377: The Clock is Ticking: Forty Seconds to Explain the Climate Crisis

[17:09] Vanessa Hauc

Well, I think I have mixed reactions, Christiana, on one side, like the environmental groups that are working to protect human health and the environment. They were so excited to be able to hear this message with the Aramco banner going around the soccer field. So yes, of course, they were very happy. But I think my colleagues, journalists, and our president of Telemundo News, Emma Garcia, she was just really very, very cool with the idea of communicating this message. Because this is what journalism is about. We have to really inform our viewers and our audiences with transparency. In Noticias Telemundo, our theme is Las Cosas Como Son. That means things as they are. So we have to tell it like it is. I think that these type of stories are extremely important. Now more than ever, because as you know, we are going through very delicate changes on our planet that are impacting everybody. We are seeing in Europe the fires that are happening in France and Spain that are absolutely devastating and the heat waves that kill more than 10,000 people in Europe. Here in the States, we are seeing extreme weather all over affecting vulnerable communities. Latino communities is one of the most vulnerable communities. The community is at the front line of the climate crisis. Unfortunately, and ironically, one of the communities that have contributed the least to these problems. So I think that is my responsibility as a journalist to say things as they are and to be extra rigorous with our reporting. I think they are courageous and brave to report on these stories, even when it's a delicate line.

[18:54] Christiana Figueres

Vanessa, I'm also interested before and after the World Cup, your usual day job, if I can say so, is Planeta Tierra, this extraordinary program that you've had for years on Telemundo that really does explain from so many different perspectives what the climate changes are that we're experiencing and you do a great job explaining the science and the consequences. How was it different for you to have to squeeze a message into a few seconds than usually having your entire program duration to be able to bring across a message? How was it a different experience for you? And also, my second question, if I can put two questions before you at the same time, did you learn anything from your messaging during the World Cup that you're now bringing into your regular reporting in Planeta Tierra?

[19:55] Vanessa Hauc

Good question, Christiana. Well, I think it was, we have practiced on that because we, I also lead the Environmental Research Unit here, Noticias Telemundo, that is Planeta Tierra also. So we do stories for all our network, for all our newscast. And as you know, we only have 26 minutes at every newscast, and we have to cover the world. So it's a lot of information. So our producers are always telling us, well, you need to cut and cut and cut and cut the stories. So thanks, God, now I have Planeta Tierra, that is a half an hour show that we do every week at Telemundo, and that we can really convey most of what is happening around our planet. But we have practiced on being really, really good at bringing the message in very small periods of time. So it was not a complicated task to really explain to the viewers, okay, this, what you are seeing in the soccer field is just a small snapshot of what we are seeing in a larger scale every day in our lives, you know? Because at the end of the day, we are telling all these stories, but we need to understand that climate is impacting every single aspect of our lives. So climate needs to be the context, you know, like really go in depth the stories and understand that you can see most of the stories of any of us through a lens of climate, and they have an aspect of climate. I mean, when we talk about security, when we talk about energy, oil production, the food that we eat every day, the health of our communities, because at the end of the day, Christiana, as you know, the climate crisis is only a piece of the story. But there are also so many solutions that are already on the way. So many people that are making a difference, so many entrepreneurs that are creating new ways of living sustainable lives, indigenous communities that are just telling us how they used to live in harmony with the planet, the younger generations that are making a difference. And we are seeing all these changes that are already happening. And I have no doubt that our planet is going to do this transition. You know, I mean, the solutions are there, the solutions are going in the right direction, maybe not at the scale and at the speed that we need, but they are happening. So I think it's very important for journalists to understand that that is our job. I mean, that is our responsibility, you know? Journalism is a public service. And when something is as important and as impactful in the daily life of our communities, we need to be prepared, we need to be informed, and we need to be ready to really tell the story like it is.

[22:34] Christiana Figueres

That's right. Vanessa Hauc, thank you so much. What a lovely conversation. What an honor to have you here in our program. Thank you so much for sharing all of this with us. It has been a fascinating conversation. Thank you so, so very much for coming on the program.

[22:53] Vanessa Hauc

Thank you, Christiana. Thank you for everything that you do, because you are truly an inspiration for myself and for everybody that is working in the protection of our planet. So thank you for everything that you do.

[23:10] Christiana Figueres

So guys, what do you think about this? I mean, honestly, I've always admired Vanessa's work, but to be given 40 to 50 seconds inside a three-minute break and then figure out how to put out a cogent, effective message that lands on climate change, especially with the oil and gas company Aramco, their sponsor, branding in the back. I mean, this woman is amazing. And what a delight to have her here on the podcast. What did you think?

[23:46] Paul Dickinson

I was actually reminded of moments in my own life where I've been irresponsible. And a voice of some authoritative figure has sort of said, hey, you know, this is important, and kind of looked me in the eye. And something's got through to me. And I think she's doing that, and I think it's really important, and it's magical. I really admire her for it. Tom?

[24:09] Tom Rivett-Carnac

Yeah, I mean, I think that what I would say is, in the best of all worlds, this wouldn't be controversial, because actually what she's doing is just reporting about a world that is changing. Fundamentally, it's hotter. We need to have hydration breaks. And the fact that she's doing that with the sponsors branding and shop, these shouldn't be controversial things. But of course they are, because of the politicization of climate, which we've talked about many times. So just huge kudos to her for like cutting through and re-establishing a baseline of what should be normal in how we talk about this. And the more we see that happen, the more it brings us back from the sort of insane situation we're in where we can't name this stuff, to a place where actually we can talk about what's happening to our planet. And we don't need to only do it if it's in the commercial interest of the sponsor that's backing it and all these other different things. We need to reclaim some sense of sanity. And I think that's what she's doing.

[24:59] Paul Dickinson

And she's spotted the moment. She's spotted that real estate with that extra power.

[25:03] Christiana Figueres

And you know, I also, as you heard, I had a quick chat with her in Spanish. Because that's how she reports. And I was really touched because Latinos in the United States are massively overrepresented in industries such as agriculture and construction, both of which are outside activities and are therefore prone to be directly affected by these heatwaves. They have to work to feed their families under these incredibly hot conditions. And so that is why she has been working on this issue for such a long time. And NRDC has backed her up, actually, with their research showing that 9 in 10 Latinos would vote for laws protecting the environment, even at the cost of higher taxes, because of the living conditions of typical Latinos in the United States. So she has really identified not just the huge opportunity of The World Cup to give out this message, but she has identified the need of that community in the United States and is mobilizing them by educating them and mobilizing them toward political action such as voting.

[26:31] Tom Rivett-Carnac

Yeah. And thank goodness that she's doing this. I have to say, this is, as we talked about at the beginning of The World Cup, the idea that these breaks should be focused on climate. Our friends at Countess Inn have been doing some of that too and pushing for it, but she's really taken it and made this something that has broken through in a remarkable way. So kudos to Vanessa. Now, we're together, I think, just for a few more minutes, and we haven't had the chance to comment on what's been going on in the world in our last few episodes. So I wonder if there's anything, do we want to lift our sights a little bit from where we've been and just check in on how are we doing in this remarkably insane, world-changing summer?

[27:10] Christiana Figueres

Well, we happen to be all three of us in the UK today as we record, and here we are starting, is it the fourth or the fifth heat wave? The fifth heat wave in the UK with record-breaking temperatures yet again. Now, Paul and Tom, I must say, I'm also uncomfortable today as I'm sure you and every other UK citizen, and we certainly know that there are many vulnerable people in the UK and in Europe who have suffered much more from this heat. And without minimizing that, every degree that it gets hotter here, I think back to what is happening in the global south.

[27:57] Tom Rivett-Carnac

Yeah.

[27:57] Christiana Figueres

And there are already thousands of people dying because of heat, and there will be millions of people dying because of the heat. So with every degree warmer here in Europe or in the UK, I just think back to developing countries and they go, how are we in the developing world going to deal with this? What is the price yet again that the developing world is paying for something that we did not cause?

[28:30] Paul Dickinson

Christiana, you put it beautifully and horribly, whatever the word is, we've spoken to people before in the podcast who talk about drought, lack of water, lack of food, extreme heat causing the deaths of millions over time. And it seems silly to mention it, but at the same time, there are things here, the flowers are dying or there's like, I was looking at little kids in the park, they're like never going to know the grass was green once. They grow up with it yellow or white or something. I know these are only symbols, but they exhibit a more lurking fear of tipping points. And what I'm enjoying, I think, there is a moment of kind of clarity or potential reset. Yeah. What about you Tom?

[29:15] Tom Rivett-Carnac

We have talked a little bit in recent episodes about what was happening in Spain with the blackouts there. Whilst that caused by renewables, we had the CEO of Acciona, I think, came on and talked to us about it. And there's been some analysis that's come out fairly recently because Spain, of course, is one of the most transitioned countries in Europe with a high proportion of renewables on the grid. And in the UK and Germany and other countries, there's now meant much debate about if we shift further to renewables, are we going to damage our industrial capacity? First of all, insane that we're having that debate while we're experiencing these crazy heat waves, but it goes on. But the thing I just wanted to bring is that what we've seen in Spain is that the transition to substantially more renewables has massively impacted the cost of electricity in a positive direction. Right now in Spain, the average megawatt-hour is about 40 euros. In Italy, which is mainly gas, it's nearly 150. So the economic benefits of this transition, for competitiveness, for benefit, obviously for emissions, but elsewhere as well, we can really stand behind that now. And that is the story that should be cutting through much more in the media, rather than all of this hand-wringing about, should we be developing the North Sea to support cost of living? It's all a smoke screen and we need to call it out much more directly.

[30:35] Paul Dickinson

And what's missing fundamentally is this notion of time. Yes, there's a bit more capital investment or capital expenditure in building renewables, but there's practically zero operating expenditure. And if you understand the difference between capital expenditure and operating expenditure, and you look over 10 to 20 years, suddenly you realize the economics all work. And so we mustn't fall foul of the fossil fuel authoritarians and this crazy US taxpayer is being paid to close down wind farms. That's not the future. We've got the economics on our side. If we look at it over time.

[31:10] Tom Rivett-Carnac

And tell the story on the basis of that 100%. Yeah. Now, I know we're running out of time, but about two months ago, I was privileged to go and spend a couple of weeks in India. I was speaking at a conference and I was doing a variety of other things. And we decided to take advantage of that opportunity to dig into the transition that is occurring. Honestly, it was an absolutely fascinating trip. India, of course, as we've always known, is a land of extremes, extreme inequality and terrible air pollution, and remarkable transition to renewables. Huge challenges with the impacts of climate change and incredible investments in infrastructure and resilience. And so often, I would sort of look at India and I've struggled to understand from a distance really what is happening with the transition in that country. And I've come out with much more insight on the stories of what's going on. Incredibly inspiring people who are doing their best to facilitate this transition. And just an overall picture of really how this incredibly consequential country is transitioning and it's going to shape our future. So the next three episodes, we're going to be doing a deep dive in the trip that I had, what's happening, what's going to happen next, and what does this mean for the world. So I would really encourage all listeners to join us for those three episodes.

[32:26] Unidentified

It can feel so full of that possibility, but also heavy with the burden of these unresolved problems.

[32:32] Tom Rivett-Carnac

In the middle of 2025, this country crossed a line almost no one thought it would reach. Just over half its installed power capacity now comes from non-fossil sources.

[32:44] Manjeev Singh Puri

We've had a fairly intensive solar revolution in India. We are an example and an example that people know. Here is my template, just take it and plug it in.

[32:55] Tom Rivett-Carnac

And yet, India is still the second largest user of coal and still building new coal-fired generating capacity.

[33:03] Arvind Kumar

In a polluted city, a child becomes a smoker from the first breath.

[33:09] Bhavreen Kandhari

We are just people, we are mothers, we are parents, desperate for clean air for our children.

[33:14] Tom Rivett-Carnac

Over the next three episodes, I'm in India to try to understand a country of incredible history and complexity.

[33:21] Dia Mirza

The way we breathe, the way we sink, the way we interact with the river, she supports it all. She is in our mythology, she is in our history, and yet we pollute her.

[33:30] Tom Rivett-Carnac

And a country that represents both the best and the worst of the transition to a fair, thriving, regenerative future.

[33:39] Dia Mirza

My actions can shape the world.

[33:41] Bhavreen Kandhari

That's an opportunity.