Guernsey and the climate crisis: A COP26 podcast series

More than 120 world leaders have gathered in Glasgow this week for COP 26 — the 2021 United Nations climate change conference.

It is billed as the world’s best last chance to get runaway climate change under control.

At its very core, that means cutting carbon emissions to keep global temperature rise within one point five degrees, and countries will be asked to come forward with new commitments to do just that.

Going beyond that mark - those leaders were told - would amount to digging our own grave.

It is a global crisis which demands global solutions - but where does Guernsey fit in? What is at stake for our islands? Where can we make a difference? And what opportunities could there be for the Bailiwick?

In the 10-part series accompanying COP26, we will be hearing from key local players about the issues at the centre of the climate battle: finance, energy, youth empowerment, nature, adaptation, innovation, transport, and the built environment.

Listen and subscribe wherever you get your podcasts, including Apple Podcasts and Spotify — just search 'Guernsey Press Politics Podcast', or via the links below.

INTRO: GUERNSEY AND THE CLIMATE CRISIS

Deputy Lindsay de Sausmarez — president of the Committee for the Environment & Infrastructure — on how Guernsey can make an impact on a global issue.

FINANCE: 'FINANCE IS KING'

Economist Dr Andy Sloan — founder of the International Sustainability Institute Channel Islands — on the "outsized" role the Bailiwick can play in helping fund the climate fight.

ENERGY: HOW CLEAN IS GUERNSEY'S ENERGY?

Stuart Blondel — chief commercial officer at Guernsey electricity — on the island's transition to clean energy.

YOUTH: "WE WANT TO SEE THAT CHANGE NOW"

Amelie Le Prevost and Mia Edgworth — from the island's Youth Forum — offer a youth perspective on the climate crisis and Guernsey's response to it.

NATURE: THE NEW NAME IN GUERNSEY'S BIODIVERSITY BATTLE

Fiona Bateson — from the Guernsey Nature Commission — on forming a new body to help protect and restore the island's natural habitats.

ADAPTATION: BRACING THE BAILIWICK FOR CLIMATE CHANGE

Dr Andrew Casebow — former States environment advisor — on how the climate argument has changed and how Guernsey should be readying itself for what is to come.

INNOVATION: THE FIRST-MOVER IN GREEN FINANCE

Stephanie Glover and Josephine Bush — green finance specialists at Guernsey Finance — on how the island's leading industry can use its expertise to help solve the world's climate crisis.

TRANSPORT: A GREEN FUTURE FOR INTER-ISLAND AIR TRAVEL?

Aviation engineer Mark Harrisson — from GreenAir — on his pioneering project to take inter-island flying electric by 2025.

BUILT ENVIRONMENT: HOW GREEN IS OUR HOUSE?

Alex Titheridge — from commercial property specialists D2 Real Estate — on why the places in which we live and work are big contributors to climate change and what we can do about it.

PANEL: THE WAY AHEAD FOR GUERNSEY AFTER COP26

As we bring our COP26 series to a close, Will Green speaks to Environment president Lindsay de Sausmarez, economist Dr Andy Sloan, and IoD member Sally Rochester to reflect on the impact of the conference and explore how Guernsey's response to the climate crisis will take shape in the next few years.

This series is supported by the International Sustainability Institute Channel Islands.