100 Campaigns that Changed the World

This episode explores how a local campaign in a small corner of rural England helped reshape climate law far beyond it. The Weald Action Group began as a grassroots response to oil drilling proposals at Horse Hill in Surrey. What followed was a determined, citizen-led challenge to the idea that new fossil fuel projects could be approved without accounting for the climate damage caused when the oil is eventually burned.

Against long odds, campaigners took on local authorities, developers and the planning system itself, pushing the question of responsibility for carbon emissions all the way to the UK Supreme Court.
At the centre of the campaign was Sarah Finch, a community organiser and one of the claimants in the landmark legal case that now bears her name. Her work with Weald Action Group helped establish a crucial legal principle: that the climate impacts of fossil fuel extraction cannot simply be ignored. Sarah joins us to reflect on how a local campaign grew into a legal precedent, what it took to sustain the fight, and what this case means for future climate campaigns in the UK and beyond.
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Our guest is on this episode Rebecca Gowland, the executive director of Patriotic Millionaires UK, which is a network of British millionaires, from multiple industries and backgrounds, from across the UK, to use what they call the ‘voice of wealth’ to build a more just, stable, and inclusive economy, and their aim is the end of extreme wealth. They have a profound concern about the destabilising level of economic and political inequality. And they want to see more economic and political equality. In the U.S., the group was founded in 2010 by Erica Payne under the name "Patriotic Millionaires for Fiscal Strength". It was initially formed to advocate for the expiration of the Bush tax cuts during the Obama administration.

This is episode is sponsored by 38 Degrees. Go to: www.38degrees.org.uk/100campaigns

Sound is by Derek Gray. Music is by Alex Gordon.
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The guest on this episode is Shaista Aziz, one of The Three Hijabis—a powerful anti-racism campaign that began with a viral tweet in 2021. What started as three British Muslim women watching England play in the Euros soon became a national movement, after racist abuse targeted Black players Marcus Rashford, Jadon Sancho, and Bukayo Saka. Their petition to ban racists from football for life gained over a million signatures in just 48 hours, forced government action, and sparked a global conversation about inclusion in the sport. With 12 million petition views and a lasting impact on football culture, their story is a testament to how activism can challenge hate and reclaim spaces for everyone. Amnesty crisis response campaigner, working on gaza.

Sound is by Derek Gray. Joe Townsend was the producer.
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The guest on this episode is Dawn Astle. Dawn is the daughter of Jeff Astle, who played football for West Bromwich Albion in the 60’s and 70’s. At the age of 55, Jeff was diagnosed with dementia, and he died four years later. The pathologist who officiated Jeff’s death said his brain looked like the brain of a boxer. Dawn has been campaigning since then for a change in the rules about heading in football. She has also helped win significant victories, notably with a ban coming into place in youth football this year and next year. But there is a lot more to do.

Sound is by Derek Gray.
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In this opening episode of Season 3 of 100 Campaigns that Changed the World, I speak with Duncan Green – one of the most respected thinkers and practitioners in global development and social change. Duncan is Senior Strategic Adviser at Oxfam GB, Professor in Practice at the London School of Economics, and author of the widely read blog From Poverty to Power. His influential book How Change Happens has shaped how campaigners and policy-makers think about power, systems, and transformation. Drawing on decades of experience in international advocacy, Duncan reflects on what it really takes to create lasting change – and what campaigners today can learn from the past.

Sounds is by Derek Gray.
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