Climate community: How knitting turns climate data into something you can snuggle

Caroline Merrell, senior director of sustainable winemaking at Jackson Family Wines, shares how her company set a science-based climate target, the challenges of reducing emissions in a growing business, and the actions working now such as using less glass in wine bottles, installing solar on farms, and looking at supply chain emissions. Take action at work with SHIFT’s science based targets guide: https://jointheshift.earth/climate-actions/work-sbt Subscribe or follow Climate Actually right here on this platform to catch every episode. Funding for the first two seasons of Climate Actually comes from Formas, the Swedish Research Council for Sustainable Development, Communications Grant #2021-02906. For more information and resources in this episode, go to climateactually.com. Resources International Wineries for Climate Action (IWCA) is a global group of wineries working to decarbonise the wine industry. Source: IWCA Rooted for Good is Jackson Family Wines' climate action plan, launched in 2021. Source: Jackson Family Wines The scientific consensus is that global emissions need to be cut in half by 2030 to avoid the worst impacts of climate change. Source: SBTi The Science Based Targets initiative (SBTi) sets out a 3-step process for companies. Source: SBTi IWCA's emissions calculator, built for the wine industry, helps companies measure emissions and simplifies the reporting process. Source: IWCA Jackson Family Wines plans to cut its carbon emissions in half by 2030. Source: Jackson Family Wines IWCA members, including Jackson Family Wines, report both absolute emissions and emissions intensity. Source: IWCA Jackson Family Wines' reported 2015 baseline emissions have changed between reports, and are now about 19% higher than the lowest figure previously reported. Source: IWCA and the 2022 annual report Jackson Family Wines' emissions are rising. Source: IWCA IWCA's breakdown of Scope 1, 2 and 3 emissions for the wine industry. Source: IWCA Packaging is the biggest source of emissions at Jackson Family Wines, making up about 27% of emissions last year. Source: IWCA Alternatives to glass, such as bag-in-box or aluminium cans, are lighter weight and lower-emission wine packaging options. Source: Systembolaget Across IWCA members, packaging is the single biggest source of emissions in wine production, unusual for food and drink, where packaging is normally a small share of the total. Source: IWCA Jackson Family Wines is moving towards renewable diesel for its tractors and fleet vehicles, now at about 47% renewable diesel. Source: IWCA Kim's master's research on soil carbon sequestration. Source: Nicholas Kim's 2024 study on regenerative viticulture. Source: Nicholas et al. Molly Sheppard of Spottswoode Winery, speaking at a wine industry conference, on how one company's Scope 3 emissions are another's Scope 1. Source: We Can Fix It

How does flying contribute to climate change? For many people concerned about the climate, how much we fly is a big dilemma and a challenge! Flying burns a LOT of fossil fuels, and is the single biggest source of climate pollution for most frequent flyers. Family lives abroad, work demands travel, and social pressure pushes the other way. "The plane's going anyway" is something you hear a lot, but does it actually hold up? In this episode, Kim talks to Ed about his struggle to fly less: the guilt, the trade-offs, and the practical alternatives he's found for family visits, work trips, and travel. See SHIFT for more on other ways to travel, combining flights or flying less. Strategies covered Combining trips to reduce emissions, making fewer trips but staying longer, and other ways to maximize quality time with loved ones without it feeling like sacrifice. Subscribe or follow Climate Actually right here on this platform to catch every episode. For more information and material from the episode, visit climateactually.com. Funding for the first two seasons of Climate Actually comes from Formas, the Swedish Research Council for Sustainable Development, Communication Grant #2021-02906. Resources The Man in Seat 61, an independent rail travel guide founded by a former UK rail industry professional. www.seat61.com Flight Free Campaign (We Stay on the Ground): https://westayontheground.org/the-flight-free-campaign Fly Less. Yes, You! We Can Fix It, August 2024 https://wecanfixit.substack.com/i/70289095/action-fly-less-yes-you SHIFT guide: Fly Less https://jointheshift.earth/climate-actions/fly-less Possible: Frequent Flyer Levy https://www.wearepossible.org/frequent-flyer-levy and The Rich Need to Get To Work: Why carbon footprints don’t matter for 90% of people (but they do if you fly). We Can Fix It, July 2021. https://wecanfixit.substack.com/i/38231014/facts-the-rich-need-to-get-to-work Carbon Ruins museum: https://www.climaginaries.org/carbon-ruins

Why is voting one of the most powerful things you can do for the climate? Most people rank recycling as a climate action ahead of voting, but research has found that voting for a pro-climate candidate could matter far more than your personal emissions. In this episode, host Kim talks to Kate, a former construction sustainability manager turned Environmental Voting Project volunteer, about why so many climate-minded people don't vote consistently, and what to actually do about it. "I think people are really starting to attend to the problem, but everybody doesn't know what to do,” Kate said. They cover how to register and plan to vote, how to identify climate leaders on your ballot using tools like the Congressional Scorecard and OpenSecrets, and how Kate is helping expand the climate vote, one handwritten postcard at a time. Subscribe or follow wherever you get your podcasts to catch every episode. To find out more about voting for climate action, see SHIFT: https://jointheshift.earth/guide For more information and material from the episode, visit climateactually.com. Funding for Climate Actually comes from Formas, the Swedish Research Council for Sustainable Development, Communication Grant #2021-02906. Register & plan to vote Vote.gov — register to vote (US) US Vote Foundation — find upcoming election dates (US) Swedish voting guide

Could your bank account be one of your biggest climate superpowers? Most people never think to check who their bank lends to or invests in, but switching to a fossil-free bank is ranked as the highest-impact climate action you can take with your money in the SHIFT guide. In this episode, host Kim talks to Matt, a First Direct/HSBC customer in the UK, who discovers his bank's fossil fuel financing for the first time, live, on the call, and what he found when he compared fossil-free alternatives. They cover why banking matters so much more than most people realize, how to check your own bank's fossil funding score, and the practical steps for switching to a climate-friendly bank without losing your direct debits, your mortgage payments or missing any bills. To find out more about whether your bank funds fossil fuels or if you'd like to switch: see SHIFT. Subscribe or follow wherever you get your podcasts to catch every episode. For more information and material from the episode, visit climateactually.com. Funding for Climate Actually comes from Formas, the Swedish Research Council for Sustainable Development, Communications Grant #2021-02906 Resources Banking on climate chaos Bank.green Kim’s Substack: Break up with your mega-bank Fair Finance Guide Ethical Consumer, template to tell your bank why you left Kim’s letter to Bank of America on why she closed her account there. UK Current Account Switch Service References cited in this episode Switching to a fossil-free bank is the highest-impact investor action in SHIFT: Kim Nicholas and Project Drawdown, The Super High-Impact Initiative for Fixing Tomorrow (SHIFT) "Bank fossil-free" action page. Source: SHIFT World's 65 largest banks committed $906 billion to fossil fuel financing in 2025, an 8% increase on 2024. Source: Banking on Climate Chaos 87% of that financing flows through six financial centres (US, Canada, Japan, China, UK, EU): Banking on Climate Chaos. Source: Banking on Climate Chaos HSBC has committed $77.8 billion to fossil fuel financing since 2021, ranking 21st among global bank funders. Source: Banking on Climate Chaos HSBC financing since 2021 includes Saudi Aramco ($1.8bn), ExxonMobil ($1.5bn) and TransCanada Pipelines ($1.5bn): Banking on Climate Chaos. Source: Banking on Climate Chaos Switching to a fossil-free bank is more effective in countries that have better regulation: Theodor F Cojoianu et al. Journal of Economic Geography, Volume 21, Issue 1, January 2021, Pages 141–164. Source: Journal of Economic Geography When banks stopped funding coal mines, those coal mines actually shut down instead of finding new funding, measurably reducing emissions. Source: Harvard Business School So I wrote them a letter: Kim’s letter to Bank of America. Source: Kimberly Nicholas Templates you can use to let your bank know that customers don't want them investing in fossil fuels. Source: Ethical Consumer Carbon lock-in, three reasons why we still have a fossil-fuel-dependent world: infrastructure, policies, and norms and culture that reinforce those. Source: Annual Reviews

Meet your host: Dr Kimberly Nicholas, climate scientist at Lund University and creator of the SHIFT guide to high impact climate action. The show's approach: facts, feelings, and action, used together to face the climate crisis rather than avoid it. The five climate superpowers: citizen, professional, investor, consumer, and role model. Why it matters: if you earn around $38,000 USD a year or more, you're in the world's top 10% of earners, a group responsible for roughly half of all household carbon emissions. What's coming: real people sharing their successes and setbacks as they take on high impact climate action, one superpower at a time. Subscribe or follow wherever you get your podcasts to catch every episode.