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Outrage + Optimism

Outrage + Optimism

The Easy Wins Are Gone. What's Actually Next for Net Zero?

Oct 1, 2026 · 41m

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Net Zero was once a radical idea. Now it’s both an accepted global target, and an increasingly toxic political faultline. This week, Tom is back from the UN General Assembly and New York Climate week, where António Guterres used his last speech as UN Secretary-General to call for every country to set a timeline for quitting fossil fuels. But around the world, politicians are turning against the very idea. In Britain, a committee of MPs now wants the government to stop saying "net zero" altogether. Should the climate movement let the phrase go, or will its opponents simply come for whatever replaces it? Christiana Figueres and Paul chat to Professor Phil Taylor , Vice-Chancellor of the…