Climate Actually

Climate community: How knitting turns climate data into something you can snuggle

Tempestry Project co-founders Emily and Asy turn temperature records into hand-knit tapestries, a hands-on way to build climate community, one of the highest-impact climate actions in the SHIFT guide. What started as a joke after the 2017 US presidential inauguration, worried that government climate data might disappear, grew from a single museum exhibit into a worldwide community: handcrafted tapestries, or as they call it, tempestries, made by local knitting groups everywhere, turning local temperature records into physical, wearable art. Host Dr Kimberly Nicholas shares her research behind why community is one of the highest-impact climate actions in the SHIFT guide. Take action to build your own climate community : SHIFT shows you how to start or join climate knitting groups, reading circles, and generally find your climate peeps: https://jointheshift.earth/climate-actions/climate-community Funding for Climate Actually comes from Formas, the Swedish Research Council for Sustainable Development, Communications Grant #2021-02906. Subscribe or follow Climate Actually right here on this platform to catch every episode. For more information and material from the episode, visit climateactually.com. Resources The Tempestry Project: https://www.tempestryproject.com/ ShowYourStripes climate visualization for local temperatures (Ed Hawkins, University of Reading): https://showyourstripes.info/; individual participation page: https://www.reading.ac.uk/planet/events/show-your-stripes-day/individuals SHIFT guide to high-impact climate action: https://jointheshift.earth/ References cited in this episode The SHIFT guide names building a climate community as the highest-impact role model climate action. Source: SHIFT The Tempestry Project, founded in 2017, knits physical representations of climate data for places around the world. Source: The Tempestry Project Ed Hawkins, Professor of Climate Science at the University of Reading, created the "warming stripes" visualisation that inspired the Tempestry Project's own patterns. Source: Show Your Stripes Wired reported on scientists and volunteers racing to download and preserve US government climate data ahead of the 2017 presidential inauguration. Source: Wired The Tempestry Project's colour system now spans 32 colours, from below -31°F to above 121°F. Source: The Tempestry Project Research shows that being part of a climate community keeps people engaged and motivated. Source: Schwartz et al. Being part of a community can help prevent burnout. Source: Popular Science On fixing the root causes of burnout, rather than relying on self-care alone. Source: We Can Fix It Community involvement can also help reduce climate anxiety. Source: Kirkhus Organisations and grassroots groups are how structural change happens, since they can outlast any one person's individual effort. Source: Nässén et al. Kim drew on ideas from the book "The Psychology of Collective Climate Action: Building Climate Courage" (2025). Source: Hamann et al. Three elements are essential for effective collective climate action: building group identity, having shared moral beliefs, and believing that your actions make a difference. Source: We Can Fix It ShowYourStripes also runs an "individuals" page for people wanting to take part directly. Source: University of Reading

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Can a company keep growing and still cut emissions

Caroline Merrell, senior director of sustainable winemaking at Jackson Family Wines, shares how her company set a science-based climate target, the challenges of reducing emissions in a growing business, and the actions working now such as using less glass in wine bottles, installing solar on farms, and looking at supply chain emissions. Take action at work with SHIFT’s science based targets guide: https://jointheshift.earth/climate-actions/work-sbt Subscribe or follow Climate Actually right here on this platform to catch every episode. Funding for the first two seasons of Climate Actually comes from Formas, the Swedish Research Council for Sustainable Development, Communications Grant #2021-02906. For more information and resources in this episode, go to climateactually.com. Resources International Wineries for Climate Action (IWCA) is a global group of wineries working to decarbonise the wine industry. Source: IWCA Rooted for Good is Jackson Family Wines' climate action plan, launched in 2021. Source: Jackson Family Wines The scientific consensus is that global emissions need to be cut in half by 2030 to avoid the worst impacts of climate change. Source: SBTi The Science Based Targets initiative (SBTi) sets out a 3-step process for companies. Source: SBTi IWCA's emissions calculator, built for the wine industry, helps companies measure emissions and simplifies the reporting process. Source: IWCA Jackson Family Wines plans to cut its carbon emissions in half by 2030. Source: Jackson Family Wines IWCA members, including Jackson Family Wines, report both absolute emissions and emissions intensity. Source: IWCA Jackson Family Wines' reported 2015 baseline emissions have changed between reports, and are now about 19% higher than the lowest figure previously reported. Source: IWCA and the 2022 annual report Jackson Family Wines' emissions are rising. Source: IWCA IWCA's breakdown of Scope 1, 2 and 3 emissions for the wine industry. Source: IWCA Packaging is the biggest source of emissions at Jackson Family Wines, making up about 27% of emissions last year. Source: IWCA Alternatives to glass, such as bag-in-box or aluminium cans, are lighter weight and lower-emission wine packaging options. Source: Systembolaget Across IWCA members, packaging is the single biggest source of emissions in wine production, unusual for food and drink, where packaging is normally a small share of the total. Source: IWCA Jackson Family Wines is moving towards renewable diesel for its tractors and fleet vehicles, now at about 47% renewable diesel. Source: IWCA Kim's master's research on soil carbon sequestration. Source: Nicholas Kim's 2024 study on regenerative viticulture. Source: Nicholas et al. Molly Sheppard of Spottswoode Winery, speaking at a wine industry conference, on how one company's Scope 3 emissions are another's Scope 1. Source: We Can Fix It

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How to Fly Less (Without Giving Up Travel)

How does flying contribute to climate change? For many people concerned about the climate, how much we fly is a big dilemma and a challenge! Flying burns a LOT of fossil fuels, and is the single biggest source of climate pollution for most frequent flyers. Family lives abroad, work demands travel, and social pressure pushes the other way. "The plane's going anyway" is something you hear a lot, but does it actually hold up? In this episode, Kim talks to Ed about his struggle to fly less: the guilt, the trade-offs, and the practical alternatives he's found for family visits, work trips, and travel. See SHIFT for more on other ways to travel, combining flights or flying less. Strategies covered Combining trips to reduce emissions, making fewer trips but staying longer, and other ways to maximize quality time with loved ones without it feeling like sacrifice. Subscribe or follow Climate Actually right here on this platform to catch every episode. For more information and material from the episode, visit climateactually.com. Funding for the first two seasons of Climate Actually comes from Formas, the Swedish Research Council for Sustainable Development, Communication Grant #2021-02906. Resources The Man in Seat 61, an independent rail travel guide founded by a former UK rail industry professional. www.seat61.com Flight Free Campaign (We Stay on the Ground): https://westayontheground.org/the-flight-free-campaign Fly Less. Yes, You! We Can Fix It, August 2024 https://wecanfixit.substack.com/i/70289095/action-fly-less-yes-you SHIFT guide: Fly Less https://jointheshift.earth/climate-actions/fly-less Possible: Frequent Flyer Levy https://www.wearepossible.org/frequent-flyer-levy and The Rich Need to Get To Work: Why carbon footprints don’t matter for 90% of people (but they do if you fly). We Can Fix It, July 2021. https://wecanfixit.substack.com/i/38231014/facts-the-rich-need-to-get-to-work Carbon Ruins museum: https://www.climaginaries.org/carbon-ruins References cited in this episode George Monbiot popularised the term "love miles" for flights taken to visit family and loved ones, notably in his book Heat: How to Stop the Planet Burning . Source: George Monbiot UK sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) mandate: Current UK SAF blending is around 2% rising to a 10% target by 2030. Source: UK Government and the latest figures of current SAF use. And a big problem is that airline use is growing. Source: IATA (International Air Transport Association) It is more common for families to get cars after they have kids. Source: EJTIR The charity Possible in the UK has a campaign to ban private jets as part of their strategy to reduce flying. Source: Possible Polling shows the first people to reduce flying shouldn't be one family holiday a year, or someone travelling to see family, but a frequent flyer or a private jet flyer who's taking their fifth or tenth or twentieth trip. Source: Nature Most flying, something like seventy to eighty per cent for most people is flying for leisure, not for work. Source: Flight Free UK and Statista There are all these kind of people flying around in their private jets all the time. Source: Nature Data show that it's the top one per cent of flyers who cause half of climate pollution from flying. Source: Science Direct Flying is one of the few sectors that isn't technically possible or ready to decarbonise. Source: Climate Action Tracker They're also often flying with older planes, which are more polluting, and not that full, globally planesb are less than 85% full. Source: Nature A large majority of people care about climate change, are worried about climate change, want to take climate action, are willing to take climate action. But they underestimate how willing other people are. Source: Nature It's so powerful to lead by example with things like flying less. Source: The Conversation

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How to vote for climate action

Why is voting one of the most powerful things you can do for the climate? Most people rank recycling as a climate action ahead of voting, but research has found that voting for a pro-climate candidate could matter far more than your personal emissions. In this episode, host Kim talks to Kate, a former construction sustainability manager turned Environmental Voting Project volunteer, about why so many climate-minded people don't vote consistently, and what to actually do about it. "I think people are really starting to attend to the problem, but everybody doesn't know what to do,” Kate said. They cover how to register and plan to vote, how to identify climate leaders on your ballot using tools like the Congressional Scorecard and OpenSecrets, and how Kate is helping expand the climate vote, one handwritten postcard at a time. Subscribe or follow wherever you get your podcasts to catch every episode. To find out more about voting for climate action, see SHIFT: https://jointheshift.earth/guide For more information and material from the episode, visit climateactually.com. Funding for Climate Actually comes from Formas, the Swedish Research Council for Sustainable Development, Communication Grant #2021-02906. Register & plan to vote Vote.gov — register to vote (US) US Vote Foundation — find upcoming election dates (US) Swedish voting guide Check candidates' climate records League of Conservation Voters Congressional Scorecard — US, searchable by zip code or representative name, filterable by climate issue Climate Action Network Europe — MEP scorecards, Europe Society for Nature Conservation election compass — Sweden No Fossil Fuel Money — check if a candidate has pledged not to take fossil fuel donations OpenSecrets — track fossil fuel industry funding by candidate (US) Get involved / help others vote Environmental Voter Project — turns non-voting environmentalists into consistent voters (US); Kate's organisation featured in this episode References cited in this episode "Most Americans are not consistent voters; these intermittent voters often determine the outcome of elections." Source: Pew Research Center A pro-climate vote in Canada in 2019 saved 162 times more climate pollution than a year of recycling, based on the policies enacted by the winning party and the number of voters who supported them. Equivalent to taking 14 typical petrol cars off the road for a year. Source: Wynes et al., 2019, study, via We Can Fix It When 965 North Americans were asked to name the most effective action they could take to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, fewer than 5% named a political action like voting. Twice as many named recycling. Source: Climatic Change study 89% of 130,000 people surveyed across 125 countries want to see more political climate action. Source: Our World in Data, citing Nature Climate Change study In Virginia: 67% are worried about global warming, 69% support transitioning the US economy to 100% clean energy by 2050, and 70% support requiring fossil fuel companies to pay a carbon tax. Source: Yale Climate Opinion Maps (Jennifer Marlon et al) Virginia voters will elect 1 US senator and 11 members of the US House of Representatives in 2026. Virginia's senators are Mark Warner and Tim Kaine, both Democrats; Warner is up for re-election in 2026. Source: Ballotpedia Virginia turnout was 70% in the 2024 presidential election but just 47.6% in the 2022 midterms. Turnout in 2020 (66%) and 2024 (64%) presidential elections was among the highest of the last century. The Environmental Voter Project targets these inactive midterm voters. Source: Virginia Department of Elections; Ballotpedia; Pew Research Center US states that elected politicians with good League of Conservation Voters scores significantly reduced their carbon emissions. Source: Under the Sky We Make, study, Table 2 The League of Conservation Voters Congressional Scorecard tracks how members of Congress vote on environmental, climate change and democracy legislation, and scores them on whether their votes protect people and the planet. Searchable by zip code, representative name, or filtered by climate issue. Source: LCV Congressional Scorecard (climate filter) In Europe, the Climate Action Network and national affiliates track climate voting records, for example the Society for Nature Conservation's election compass in Sweden. Source: Climate Action Network Europe A 2025 House vote (Roll Call 279) would have effectively let new fossil fuel power plants cut in line ahead of clean energy projects for grid connection. It passed the House 216 to 206 with no Senate action. The pro-environment vote was "no"; Virginia representative Don Beyer voted no. Source: LCV Roll Call Vote Don Beyer holds a lifetime LCV score of 97%. Source: LCV, Don Beyer

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How to find a bank that doesn't invest in fossil fuels

Could your bank account be one of your biggest climate superpowers? Most people never think to check who their bank lends to or invests in, but switching to a fossil-free bank is ranked as the highest-impact climate action you can take with your money in the SHIFT guide. In this episode, host Kim talks to Matt, a First Direct/HSBC customer in the UK, who discovers his bank's fossil fuel financing for the first time, live, on the call, and what he found when he compared fossil-free alternatives. They cover why banking matters so much more than most people realize, how to check your own bank's fossil funding score, and the practical steps for switching to a climate-friendly bank without losing your direct debits, your mortgage payments or missing any bills. To find out more about whether your bank funds fossil fuels or if you'd like to switch: see SHIFT. Subscribe or follow wherever you get your podcasts to catch every episode. For more information and material from the episode, visit climateactually.com. Funding for Climate Actually comes from Formas, the Swedish Research Council for Sustainable Development, Communications Grant #2021-02906 Resources Banking on climate chaos Bank.green Kim’s Substack: Break up with your mega-bank Fair Finance Guide Ethical Consumer, template to tell your bank why you left Kim’s letter to Bank of America on why she closed her account there. UK Current Account Switch Service References cited in this episode Switching to a fossil-free bank is the highest-impact investor action in SHIFT: Kim Nicholas and Project Drawdown, The Super High-Impact Initiative for Fixing Tomorrow (SHIFT) "Bank fossil-free" action page. Source: SHIFT World's 65 largest banks committed $906 billion to fossil fuel financing in 2025, an 8% increase on 2024. Source: Banking on Climate Chaos 87% of that financing flows through six financial centres (US, Canada, Japan, China, UK, EU): Banking on Climate Chaos. Source: Banking on Climate Chaos HSBC has committed $77.8 billion to fossil fuel financing since 2021, ranking 21st among global bank funders. Source: Banking on Climate Chaos HSBC financing since 2021 includes Saudi Aramco ($1.8bn), ExxonMobil ($1.5bn) and TransCanada Pipelines ($1.5bn): Banking on Climate Chaos. Source: Banking on Climate Chaos Switching to a fossil-free bank is more effective in countries that have better regulation: Theodor F Cojoianu et al. Journal of Economic Geography, Volume 21, Issue 1, January 2021, Pages 141–164. Source: Journal of Economic Geography When banks stopped funding coal mines, those coal mines actually shut down instead of finding new funding, measurably reducing emissions. Source: Harvard Business School So I wrote them a letter: Kim’s letter to Bank of America. Source: Kimberly Nicholas Templates you can use to let your bank know that customers don't want them investing in fossil fuels. Source: Ethical Consumer Carbon lock-in, three reasons why we still have a fossil-fuel-dependent world: infrastructure, policies, and norms and culture that reinforce those. Source: Annual Reviews

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Introducing Climate Actually

Meet your host: Dr Kimberly Nicholas, climate scientist at Lund University and creator of the SHIFT guide to high impact climate action. The show's approach: facts, feelings, and action, used together to face the climate crisis rather than avoid it. The five climate superpowers: citizen, professional, investor, consumer, and role model. Why it matters: if you earn around $38,000 USD a year or more, you're in the world's top 10% of earners, a group responsible for roughly half of all household carbon emissions. What's coming: real people sharing their successes and setbacks as they take on high impact climate action, one superpower at a time. Subscribe or follow wherever you get your podcasts to catch every episode. Funding for Climate Actually comes from Formas, the Swedish Research Council for Sustainable Development, Communications Grant #2021-02906.