Episodi
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This week, Macrodose teams up with our partner show The Break Down for a special crossover episode. James Meadway and Adrienne Buller look back on the whirlwind that was 2024 – a year defined by political upheaval, economic instability, and escalating climate crises.
They revisit the standout stories of the year, from surging infectious diseases and climate-driven inflation to the unraveling of the post-war global order.
Looking ahead to 2025, they explore the big macroeconomic trends we need to be tracking and ask: how do we make sense of these challenges, and what does a hopeful, sustainable path forward look like?
A huge thank you to our Patreon supporters for making this show possible over the past twelve months. From all of us at Macrodose and The Break Down, we wish you a joyful and restful winter break.
For exclusive content, including The Fix—Macrodose's monthly newsletter—and to support the show, visit: https://www.patreon.com/macrodose.
Got a question or comment? Reach out to us at [email protected].
To learn more about the work we do at Planet B Productions, head to planetbproductions.co.uk.
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On this week's MACRODOSE: James Meadway explores the new Cold War as Trump gears up to escalate US-China trade tensions (1:47) and examines the broader geopolitical and environmental shifts challenging the postwar order (12:04).
AI-Generated Production Networks Paper: https://aipnet.io/paper/
For exclusive content, including The Fix—Macrodose's monthly newsletter—and to support the show, visit: https://www.patreon.com/macrodose.
Got a question or comment? Reach out to us at [email protected].
To learn more about the work we do at Planet B Productions, head to planetbproductions.co.uk.
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Episodi mancanti?
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In 2024, we’re set to break a major climate threshold for the first time: this will be the first calendar year in which global average temperatures breach the 1.5 degree Celsius threshold enshrined in the Paris Agreement. Importantly, while one year at this temperature doesn’t mean all is lost, it does fire a profound warning shot over our faltering progress on mitigating and adapting to the climate crisis.
While every fraction of a degree matters when it comes to the climate, the consensus is clear that above 1.5C the severity of impacts and risk of tipping points like mass coral reef die off or the collapse of the Greenland ice sheet become substantially higher. You might therefore expect this to be front page news. Yet compared with its gravity, it has barely made headlines. If, like us, you’re wondering why — as it turns out, this was always part of the plan.
In this episode, Adrienne and Andreas Malm break down the concept of “overshoot”, how it’s tied up with the power of fossil fuels, and the future of climate politics, from ecofascism to geoengineering.
Andreas Malm is an associate professor at Lund University, an activist and the author of several books, most recently Overshoot: How The World Surrendered to Climate Breakdown, co-written with Wim Carton.
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On this week's MACRODOSE, James Meadway discusses the battle to develop climate-resilient potatoes (0:50), a new proposal on revamping Britain’s council farms (7:33) and a brief note on Trump’s new appointments, what can we expect from MAGA 2.0? (11:23).
Abundance Report: https://www.in-abundance.org/latest/new-report-food-systems-in-common
For more content, including The Fix - Macrodose's monthly newsletter - and to support the show, visit: https://www.patreon.com/macrodose
Got a question or comment? Reach us at [email protected]
For more about the work we do at Planet B Productions, go to planetbproductions.co.uk
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On this week's MACRODOSE, James Meadway explores the disappointing outcomes of COP29 in Baku, focusing on the economics of financing green transitions in the Global South (0:38), and examines how China’s $2 billion bond sale in Saudi Arabia reflects the rise of a multipolar world (8:16).
For more content, including The Fix - Macrodose's monthly newsletter - and to support the show, visit: https://www.patreon.com/macrodose
Got a question or comment? Reach us at [email protected]
For more about the work we do at Planet B Productions, go to planetbproductions.co.uk.
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On this week's MACRODOSE, James Meadway examines the growing political battle over food policy as farmers protest inheritance tax changes (0:46), new forecasts from the Network for Greening the Financial System on the economic damage climate change could inflict globally (7:11), and finally, James tackles a listener question: do we need more than a Green New Deal to revive our struggling economy? (11:24).
NGFS Report: https://www.ngfs.net/sites/default/files/media/2024/11/05/ngfs_scenarios_high-level_overview.pdf
For more content and to support the show, visit: https://www.patreon.com/macrodose
Got a question or comment? Reach us at [email protected]
For more about the work we do at Planet B Productions, go to planetbproductions.co.uk
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In the wake of the US election, hot takes and autopsies of the Democrats’ fairly spectacular loss are a dime a dozen. Amid the swirl of diagnoses there has also been real fear about what a Trump presidency means for the climate — an issue that felt almost entirely absent from either campaign, despite its significant role in Biden’s policy platform.
How should we understand what just happened? What comes next for climate policy, both in the US and, through its huge influence, in countries around the world. And crucially, in a moment where it feels so politically sidelined, how can we build a broad base of popular support for action on climate?
Joining us on The Break Down to work through these questions is Matt Huber, a Professor at Syracuse University and author of “Climate Change as Class War”. If the book’s title is any indication, Matt makes the case that climate and ecological crisis are fundamentally class issues, and that any chance of political success means taking climate out of the world of technocrats and experts, and connecting it to the everyday issues that shape people’s lives.
Notes and Further Reading
Cedric Durand, Elena Hofferberth & Matthias Schmelzer, "Planning Beyond Growth: The Case for Economic Democracy Within Ecological Limits", Journal of Cleaner Production
Matt Huber, Climate Change as Class War, Verso, 2022
Matt Huber, The Problem with Degrowth, Jacobin
Gabriel Winant, "Exit Right", Dissent Magazine
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On this week's MACRODOSE, James Meadway dives into the fallout from the US election, exploring what another four years of Trump could mean for US climate policy and the global economy (1:16), before turning to another major election—this time in Japan—where the ruling conservative coalition lost its majority in a snap election (7:58).
With incumbents failing across the world, what lessons can we learn for the future of economics?
For more content and to support the show, visit: https://www.patreon.com/macrodose
Got a question or comment? Reach us at [email protected].
For more about the work we do at Planet B Productions, go to planetbproductions.co.uk.
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Today we're publishing a crossover episode with our friends over at the Politics Theory Other podcast. Alex and James discussed what the result means for the global economy, US domestic policy and the wider context of a world in crisis.
Support Macrodose and receive updates here: https://www.patreon.com/macrodose
Support PTO, and receive some of the best political insights available anywhere: https://www.patreon.com/poltheoryother
Got a question or comment? Reach us at [email protected]
For more about the work we do at Planet B Productions, go to planetbproductions.co.uk
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Last week we celebrated our 100th episode of the show with another live event!
James was joined by Co-Leader of the Green Party, Carla Denyer MP, and economists Faiza Shaheen, and Grace Blakeley, to break down Labour's Autumn Budget.
A massive thank you to everyone who joined us at Space4!
Apologies to anyone awaiting our ELECTION ECONOMICS episode with Thea Riofrancos - we've had to delay that recording but we'll be posting a review of the election results once they are in. As always you'll find that at patreon.com/macrodose.
Got a question or comment? Reach us at [email protected]
For more about the work we do at Planet B Productions, go to planetbproductions.co.uk
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Amid the threat of “Project 2025”, ongoing genocide in Gaza, and a nation-wide battle over reproductive rights, to name a few major issues, the climate crisis has been considerably sidelined in the US election taking place on November 5th. But even if it’s not grabbing headlines, what the United States does — or does not do — on climate has profound implications for the entire world.
So where does climate stand in this election? With Kamala Harris praising both the Green New Deal and her role as a champion of fracking, how should we understand the Democratic position on climate? What is the legacy of the Inflation Reduction Act, and does it even register with voters? What, if anything, is the future of the Green New Deal? And, for the many people who don’t feel represented by either major party, is a third party, or not voting, the answer?
These are big questions — here to help us answer them are two brilliant guests, journalist Kate Aronoff and Democratic strategist Waleed Shahid. In this special episode, Adrienne, Kate and Waleed unpack the chaos and the stakes of the US election, and what it means for climate action in the US and beyond.
Kate Aronoff is a journalist, Staff Writer at the New Republic and Fellow at The Roosevelt Institute. She is also the author of books including Overheated: How capitalism broke the planet — and how we fight back (2021), and A Planet To Win: Why We Need a Green New Deal (2019).Waleed Shahid is a Democratic strategist and movement organiser. He previously served as the Director of Communications for the Justice Democrats, the political initiative that worked to elect “The Squad” and helped to launch The Green New Deal in the US.
NOTES AND FURTHER READING
Kate Aronoff, "Green Industrial Policy’s Unfinished Business: A Publicly Managed Fossil Fuel Wind-Down", Roosevelt Institute
Kate Aronoff, "The IRA Is An Invitation to Organizers", Dissent Magazine
Waleed Shahid, "Democrats, Parties and Palestine: Five stages of political grief", Convergence
Waleed Shahid, "What The Left Can Learn From Jamaal Bowman's Loss", The Nation
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On this week's MACRODOSE, James Meadway looks ahead to this afternoon’s Autumn Budget, breaking down what you need to know about Labour's devoutly “pro-growth” agenda and how it all fits into a bigger picture of our changing political and economic landscape (2:20).
Check out our new ELECTION ECONOMICS series, available only for MACRODOSE supporters on Patreon, covering all things political economy ahead of the US election on 5th November. You can find our recent episode with Adam Tooze at patreon.com/Macrodose.
Got a question or comment? Reach us at [email protected].
For more about the work we do at Planet B Productions, go to planetbproductions.co.uk. -
FULL EPISODE: patreon.com/Macrodose
Election Economics is back! Over the next few weeks, James will be joined by an array of expert thinkers to cover all things political economy in the run-up to the US Presidential Election on 5th November.
On this week’s show, James sat down with renowned economic historian Adam Tooze to discuss his recent writings on US political economy and foreign policy, how the two are shaped by longer term trends in American and global history, and where the upcoming election might leave us all.
We’ll be posting new episodes of Election Economics weekly. So if you’re enjoying the series, make sure to subscribe to stay updated. As always, you can find that over at patreon.com/Macrodose.
You can find Adam's work here: https://adamtooze.com
Got a question or comment? Reach us at [email protected]
For more about the work we do at Planet B Productions, go to planetbproductions.co.uk
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In a 2023 referendum, the people of Ecuador voted 59% to 41% to stop exploiting oil in the Yasuní region, one of the most biodiverse places on Earth, with more tree species in one single hectare than in all of the landmass of Canada and the US combined. It was a massive break with the global status quo, in a year when fossil fuel use around the world reached record highs and profits soared.
However, the referendum was not an overnight success. It built on years of struggle, including the failed Yasuní-ITT initiative undertaken by then-president Rafael Correa in 2007, which asked foreign governments to pay Ecuador not to exploit the oil in this region.
So how did it happen, and what lessons can the rest of the world learn from Ecuador? Here to answer these questions, and many more, is Andrés Arauz, a Senior Fellow at the Center for Economic Policy Research and, formerly, a politician in the Ecuadorian government.
In this special episode, Adrienne speaks to Andrés about Ecuador’s pursuit of climate and environmental justice, as well as the barriers facing lower income countries in the context of a highly unequal global economic system. From the International Monetary Fund to the rules of international trade, Andrés unpacks the ways that injustice is built into global capitalism, and lays out a blueprint for a radical alternative.
Andrés Arauz is an economist and Senior Research Fellow at the Center for Economic Research and Policy in DC. He has an extensive and diverse background in economic policy, research, organising, and politics, serving in several positions in the Ecuadorian government and running as Vice President in the 2023 Ecuadorian elections.
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On this week's MACRODOSE, James Meadway dives into growing concerns over the use of surveillance technology by US supermarkets and how it’s being leveraged to drive price gouging (1:14), before turning to a recent BBC report on the UK’s health crisis and it's economic fallout (5:29).
Check out our new ELECTION ECONOMICS series, available only for MACRODOSE supporters on Patreon, covering all things political economy ahead of the US election on 5th November. You can find tomorrow's episode with Adam Tooze at patreon.com/Macrodose.
Got a question or comment? Reach us at [email protected]
For more about the work we do at Planet B Productions, go to planetbproductions.co.uk
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We have become incredibly good at producing food. In doing so we have transformed our planet. Yet when we go to the supermarket or eat at a restaurant, the supply chains, labour and environmental impacts that went into our food are all but invisible.
Those impacts are huge. Today, humans and livestock make up 96% of all mammals. Agriculture consumes about 70% of global freshwater, and is responsible for some 80% of deforestation. And yet despite producing more than enough food to feed everyone on earth, every day a minimum of 800 million people go hungry, while a fifth of all food produced for human consumption goes to waste.
Clearly, something’s got to give. Thankfully, here to help us out of the mess is Dr. Sonali McDermid, a climate scientist and Chair of the Department of Environmental Studies at NYU. In this episode, she breaks down how climate and ecological crisis threaten our food systems — and how we can feed the world without wrecking the planet.
Find more about the Break Down at break-down.org and be sure to follow us across social media to stay up-to-date with upcoming episodes, essay launches and more.
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On this week's MACRODOSE, James Meadway breaks down how climate change is wreaking havoc on Britain's harvests and threatening food security (2:04), why Modern Monetary Theory (MMT) doesn't offer the answers we need for today’s economic challenges (6:49), and the reasons behind the rising cost of butter, with climate change once again playing a key role (14:53)
Check out our new ELECTION ECONOMICS series, available only for MACRODOSE supporters on Patreon, covering all things political economy ahead of the US election on 5th November.
Got a question or comment? Reach us at [email protected]
For more about the work we do at Planet B Productions, go to planetbproductions.co.uk
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FULL EPISODE: patreon.com/Macrodose
Election Economics is back! Over the next few weeks, James will be joined by an array of expert thinkers to cover all things political economy in the run-up to the US Presidential Election on 5th November.
On this week’s show, James sat down with the writer and economic historian Andrew Elrod, whose recent piece in Phenomenal World asks the simple but vital question: What Was Bidenomics: from build back better to the national security synthesis.
You can check out the full article here, as well as the rest of the sharp analysis published by our friends over at Phenomenal World.
https://www.phenomenalworld.org/analysis/what-was-bidenomics/
Got a question or comment? Reach us at [email protected]
For more about the work we do at Planet B Productions, go to planetbproductions.co.uk
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On this week's Macrodose, James Meadway breaks down: China’s economic slowdown and new stimulus package (1:39), and how much will it actually cost to fix Britain’s broken economy? (9:37).
We'll be releasing tickets for our upcoming live event to Patrons on Friday. Support the show and receive updates here: https://www.patreon.com/macrodose
Got a question or comment? Reach us at [email protected]
For more about the work we do at Planet B Productions, go to planetbproductions.co.uk
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On this week’s Macrodose, James Meadway breaks down the global economic impact of Storm Helene and how it could disrupt the tech supply chain (0:36), plus a listener question about changes to the fiscal rules and their potential effect on Keir Starmer's government (7:40).
For more content and to support the show, visit: https://www.patreon.com/macrodose
Got a question or comment? Reach us at [email protected]
For more about the work we do at Planet B Productions, go to planetbproductions.co.uk
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