The Burning Case

Hello everyone! And welcome back to a new season of the Burning Case podcast! We're happy to be back in your ears and hope you had a lovely summer. Today's episode is a bit of a different one as the whole Burning Case podcast team aka both Chloé and Mélissa are hosting. We'll be recapping the hot (pun intended) news that happened over the summer and give you a glimpse into what we have planned for the upcoming season! We hope you'll enjoy the episode as well as our many dad jokes! Don't hesitate to rate and review - it really, really helps us get noticed. Have a great day! 

Have you ever seen an ad for Total, Shell or BP bragging about their climate commitments and thought "what the hell am I looking at and how can they be so shameless"?And those campaigns are not only designed and developed to influence individuals and convince us that the fossil fuel industry is doing a good job, they're also targetting policy makers. The very people that should lead us on a path to decarbonisation and a greener and fairer society are the targets of carefully crafted campaigns developed by creative agencies often unkown by the general public that are hired by polluting industries to make them look great.In this episode, we're taking another trip behind the scences of corporate influence and decision making, why we're still very much facing a climate emergency and the role of creative agencies and pr firms in delaying climate action with Clean Creatives director, Duncan Meisel. Expect Exxon, Edelman, hydrogen and Shell to make appearances.

With #COP26 only days away, we decided to dive into the UK's government claim to "deliver the most inclusive COP ever".For a few months now, there's been a strong backlash from many activists and frontline communities on this promise as between vaccine inequality, difficult visa procedures and skyrocketing cost of travel and lodging, it's been an extremely hard journey to access the COP. To understand those challenges, who will be attending, the role of fossil fuel corporations and the consequences of this unfair access, we talked to Ayisha Siddiqa, co-founder and executive director of Polluters Out. If you're still unsure of whether you should give it a listen, read this "only very selected few will be able to attend COP26. Those who are privileged enough to afford vaccines, expensive flights and are lucky to find housing. It is a showcase of inequity as its finest". 

At about the same time last year, George Floyd, an African-American man was murdered in the US. His death sparked an unprecedented wave of protests against police brutality and structural racism in the US but also across the world. A year later, what's the situation like when it comes to racial justice in Europe? While some politicians at EU level seem keen to do the necessary work, countries such as France are adopting racist laws that target religious and racial minorities. But what exactly needs to happen? Why is it so essential to have movements advocating for change that are led by racialised people? Can we really expect change from a continent that has such a hard time acknowledging its colonial history? To understand where we're at and where we need to go, we discuss with Claire Gilder, one of the co-founder of recently launched Equinox Initiative for Racial Justice, a people of colour-led initiative working to advance rights and justice for all people in Europe.As always, don't forget to rate the podcast if you liked it and follow us on social media!

Oat drink in your cappuccino, soy yoghurt, creamy plant based butter. If you live in Europe, these wording might soon become illegal. And so would a tweet or an advert mentioning scientific data showing that a product causes, for example, “half the carbon emissions of dairy butter”. Why? Because the dairy industry is hard at work to pass an amendment, called amendment 171 that would effectively censor all use of dairy-related language, packaging, or imagery for plant-based foods. In this new #TooHotToHandle episode, we listen from Proveg International head of communication Lara Pappers where we are now, why is this essential from a sustainability perspective and what can we done to prevent this censorship from becoming reality ahead of crucial negotiations next week. You can sign the petition here: https://stopam171.com

In Brussels, politics still mean white.The European Parliament currently only has 3% MEPs of colour while there has never been a Commissioner of colour. If you look into  the thousands of people who work for the EU, you won’t find many more people of colour. The issue goes beyond  the institutions. Browse the websites of the hundreds of NGOs, lobbies and agencies gravitating around them and you’ll see they’re overwhelmingly white. As if the many minorities that make up Europe are simply forbidden from entering the sacred grounds of the EU bubble in any capacity. This is problematic for many reasons. Not only does it mean racialised communities do not have access to these organisations, the lack of representativity has an impact on the policies adopted here in Brussels. When it comes to the green sector for instance, environmental NGOs play a key role in influencing policies, especially at a time where the climate and environmental crisis are some of the top priorities of the EU. Yet, we know that a lack of diversity in decision-making leads to policies that easily ignore the needs of marginalised communities.Racial and ethnic minorities and BIPOC communities carry the heaviest burden of the climate and ecological crisis and should not only be at the centre of the climate action work but also leading it. Yet, in Brussels, these spaces are occupied by white people.To better understand  the roots of this issue, highlighted in the past by many activists through the #BrusselsSoWhite movement, we've talked to Alice Bah Kuhnke, Green MEP from Sweden (03:35), Sarah Chander, racial justice activist working for Edri (23:45) and Yasmine Ouirhane a peace and human rights activist and former Young European of the year (49:35). With them we discussed about what the situation is like in the European Parliament and why politics is still dominated by white men in their 50s, how colonialism affects everything we do today and how the lack of diversity and inclusion in green NGOs means policies are automatically less ambitious than they should be. Finally we dive into the lack of opportunities for people of colour to enter the policy world and how these barriers can be addressed.This might be our most important episode so far! Stay tuned as we have something coming up where you can get involved and ask the green movement to do better on these issues!

Did you know Latin America was a biodiversity powerhouse with over 30% of the world's fauna and flora? And that about 32 million people in the region identify as Indigenous? Yet, the area has never been under more pressure. From climate breakdown of course but mostly from man-made ecosystem destruction to secure more land for agriculture. South American countries are indeed big producers of soybeans, beef and eucalyptus that require extensive amount of land to grow, sometimes at the expenses of the Amazon rainforest, the Cerrado or other fragile ecosystems, home to countless species of fauna and flora and indigenous communities.But an already worrying situation (millions of hectares of the Amazon disappear every year to make room for cattle, farming, mining and extractive industries) situation could become even worse if a trade deal between Europe and the countries in the region was implemented, increasing the demand for certain products from the area including beef and soy.This EU-Mercosur trade deal (with Argentina, Brazil, Paraguay and Uruguay) has been in the making for the past 20 years. Often negotiated behind closed doors, it's entering the final stages of ratification in 2021, awaiting approval from European countries and the European Parliament.To better understand what's at stake with this trade deal, what would concretely be the impacts on the local environment but also on indigenous communities right, who are the winner of this trade deal and the role far right politicians have played in it, we've talked to Alberto Villarreal who is a regional coordinator at Friends of the Earth in Uruguay and Azul Schvartzman, a youth climate activist from Argentina. We've also discussed the role of trade agreements in general in a sustainable society and the myths attached to them (more jobs, more economic power) to investigate who they really benefit to.But as the other negotiating member of this deal is Europe, we've had the pleasure to chat with Anna Cavazzini, who is an MEP with the Greens but also the Vice President of the Brazil delegation. With her we discussed the role of Europe and citizens and what could come next for the agreement now that some countries are starting to refuse to ratify it. We apologise for the quality of the sound as some of our guests were very far from us but we hope it won't prevent you from enjoying the content!

#VoteDownThisCap, a "machine for extinction", the "worst deal possible for the planet", the recent vote in the European Parliament on the Common Agricultural Policy has been called many things. This pillar of the European Union (think €400 billion over 6 years) is not only significant financially speaking, it's also an essential tool to achieve our climate and sustainability ambitions. See, the agricultural sector is one of the worst contributor to climate breakdown and biodiversity loss in Europe. Meanwhile, farmers are struggling to make a living across the continent without turning to intensive farming. So in a context of Green Deal and ecological crisis, the vote on the proposed new CAP was crucial. Unfortunately, the deal that was approved by MEPs was heavily criticised by Greens, NGOs, activists, scientists and some farmers alike and led to an unprecedented social media campaign to vote it down. So to understand better what's at stake with this CAP, why the proposed policy was so terrible for people and the planet and what are the next steps to ensure agriculture is fully part of the solution to the ecological crisis, we rushed to talk to Harriet  Bradley at BirdLife Europe and Adélaide Charlier, a youth climate activist and initiator of the #VoteDownThisCap campaign alongside Greta Thunberg.In this episode we talk about what led to this deal being proposed, what does it include, how influential lobbies were but we also talk about hope, what could come next and why citizen power is needed more than ever!

Lobbying. A word that is often associated with corruption, conflict of interests and secrecy at the highest levels of power. Yes, almost like a spy novel!But can you really buy a vote by inviting a representative to Bali? Or influence decision making by sliding money under a desk? Rest assured, not really. While it may not be as exciting as movies and TV shows depict it, lobbying can be just as dangerous. We talk about this with Lala Hakuma Dadci, a fossil fuel campaigner at Corporate Europe Observatory who tells us all about the tactics used and millions (€250 to be precise) poured into lobbying by the fossil fuel industry to weaken and influence climate policies in Europe. You're going to want to hear what happens behind the scenes.But lobbying can also be an incredible force for good! Yes, it's not just corporations and businesses with their thousands of lobbyists and big money that can have an impact on policy making. You can too! That's what we've learned talking to Alberto Alemanno, EU law professor and founder of The Good Lobby, an organisation that helps citizens make their voices heard at every level of power, from local to European.From why we've lost the habit of taking part in the democratic life to why the EU feels so distant and unreachable and what is the best tool to influence policy making, we ended our chat full of hope that everyone can become a citizen lobbyist. 

We've seen a big surge in awareness on plastic pollution in the past few years. So much so that living a "zero waste lifestyle" became cool and the European Commission adopted one of the fastest legislation in its history on single use plastics last year. But then, Covid-19 happened and with it, masks, gloves, single use items mainly made of... plastics!In this episode, we talk to the experts from Zero Waste Europe. We start by addressing whether lifestyle changes towards less waste are efficient considering the scale of the issue and whether this movement suffers from a privilege issue. We then analyse what the impacts of covid on the battle against plastics look like and how the industry lobby used the pandemic to try and present single use as the only efficient way to fight the virus.While they thanksfully didn't win this battle, they're working hard to undo the win of the single use directives that bans 10 types of products by intervening in the final stages of the law implementation. We're talking how a petition is trying to remind policymakers of their promises so that they can face down the plastics industry, who right now are hard at work behind the scenes.We hope you like it! Don't forget to let us know, follow us on instagram and subscribe to our newsletter!

"A new normal", "green recovery", "bailout people". These calls from activists, scientists and citizens to radically change our societies and economies post coronavirus have been heard all around the world. At a time when billions are literally poured into world's economies to prevent them from collapsing could this be an "opportunity" to radically change and finally put sustainability for the planet and people at the heart of our concerns? But where does this money come from? How is it going to be distributed? Are we going to have to pay for it through decades long debt? And can we really prevent job losses and invest in a sustainable future at the same time?In this very first episode of the Burning Case, we discuss all these questions and what a post corona world could look like, especially in the EU with Mika Leandro, campaigner at WeMove, Nieneke van den Akker, healthcare worker and Tuesday Sumortin, flight attendant. 

In just a couple of months European citizens will be heading to vote in both national elections  and the 2024 European elections - and the stakes have never been higher! Hence, we are on a mission to try and figure out how to stop the far right from picking up a wave of parliamentary seats across the EU. And in today's episode, which is the first of our "far right" mini-series, we had the privilege to speak to Nika Kovač, the Founding Director of the 8th of March Research Institute. In the episode, we talk about the truly inspiring work Nika and her movement carried out in Slovenia, showing how civil society can truly create change and make an impact. We also discuss how to concretely defeat the far right, namely by connecting with people on positive topics that all the political spectrum can agree on, by using tools of democracy such as referendums to truly show what a population thinks/wants, sparking joy and amusement among people, and searching for allies where one doesn't usually expect to find allies... Nika is a truly inspiring hero and her story will hopefully fill you with enthusiasm to hit the streets and make your voice heard against those threatening our rights and values. We hope you enjoy the episode! Find out more about the 8th March Institute. 

Did you know that about 8 percent of the world’s oil production is used to make plastic and power the manufacturing of it? And what's even more frightening is that figure is projected to rise to 20 percent by 2050.With our guest, Delphine Lévi Alvarès, Global Petrochemicals Campaigner Coordinator for #BreakFreeFromPlastic, Center for International Environmental Law, we deep dive into what’s going on with plastic. We discuss:How about 90% of plastic is made from fossil fuel and that plastic is the next frontier for the fossil fuel industryWhere are we in terms of tackling plastic pollution? What is the Plastic Treaty? Where are we at with the negotiations?What can we expect for our future?We hope you enjoy the episode! Don't hesitate to rate and review. Some useful resources: latest report by the team of Fredric Bauer at Lund University https://www.iisd.org/system/files/2020-12/still-one-earth-plastic-pollution.pdfhttps://www.ciel.org/reports/winter-is-coming-plastic-has-to-go/https://www.ciel.org/reports/airborne-microplastics-briefing/

Did you know that some studies have shown that individuals that are exposed to several hours of news coverage on a specific event have experienced more physical and mental issues than those who directly witnessed said event?In today’s episode our wonderful guest Seden Anlar, Climate Communicator, Climate Action Network Europe joins us to discuss how toxic our relationship with the news has become… As a media professional herself, Seden explains how the media landscape is shifting following the overwhelming number of crises that have been covered in the last few years.Together we discuss:How entangled media and politics are. And how one can destroy the other.How we can explain the sharp decrease in interest in the news.How to fight active avoidance by developing new ways of telling the news.What is the relationship between the media and the climate crisis coverage and how it has evolved. How we can change the way we consume the news and get behind slow journalism.And so much more…We hope you enjoy the episode as much as we did recording it.Don’t hesitate to rate and review!Read the Reuters Institute Digital News Report 2022

To round off our two-episode series on the state of the fashion industry today, we are taking a deep-dive into the current policies being discussed at EU level to tackle the environmental and social impacts of the industry. We welcome three amazing guests, Valérie Boiten, Senior Policy Officer, Ellen MacArthur Foundation, Saskia Bricmont, MEP, Group of the Greens/European Free Alliance and Katya Kruk, Impact & Innovation Director, Armed Angels, to discuss: What major environmental and social legislations are on the EU tableHow we desperately need to shift our linear economic model to a circular one How we must urgently discuss the overconsumption crisis we are facing What tools we have to make such changes (EU directives, trade agreements, tariffs etc.)Both Valérie Boiten and Saskia Bricmont take us through the policy work happening behind the scenes and it's so fascinating to hear both from civil society and political actors and how they are both striving in their own way to create impactful change. Katya Kruk gives us some interesting insight in what it's like to be a sustainable brand today, what challenges they face, what it means to be sustainable etc. and she also takes us through the concepts of "handprint" and "footprint" in the fashion industry. Sign the European Citizens Initiative: Good Clothes, Fair Pay This episode is kindly sponsored by Armed Angels a German lifestyle apparel brand that is made to make a difference by making products that are least harmful to the planet and by enabling people to fight climate change. Their garments are timeless and made with the highest respect for people and the planet. 

Ten years ago today, 1,134 workers lost their lives in the Rana Plaza disaster in Bangladesh. It is considered the deadliest garment-factory disaster in history. To commemorate this tragic event, we are publishing a two-episode series on the fashion industry today.In today’s episode, we are joined by Delphine Williot, Policy and Campaigns Manager, Fashion Revolution and Nazma Akter, Founder and Executive Director of Awaj Foundation to discuss:Whether the fashion industry has changed in the last decade?Whether actual social and sustainability commitments have been taken by brands or if it’s  just all greenwashing?How we are tackling the overproduction and waste crises?What’s needed from the consumer market for conditions to improve?And much more!Sign the European Citizens’ Initiative “Good Clothes Fair Pay”More information on Fashion Revolution Belgium and Fashion RevolutionMore information on Justice is Everybody Business

Today we take a deep-dive (yes, pun fully intended) into the ocean and more specifically into what lies under it.  We are joined in this episode by Anne-Sophie Roux, Deep Sea Mining Campaign lead to discuss the following:What is deep sea mining?What mining corporations are hoping to find?Whether deep sea mining is truly essential to power the energy transition?What impacts could it have?What is the International Sea Authority?What the obscure July 2023 deadline means in the current context?And so much more…It was such an inspiring conversation, which filled us with hope and motivation to stop deep sea mining from starting in July 2023. For information on how to take action: https://www.instagram.com/look_down_action/https://linktr.ee/look_down_actionWe hope you enjoy the episode! 

$200 billion dollars. This is how much profit the big 5 fossil fuel companies have made in 2022.Shocked? Disgusted? Angry? Join the club… While major corporations are announcing record-breaking profits in 2022, more and more people are falling behind having to make difficult choices such as heating or eating.Clearly, corporations are not reading the room and in today’s episode we discuss how creating a windfall tax on such profits would be a way of better redistributing wealth rather than condoning greed and exploitation.Our two incredible guests: Jayati Ghosh, Chairperson of the Centre for Economic Studies and Planning at the Jawaharlal Nehru University and Chiara Putaturo, EU Inequalities and Tax Policy Advisor, Oxfam EU explain why windfall taxes are so important and can be used as a tool:To  provide governments with revenue to reinvest fairlyTo deter corporations from manipulating pricesTo stop inflationWe take a look at what implementing windfall taxes could actually look like, while also debunking all the reasons currently put forward to fight such measures.At the end of this episode we hope you will better understand what power windfall taxes hold!

Did you know that there has been a 13% per cent rise in mental health conditions and substance use disorders in the last decade? And that 20% of the world’s children and adolescents nowadays have a mental health condition? Sadly, when it comes to the topic of mental health, the list of grim facts is long. In light of the European Commission's President, Ursula Von der Leyen announcing a new strategy for mental health,  in today’s episode we take a deep dive into understanding how we got here - from individual preconditions to the pandemic and to systemic oppression, everything is linked!Our guest, Srishagon Abraham, Member of the Executive Committee, Young European Greens, explains the effect different correlations can have on one’s mental health and how the pandemic despite its devastating impact on our mental health, also contributed to raising awareness about it including issues related to funding, lack of treatment, backlog in services etc.We also discuss how solutions to improving our mental health lay in more than just funding - what we really need is a deeper more systemic shift to cut off the problem at its roots.Learn more about the Young European Greens and mental health here.We recommend reading and following: Tricia Hersey author of “Rest is Resistance” and founder of The Nap Ministry

Did you know that 600 million Africans are currently left without access to modern clean renewable energy and that this number is likely to increase if further gas and oil projects are undertook. To ensure that Africa is not locked into further fossil gas production a campaign led by activists across Africa ahead of COP27, is demanding "an end to fossil gas and other dirty dangerous, obsolete and inappropriate energy systems.” This campaign is the topic of today's episode. With our wonderful guest, Dean Bhekumuzi, Don't Gas Africa Campaigner, we discuss the roots and objectives of the campaign, the recent "dash for gas" European powers are leading, why it is so important for Africa to turn away from gas and so much more! We hope you enjoy the episode! Learn more about the Don't Gas Africa Campaign here.Sign the Global Citizen Petition here.