Tag: climate change

This Earth Day, Spotify Is Handing the Mic to Young Climate Activists

April 22, 2022

The climate crisis is one of the most pressing issues of our era. Anytime we speak about addressing climate change we know that we must center the people, places, and communities most affected, to learn from them and inspire us into action. So this year for Earth Day, Spotify is using the power and impact of our global platform to amplify the voices of next-generation climate activists fighting to dismantle global environmental injustices and find climate justice across social, economic, and policy changes. We’re handing them a microphone via our platform and redesigned Climate Action Hub to listen to their stories of climate change and its impact on daily life, as well as share actionable ways for listeners to get involved. (The Climate Action Hub is available here via a mobile device or by searching “Climate Action” on Spotify.)

Youth Dispatches: Our Earth

The first place to stop is our new podcast playlist series, Youth Dispatches: Our Earth. This podcast playlist features three climate change activists who speak on the future of our planet and how we all can take action to create a better world. These global activists offer insight on what we can all do to enact change: from a personal level to a global one. You can also hear from Dr. Johanna Beckman at the Potsdam Institute for Climate Action Research, whose voice and recommendations are included in the hub playlists.

In “The Land is Medicine,” Seqininnguaq Lynge Poulsen, an Indigenous rights activist and artist in Greenland, delves into how climate change is impacting their Indigenous community and what it looks like to take care of oneself in the face of a shifting world. (Their podcast episode is available in English and Greenlandic). “The Earth Is Resilient” features Gabrielle, a climate educator in Athens, Georgia, talking about her optimism for climate justice. She takes us through ways we can positively contribute both big and small. In “From Knowledge to Action,” Luisa Neubauer, a youth climate justice activist and podcaster in Germany, discusses her journey to activism and how to transform knowledge of the climate crisis into action to prevent it. (Her episode is available in English and German.)

Also make sure to check out Gabrille’s second curated playlist, The OG Guide to Climate Change, as well as Seqininnguaq’s Decolonizing Climate Change. Each activist picked around five podcasts to highlight for listeners. The podcast playlist series was created in partnership with social impact agency Invisible Hand, with production support by Pod People.

Spotify’s Next Step on Our Path to Net Zero Emissions

September 28, 2021

Technology is all about interlocking systems that work together efficiently, and we often think about iterating on these systems to make them better. Climate change is one of these interconnected issues—making it vitally important for companies to disrupt old systems when it comes to combating the effects of global warming. That’s why, in September 2021, Spotify joined the Exponential Roadmap Initiative and the UN Race to Zero, a first step on our more ambitious climate action journey. 

The Exponential Roadmap Initiative consists of a network of selected innovative companies, scientists, and NGOs that commit to exponentially reducing greenhouse gas emissions,  educating and inspiring others to do so though their platforms and businesses, and engaging with the wider community to push the climate action agenda forward. 

“Climate change is one of the most pressing global issues of our lifetime,” says Gustav Söderström, Spotify’s Chief R&D Officer. “Spotify has a responsibility to combat the effects of climate change, which is why we’re aiming to reach net zero emissions within the next decade.” 

Over the next days, months, and years, we’ll look to disrupt our ways of working and curb our emissions over a variety of ways:

  • Making our workplaces better: We continue to redesign, remodel, and run our offices with an eye toward environmental efficiency, accessibility, and renewable solutions.
  • Stream green: A percentage of our emissions is generated by streaming, downloads, and device battery usage. We are measuring this impact and aim to generate lower energy consumption from different devices, while offsetting any remaining emissions.
  • Partnering with suppliers who share our goals: Our biggest source of emissions is the goods and services we purchase. We are focused on collaborating with like-minded suppliers to reduce emissions in this area.

“We are delighted that Spotify joins other front-runners in climate action within the Exponential Roadmap Initiative,” says Johan Falk, Head of Exponential Roadmap Initiative and lead author of the “Exponential Roadmap and the 1.5°C Business Playbook.” “Spotify has a unique reach and opportunity to inspire people around the globe to take climate action.”

We’re already on our way to create climate-conscious solutions and use our platform to spread awareness and amplify action. Our Sustainable Sonics provide a low-carbon alternative to other forms of advertising. Our curated podcast playlists and Climate Action hub provide important information on taking climate action for our listeners. And finally, check out the Life at Spotify website climate section for the latest actions and reports. 

But there’s so much more to be done, and we need to do it now. Joining the Exponential Roadmap Initiative demonstrates our commitment to taking action, and we look forward to collaborating with our partners, incorporating feedback, and sharing more updates on this crucial journey.

Looking to learn more about the Exponential Roadmap and greenhouse gas-reducing solutions? Stream “The Scientific Case for The Race to Zero with Johan Rockström” or “Nigel Topping Racing to Zero.”

 

Forward-Looking Statements

We would like to caution you that certain of the above statements represent “forward-looking statements” as defined in Section 27A of the United States Securities Act of 1933, as amended, and Section 21E of the United States Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended. The words “will,” “aim,” and similar words are intended to identify forward-looking statements. Examples of forward-looking statements include, but are not limited to, statements regarding our net zero emissions target, the anticipated timing of achieving such target, and the actions we plan to take to curb emissions and push the climate action agenda forward. We intend such forward-looking statements to be covered by the safe harbor provisions for forward-looking statements contained in the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995 and include this statement for purposes of complying with the safe harbor provisions. Such forward-looking statements involve significant risks, uncertainties and assumptions that could cause actual results to differ materially from our historical experience and our present expectations or projections, including but not limited to the risks as set forth in our filings with the United States Securities and Exchange Commission. We undertake no obligation to update forward-looking statements to reflect events or circumstances occurring after the date hereof.

Dr. Ayana Elizabeth Johnson of ‘How to Save a Planet’ Shares Her Top 5 Climate Justice Podcast Episodes

April 19, 2021

How do you make a climate justice-oriented show that people actually want to listen to? Corny jokes seem to be a big part. 

At least, that’s the takeaway from Dr. Ayana Elizabeth Johnson, who, alongside her cohost Alex Blumberg, worked for nine months to bring a climate solutions-focused podcast, How to Save a Planet, to the world. Now, another nine months later, the show boasts a dedicated fan base and 30 episodes, arming listeners with knowledge and actions to take to address climate change. 

Dr. Ayana Elizabeth also recently put together Your Guide for Climate Solutions, a podcast playlist to further inform both podcast and planet lovers about ways they can get involved in the intersectional fight for environmental justice. We took the time to ask her about the playlist—as well as how she keeps up-to-date on all things podcast and climate and what she’s learned since launching How to Save a Planet. 

The five episodes in the Your Guide for Climate Solutions playlist span three podcasts. Why did you choose those episodes to feature?

This was really hard because I wanted to just feature other people’s shows, but I have loved so many of the conversations that we’ve had with amazing guests on How to Save a Planet. So I couldn’t help myself and picked three of ours. “Is Your Carbon Footprint BS?” is the question everyone is asking, right? “Do my individual actions matter or is it all about big systemic change?” And so we wanted to offer our answer to that big question. And then, this past September, we did an episode called “Black Lives Matter and the Climate” where we interviewed activists and organizers who were doing absolutely remarkable and critical work. And as a Black woman in America, being able to have that conversation, connecting the dots to climate, just felt really good. It’s a soulful discussion with Maurice Mitchell, who leads the Working Families Party, and Colette Pichon Battle, with Gulf Coast Center for Law and Policy. And then the grand finale episode in this playlist is about seaweed farming, because I’m a marine biologist, and I really love the ocean. 

For the other two, first is an episode from A Matter of Degrees hosted by Dr. Leah Stokes and Dr. Katharine Wilkinson. I guess I would call it a more wonky version of How to Save a Planet. They go a bit harder on policy and are similarly trying to welcome people in. And then the other episode I recommended was from Ezra Klein’s podcast when he interviewed Dr. Kate Marvel, who is a climate scientist at NASA. It’s a super-long conversation, but she is fascinating and one of the most poetic scientists I’ve ever met. The way that she talks about the planet Earth and the climate system is so utterly delightful. 

How do you stay upto-date on media related to environmental and climate topics?

There is so much going on in terms of environmental and climate topics—that’s a great thing— and it’s all happening so fast that I really can’t keep up. But there’s two climate newsletters that I really do read every installation of, and that is HEATED by Emily Atkins and The Frontline, which is published by Atmos from journalist Yesenia Funes. And those two are really beautiful, nuanced takes that really include the complexities of what we’re dealing with, the sort of people and justice and science and policy puzzle that we’re trying to solve, so that’s how I even vaguely stay up-to-date. But I will admit that I have, like, 20 browser tabs open with various articles about climate and ocean policy that I want to be reading. So maybe this weekend, TBD. 

How do you find new podcasts you’re excited about? Anything you’ve really loved recently?

I guess I just ask my favorite group text thread. (Hopefully everyone has one that got them through the last year.) And I ask for episodes rather than podcasts. I love Alie Ward’s Ologies. That is a great show. NPR’s Throughline I enjoy. Of course, there are a bunch of Gimlet podcasts that are wonderful. Resistance is particularly notable for me right now. 

We last checked in right as How to Save a Planet was debuting, and the show has now been live for about 9 months. Can you tell us about a few lessons you’ve learned?

As someone who doesn’t come from media or storytelling, I have definitely learned something that the rest of the team is well aware of, which is that topics and stories are different things. And so figuring out how to turn a climate solution topic—whether that is regenerative farming in the ocean or Black Lives Matter and the climate, or trying to get to 100% renewable electricity by 2035—into a story is something that I’m very much still learning. But the easiest way is to have incredible guests. 

Another lesson learned: It is hard to make a podcast. I kind of thought, oh, we’ll just have a chat and then upload it to the internet. But if you want to explain complex science/policy/culture topics, you actually really do need to edit and layer in multiple interviews and give context to help people digest it all. It’s a big, extremely impressive skill set. Just watching what our reporters and producers pull together has been astounding to me. It is not as easy as it looks, and when it comes together in an episode, it’s magical.

What’s one takeaway you’re hoping new listeners (especially those who might not listen to your show) might get from this podcast playlist?

I think the thing that we’re really hoping people get out of listening is an understanding of just the multitude of ways that they can be a part of climate solutions. We want to show the diversity of work that needs doing and of ways that you can contribute to it. What we hope is that people will see themselves in this work somewhere, whether it’s protesting pipelines and land defense, or practicing regenerative agriculture, or reforming the grid, or getting excited about offshore wind energy. We really do need such a diversity of areas, of expertise, of people. We’ve got a lot of stuff to do and fix. We’re going to need everyone. 

Find your place. Stream Dr. Ayana Elizabeth Johnson’s Your Guide to Climate Solutions podcast playlist. 

Podcasting Serves as a Private, Intimate, and Empathetic Medium for Previously Closeted Conversations

March 18, 2021

The world changes—thanks, in no small part, to those who dare to express themselves and challenge the status quo. Today, our knowledge of formerly misunderstood or stigmatized issues such as sexuality, empowerment and LGBTQ inclusion is ever-evolving, due to plentiful resources and individuals who are not shy to speak out. In recent years, many have been turning to podcasting as a medium that can provide unmatched intimacy, privacy, and empathy around important discussions.  

With tools like Anchor and programs like Spotify’s Sound Up, podcasting is becoming more accessible to first-time podcasters and individuals from historically underrepresented groups. Each day, creators are uploading new shows on topics that are meaningful to them to Spotify, and finding a similarly growing audience ready to listen. 

Read on to explore how podcasting has empowered open conversations in countries like Argentina, Chile, India, and France. 

Podcasters in the Southern Cone Create Intimate Spaces

In the Latin American countries of Argentina and Chile, podcasts related to sexuality, female empowerment, and diversity appear frequently among the most listened-to podcasts. Many are hosted by groups of friends or even partners who are able to create intimate spaces for each other—and the listener—to gain insight into a topic they may not have previously known much about. 

For example, Concha Podcast, where friends talk about feminine topics, is one of the most listened-to podcasts in Argentina. Acabar, a documentary podcast about the female orgasm, became the third most-listened-to Spotify Original production in the country. Similarly, putopakitorta involves three hosts: a woman, a gay man, and a straight man, who debate hot topic issues openly, while Girl, andá a terapia, features a trans girl who answers messages from listeners asking for advice. In Puto Viejo, the host and psychologist Gus Casals takes off the blindfold and explains what it meant to be gay in Buenos Aires in the ’80s and ’90s.  

In Chile, podcasting also provides a platform for women who are not afraid to speak up about what gives them pleasure. Con la ayuda de mis amikas dominates the top 10 most-listened-to podcasts in the country. Weona que creici features two gay friends who speak freely about their personal stories, including many details that for most of their lives, they kept closeted due to the stigma around coming out. Each podcast reaches eager and appreciative listeners through the hosts’ honest and open conversations. 

Indian LGBTQ Podcasters Find Privacy 

Similarly, in India, podcasters and listeners alike are coming to appreciate podcasts that touch on subjects they may not have discussed previously in public. For podcasters, the medium gives marginalized communities, including LGBTQ individuals, a channel that allows for privacy. Another popular medium in the country, video blogging or “vlogging,” does not allow for the same level of anonymity. The podcasters behind Spotify Originals Shuddh Desi Gay and De Taali – Life of a Transgender are able to utilize this tool to give listeners a deeper insight into the lives of the LGBTQ+ community. 

Similarly, podcasting allows Indian creators to tackle issues that may be too awkward or discouraged to ask their friends or family about. Another Spotify Original, Love Aaj Kal with Aastha & Ankit, is hosted by two friends who tackle questions such as “Is watching porn a bad thing?” alongside a series on “Sex dilemmas.”

French Podcasters Make Space for Empathy

Finally, podcasts enable frank, honest, and open conversations and stories that cut right to the core and inspire empathy among listeners. In France, the second season of the widely regarded Spotify Original Coming Out podcast included famous celebrities like filmmaker Xavier Dolan, artists, writers, philosophers, and politicians who all joined to discuss their coming out stories—and the journey that one takes before deciding to do so. The ultimate goal of the podcast is to share stories, normalize the experience, and provide insights for others deciding whether to come out. Ultimately, they hope to create a world where people can “come as you are.”

The second season of the show also featured an interview with an adult who was the first child to be born to a same-sex couple through assisted reproductive technology in France 25+ years ago. This individual’s story was linked to a bioethics law proposal currently being discussed to open IVF to all women in France—further using storytelling to spark a topical and important conversation. The show also uses its social channel as a way to spread information: The creators tweet links to appropriate episodes when people share questions  about an LGBTQ or coming out topic. 

Taking The Conversation Further

But these uncovered topics around women’s health—and the use of podcasting to tell them—are not contained to these countries. The empathy, privacy, and intimacy that podcasts provide have also enabled change-makers like Michelle Obama, who discussed menopause during an episode of the Michelle Obama podcast in the U.S. in 2020. Podcasters are taking to the mic to talk about topics like intimacy between partners, systematic racism, violence against indigenous women, and climate change, in addition to popular topics like true crime, news, and sports. 

More and more creators are turning to podcasts as a way to share their stories and spread information. And with more than 50 thousand hours of new podcast content uploaded to Spotify every day, listeners are getting endless inspiration too. 

Luisa Neubauer Presents the Human Side of Climate Change in the New Spotify Original Podcast ‘1,5 Grad’

November 18, 2020

In 2019, Luisa Neubauer emerged as one of the public faces of the youth-led movement to combat global warming, powering the Fridays for Future climate strikes in Germany. Now, she’s taking her knowledge and combining it with a call for urgency, empowerment, and action through a new platform: podcast.

Her new Spotify Original podcast, 1,5 Grad, or “1.5 Degrees,” which launched last week, is already the number one German show on Spotify’s trending charts. In each impactful episode, Luisa speaks to leading scientists and activists who explain the ways in which climate change is impacting our world. Throughout the show, she explores the issue in-depth with the people on the ground fighting the devastation.

“The climate crisis is usually perceived as a crisis of the climate,” Luisa says. “It’s not. It’s a crisis of people. The climate will be fine—we won’t.”

For the Record sat down with Luisa to talk about the meaning of 1.5 degrees; Fridays for Future, the youth-led climate movement; global warming as a social issue; and more.

How did creating a podcast fit into your climate activism work? How does its impact differ from a march or rally?

What I do, and so many others do, is fight for the people and their right to grow old on a safe planet, no matter where they live. Yet this is not the story that is being told. With this podcast I wanted to tell the stories of the people, to dig deep. And to allow myself to approach the climate crisis with curiosity and empathy. I usually organize and mobilize for rallies. This podcast hopefully doesn’t just inform, but inspires people to take the crisis personally and to start understanding oneself as part of the solution.

Can you explain the title of the podcast? What is the significance of 1.5 degrees?

1.5 degrees Celsius is the global compromise that was made by signing the Paris Agreement. On a diplomatic level, the fact that there is such an international agreement is incredible. It is also where the world community is drawing the line in terms of destruction and suffering. And it is also the only guarantee for younger generations that promises them to grow old on an inhabitable planet. The science is very clear about the kind of danger zone we enter once we pass 1.5. This is what I committed to fight for, alongside so many others.

What can listeners expect in each episode?

I take people with me, bring them to experts, thinkers and activists, invite them to our conversation. It’s gonna be more emotional than a science podcast, more interactive than a discussion podcast. To me, this podcast feels like the listeners, the team and I, alongside my guest, sign up to an exploration.

What do people misunderstand about the climate justice movement?

Well the climate crisis is one gigantic injustice, and it produces more injustices. When we ask ourselves why exactly we are doing this, why we are fighting, why we are committing all our time to this—we inherently talk about justice. Those who are affected today, those at the front line, we refer to them as MAPA (most affected people and areas); they are the ones who remind us every day that Fridays for Future is not that much about the future as it is about the present. It’s about the very present threat the climate crisis is posing to those who are often overlooked yet should be listened to.

How is climate justice an issue of social equality as well?

The climate crisis is sometimes perceived as an issue of the elites who don’t have any other problems to care about. This is not only a misleading, but a dangerous framing. As the climate crisis escalates, it is posing more and more injustices to the ones who are already marginalized by race and gender. Engaging in real, sustainable, and just climate action is essential for real social equality.

What do you want listeners to take away after hearing the podcast?

I just really hope people ask themselves very honestly: What is my role in this crisis? Am I really doing everything I can? What is the story I will once tell about where I was, when we knew everything we needed about this crisis—and also knew there was still time to fight it?

What actions do you recommend for someone looking to get involved in climate justice for the first time?

Climate strike! Join an organization! Talk about it! Call your local politician about it! Spread the word. But mostly: climate strike and believe in yourself. Everyone counts. The power of people works when people start taking themselves seriously. That is what we ask you to do.

Check out the first episode of 1,5 Grad and watch for new episodes the second Tuesday of every month.

Join Dr. Ayana Elizabeth Johnson and Gimlet’s Alex Blumberg as They Discuss ‘How to Save a Planet’ in Their New Podcast

August 20, 2020

Anyone can search “10 things I can do to help save the planet.” And according to marine biologist, policy expert, and Urban Ocean Lab founder Dr. Ayana Elizabeth Johnson, that’s a problem. “People feel satisfied when they’ve bought their reusable bag and water bottle and ride their bike everywhere.” It’s not enough, she says. To mitigate the effects of climate change, we need to take collective action by transforming electricity, transportation, construction, manufacturing, agriculture, and land use, to name a few.

So where to begin? That’s the question that Dr. Ayana Elizabeth Johnson and Gimlet cofounder Alex Blumberg seek to answer in their new podcast, How to Save a Planet.

Nine months ago, the pair started talking about producing a podcast on combating climate change with expert-led, actionable solutions. Then they recruited a knowledgeable team that includes journalists Kendra Peirre-Louis and Rachel Waldholz, Gimlet producers Caitlin Kenney and Anna Ladd, and sound engineer Emma Munger to help in creating a podcast that will continue to evolve as people take systematic action on climate change

In creating the podcast, the team aimed to engage listeners, give them concrete, large steps to take part in during every show, and tell the stories of people around the world already mobilizing around climate change. So in addition to interviews with academic leaders like Kate Marvel and youth activists like Varshini Prakesh, Alex and Dr. Ayana Elizabeth Johnson will also talk to individuals like farmers and fishermen who’ve started to make changes after decades of not thinking about sustainability. And what they’ve found? It’s working for them—and the climate. 

For the Record sat down with the cohosts to get the inside scoop on How to Save a Planet. 

A lot of people feel that the issue of climate change is really out of our control. How do you think people can start to take the power back into their own hands when it comes to addressing the issue?

Dr. Ayana Elizabeth Johnson: I think we need more journalism focused on solutions, because we’re finally at the point where we have the journalistic expertise and the media support for talking about climate science and how climate change is already impacting people. But we don’t have nearly enough media about what we should do about all the solutions that are already at hand and how people can be part of larger systematic change, instead of just being stressed out about their individual carbon footprint all the time.

Alex Blumberg: What we want to do is increase the range of options, because people are all different and you can probably engage in a way that leverages your particular skills and personality that isn’t just like a sort of one-size-fits-all solution. So hopefully, this podcast can provide more ways for people to plug into a more effective solution because it’ll be something that appeals to them particularly.

What have you learned about climate change in this process that you were not expecting? Anything that really blew your mind? 

Dr. Ayana Elizabeth Johnson: One of the things that’s really fascinating is how many people are working on climate solutions without ever talking about climate, even if it’s their motivation, because they just don’t want to complicate things or make them “political.” Whether that’s on how we manage the chemicals in air conditioners that are extremely potent greenhouse gases or how we transition agriculture or ramp up wind energy. There are often financial reasons for doing the right thing in terms of climate now, especially with how the technologies and the markets have evolved.

Alex Blumberg: The reason that people are actually taking action is because it’s usually better for them on a straight-ahead “what’s in it for me” calculation. And that’s what’s been sort of very surprising and very hopeful. Like, people who are doing regenerative farming are more profitable than when they weren’t doing it. There’s no downside. What’s been shocking to me is the more we talk to these folks, the more we realize there is literally no reason we shouldn’t make these changes, because they’re actually all-around better. I think people know that, but telling that story is really important. 

How is making this podcast different from the podcasts you’ve made in the past?

Alex Blumberg: The aim is a little bit different. The aim of every other podcast that I’ve worked on is to share a story, share experience, create understanding, but not to like galvanize action. That’s new. I think we all want this podcast to be part of a solution itself.

Dr. Ayana Elizabeth Johnson: If part of our goal is to help people be part of real systems-level change, as opposed to stressing out about whether they’re allowed to get on an airplane or eat a hamburger, then we need to actually point people towards things they can be part of. One of my hopes is certainly that in one of these episodes, each of our listeners will find a place where they feel like they fit in, where they have something they can contribute. Not everyone wants to go to utility board meetings or start farming seaweed, but hopefully some people will raise a ruckus for their local utility boards to transition to renewables or rethink their farming practices.

Alex has said that he’s a big believer in the power of podcasts. What do you each think is the power of this podcast?

Dr. Ayana Elizabeth Johnson: I think there’s a very simple power, which is to help people not feel so alone, right? This podcast can help nurture a community of listeners that feel like we’re all in it together and perhaps feel informed and motivated enough to deepen their involvement in climate solutions, to understand where they can actually plug in and then charge ahead with it, and hopefully report back to us and let us know how it’s going, because we’re really excited for those stories, too.

Alex Blumberg: In the moment that we’re in right now with climate, a lot of people are very terrified. Justifiably, it’s a scary moment, but people don’t have anything to do with that terror, and they’re sort of sitting with it alone. And so a lot of people are like, “I believe you. I believe you, it’s bad. I just don’t know what to do.” We’re hoping that our podcast can be a place for people who feel that way to not be alone with that feeling and actually turn that feeling into action, which will make it feel less helpless and more positive.

Dr. Ayana Elizabeth Johnson: Alex, does it feel like the stakes are higher on this one?

Alex Blumberg: It does. Yeah, it does.

Tune into the first episode of How to Save a Planet now. Plus, preorder All We Can Save: Truth, Courage, and Solutions for the Climate Crisis, coedited by Dr. Ayana Elizabeth Johnson and featuring many of the podcast’s guests.