Climate Vision 2050: The Future Is Bright If We Think Right

You know what's heating up as fast as our Earth's atmosphere? Climate change podcasts. They grow in number every day as Arizona towns lose access to water, glaciers melt like ice cream on a summer day, and carbon dioxide from fossil fuel emissions wraps us in a humid, sweaty blanket. 

Some notable podcasts include A Matter Of Degrees, Breaking Down: Collapse, Drilled, and The Carbon Copy.

Yet many of these podcasts address climate change from the gloominess of the looming Apocalypse. Cities boil, fresh water becomes liquid gold, and humans swelter and suffer. These visions, while dark and foreboding, are entirely accurate. 

But how about a climate change podcast that addresses the crisis from a fresh perspective? That's the genius of a new podcast, Climate Vision 2050.

Climate Vision 2050 transports listeners 30 years into the future to show how the world radically reduced carbon emissions and saved itself from climate catastrophe. This show offers a creative approach to talking about climate, getting into technical solutions without losing the beauty of an engaging, immersive narrative.

The podcast was developed and produced by the Boston Consulting Group (BCG), which is the sunlight in the darkness of consulting created by the machinations of the McKinsey Company. Founded in 1963, BCG promotes itself this way: "We work closely with clients to embrace a transformational approach aimed at benefiting all stakeholders—empowering organizations to grow, build sustainable competitive advantage, and drive positive societal impact."

To maintain the illusion that it's 2050, BCG has created a 2050 podcast host, Mutinta Banda. In reality, Banda from 2050 is Atibo Onen of today, who has an unlikely set of skills -- successful Financial Controller and talented voice-over artist. 

Banda excels as the imaginary 2050 narrator, exuding sincerity, credibility, and believability.

In the first three episodes, we are transported to the future and hear what it would be like:

• If air travel was made more eco-friendly

• If wind energy was harnessed to its fullest potential

• If a city was powered entirely by renewable energy while also addressing poverty and inequality

The storytelling truly paints a picture of a bright and promising future, but this work of imagination is not fantasy. The stories told, and the progress described in the show are achievable within the next 30 years. This is a show of hope and possibility, where you get to learn about actual solutions that could make meaningful and sustainable progress against an existential threat.

 

I've listened to the first three episodes and found them compelling, like a dopamine drip. This podcast takes the approach that all is not lost. Through concerted effort, technological innovation, innovative thinking, and cooperative effort, the world can affect positive change and alter the cataclysmic predictions heard today. 

 

The other key message targets climate deniers. No, we don't have to give up cows and cars. No, green initiatives don't necessarily mean that a nation will bleed green, as in money and wealth. In fact, technology transformations and societal changes to blunt the deleterious effects of climate change can stimulate economic growth and steer us back on the road to prosperity and greater equality.

 

Check out Climate Vision 2050, and prepare to admit, after listening to even only one episode, "yes, we can do this, and I want to help."