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Gridlocked: Why the 21st Century is Broken and How to Fix It

Gridlocked: Why the 21st Century is Broken and How to Fix It
Author: Mark Havenner, Nick O'Hara, Rolake Ojo
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© 2025 Renovata
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Systems across the industrialized world are broken, but who knows how to fix them? Many of us are tired of living in divided societies, tired of the constant sense of drama and angst in our media and public discourse. Gridlocked is a docuseries podcast that moves debate beyond current division, focusing on big issues causing societal ‘gridlock’ and solutions on how to fix them. So, if you feel confounded by challenges seemingly much bigger than ourselves, with society unable to move forward while we are left as bystanders, then this is the podcast for you. Join the Gridlocked team as they bring together leading experts with real-world solutions that go above and beyond politics.
10 Episodes
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Welcome to the last documentary-style package show of Season 1. Welcome to the world of tomorrow … which starts today. This episode, Tomorrow’s World, discusses how a path to combatting climate change can be made possible through the linchpin of dense and clean energy – an abundance of it, supplied through new and advanced energy technologies. Podcast host Rolake Ojo is joined by Gridlocked creators Nick O’Hara and Mark Havenner who, through presenting a mixture of guest expert contribution...
In the podcast’s fourth panel discussion show, Gridlocked writer and producer Nick O’Hara is joined by: Kerry Emanuel, professor emeritus of meteorology and co-founder of the MIT Lorenz Center; andJacopo Buongiorno, MIT professor of nuclear science and engineering and director of the Center for Advanced Nuclear Energy Systems.The panel builds on many of the issues raised in the previous Inflection Point episode of Gridlocked, addressing key considerations of how to decarbonize societies and c...
Humanity is at a juncture in history requiring us to make a fundamental shift to clean energy, in order to decarbonize our societies and combat climate change. The global economy needs to transition out of its current fossil fuel dependency … but how can this best be achieved? This episode, Inflection Point, discusses how advanced energy technologies – including small modular and micro nuclear reactors, together with renewables – can enable us to ‘turn the corner’ on climate change. Podcas...
In the podcast’s third panel discussion show, Gridlocked writer and producer Nick O’Hara is joined by: Isabelle Boemeke, founder and executive director of Save Clean Energy and creator of online persona Isodope; andJacopo Buongiorno, MIT professor of nuclear science and engineering and director of the Center for Advanced Nuclear Energy Systems.The panel builds on many of the issues raised in the previous And Now for Nuclear episode of Gridlocked, addressing key considerations of nuclear energ...
Back in the 1950s, the world looked set to chart a course to a low carbon clean energy future, through the deployment of nuclear power. But humanity turned back from the future by curtailing nuclear expansion, and that one decision, above all others in living memory, almost certainly precipitated the climate crisis we now face. This episode, And Now for Nuclear, covers the reasons why many of us continue to oppose nuclear energy, despite the fact that it is the only energy source that is bot...
“Reliable power where and when it is needed will always and everywhere rank higher than emissions and pollution.” —Staffan Qvist In the podcast’s second panel discussion show, Gridlocked host Rolake Ojo is joined by special guest Staffan Qvist, CEO of tech consultancy, QuantifiedCarbon, and Gridlocked writer and producer, Nick O’Hara. The panel builds on some of the key issues raised in the previous Running into Reality episode of Gridlocked, addressing key issues on how to build a clean en...
After every ‘green’ initiative in recent decades, humanity is still not on track to solve climate change. Despite this, many of us unquestionably support renewable energy sources like wind and solar, believing that they hold the key to combatting climate change. This episode, Running into Reality, delves into some key considerations in contemporary energy policy that most commentators hide away from. We question whether renewables are really such a good idea, and why it is that fossil fuel c...
In the podcast’s first ever panel discussion show, Gridlocked writer and producer Nick O’Hara is joined by: Pia Malaney, senior economist at the Institute for New Economic Thinking and co-founder of the Center for Innovation, Growth and Society – who features in the previous Spaceship Earth episode; and Kristin Zaitz, civil engineer and co-founder, Mothers for Nuclear – who features in the Running into Reality episode that follows this panel show.The panel discusses some of the key issues ra...
Energy is the key driver of climate change. This episode, Spaceship Earth, introduces listeners to the current worldwide energy context, focusing on the climate emergency against the backdrop of increasing global energy demand. Podcast host Rolake Ojo is joined by Gridlocked creators Mark Havenner and Nick O’Hara who, through a mixture of narration and discussion, explore key climate science and economic themes in global energy... from a non-science viewpoint. In this episode, we hear f...
This episode introduces Gridlocked, the new docuseries podcast exploring ‘why the 21st Century is broken and how to fix it.’ Podcast host Rolake Ojo is joined by Gridlocked creators Mark Havenner and Nick O’Hara, co-founders of global thought leadership consultancy Renovata, who provide an overview of Season One: Energy, before going on to discuss their wider ambitions for future seasons of the show. Through a mixture of narration and discussion, the episode covers how Gridlocked gives...