What does it really mean to be net zero? In a world overflowing with climate claims, standards are becoming the new currency of trust, as they set technical definitions and create common ground.

This week, we’re exploring something that could reshape how the world defines and delivers climate ambition: the new ISO net zero guidelines.

Our guest is Noelia Garcia Nebra, head of sustainability at the International Organization for Standardization (ISO). ISO’s purpose is to bring credibility to achieve net zero, a race that’s been plagued by confusion and greenwashing.

The organisation has partnered with the Greenhouse Gas Protocol to align accounting rules, improve comparability, and restore confidence in what “net zero” really means.

The new guidelines are designed to make ambition measurable and accountability possible. They promise to bridge the gap between lofty corporate pledges and the proof needed to back them up. By creating clearer expectations, they also help direct capital toward credible action, reducing the risk of greenwashing and reinforcing confidence in global climate goals.

According to Noelia, we all have to start speaking the same language. Without shared definitions, there can be no shared trust, and without trust, there can be no real transition.

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The Conference of the Parties, or COP30 this year in Brazil, can seem remote – bureaucratic, elite, hard to connect with. But it’s also one of the few spaces where solidarity can still take shape.

The same is true of philanthropy: when it’s built on listening and trust, not hierarchy or control, it becomes a bridge between people and resources rather than another layer of power.

This week's guest is Raysa França, climate justice educator and philanthropy advisory manager at Impatience Earth. We talk about philanthropy, power, and persistence – and why, even when global climate talks feel distant or political, moments like COP30 still matter.

We explore how gatherings like COP can foster connection and shared purpose, not just negotiation, and what decentralising power looks like in real terms, from who gets funded to who gets heard.

Ultimately, showing up – in partnerships, at summits, in uncomfortable conversations – is an act of resilience. Hope isn’t naïve: it’s a practice of persistence.

Raysa offers a powerful reminder that the very act of coming together – across borders, sectors, and disagreements – might be one of the few things still holding our shared future together.

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Working in sustainability means getting the story right.

We may have crunched the numbers and estimated the risks of biodiversity loss in a certain area, or the opportunities arising from decarbonising a certain sector. But if we don’t communicate effectively with our stakeholders, there is a real risk that all of this effort will go to waste.

This is particularly true when interacting with stakeholders requires navigating cultural differences. So how can storytelling help enable a just transition?

In this week’s episode, Giulia interviews Somia Sadiq, a peacebuilder, environmental planner, and all-around communications expert. She is the founder and CEO of Narratives and Kahanee, and very recently published her first novel, Gajarah.

Somia explains how to create spaces for difficult discussions around climate change, how to champion cultural nuances in business settings, and what approach to take when interacting with people who have different opinions.

At a time when most of us are stuck in echo chambers, we cannot afford to shy away from establishing a dialogue: we must harness the power of words to find equitable solutions.

Hate misinformation? Us too. If you can spare some time, help us in our next endeavour and take our Climate Misinformation Survey!

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Every day we read new headlines about climate extremes, yet behind the noise lies a quieter, more corrosive threat: misinformation.

In this week's episode of Shaken Not Burned, we explore why climate misinformation isn’t a communications issue or a social-media nuisance, but a systemic business risk that can destabilise economies, erode public trust, and undermine effective climate action.

Our guest, Harriet Kingaby, co-chair of the Conscious Advertising Network, explains how misinformation spreads through ad-tech systems and algorithmic incentives that reward outrage over truth. She reveals why brands, often without knowing it, end up funding the very content that delays the energy transition and weakens democratic resilience.

In conversation with Felicia, Harriet unpacks how climate misinformation is engineered rather than accidental and who profits from confusion, why fewer than 5% of companies list misinformation on their risk registers, and the hidden links between advertising, data, and the erosion of public trust.

The episode also provides practical steps businesses can take from pre-bunking and inoculation to demanding supply-chain transparency in digital media, explaining why the human side of persuasion and how emotion, trust, and relatable stories work better than facts alone.

We also invite you to take part in our Climate Misinformation Survey, a new initiative exploring where and how people experience false or distorted information, so organisations can build stronger defences against it.

By treating misinformation as a core resilience issue, businesses can lead the shift toward transparency, rebuild public trust, and strengthen the foundations of a sustainable economy.

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This week, we are talking about the turbulence surrounding ESG and sustainable finance. The question we’re exploring: is the backlash against ESG a crisis, or a necessary correction?

Joining us is Professor Thanos Verousis, an economist and researcher on sustainable finance at Vlerick Business School. Together, we unpack why ESG is under fire, what went wrong, and how finance can evolve to meet the challenges of the 21st century.

It is tempting to see ESG as the future of finance or to dismiss it entirely as a failed fad. But as Thanos explains, ESG was never meant to be the system. It is a measurement tool. Sustainable finance requires something deeper: transparency, regulation, and a willingness to grapple with real trade-offs.

The discussion covers the tension between financial returns and social trade-offs, how a narrow financial definition of fiduciary duty is shifting to include climate and social concerns, why alliances often stall, and how ESG is interpreted differently globally.

As Thanos puts it: “Sustainable finance will only mature when we are honest about trade-offs, transparent in pricing externalities, and inclusive of those not yet at the table.”

ESG hype was bound to face correction: by reframing this moment as a sustainability correction, finance has a chance to rebuild on stronger, more resilient foundations.

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Think about the products you use every day at home. The hand soap. The cleaning spray. The sponge for the dishes. The face cream. The toothpaste.

Why do you buy certain brands, with certain packaging and certain ingredients?

Whether it's because they were the products of our childhood, or the advertising has convinced us, or the price is just too convenient, we may not spend much time questioning our purchase decisions. It feels like consumers are pushed towards disposable items that contain powerful chemicals that may not necessarily be good for people or the environment.

But is there another way?

In this week’s episode, Giulia speaks to Ira Guha, founder at Asan, to challenge the consumer products status quo through the lens of the menstrual cup.

They explore the history of menstrual products, including their environmental and health impacts, and the issue of period poverty. Ira shares insights on the need for education and behaviour change to promote reusable options, which are not often displayed in shops and pharmacies, remaining a bit of a “secret”.

Breaking the taboo surrounding menstruation ignites the discussion on the vast array of reusable products. By opening up to other people who menstruate, we can discover that they are more environmentally friendly, and arguably more comfortable, than what the status quo has us believe.

This blueprint can be applied to all those products that we use on a daily basis. Can you make the switch to a reusable option today?

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Is ESG really “dead,” or are we asking the wrong question?

Perhaps, we should examine what it takes to run a truly responsible business in today’s high-risk environment.

This week, Giulia is joined by Steve Kenzie, executive director of the UN Global Compact Network UK, to explore how the world’s largest corporate sustainability initiative is pushing companies beyond paper commitments and into real accountability.

It is tempting to think that ESG acronyms, ratings, and disclosure frameworks capture what responsibility means. Meanwhile, as Steve explains, the underlying pressures – climate change, inequality, resource stress – are not going away.

Business as usual is untenable. The companies that survive will be those that embed principles, acknowledge trade-offs, and act with long-term value in mind.

In the first episode of Season 5, we explore why debates over ESG branding miss the real sustainability pressures, how the UNGC helps businesses align with global needs, and what needs to change to scale true sustainable practices.

This is a reality check – and a call to courage – for leaders navigating backlash, complexity, and the quiet temptation to wait it out.

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At the heart of Shaken Not Burned is sustainability literacy. But not in the sense of teaching acronyms or repeating headlines. What we mean is something bigger: the skills to understand how systems really work – and how to change them.

The same skills that help you spot greenwash or untangle climate policy are the ones we all need to face today’s challenges: misinformation, polarisation, geopolitical shocks, even the cracks in democratic norms.

Here’s the thing: we don’t need more theories telling us where we should be. We need the how. How do we move from brilliant ideas and elegant frameworks to action that actually changes things?

We are placing power at the core of our project. Not power as something distant or elite, but power as agency. Knowing where you stand, what you can influence, and how your actions ripple through the system. That shift – from paralysis to agency – is the foundation for resilience and change.

This season we’ll be exploring how people are already doing it. Different approaches, different products, different ways of thinking – but all rooted in action, not theory.

Whether you’re running a business, allocating capital, or simply trying to build a better future, Season 5 is about finding your leverage points and learning how change actually happens.

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