Saving the World From Bad Ideas

• Bad Idea #22 "Solar can’t power the world" with Bill McKibben

  🔍 Episode Summary Can the sun save civilization? In this episode of Saving the World from Bad Ideas, Mark Lynas sits down with legendary climate author and activist Bill McKibben to take on Bad Idea #22: "Solar can’t power the world." McKibben, co-founder of 350.org and Third Act, makes a powerful case for solar as our best hope to avert climate catastrophe — and explains why a rapid, global energy transformation is not only possible, but already underway. They dive into the economics of solar, the moral urgency of ditching fossil fuels, the false promise of geoengineering, and why the shift to sun and wind can unlock a fairer, more democratic world. Bill’s new book Here Comes the Sun offers both realism and hope — and in this episode, he brings that rare combination to life.🧠 Topics Discussed ☀️ Why solar energy is the most transformative and hopeful technology of our time 📉 Why fossil fuel addiction is a moral and structural tragedy — not just an economic one 🏭 The deep political resistance to renewables, especially in the U.S. 🚩China's solar supremacy and its global influence via trade networks 🐝 Agrivoltaics: how solar panels can improve yields, pollination, and biodiversity 📦 Rooftop solar, virtual power plants, and why permitting matters 💰 Why oil companies hate renewables: no repeat customers 🧠 What activism must focus on now that clean energy is cheaper than fossil 🌍 The moral and technological failure of solar geoengineering 🙏 Climate, faith, and the spiritual case for solar 🎉 “Sun day”: a nationwide celebration and call to action for clean energy in the U.S.👨‍🏫 Guest Bio Bill McKibben is an author, environmentalist, and founder of 350.org and Third Act. He wrote the first popular book on climate change (The End of Nature, 1989) and has spent decades on the front lines of climate activism. His newest book, Here Comes the Sun: The Last Chance for the Climate and a Fresh Chance for Civilization, blends urgent science with hope — and charts a path toward a solar-powered future. Bill teaches at Middlebury College and has been described as “America’s leading environmentalist.”📚 Recommended Reading & Resources Here Comes the Sun – Bill McKibben The End of Nature – Bill McKibben Sunday.Earth – Join Bill’s solar celebration movement 350.org – Global climate movement Third Act – Organizing older Americans for climate action Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) reports IEA Reports on China’s solar exports and BYD’s global EV expansion 💬 Quote Highlights“We live on a planet where the cheapest way to make energy is to point a sheet of glass at the sun.” “Every wild natural place will be transformed by climate. The only way to save them is to power our world differently.” “Fossil fuels are expensive — in dollars, in lives, in politics. Solar is beautiful, cheap, and fair.” “You don’t have to be a sophisticated theologian to know: love your neighbour, and don’t drown them with emissions.” “Activism must now focus on speed — how fast can we make this transformation happen?”🌐 About WePlanet WePlanet is a global citizen and science movement challenging bad ideas and championing evidence-based solutions for climate, nature, and human development. Learn more at weplanet.org.📥 Join the Conversation 💬 Feedback or questions? Email: [email protected] 📩 Subscribe to new episodes: weplanet.org/podcast 👁️ Follow us on Twitter/X: @weplanetint

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• Bad Idea #21 "We can’t solve climate change" with Hannah Ritchie

  🔍 Episode Summary Is it too late to stop climate change — or do we still have reasons for hope? In this episode, Mark Lynas talks with data scientist and author Hannah Ritchie, Deputy Editor of Our World in Data and author of Clearing the Air: The hopeful guide to solving climate change in 50 questions.Hannah tackles some of the biggest climate myths head-on: that we’re doomed to runaway warming, that renewables can never power the world, and that going plant-based won’t make a difference. With data-driven clarity, she explains why the transition to clean energy is moving faster than people think, how “ultra-processed” doesn’t always mean unhealthy, and why there are no deal-breakers in the fight against climate change.This conversation is both realistic and optimistic — a must-listen for anyone looking for evidence that solutions are within reach.🧠 Topics Discussed 🌍 Why we are not locked into 5–6°C of warming ⚡ The clean energy transition and the speed of solar & wind growth 🔋 How to solve renewables’ variability with storage, nuclear, and grids 🌱 Land use myths: why renewables won’t “cover the landscape” 🚗 Electric vehicles: efficiency gains and outdated myths 🥩 Meat substitutes, ultra-processed foods, and what the data actually shows 🏗 Cement, steel, and other “hard to abate” sectors ✈ Aviation’s future: biofuels, hydrogen, or carbon removal? 🌞 Solar geoengineering — risky gamble or necessary backup plan? 🌟 Why Hannah calls her book “a hopeful guide”👩‍🏫 Guest Bio Hannah Ritchie is Deputy Editor at Our World in Data and author of the Substack Sustainability by Numbers. Her new book Clearing the Air tackles 50 of the most common myths and half-truths about climate change with a data-driven approach. Hannah is known for making complex climate data accessible and empowering.📚 Recommended Reading & Referenced resourcesClearing the Air — Hannah RitchieNot the end of the World  — Hannah RitchieOur World in Data – Climate Change CollectionSustainability by Numbers Substack  — Hannah RitchieIPCC AR6 – Working Group III (Mitigation of Climate Change)Six Degrees, our final warning — Mark LynasSustainable Energy – Without the Hot Air — David MacKay💬 Quote Highlights“We are not headed for five or six degrees of warming. Every fraction of a degree we avoid reduces risk.” — Hannah Ritchie“Solar and wind are growing faster than any energy source in history. This transition can be much quicker than people think.” — Hannah Ritchie“Yes, the sun doesn’t always shine and the wind doesn’t always blow — but that’s a solvable problem.” — Hannah Ritchie“The idea that renewables will cover the landscape is just wrong. Powering a country with solar takes only a few percentage points of land.” — Hannah Ritchie"There are no deal-breakers. None of the questions I tackle suggest this is impossible — all are solvable.” — Hannah Ritchie🌐 About WePlanet WePlanet is a global citizen and science movement challenging bad ideas and championing evidence-based solutions for climate, nature, and human development. Learn more at weplanet.org.📥 Join the Conversation 💬 Feedback or questions? Email: [email protected] 📬 Subscribe to new episodes: weplanet.org/podcast 🐦 Follow us on Twitter/X: @weplanetint

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• Saving the world from BAD IDEAS season two is coming!

  We’re back. Season 2 of Saving the World from Bad Ideas is coming — and it’s bigger, bolder, and maybe even more controversial. This time once more , we’re joined by some of the sharpest minds on the planet.🌍 Bill McKibben on activism, power, and what we’ve learned from 30 years of climate campaigning. 🧠 Hannah Ritchie returns to dismantle more doomer myths with data. 🔥 Luke Kemp on civilisational risk and collapse. ⚡ Michael Liebreich on energy transitions without fantasy thinking. 💥 Ted Nordhaus on why he's no longer a 'climate catastrophist', degrowth, and the real way forward.If you're tired of bad ideas blocking good solutions — this season is for you. Subscribe now and be ready. 

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• Bookend episode: looking back at season 1 of Saving The World From Bad Ideas

  In this special season finale of Saving the World from Bad Ideas, host Mark Lynas flips the script by inviting producer Rob on mic for the first time. Together, they look back on an exhilarating first season — what worked, what surprised them, what they learned, and where the podcast might go next.From nuclear debates and rewilding wolves to Just Stop Cooking and geoengineering taboos, Mark and Rob unpack the biggest ideas (and the most controversial guests). They also explore a meta bad idea: the notion that “bad ideas = bad people”, and why it’s crucial to challenge ideas without descending into tribalism or cancel culture.Expect behind-the-scenes stories, reflections on feedback, philosophical rabbit holes, and a few laugh-out-loud moments. Plus: what’s coming in Season Two — AI, decarbonising flying, oceans, and existential risks.🧠 Topics Discussed ● 🤝 Meta Bad Idea: Why “bad ideas ≠ bad people” (or not!)● 🎙️ Favourite guests & episodes: George Monbiot, Hannah Ritchie,, Luigi Boitani, and more ● ⚛️ Nuclear myths, green tribalism & the rise of a global pro-nuclear movement ● 🌍 Climate justice & cooking with charcoal — insights from Uganda ● 🐺 Wolves, rewilding, and de-romanticising nature ● 💥 Nuclear winter, biofuels, and the politics of bad ideas ● 🌡️ Planetary boundaries vs. ecomodernist optimism ● ✈️ Future topics: AI, sustainable aviation, oceans & rethinking activism ● 🧪 Why progress means embracing technology and complexity ● 📚 Blurbs, books, and podcast crossovers: Pinker, Grunwald, Richie, Robock & more👩‍🏫 Featured Guests (Season Highlights)Hannah Ritchie  – urgent optimismGeorge Monbiot – rewilding, food justice, and political powerSteven Pinker – enlightenment, science, and progressLuigi Boitani – wolves, coexistence, and ecological realismMike Grunwald – land-sparing and the biofuels disasterOliver Morton & Cynthia Scharf – talking about geoengineering (yes, talking!)Rebecca Wrigley – wildness without nostalgiaPatricia Nanteza – cooking fuel justice in AfricaAlan Robock – nuclear winter is real (and terrifying)Rebecca Tuhus-Dubrow & Tea Törmänen – the global pro nuclear movement and how Finnish Greens embraced nuclear📚 Recommended Listening & Reading● The God Species – Mark Lynas● The Good Fight – podcast by Yascha Mounk● The Decouple Podcast – deep dives on nuclear and energy● Cleaning Up – with Michael Liebreich & Bryony Worthington● Clearing the air– upcoming book by Hannah Ritchie💬 Quote Highlights“Bad ideas don’t make bad people. We have to debate the idea, play around with thel as our toys instead of cancelling people. ” — Rob“There’s no simple slogan that can replace complexity. But there is humour.” — Rob“If you want to kill billions of people, you need a nuclear winter, not global warming.” — Mark“As an ecomodernist I would say, AI is a tool, and it can be used in good ways and bad ways...” — Rob🌐 About WePlanetWePlanet is a global citizen and science movement challenging bad ideas and championing evidence-based solutions for climate, nature, and human development. Learn more at weplanet.org.📥 Join the Conversation💬 Feedback or guest suggestions? Email: [email protected]📩 Subscribe to new episodes: weplanet.org/podcast👁️ Follow us on Twitter/X: @weplanetint🎧 Binge Season One wherever you get your podcasts. Season Two launches September 2025.

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• Bad Idea #19 "greens are anti-science" with Tea Törmänen

  🔍 Episode SummaryCan Greens support nuclear power? Finnish environmentalist and WePlaneteer Tea Törmänen joins Mark Lynas to dismantle Bad Idea #19: “greens are anti-science.” With clarity, courage, and a wealth of lived experience, Tea shares her journey from feeling like an outcast in the environmental movement to helping make the Finnish Green Party officially pro-nuclear.Drawing from decades of activism, Tea explains how anti-nuclear sentiment became part of the environmentalist identity — and how that is now changing. She unpacks the myths around waste, safety, cost, and tribal loyalties, and shows how climate goals demand pragmatic, science-based solutions — including nuclear energy.From wolves to fast reactors, American football to European energy policy, this episode explores what it takes to change minds and movements — and why it’s time for Greens everywhere to evolve.🧠 Topics Discussed ● 🌱 How anti-nuclear views became “baked into” green identity ● 🧠 Tribalism, virtue, and the psychology behind environmental dogmas ● 🚧 Why Greens often oppose solutions more than problems ● 🗳️ How the Finnish Green Party became officially pro-nuclear ● ⚛️ Myths about nuclear waste and how Finland solved it ● ☢️ Radiation vs risk: what safety really looks like ● 🔁 Nuclear fuel recycling and “the waste of waste” ● 🧊 Why SMRs could decarbonize district heating ● 🌍 Building a global pro-nuclear environmental movement ● 🧬 From gene tech to clean heat — embracing science in climate action ● 💚 Finding your tribe when you don’t fit into one box👩‍🏫 Guest Bio Tea Törmänen is a Finnish environmentalist, science advocate, and movement builder. She’s a former chair of WePlanet Finland and played a key role in shifting the Finnish Green Party toward a pro-nuclear and pro-GMO stance. With a background in animal cognition research and a fierce commitment to evidence-based activism, Tea combines a passion for nature with a pragmatic embrace of clean technologies. She’s also a former a Finnish national team American football player and a wolf behaviour researcher.📚 Recommended Reading & Resources ● WePlanet.org ● Prescription for the Planet – Tom Blees ● Not Beyond Redemption – Tea’s upcoming work (TBD) ● Apocalypse Never – Michael Shellenberger ● The God Species – Mark Lynas ● Finnish Green Party platform (updated pro-nuclear position) ● POSIVA – Finnish nuclear waste repository project ● Barakah Nuclear Power Plant (UAE case study)💬 Quote Highlights“Being an environmentalist doesn't mean rejecting technology — it means embracing what works.”“Too much clean energy? That’s not a problem. That’s the solution.” “We solved nuclear waste in Finland. It was never a technical issue. It was political.” “You don't stop climate change by limiting options. You stop it by using all the best ones.” “I never fit in one tribe. Now I’ve found mine in WePlanet.”🌐 About WePlanet WePlanet is a global citizen and science movement challenging bad ideas and championing evidence-based solutions for climate, nature, and human development. Learn more at weplanet.org.📥 Join the Conversation 💬 Feedback or questions? Email: [email protected] 📩 Subscribe to new episodes: weplanet.org/podcast 👁️ Follow us on Twitter/X: @weplanetint

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