Ecological economics pays a lot of attention to the fundamental flow of materials and impacts that underpin economic activities. So-called critical minerals sit at the centre of some of the biggest questions facing modern societies: the energy transition, industrial strategy, national security, and environmental sustainability. For decades, countries like the UK largely offshored the environmental and social costs of extraction while benefiting from the technologies and prosperity those supply chains enabled. But as geopolitical tensions rise and demand for batteries, renewables, AI infrastructure, and advanced manufacturing accelerates, the UK is once again confronting the material foundations of its economy — and with that comes difficult questions about mining, reindustrialisation, environmental tradeoffs, and what a just transition actually means for communities that have already lived through industrial decline. We’re joined by geographer Jamie Hinch and ecologist Dr Sarah Raymond from the University of Oxford to explore not just the economics or geopolitics of these materials, but the deeper human stories, political tensions, and competing visions of the future that surround them. Hosted by Sophus zu Ermgassen. Edited by Aidan Knox. Episode picture by Matthew de Livera.

Mainstream economic thought believes that economic growth can end poverty as prosperity through more growth trickles down to those in need. The tide lifts all boats as they say. However, current experiences do not seem to underpin this principle, and it is time that our societies reevaluate this stance and look for solutions that can truly eradicate poverty. In April 2026, a report was presented by Olivier De Schutter in his role as UN Special Rapporteur on extreme poverty and human rights aimed at providing a roadmap that sets out alternative development pathways that can end poverty and inequalities on a liveable planet. In today’s episode we explore with him what this roadmap entails. Hosted by Alexandra Köves. Edited by Aidan Knox.

Global biodiversity is in decline and transformative change is required to address biodiversity loss. Yet the predominant approaches that are prevailing in policy and industry focus on the so-called biodiversity funding gap, and aim to deliver biodiversity conservation primarily through attracting more private investment- often associated with creating new revenue streams for funding nature conservation and restoration, such as the expansion of biodiversity or carbon credit markets. Today’s guest Justin Adams is Reimagining Nature Finance Fellow at the Circular Bioeconomy Alliance and cofounder of Ostara and has formerly held very senior positions in some of the biggest players in nature finance, such as environmental NGOs like the Nature Conservancy and sustainability-focused asset managers such as Just Climate, aiming to attract more investment into nature conservation and restoration. But after decades of doing this, Justin ended up coming to the conclusion that these approaches just weren't a systemic solution to the problem. So: what’s next? How can we reimagine nature finance? Hosted by Sophus zu Ermgassen. Edited by Aidan Knox. Cover photo Drazen Nesic.

It is clear that strong sustainability that pays attention to notdepleting natural resources beyond their regenerative capacities would require companies to change drastically. In these debates one company keeps popping up as a paragon of corporate sustainability: Patagonia. Through its commitments to produce lasting garments, to repairing rather than replacing products, through its transparent supply chain, and its decision to transfer ownership to a trustdedicated to protecting the planet, Patagonia seems to underscore that companies can change indeed. On the other hand, Patagonia also represents a paradox: a company that tells people to buy less still relies on selling products in a system built on resource extraction. To delve into this paradox, in this episode have with us Alejandro Agafonow who has studied in depth Patagonia’s sustainable practices. Hosted by Alexandra Köves. Edited by Aidan Knox. Photo by Taylor Annis (unsplash).

The GDP was never meant to be an indicator of human happiness. Ecological economists have been criticising the use of the GDP as a sole measure of progress for over half a century now and even if a myriad of other indicators exist in the world, it is still the only one captures the imagination of policymakers. Can we turn it around? Is it true that you cannot have what you do not measure? And can the concept of sustainable and inclusive wellbeing guide the EU beyond growth? Our guest today, Tuuli Hirvilammi believes that Europe’s single-mindedness with competitiveness should be replaced by the true understanding of what sustainable and inclusive wellbeing might bring to the table. Hosted by Alexandra Köves. Edited by Aidan Knox. Episode picture by Elena Helade.

Turning our economies upside down for people and planet require some fundamentally different understandings of how we relate to each other and to more-than-humans. Conviviality is a central concept for Degrowthers, a term first used by Ivan Illich to describe an intrinsic ethical imperative to use our autonomy in relation to others and respecting our interdependence rather than just for our own individual benefit. In today’s episode, Andrea Vetter explains whyconviviality is so important from a Degrowth perspective and how it relates to other concepts such as freedom and commoning. Hosted by Alexandra Köves. Edited by Aidan Knox. Episode picture by Arthur Poulin.

It is completely critical to Earth system stability that we decarbonise the global economy. Recent studies have demonstrated how a decarbonised energy system would consume much fewer materials than a status quo fossil energy system. But even so, decarbonisation will require the most incredible amount of new infrastructure, including the installation of an unfathomable amount of renewable energycapacity and associated infrastructure. So where will all those materials come from, and how can we ensure that decarbonising the economy doesn’t just shift problems onto other aspects of the biosphere, such as nature or local communities on extraction frontiers? In today’s episode we’ll talk through all these issues with Dr Aurora Torres from the University of Alicante. Hosted by Sophus zu Ermgassen. Edited by Aidan Knox.

In an ideal world, equality and justice are not just empty buzzwords. In our collective actions, we would make sure that we have taken into consideration the impacts of those actions not just on those whose voices are most loudly heard but also on everyone else. When ecological economists work on policy suggestions to transition into an economy that respects not just planetary boundaries but all our fellow humans and non-human entities, they need to be able to think along the lines of intersectional justice. In today’s episode, our guests Corinna Dengler and Pooja Patki explain us what intersectionality is and how we can reflect on it. Hosted by Alexandra Köves. Edited by Aidan Knox.

One of the ultimate drivers of nature degradation and loss is investment in activities that harm nature mediated by the financial system. There is a huge amount of policy activity aiming to address the financial flows that are damaging nature at the moment, but many seem to be light-touch initiatives that put more of an emphasis on getting private companies to disclose their impacts and dependencies, than taking real regulatory action for addressing biodiversity loss. So what can we really do to address the nature degradationembedded into the financial system? Hosted by Sophus zu Ermgassen. Edited by Aidan Knox.

In debates about social ecological transformation, most conversations focus on what governments, corporations, orinternational bodies should do. But beneath these big policy debates, there’s another story unfolding: one of ordinary people taking action in their communities. Across the world, citizens are creating local solutions to global problems: developing local energy projects, repair cafés, community-supported agriculture and cooperative housing. These efforts may seem small, but they reflect the very principles social ecological economics stands for: sufficiency, conviviality, cooperation, and care instead of competition and endless growth. Hosted by Matilda Gettins. Edited by Aidan Knox.