What hope is there for the future? Global greenhouse gas emissions continue to rise and right-wing populists rage against net zero. But, according to the UK’s climate minister and a leading American environmentalist, though, the economics of electrification will make the future brighter than it first appears.

Ed Miliband, secretary of state for energy security and net zero, and Bill McKibben, an environmentalist and author, joined Wolfgang Blau, Prospect editorial board member and cofounder of the Oxford Climate Journalism Network, to discuss political strategies, positive tipping points and the fight that’s still to come.

To read an edited transcript of this conversation, which featured on the cover of Prospect’s winter double issue, click here.

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In the final podcast of the year, Ellen and Alona look back at their favourite episodes from 2025. During a dark year, Prospect has been collecting glimmers of hope. They asked some of the most interesting thinkers today—from politics, to environment to tech—for their perspectives on hope and optimism. What keeps them fighting for a more just world?

Philosopher Slavoj Zizek and broadcaster Mehdi Hasan talk about the merits of pessimism. Human rights lawyer Philippe Sands discusses justice in the age of international impunity, while authoritarianism expert Ruth Ben-Ghiat considers the situation in the US.

Poet and writer Robert Macfarlane reflects on preserving nature in a time of destruction. Cory Doctorow and Laura Bates weigh in on transformations in technology and artificial intelligence. Yassmin Abdel-Magied discusses the humanitarianism crisis in Sudan, while Nicola Kelly explores the untold immigration story.

Plus, veteran journalist and outgoing Prospect editor Alan Rusbridger joins the podcast to reflect on his journey, his mistakes, and how he feels about the future—including the contentious thing that unexpectedly makes him feel hopeful.

You can revisit all our episodes from the past year here.

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