383: The Easy Wins Are Gone. What's Actually Next for Net Zero?

Net Zero was once a radical idea. Now it’s both an accepted global target, and an increasingly toxic political faultline. This week, Tom is back from the UN General Assembly and New York Climate week, where António Guterres used his last speech as UN Secretary-General to call for every country to set a timeline for quitting fossil fuels. But around the world, politicians are turning against the very idea. In Britain, a committee of MPs now wants the government to stop saying "net zero" altogether. Should the climate movement let the phrase go, or will its opponents simply come for whatever replaces it?

About this episode

Christiana Figueres and Paul chat to Professor Phil Taylor, Vice-Chancellor of the University of Bath and a member of the government's Net Zero Innovation Board. Phil grew up in a North East England still living with the fallout of its last industrial transition. He warns that the cheapest, easiest progress has already been made. And so far the households gaining the most from the energy transition are the ones who can afford the shift.

So, with energy bills set to rise again, what happens when a shift sold as painless starts to hurt? And can politicians be honest about the costs and still win?

Outrage + Optimism will be live at Bath Abbey on 14 October, after this summer's extreme heat forced the original event to be cancelled. Join the livestream from anywhere using the link below.

Learn More

🎟️ Register for the Bath Abbey livestream on 14 October, Powering the Next Generation to Lead Climate Action

🌍 Read Climate Home News on Guterres's farewell speech to the General Assembly

🌊 Find out what's in the new UN Declaration on Sea Level Rise

🏛️ Explore the Energy Security and Net Zero Committee's inquiry, Building support for the energy transition

⚡ Read Climate Outreach on what a Burnham government means for climate change

🏖️ Learn how campaigners stopped the Druridge Bay coal mine