{"type":"rich","version":"1.0","provider_name":"Transistor","provider_url":"https://transistor.fm","author_name":"The Bridge: a Disagreeing Well podcast","title":"Does net zero go far enough? With James Dyke and Dr Emma Fieldhouse","html":"","width":"100%","height":180,"duration":2423,"description":"Is the global target of net zero carbon emissions enough to stave off the climate crisis, or has it become a convenient excuse for doing the bare minimum? While the term has galvanised international climate policy, a deeper look reveals a significant tension between the physics of our warming planet and the practical realities of global implementation.  Grounded in host and co-producer Marva Khalid’s firsthand experience of the climate crisis in Pakistan, this episode of The Bridge: A Disagreeing Well Podcast from University College London and Students' Union UCL moves past corporate pledges to ask a fundamental question: are we engineering our actual survival, or simply buying time? \nIn this thoughtful and urgent discussion, Marva facilitates a nuanced conversation where both environmental experts examine the limitations of our current climate targets and discover unexpected areas of alignment: James Dyke, Assistant Director of the Global Systems Institute at the University of Exeter, takes a sceptical view of net zero. He argues it has failed because it relies too heavily on unproven, large-scale carbon removal technologies rather than forcing a rapid phase-out of fossil fuels. He cautions that the framework has replaced a difficult political problem with an intractable engineering one, masking the immediate need for aggressive mitigation and adaptation.  Dr. Emma Fieldhouse, Director of Future We Want and sustainability advocate, offers a more pragmatic perspective, viewing net zero emissions targets as a vital, globally agreed-upon starting point established by the 2015 Paris Agreement. While acknowledging it is imperfect and ultimately needs to transition into net negativity, she emphasises its success in instigating global behavioural change and providing a levelled framework for reducing societal emissions. Our resident UCL expert mediator, Dr. Melanie Garson, helps the guests navigate past a rigid, definition-heavy debate to bridge the gap between...","thumbnail_url":"https://img.transistorcdn.com/Kchew2b4UxxOxLrnJgwXGAWWodsT7kwKdMHBeEgb8xU/rs:fill:0:0:1/w:400/h:400/q:60/mb:500000/aHR0cHM6Ly9pbWct/dXBsb2FkLXByb2R1/Y3Rpb24udHJhbnNp/c3Rvci5mbS83MWM4/MmE4MjI5M2Y2NGVh/NTI4YWFjZTMxNDQw/YTlhNy5wbmc.webp","thumbnail_width":300,"thumbnail_height":300}