The Beam Podcast

Do you hear the calls to fight climate change? The calls to mitigate its impact? To be more sustainable to preserve our planet for the generations to come? Sometimes, these calls leave us overwhelmed and confused. And at times, we still ask ourselves, ‘How should we deal with the changing climate?’, ‘What is our response? Is it fast enough?’, ‘How do we make sure that no one is left behind?’ With the help of people of climate action around the globe, Anne-Sophie Garrigou, Editor-in-Chief of The Beam Magazine, and Anna Siwecka discuss how to include and inspire a greater number of people to participate in fighting climate change. Once a month, they talk sustainable design, energy access and transition, women empowerment and more. They reach to the grassroots level and go beyond cultures. And all of this, to stress the urgency of acting now and to equip us all in the tools needed to take action. Tune in to The Beam Podcast! #TheBeamPodcast. Listen to the trailer now and subscribe. Please rate and review the show – it means a lot and helps us improve the podcast! Thank you, Anne-Sophie & Anna. Written by Anne-Sophie Garrigou (@GarrigouAnneSo) and Anna Siwecka (@OutwithAnna). Theme music ‘Shape of Me’ by Dr. Hollywood. Production and sound editing by Anna Siwecka.

Let’s start with a seemingly basic but crucial subject in the context of fighting climate change. Is it possible to power our planet with 100% renewable? If so, how do we do that and how can we accelerate the transition? How do we stop subsidising fossil fuels? How can we – me and you – support the transition to clean energy worldwide? Anne-Sophie and Anna discuss renewable policies, changes in the German energy landscape and California’s ambitious green targets. Guests: Rana Adib, Executive Secretary at REN21,Hans-Josef Fell, President of Energy Watch Group, Ambassador for 100% renewables, Author of the draft Renewable Energy Sources Act, Daniel Kammen, Professor of Energy at University of California, Berkeley, Director at RAEL. For more stories on climate action, and to meet the changemakers, go to https://the-beam.com, check out @TheBeamMagazine on Twitter and Instagram. Join the conversation using #TheBeamPodcast The Beam Podcast is written by Anne-Sophie Garrigou (@GarrigouAnneSo) and Anna Siwecka (@OutwithAnna). Production and sound editing by Anna Siwecka. Theme music by Dr Hollywood. 

About 4,2 billion of us—more than half of humanity—live in cities today. By 2030, which is barely 11 years from now, this figure is expected to reach 5 billion. This rapid urbanisation is exerting a huge pressure on fresh water supplies, sewage, the living environment, and public health, among other things. One of the key figures around cities today is that while the world’s cities occupy just 3 % of the Earth’s land, they account for 60-80 % of energy consumption and 75 % of carbon emissions.In this episode, Anne-Sophie and Anna discuss how to build sustainable cities of the future and how to make the existing cities more sustainable. How we can move beyond the oil landscape. And finally, what threats climate change brings upon global cities. Guests:Carola Hein, Professor and Head of the Chair Historyof Architecture and Urban Planning, TU Delft, Chloé Pahud, CEO & Co-founder at Civocracy, Daniel Ringelstein, AIA, Director of Urban Design and Planning, Skidmore Owings & Merrill (SOM).For more stories on climate action, and to meet the changemakers, go to https://the-beam.com, check out @TheBeamMagazine on Twitter and Instagram. Join the conversation using #TheBeamPodcast. The Beam Podcast is written by Anne-Sophie Garrigou (@GarrigouAnneSo) and Anna Siwecka (@OutwithAnna). Production and sound editing by Anna Siwecka. Theme music by Dr Hollywood. 

Did you know that women are 14 times more likely to die during natural disasters than men globally? And 80% of people displaced by climate change are women and girls! Studies have also shown that women are at greater risk of sexual and gender-based violence (including rape, sexual exploitation, and assault) during and after disasters. Climate change exacerbates inequalities, especially existing gender inequalities, often resulting in more negative impacts for women. We call this the gender-climate links, or the gender dimensions to the climate crisis, a global issue that we absolutely wanted to explore in this third episode of The Beam Podcast. Guests:Sheila Oparaocha, International Coordinator and Programme Manager at ENERGIA,Katherine Lucey, Founder and CEO of Solar Sister, Dr Katharine Wilkinson, Vice-President of Communication & Engagement and Lead Writer at Project Drawdown. For more stories on climate action, and to meet the changemakers, go to https://the-beam.com, check out @TheBeamMagazine on Twitter and Instagram. Join the conversation using #TheBeamPodcast The Beam Podcast is written by Anne-Sophie Garrigou (@GarrigouAnneSo) and Anna Siwecka (@OutwithAnna). Production and sound editing by Anna Siwecka. Theme music by Dr Hollywood. 

Adaptation to climate change in developing countries is vital and it is a high and urgent priority for governments. Unfortunately, COP25 in Madrid showed the vast disconnect between the urgency that some communities are feeling at home and the pace of action from our governments.In this new episode we wanted to raise awareness about the importance of long-term climate change considerations, and feature some good examples of climate adaptation and mitigation strategies. Guests:Amanda Ikert, Head of Adaptation Implementation, C40,Yvonne Aki-Sawyerr, Mayor of Freetown.For more stories on climate action, and to meet the changemakers, go to https://the-beam.com, check out @TheBeamMagazine on Twitter and Instagram. Join the conversation using #TheBeamPodcast The Beam Podcast is written by Anne-Sophie Garrigou (@GarrigouAnneSo) and Anna Siwecka (@OutwithAnna). Production and sound editing by Anna Siwecka. Theme music by Dr Hollywood. 

Just as one of our previous guests says, climate change acts like a magnifying force. In many cases multiple climate crisis consequences only highlight the inequalities between the rich and the poor, gender inequalities, inequalities of opportunities and more. In this episode we ask representatives of three international organisations what we could do to support their mission of leaving no one behind - whether it is in providing access to energy in Zambia and Malawi or amplifying the voices of young feminists around the world.Guests:Meike van Ginneken, Chief Executive Officer, SNV,Jamie McCloskey, Director of Development, Solar Aid,Majandra Rodriguez Acha, Co-Executive Director, FRIDA.For more stories on climate action, and to meet the changemakers, go to https://the-beam.com, check out @TheBeamMagazine on Twitter and Instagram. Join the conversation using #TheBeamPodcast The Beam Podcast is written by Anne-Sophie Garrigou (@GarrigouAnneSo) and Anna Siwecka (@OutwithAnna). Production and sound editing by Anna Siwecka. Theme music by Dr Hollywood.