An Idiot’s Guide To Saving The World

In ‘An Idiot’s Guide to Saving the World’, Gail Gallie and Loyiso Madinga will take you on a journey across the globe to meet the people on the frontline; those who are affected and those making a difference. They demystify the gloomy narrative and harness some optimism to leave you feeling empowered and armed with ideas. No finger-wagging, crusading or catastrophising, but a fun and fascinating dive into how we can play our own parts in saving the world.

**NEW Bonus Season (2024)**

We are officially halfway to the deadline of the Global Goals – 17 goals the world promised to deliver by 2030 – but we are nothalfway to achieving them.

In this bonus series of ‘An Idiot’s Guide to Saving The World’ we take a half-time assessment of where we need to get to and how we are going to do it. Gail Gallie and Loyiso Madinga are joined by politicians, filmmakers, sports stars, activists and business leaders to give some ideas on what we can do to bring fresh energy to the second half.

Episode 1 – Bold Leadership

In this episode former President of Ireland, Mary Robinson teaches us a thing or two about communicating with people who might not share our values, and tells us why the future lies with women in leadership. And over in the USA, Chi Ossé – the youngest member of the New York City Council – is an advocate for the importance of getting people involved in local politics, and says that if you think something needs changing you might be the person to get it done.

Episode 2: An Idiot’s Guide to Shaping a Better World Through Sport

As we blow the halftime whistle we look to the sports world for some bright ideas in succeeding in the second half. Sport is an enormous industry with huge power, so how can we harness that to keep us moving towards our 2030 goal?

In this episode Gail Gaillie and Loyiso Madinga meet Olympic sailor Hannah Mills, who has become an advocate for sustainability and clean oceans. She tells us how technological innovation in sport is being applied to other industries to create greener solutions.

They also speak to the daughter of footballing legend Pelé, Kely Nascimento, a filmmaker and activist who works at the intersection of sport and social justice. Kely discusses how sport is a lens through which you can view any issues in society, and the investment still needed to develop women’s sport.

This episode includes some strong language, listener discretion is advised.

Episode 3: An Idiot’s Guide to Using Collective Power for Change

Whether you are the head of a global corporation or a non-profit, everyone has a role to play in driving action that benefits the planet. And as customers we have the power and responsibility to put our money with the businesses that are fighting for that action.

In the final episode of this bonus halftime series, Loyiso Madinga and Gail Gallie meet two leaders who are striving for sustainable outcomes in very different ways. Jesper Brodin is CEO of the Ingka Group, owners of IKEA. He has set his own goal for 2030: to reduce IKEA’s carbon footprint by 50%. Jesper tells us how he keeps climate concerns at the heart of his decision-making while running a very successful company, and why other businesses need to evolve too.

Gloria Walton is CEO and president of the Solutions Project, which amplifies and funds climate justice solutions created by frontline communities to take control of their own futures.. She tells us why giving power to these communities is key to creating meaningful change in the second half.

Season 2 (2023):

Episode 1–Are we consuming too much?

In this first episode of the new season, Gail Gallie and Loyiso Madinga look at Global Goal 12 and ask what it means to consume “responsibly”. They speak with Johan Rockström, one of the foremost experts on sustainable consumption and production systems. They are also joined by changemaker Melati Wijsen, who together with her sister at ages 12 and 10, successfully banned plastic bags in their home country Bali.

Episode 2 – Can These Technologies Save The Day?

In this episode Gail and Loyiso look at two Global Goals and discover how new innovations (Goal 9) are offering solutions to greener, cheaper and cleaner energy (Goal 7). They ask Gabrielle Walker, a leading voice on carbon capture technologies, how we can remove the carbon that’s already in the atmosphere, they find out from Vaitea Cowan, founder of Enapter, if Green Hydrogen will make it OK to fly again, and ask plasma physicist Tammy Ma, if one day we will be able to generate unlimited energy like the stars.

Guests:
Gabrielle Walker, co-founder of CUR8 and co founder of Rethinking Removals.
Vaitea Cowan, co-founder of Enapter
Tammy Ma, plasma physicist at the Lawrence Livermore’s National Ignition Facility.

Episode 3 – Why Women Are Reclaiming the Narrative

In this episode Gail and Loyiso look at the Global Goals to achieve gender equality (Goal 5) and are joined by three storytellers. Author and podcaster Janet Mbugua explains why we need to talk about periods, journalist Zahra Joya ensures Afghan women’s stories don’t go untold, and activist Gina Martin engages boys into the conversation about gender.

Episode 4 – Accessibility should be a right not a privilege

In this episode Gail and Loyiso explore the Global Goal to reduce inequality (Goal 5) and are joined by famous youtuber Molly Burke, who happens to be blind and has a load of helpful tips for designing better accessibility offline and online. And architect turned big thinker Indy Johar calls for a fundamental overhaul of an old system that perpetuates inequalities in all its forms.

Guests:Molly Burke, Speaker, Digital Creator, Author, and Advocate. Indy Johar, Architect, co-founder of project00 and Dark Matter Labs.

Episode 5 – Why mental health matters

The pandemic severely disrupted health services and derailed progress towards ending HIV, tuberculosis and malaria. It also triggered an increase in the prevalence of anxiety and depression, contributing to an already growing mental health crisis. 1 in 5 adults experience mental illness every year, and nearly half of all adults will experience it at some point in their lives.

In this episode, Gail and Loyiso dive deep into the often-overlooked topic of mental health when discussing the Global Goal to good health and well-being (Goal 3). They speak with Will Poulter and Alex Holmes about their anti-bullying campaign and what might be contributing to skyrocketing rates of anxiety in young people and men, and they are joined by Sutton King to learn about mental health issues in urban indigenous communities and how plant medicines or psychedelics can offer a potential solution, as long as we learn from past mistakes.

Episode 6 – Nurturing Nature

Protecting life on land means protecting ourselves. Natural ecosystems are the best technology to help feed populations, cool the planet, provide fresh water and clean the air we breathe. But our biodiversity is under severe threat. Globally, over 1.2 million plant and animal species are predicted to face extinction in the coming decades. Experts now believe we’re in the midst of a ‘sixth mass extinction’,  the first in Earth’s history to be driven primarily by human activity.

In this episode Gail and Loyiso ponder the wonderful services nature provides and take a closer look at the Global Goal to protect life on land (Goal 15). They ask renowned conservationist Gerardo Ceballos, who is credited with spearheading the first Endangered Species Act of Mexico, how we can halt the loss of biodiversity, and hear from indigenous activist Archana Soreng, why it all starts with considering ourselves as being part of nature itself.

Episode 7 – We Need To Talk About Money

The fight to eradicate extreme poverty has been fought for years. But despite this, over 700 million people still survive on less than $2.15 a day.

So is it time we talk about cash? In this episode Gail and Loyiso dive deep into the Global Goal to end poverty (Goal 1). They are joined by two of the most exciting speakers in this field. Rory Stewart is the President of GiveDirectly, a fast growing nonprofit that is revolutionising the aid sector by allowing donors to send money directly to those in need, with no strings attached. Rutger Bregman is a historian and bestselling author and has been at the forefront of an equally simple, evidence-based solution: Universal Basic Income.

Episode 8 – Let’s come together so we don’t fall apart

In the final episode of this season, Gail and Loyiso look at Goal 17, partnerships for the goals. They ask what the ingredients are of a good partnership and find out which sectors are working together to make a positive impact.

They are joined by two SDG ambassadors who have been campaigning for the Goals since their inception. Dr Alaa Murabit and filmmaker Richard Curtis bring their wealth of experience to the table and share some encouraging examples of successful collaborations. Alaa highlights the importance of seeing who holds power in the room, and Richard shares why he’s optimistic that the match could be won in the second half.

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Season 1 (2022):

Episode 1 – Oceans

In episode 1, Loyiso and Gail take a deep dive into Goal 14 by exploring the impact of rising sea levels, who are being affected and what we can do to protect them. Joining our hosts will be Shauna Aminath, Sabra Noordeen, Bren Smith and Dr. Emma Camp.

Episode 2 – Refugees

Globally, more than 84 million people have been forcibly displaced. What protection do refugees have? How can we help those forced to flee their homes? In episode 2, we hear powerful stories of strength and solutions from Jaz O’Hara, Amali Tower, Ilwad Elman and Hamed Amiri.

Episode 3 – Food

Hunger is the biggest single risk to global health, so why does one-third of food produced go to waste? In episode 3, find out the main causes of world hunger and why sustainable food production is crucial to avoid food waste. We’ll hear from Corinne Woods, Sean Sherman, Andy Cato and Anna Scavuzzo.

 Episode 4 – Clean Water

Is the world running out of water? As populations grow and the climate warms, water demand is increasing. But why does no one seem to be talking about it? Opening the tap and having access to clean drinking water is something many of us take for granted while one in three people worldwide still don’t have access to it. In this, episode Gail and Loyiso discuss whether the world is running out of water. We hear from Marie-Chen, a South African doctor, and Lucy Easthope, Professor in Practice of Risk and Hazard.

Episode 5 – We Need An Education 

Education is at the heart of achieving the Global Goals. Everyone deserves a quality education, but what does ‘quality’ mean in the 21st century? How are our children being taught, what are they being taught and who has access to it? To tackle Goal 4, Gail and Loyiso travel to India, Sierra Leone and the UK to meet the education reformers trying to make our schools more accessible, more inclusive and more empowering.

Featuring: Kiran Sethi, Founder and Director of The Riverside School and Founder of “Design for Change”. Lavinya Stennett, Founder of The Black Curriculum. David Moinina Sengeh, Sierra Leone’s Education Minister and Chief Innovation Officer.

Episode 6 – Climate Action 

Climate change is already here for many people around the world and tackling it is seen as the biggest challenge our species has ever faced. To reverse the worst impacts, climate activists around the world are calling for action now. But what does ‘action’ mean? What do activists do? And is it actually intimidating to become one? Plus: how to find hope. Gail and Loyiso go behind Goal 13 and travel from the Global South to the Global North to find out.

Featuring: Elizabeth Wathuti, Environment and climate activist, Founder of the Green Generation Initiative. Mitzi Jonelle Tan, Climate justice activist. Mikaela Loach, Climate justice activist. Tom Rivett-Carnac, Founding Partner at Global Optimism, co-author of ‘The Future We Choose’.