fuel companies, including Woodside, Shell, Chevron, Santos, BHP and Glencore, engage with Australian children and young people.  It's the first national report to expose the marketing by these companies in these kinds of settings, and it found that policy loopholes are allowing private companies to reach our kids in these places. Shae speaks to Belinda Noble, the President and Founder of Comms Declare, and Nic Seton, the CEO of Parents for Climate, about the report.  Head to https://www.parentsforclimate.org/not_for_sale to sign the petition calling for a Senate Inquiry into fossil fuel sponsorship in childhood education settings. parentsforclimate.orghttps://commsdeclare.org/http://commsdeclare.org/cradle-to-career/ Image: Sectional School Building (2015), by Heritage Branch Staff, CC-BY-4.0

Rosie interviews Dr Jeremy Walker following the recent Australian Senate Select Committee Inquiry on Information Integrity on Climate Change and Energy (2025), to which he presented both written and in person evidence. Dr Walker is Senior Lecturer in the School of Communications, Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences, University of Technology Sydney. He’s a member and past director of the Climate Society and Environment Research Centre (C-SERC) at UTS, and a research fellow of the Whitlam Institute, Western Sydney University, and the International Climate Social Science Network based at Brown University, Rhode Island, USA. With two decades of research into the Atlas Network informing his submission, Dr. Walker sheds light on the secretive world of climate misinformation and disinformation. During the show we also discuss the rise of racism and Pauline Hanson; the extended disinformation and astroturfing against the Victoria to NSW Interconnecter (VNI) West and the Victorian ALP government; and the relationship of fossil fuel money and local Atlas Network linked groups to both. The links below are well worth a look: Link to Senate Select Committee on Information Integrity on Climate Change and Energy, with access to submissions, documents, Hansard and video: https://www.aph.gov.au/Parliamentary_Business/Committees/Senate/Information_Integrity_on_Climate_Change_and_Energy/ClimateIntegrityDr Jeremy Walker’s submission is no. 243. Note that the “additional information” is archival evidence regarding the origin and early sponsorship of Australia’s Centre for Independent Studies (CIS). The full report of the Senate Select Committee: https://www.aph.gov.au/Parliamentary_Business/Committees/Senate/Information_Integrity_on_Climate_Change_and_Energy/ClimateIntegrity/Report Video from the Senate committee’s hearings on 16/02/2026Note that Jeremy Walker appears at 10.37 am (in between evidence from Meta and Coal Australia - well worth watching as well!):https://www.aph.gov.au/News_and_Events/Watch_Read_Listen/ParlView/video/4334923Hansard transcript of Jeremy Walker's testimony at the hearing is here:https://parlinfo.aph.gov.au/parlInfo/search/display/display.w3p;db=COMMITTEES;id=committees%2Fcommsen%2F29259%2F0002;query=Id%3A%22committees%2Fcommsen%2F29259%2F0000%22 The Senate inquiry gets great context and writeups by the ABC’s Gareth Hutchens: https://www.abc.net.au/news/2026-01-26/atlas-network-mont-pelerin-society-neoliberal-think-tanks/105700628https://www.abc.net.au/news/2026-02-19/climate-disinformation-senate-committee-dr-karl-atlas-network/106350002https://www.abc.net.au/news/2026-03-29/senate-report-misinformation-climate-change-recommendations/106497978 Jeremy also spoke about the Australian Security Leaders Climate Group (ASLCG) and their report, The Climate Disinformation War: How to fight back for Australia's democracy and security.  

Climate Action ShowAugust 3rd 2026Produced by Vivien LangfordPHILIPPINES - COURAGE IS CONTAGIOUS Guests:Krishna Ariola -  a prominent Climate Justice activist in the Philippines. She has represented her country at the U.N and had a key role in preventing fossil fuel projects in Negros Province. Yeb Sanyo -  Speaking to Democracy Now is 2013. He told the Warsaw Climate conference during Cyclone Hayan " What my country is going through as a result of this extreme climate event is madness. The climate crisis is madness. We can stop this madness. Right here in Warsaw." Bill McKibben on "Oil as Achilles heel" read by Meg Clancyhttps://billmckibben.substack.com/p/oil-as-achilles-heel 

Gavan, the Climate and Energy Program Manager at the Australian Conservation Foundation, gives an update on the ACF's current campaigns, specifically Woodside Energy's proposed Browse gas development off the coast of WA. Mary from Climate for Change discusses effective climate communication and shares tips on how to have more meaningful conversations about climate change. They also touch on recent research regarding fossil fuel companies funding children's activity programs across Australia.  

Antimony and Shae chat about the parts of activism that have made them drop out and halve helped them keep going.They talk to Linda, head of the outreach team at Darebin Climate Action Now, about how she keeps motivated and what DCAN do to help people level up their activism.Then it's a quick chat with Mary from Climate for Change about the events they have coming up for newies and oldies.Check out:www.darebincan.org.auhttps://www.climateforchange.org.au/to meet up with some lovely people doing cool things.

This episode addresses saviorism complexes within activism, particularly when it is organised or oriented towards middle-class standpoints.When middle-class people engage in activism, it often stems from a revelation or realisation about how the world works, followed by a desire to change it, rather than from collective action born of an issue affecting a community. In this way, activists can see themselves as both separate from the issue at hand and tasked with "saving the world" from the problem by protesting and convincing others to come on board.Many parts of climate activism have been dominated by and oriented towards the middle class, in the same way that environmental choices such as buying an EV, switching to solar power or shopping at an organic, refill shop are tailored towards those with the means, money and privilege to do so. While caring for the environment and nature transcends class, race and cultural boundaries, much of how climate activism presents itself today is dominated by the middle class, which is why it is important to interrogate how that influences the movement and our own capacity to build collective momentum.Shae's guest, Anthea Lawson, has done a lot of thinking in this regard, examining her own and others' standpoints and the effects of those standpoints on their respective activism.Anthea Lawson (she/her) is an author and campaigner. Her books How Not To Save The World and The Entangled Activist help people who want to change the world think about the psychological, spiritual and philosophical foundations of what they’re doing, what’s getting in the way, and how they can be more effective. After training as a journalist at The Times, she worked for campaign groups including Global Witness and Amnesty International. She has fought for many issues over three decades, including controls on the arms trade and an end to the financial secrecy offered by tax havens.https://www.anthealawson.uk/https://anthealawson.substack.com/ https://dark-mountain.net/about/manifesto/

On this show, we talk to a lot of experts. People who use big words, people who have written some book or spoken at some conference. And we also talk to local groups, people who are doing activisms, people who are heavily invested in this space, people who already know a lot. But that's not really most of Australia. I think for a lot of people, climate change is this kind of vague, bad future thing that is kind of in the back of their minds. I really wanted to get the perspective of normal people. People who are as invested in climate change as the experts and the activists, because climate change is gonna affect us all in the future. And whose opinions are just as important because feeling kind of bad, not knowing what to do, is a climate action. And it's probably the most popular climate action that everyone in the world is doing right now. The whole point of 3CR is that we present viewpoints that are underrepresented in other media, that we talk to people that don't usually have a voice, that we present opinions that other media places won't. Children are one of the groups in societies that have the least power, and their words are taken least seriously. And maybe that’s true, maybe kids just have bad opinions, but something that really struck me while I was talking to these people was just how their ideas were really similar to adults' ideas - it’s just that adults use bigger words. So I interview some normal children about their ideas about climate change.  ALSO What happens when your workplace burns down and then you don't have a job anymore? What happens when you are in a flood, and then your legs dissolve off, and then you have to go on the disability pension? What happens if you’re already doing it tough, and then the whole world around you starts getting even tougher one degree at a time? What if escalating natural disasters starts costing the government a lot of money and then they don’t increase jobseeker for another 1000 years? What if you’re poor but the only real solution to climate change being offered is the individual consumption of electric cars and solar panels and you just don’t have $50,000 lying around? What happens if you're an unemployed, divorced, depressed middle-aged men and everyone assumes that you and people like you are going to vote for one nation, but actually, you're really cool? I don't know the answers to these question, but Jennifer from the unemployed workers union does!

CLIMATE ACTION SHOWJUNE 22nd 2026Produced by Vivien Langford S A N T A   M A R T A M O M E N T U M  &   S E T B A C KGuestsProfessor Elisa Morgera U.N. Special Rapporteur on Climate Change and Human rightsShe is  Professor of International Law and Sustainability at Durham University (UK) and Professor in International and European Union Environmental Law at the University of Eastern Finland. Her Report to UN 2025https://www.durham.ac.uk/research/institutes-and-centres/csdlp/news-and-events/news/2025/elisa-morgera-report-on-energy-transition-at-the-unga/ Stientje van Veldhoven - Netherlands Climate MinisterDescribing the talks as an "accelerator of work", she stated that Santa Marta provided an essential, informal space to collaborate and solve problems without the "de facto vetoes" that often stall formal U.N. (COP) negotiations.  Irene Velez Torres - Colombia Environment MinisterShe criticized governments for listening to "disinformation and lobbying" and argued that the Santa Marta talks were designed to close the growing gap between science and political decision-making. Ana Carolina Gonzalez Espinosa - A prominent  Climate Leader in Latin AmericaShe serves as the Senior Program Director at the Natural Resource Governance Institute (NRGI) and is a well-known associate researcher at the Universidad Externado de Colombia. Juan Carlos Monterrey Gomez  - Panama As Panama’s first Special Representative for Climate Change, he became the youngest lead negotiator in UN history at age 28.  President of Colombia Gustavo Petro -  He made decarbonization and anti-extractivism central to his governance, advancing the global phase-out of fossil fuels, campaigning for a Fossil Fuel Non-Proliferation Treaty, and committing Colombia to a 51% reduction in greenhouse gas emissions by 2030.He committed to stopping new oil, coal, and gas exploration contracts, attempting to break Colombia's historic dependence on resource extraction Fergus Green - 2015 Interview from 3CR Archive in celebration of its 50th birthday and contribution to public education on climate actionHe is  now Associate Professor, University College LondonConsultant - climate change policy, law and politicsIn 2015 just before the Paris Climate Conference Fergus spoke to me at Melbourne University about phasing out fossil fuels. His example of the  successful 1989 diplomatic initiative, led by Prime Minister Bob Hawke (alongside French Prime Minister Michel Rocard), to stop mining in Antarctica is still a beacon today.By Fergus Greenhttps://www.cambridge.org/core/journals/american-political-science-review/article/how-to-get-coal-country-to-vote-for-climate-policy-the-effect-of-a-just-transition-agreement-on-spanish-election-results/25FE7B96445E74387D598087649FDCC3 BREAKING NEWSThe news that the Colombian Government is now in the hands of a Trump Ally is a real setback for many of the gains made by Gustavo Petro's Government. "Abelardo de la Espriella, the apparent winner of the presidential election, has vowed to expand oil, gas and mining production". I wonder what will happen to all the talent flowering at the Santa Marta Conference. See the previous programmes on Santa Marta in the Climate Action Podcast list to know which voices are out of power..... for the moment.https://insideclimatenews.org/news/22062026/colombia-de-la-espriella-presidency-fracking-projects/Background to achievement of outgoing Colombian President Gustavo PetroHe spearheaded regional efforts to protect the Amazon rainforest, hosting global summits to prevent the biome from reaching an ecological "point of no return. In today's speech he mentions the rivers in the sky which brings water from forest transpiration to the uplands of the Andes. The severe drought of 2024/25 raised awareness of the results of deforestation in the Amazon.https://blogs.worldbank.org/en/latinamerica/mantenerse-unidos-tiempos-crisis-lecciones-gestion-sequias-bogota  

We took a break talking about serious things and had a fun time chatting about climate change, our own stories of climate activism, the history and future of the show, and just being silly billies!NEW Climate Action Show stickers available to subscribers or by gold coin donation! Head to the 3CR front desk to pick one up, or contact us on [email protected] to arrange postage.