Cities 1.5

What would you risk to tell the truth, if the institution you served was one of the most powerful corporations on Earth?
Early scientific warnings about global heating have long stood in tension with corporate narratives shaping public understanding. This episode examines the enduring disinformation created and disseminated by the fossil fuel industry: how it evolves, why it persists, and what it means for the pace of climate action. Through the perspective of a former insider at ExxonMobil, we explore the widening gap between the disinformation narratives pumped out by fossil fuel companies and the personal consequences of challenging one of the most powerful corporations in modern history.
Featured guest:
Lindsey Gulden, Principal Data Scientist at Leg Up Data and former employee at ExxonMobil
Audio sources: 
Oil giant ExxonMobil predicted climate change in 1970s - BBC News
Exxon CEO and Chairman of the American Petroleum Institute Lee Raymond speech (1996) - CPAN
WSJ: SEC probes Exxon after whistleblower complaint - CNBC
Links:
New study in 'Science' puts a number on what Exxon knew decades ago about climate change - Potsdam Institute
How a Newton woman became an enemy of ExxonMobil - The Boston Globe
Tracing Big Oil’s PR war to delay action on climate change - The Harvard Gazette
Carbon Capture and Storage: The Billion Dollar Scam - Environmental Defence
Trump says he might keep Exxon out of Venezuela - Reuters
Countering Climate Disinformation - C40 Cities
Disinformation episodes - Cities 1.5
If you want to learn more about the Journal of City Climate Policy and Economy, please visit our website at https://jccpe.utpjournals.press/
Listen to the Cities 1.5 five-part miniseries “Going Steady with Herman Daly: How to Unbreak the Economy (and the Planet)" here: https://lnk.to/HDMiniSeries
Cities 1.5 is produced by the University of Toronto Press and the C40 Centre, and is supported by C40 Cities. Sign up to the Centre newsletter: https://thecentre.substack.com/
Writing and executive production by Peggy Whitfield.
Narrative and communications support by Chiara Morfeo.
Produced by Jess Schmidt: https://jessdoespodcasting.com/
Edited by Morgane Chambrin: https://www.morganechambrin.com/
Music by Lorna Gilfedder: https://origamipodcastservices.com/

Across the United States, cities are acting as climate first responders - carrying climate action forward even as national politics grow more hostile. From clean energy and buildings to transport, land use and resilience to extreme weather events, mayors are proving that climate leadership does not depend on federal permission. It grows from proximity: to people, to impacts, and to the places leaders are entrusted to protect. Cities are stepping in to safeguard neighbourhoods, rivers, urban ecosystems and public health, often while the federal government undermines climate policy or attacks local authority.
Featured guests:
Keith Wilson, Mayor of Portland, Oregon, USA
Kirk Watson, Mayor of Austin, Texas, USA
Juliet Oluoch, Research fellow at Ustawi Analytica and youth climate activist from Nairobi, Kenya
Links:
Solved: How the World’s Great Cities Are Fixing the Climate Crisis by David Miller
The Fate of the Inflation Reduction Act in the Second Era of Trump - Cities 1.5
Trump signs order to withdraw US from Paris climate agreement for second time - The Guardian
‘Poet, writer, wife, mom’: who was Renee Nicole Good, the woman killed by an ICE agent? - The Guardian
Mayor Keith Wilson Announces Portland Has Reached more than 1,500 Emergency Overnight Beds, Delivered at Unprecedented Speed - Portland.gov
Costumed protesters in Portland defy description of the city as a 'war zone' - NBC News
Austin Climate Equity Plan
$3,000 grants offered to groups addressing climate change and food access challenges - Austin Monitor
More links for this episode available at jccpe.utpjournals.press and c40.org.
If you want to learn more about the Journal of City Climate Policy and Economy, please visit our website at https://jccpe.utpjournals.press/
Listen to the Cities 1.5 five-part miniseries “Going Steady with Herman Daly: How to Unbreak the Economy (and the Planet)" here: https://lnk.to/HDMiniSeries
Cities 1.5 is produced by the University of Toronto Press and the C40 Centre, and is supported by C40 Cities. Sign up to the Centre newsletter: https://thecentre.substack.com/
Writing and executive production by Peggy Whitfield.
Narrative and communications support by Chiara Morfeo.
Produced by Jess Schmidt: https://jessdoespodcasting.com/
Edited by Morgane Chambrin: https://www.morganechambrin.com/
Music by Lorna Gilfedder: https://origamipodcastservices.com/

In times of profound geopolitical turbulence - wars, trade shocks, energy insecurity, and climate breakdown - something unexpected is happening: while autocratic leaders double down on fossil fuels and climate denial, cities are stepping into the breach to create a different story. One of hope, resilience, and innovation.
Like wildflowers pushing through concrete, cities around the world are experimenting with new economic models that challenge the old orthodoxy of endless growth. They're turning away from Gross Domestic Product (GDP) as the sole measure of success and asking different questions: Are people housed? Are they thriving? Are we staying within planetary limits?
Featured guests:
Kate Raworth, Co-founder of the Doughnut Economics Action Lab (DEAL)
Leonora Grcheva, Cities and Regions Lead at DEAL
Giuseppe Sala, Mayor of Milan, Italy
Nkosindiphile Xhakaza, Executive Mayor of Tshwane, South Africa
Carola Schouten, Mayor of Rotterdam, Netherlands
Links:
Doughnut Economics in Local Governments: An Overview of Emerging Practice by Leonora Grcheva and Michele Vianello
Special Issue on Sustainable Prosperity in the 21st-Century City - the Journal of City Climate Policy and Economy
Trump fossil-fuel push setting back green progress decades, critics warn - The Guardian
Resources for a better future: GDP - Resilience.org
Milan's Food Waste Hubs Network
Compilation of the Integrated Waste Management Plan for the City of Ekurhuleni Metropolitan Municipality
CCU Challenge: Unlock the City’s Ambition of Becoming Fully Circular by 2050
If you want to learn more about the Journal of City Climate Policy and Economy, please visit our website at https://jccpe.utpjournals.press/
Listen to the Cities 1.5 five-part miniseries “Going Steady with Herman Daly: How to Unbreak the Economy (and the Planet)" here: https://lnk.to/HDMiniSeries
Cities 1.5 is produced by the University of Toronto Press and the C40 Centre, and is supported by C40 Cities. Sign up to the Centre newsletter: https://thecentre.substack.com/
Writing and executive production by Peggy Whitfield.
Narrative and communications support by Chiara Morfeo.
Produced by Jess Schmidt: https://jessdoespodcasting.com/
Edited by Morgane Chambrin: https://www.morganechambrin.com/
Music by Lorna Gilfedder: https://origamipodcastservices.com/

As geopolitical power shifts, cities are rising to lead this urban century while nations cling to outdated systems. Season 6 of Cities 1.5 explores how mayors and urban leaders from around the world are turning uncertainty into opportunity, building regenerative futures with hope-filled narratives that counter disinformation and inspire action.
Join us from January 13, 2026, as we explore the urban transformation the world cannot wait for, ranging from tackling disinformation, decarbonising infrastructure, and confronting the growing alliance between political authoritarianism and the fossil fuel industry. Through intimate conversations with global mayors and urban innovators, we reveal how cities are not just adapting to change…but are actively shaping our future.
Because the future isn't waiting, and neither are cities.
Links:
Zohran Mamdani’s full victory speech, 4 November 2025 - Zohran Mamdani for NYC YouTube channel
If you want to learn more about the Journal of City Climate Policy and Economy, please visit our website at https://jccpe.utpjournals.press/
Listen to the Cities 1.5 five-part miniseries “Going Steady with Herman Daly: How to Unbreak the Economy (and the Planet)" here: https://lnk.to/HDMiniSeries
Cities 1.5 is produced by the University of Toronto Press and the C40 Centre, and is supported by C40 Cities. Sign up to the Centre newsletter: https://thecentre.substack.com/
Writing and executive production by Peggy Whitfield.
Narrative and communications support by Chiara Morfeo.
Produced by Jess Schmidt: https://jessdoespodcasting.com/
Edited by Morgane Chambrin: https://www.morganechambrin.com/
Music by Lorna Gilfedder: https://origamipodcastservices.com/

In the face of the accelerating climate crisis, rising authoritarianism, and geopolitical shifts, national governments are faltering…but cities are stepping into the void and taking the lead. 
Season 6 of Cities 1.5 will delve into how municipal-level actions and powerful coalitions are creating a carbon-free future, promoting resilience, and enabling a new economic system based on wellbeing over profit. We’ll explore how cities are countering disinformation, fear, and inertia by spearheading significant local climate initiatives and forming new alliances, daring national governments to follow in their footsteps. Because the future won’t wait - so we need to decide now who will lead, and whether we want to move towards disaster … or resilience.
If you want to learn more about the Journal of City Climate Policy and Economy, please visit our website at https://jccpe.utpjournals.press/
Listen to the Cities 1.5 five-part miniseries “Going Steady with Herman Daly: How to Unbreak the Economy (and the Planet)" here: https://lnk.to/HDMiniSeries
Cities 1.5 is produced by the University of Toronto Press and the C40 Centre, and is supported by C40 Cities. Sign up to the Centre newsletter: https://thecentre.substack.com/
Writing and executive production by Peggy Whitfield.
Narrative and communications support by Chiara Morfeo.
Produced by Jess Schmidt: https://jessdoespodcasting.com/
Edited by Morgane Chambrin: https://www.morganechambrin.com/
Music by Lorna Gilfedder: https://origamipodcastservices.com/