Outrage + Optimism: The Climate Podcast28 Elo 2025

Listening to the Living World: Can AI help us hear the planet?

What if we could not only listen to the rest of nature, but actually understand it?

From decoding whale songs to giving nature a legal voice, the possibilities are tantalising - and they may not be as far-fetched as they sound. That’s why the Earth Species Project (ESP) is racing to use artificial intelligence to translate the communication of other species before they fall silent.

How can this cutting edge technology analyse data that would take human researchers a lifetime? And how might findings feed into emerging ideas about ecocentric governance and earth law? We hear from ESP’s Aza Raskin (Co-founder), Jane Lawton (Managing Director) and Olivier Pietquin (Chief Scientist) about this extraordinary mission, and the tools they’re using to achieve the previously unimaginable.

Plus, Christiana Figueres, Tom Rivett-Carnac, and Paul Dickinson explore the promises and pitfalls of AI: its energy demands, its unpredictable impacts on democracy and capitalism, and its potential to become a ‘Galileo moment’ in how humans relate to the living world.

This episode features recordings of animal species - some of which were used in the training of ESP’s NatureLM-Audio model.

Learn more

🔊 Discover more about ESP’s large audio model, NatureLM-Audio, and the technology driving their work

📖 Read Aldo Leopold’s A Sound County Almanac, including the essay Thinking Like a Mountain

🐋 Read about about the story of Tokitae the orca calf

🎤 Leave us your voice notes and questions for upcoming episodes on SpeakPipe

Instagram @outrageoptimism

LinkedIn @outrageoptimism

Or get in touch with us via this form.

Producer: Ben Weaver-Hincks

Video Producer: Caitlin Hanrahan

Assistant Producer: Caillin McDaid

Exec Producer: Ellie Clifford

Commissioning Editor: Sarah Thomas

This is a Persephonica production for Global Optimism and is part of the Acast Creator Network.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Tämä jakso on lisätty Podme-palveluun avoimen RSS-syötteen kautta eikä se ole Podmen omaa tuotantoa. Siksi jakso saattaa sisältää mainontaa.

Jaksot(394)

Inside COP: Coal’s Out, Pressure’s On - a pivotal moment for COP30

It’s getting hot in the COP.Executive Secretary Simon Stiell turned up the pressure in Belém on Monday, sharpening his message as ministers arrived for what is often the most charged phase of the summ...

18 Marras 202540min

Inside COP: The fight for the Amazon

As ministers arrive in Belém for the crucial second week of COP30, forests move from the backdrop of the summit to the main stage. Protests began at dawn on Friday and have continued through the weeke...

17 Marras 202544min

Inside COP: Al Gore on Fossil Fuel Lobbying and (In)convenient Truths

It’s the mid-point of COP30 and all four of our hosts have gathered in Belém to take stock.In the Blue Zone, the mood is its usual blend of high-stakes and surreal. The Presidency is calling its consu...

15 Marras 202556min

Inside COP: The UN’s Top Climate Official on Week One of COP30

Christiana Figueres takes us behind the scenes at the UNFCCC offices to speak to the man who now holds her old job as Executive Secretary. As week one of the negotiations nears its end, Simon Stiell e...

14 Marras 202541min

Inside COP: Protests at COP30 - and the reality of Indigenous representation

At a COP meant to centre the Amazon, some Indigenous voices have found themselves on the outside.On Tuesday night, what began as a vibrant street march ended in a dramatic breach of the Blue Zone, as ...

13 Marras 202538min

Inside COP: Is The US Still In? And Gavin Newsom on ‘invasive species’ Trump

Day three of COP30, and there’s one elephant not in the room.While there are plenty of United States citizens at this COP, for the first time, there are no US delegates. Christiana Figueres, Tom Rivet...

12 Marras 202537min

Inside COP: Brazil's Climate Leadership - the COP30 host takes centre stage

What is Brazil trying to achieve with COP30? It's Day Two in Belém and all eyes are on the host nation. Join Christiana Figueres and Tom Rivett-Carnac as they unpack how the country is shaping the fir...

11 Marras 202543min

Inside COP: The COP30 President Speaks, the Summit Begins

COP30 is here! Day one dawns in the Amazon, and all eyes are on the host nation - and on the man tasked with steering the talks.On the eve of what could be the most consequential COP since Paris, Chri...

10 Marras 202538min