Episode 2: Feeling Climate Change – Oldham Energy Futures

So climate change is something that we obviously all know about, but it also is such a big and wicked problem, it can be hard to grasp and quite difficult to talk about. Join us for episode 2 as we try to understand climate change with our ears, guts and hearts. Featuring spoken word poetry, the concept of climate justice, chilli plants, a cycling imam and strangely a lot of hope.

Artwork by Roy McCarthy

In the context of this podcast, we’re talking about many quite practical things. We’re talking about walking and about solar energy, about work and about insulating our homes, but we also wanted to create some space to actually think about: Why are we having these conversations? What is the backdrop? Why is all this stuff so important?

Image: Rabia Begum arts engagement

But more than the scientific explanation of why and how this is happening, we wanted to understand what makes people think about it, how they can grasp or understand it, how people feel about climate change and how they relate to it. And we wanted to know if there are ways to think, talk and feel about climate change that could include more people in the conversation.

Image: My Coldhurst community group

In this episode you will hear the sound of climate change and meet an Oldham activist who got to understand climate change through her stomach. You will find out about climate justice, the gift of perspective that comes with having a foot on two different continents and the direct connection between climate change and litter picking. Hosts Hannah and Britt discuss the idea of social tipping points and how a lot of small things could become the new big thing and Cllr Abdul Jabbar offers insight on using leadership to protect future generations.

Image: Crossing Footprints, Event at Oldham Library

Call to action

Do you want to join in the conversation? This week’s question is: How does climate change feel? Just drop an email to powerinthecity@carbon.coop or contact us on social media. We will share in one of the upcoming episodes.

Episode credits

Power in the City is produced by Carbon Coop.
This episode was written and produced by Hannah Knox.
Host: Britt Jurgensen
Local research & interviews: Melissa Kelly Shore
Sound design & postproduction: Barry Han

Interviews with:
Chris Rapley, Professor of Climate Science, UCL
Kooj Chuhan, Crossing Footprints
Rabia Begum
From My Coldhurst community group:
Sadrul Alam, Kamal Rob, Saleh Uddin, Mahbubur Rahman, Mohammed AliThe cycling Imam – aka Maulana Atiqur Rahman
Councillor Abdul Jabbar

With special thanks to:
Chris Chase for letting us share the climate change sonification.
Credits: Composed by Chris Chafe (Director of Stanford’s Center for Computer Research in Music and Acoustics) based on data compiled by Hal Gordon, Kate Pennington and Valeri Vasquez at Berkeley University.

Power in the City is funded by the Electricity North West Powering our Communities Fund, ICLEI Action Fund and UCL Grand Challenges.