In this powerful episode of the Real Zero Podcast, Professor Paul Behrens, British Academy Global Professor at Oxford, joins host Hugh Montgomery to explore the fragility of the global food system under climate change. From the collapse of major grain crops to the underestimated impact of food price inflation, Paul lays out the stark choices we face – and the hopeful path forward.Discover how a shift to plant-rich diets could free up land, reduce emissions, increase resilience, and even improve our health. Paul and Hugh connect the dots between climate shocks, geopolitics, energy, and economics in a conversation that’s both urgent and optimistic.Whether you’re a policymaker, a parent, or just someone who eats, this is a must-listen episode.

The climate crisis isn’t just about rising seas and hotter summers. It’s about national security, migration, infrastructure, and global stability.

In this gripping episode, Lt General Richard Nugee joins Professor Hugh Montgomery and Daniel Grant to talk about:

• Why climate change is a defence and security threat
• What militaries around the world are already doing to adapt
• How fossil fuel reliance weakens operational resilience
• What civilian governments could learn from military planning
• Why solving climate change is now a matter of survival, not sustainability

This episode goes far beyond the usual conversation — into geopolitics, defence, and disaster readiness.

What if fixing climate change starts with what’s on your plate?

Professor Liz Robinson, Acting Dean at the LSE Global School of Sustainability, joins Hugh Montgomery and Daniel Grant to unpack the complex relationship between food systems, climate change, and inequality. From supermarket shelves to global crop shocks, we explore why our diets matter more than ever – and what individuals, businesses, and governments can do to fix a system on the brink.

A must-listen for anyone who eats.

George Polk has been fighting the climate fight for 25 years—from philanthropic coalitions to investing in clean tech at scale. In this powerful episode, George lays out five phases of climate engagement and why, despite better tech and clearer threats than ever, we are still failing.
We dig into:

• Why CEOs and investors aren’t doing the right thing
• Whether you really can scare people into action
• China’s surprising leadership vs. the West’s denial
• The potential (and risks) of geoengineering
• What you can do today that genuinely makes a difference
• This is urgent, honest, and surprisingly hopeful.

Your money has power—and it’s probably being used to fund fossil fuels.
In this episode of The Real Zero Podcast, we're joined by Lisa Stanley, co-founder of Zero, a sustainable digital money app that helps you track—and reduce—your carbon footprint based on how you spend.

Lisa explains:
- Why most banks are still financing climate destruction
- How Zero gives you a personal Green Score to measure your impact
- The future of offsetting (the good kind) and why basalt rocks might just save us
- What you can do today to make your money matter

This is an inspiring, practical conversation that will actually leave you feeling more empowered—not less—about the climate crisis.

🌱 Download the Zero app: https://www.zero.earth

💥 Did you know your pension could be your biggest source of carbon emissions—up to 28 tons a year?

In this eye-opening episode of the Real Zero Pod, Professor Hugh Montgomery speaks with Nick Stoop, founder of Pangea, about how the pensions industry is unknowingly driving the climate crisis—and what you can do about it.

We explore:

• Why most workplace pensions are funding fossil fuels, deforestation, and tobacco
• How to find out where your pension is invested
• The surprisingly easy way to switch to an ethical provider
• Why your pension could be 21x more impactful than going vegan or giving up flying
• What “positive impact investing” really means—and how it performs financially

This is one of the most practical and powerful climate actions you can take today.

🎧 Listen and subscribe on YouTube, Spotify, Apple Podcasts, and all major platforms.

This week on the Real Zero Pod, Daniel Grant and Professor Hugh Montgomery sit down with Professor Cameron Hepburn, one of the world’s leading environmental economists from Oxford University.

We explore:

How close humanity really is to climate collapse

The staggering costs of inaction vs the cost of fixing the problem now

Why myths about “warming being good for the economy” persist in global finance

Whether the UK can truly reach “real zero” and how the world could follow

What each of us can do—not just as individuals, but as part of a collective system change

This is a no-nonsense conversation about time running out, money on the table, and the actions that can still change our future.

🎧 Watch or listen now on YouTube, Spotify, Apple Podcasts, and all major platforms.

In this gripping solo episode of Real Zero, Professor Tim Lenton — one of the world’s leading Earth system scientists — joins Hugh Montgomery to unpack just how close we are to climate tipping points. From collapsing ice sheets to Gulf Stream shutdowns, Tim explains why even "small" temperature rises carry catastrophic consequences for civilisation. Together they discuss why we’re not prepared, why adaptation may be impossible, and how systemic risk is grossly underestimated. But there’s hope too: Tim outlines the idea of positive tipping points and how each of us can help push the system toward rapid, transformative change. A must-listen for anyone who thinks “just 3°C” doesn’t sound that bad.