The Next Big Shock Is Coming. Green Energy Is the Only Way Out

This summer’s weather has been record breaking in all the wrong ways. Extreme heat, droughts, crop failures, wildfires and thousands of excess deaths have shown that the climate is destabilising faster than predicted. In the face of this undeniable crisis, what should be done?

Tessa Khan is the founder of Uplift, an organisation working to challenge the fossil fuel lobby and decarbonise our energy system before it’s too late. The former human rights lawyer realised a decade ago that none of the other social questions matter if we don’t address the climate crisis.

With family in Bangladesh – a nation of 175 million people that is set to go underwater first – she understands what is at stake better than most. She also knows that Britain is rich in renewables, and believes that a green transition is not just a challenge but an opportunity to fix our broken economy.

Tessa talks to Aaron Bastani about the calls to keep drilling in the North Sea, whether renewables are susceptible to economic shocks, and how an ageing population impacts climate politics.