Neelambaree Prasad grew up in Mumbai the daughter of a mathematician and a nuclear scientist. She later became both a pharmacologist and a practitioner of traditional Indian dance. For sixteen years she built a corporate career in biotech and pharma, until the pandemic—and motherhood—cracked something open. What began as a restless question about purpose turned into ClimArts, a global collective weaving climate science with performance and storytelling, from stand-up comedy in Jakarta to ballet about coral reefs in Madagascar. In this conversation, Neelambaree talks about how art can illuminate evidence, how purpose can evolve, and how imagination might just be climate’s most renewable resource.

Notes and resources

* Neelambaree Prasad’s LinkedIn

* ClimArts

* Climate Swings interview with Kamal Kapadia

* Climate Swings Substack

In this special crossover episode, we flip the mic: I sit down in the guest chair for a heart-to-heart with Jae Canetti of Terra.talk, the official podcast of Terra.do. Together we dive into the strange, sprawling world of climate communications—from my early days in global media (Global Times, Reuters, The Economist Group), to launching Word Clouds, my climate communications consultancy, to my reflections on how AI, authenticity, and attention economics are reshaping storytelling. The conversation ping-pongs from greenwashing and the economics of journalism to the human pulse behind good communications, the rise of curated communities over clickbait, and that infamous 2020 “Orange Sky Day” that pushed me fully into climate work. It’s a lively, meta, and sometimes philosophical tour through why we talk about climate the way we do—and why it still matters to keep talking.

Notes and resources

* Michael Gold’s LinkedIn

* Climate Swings homepage

* Climate Swings Substack

From scaling an AI startup before it was cool, to negotiating international trade deals, to building Canada’s first blue innovation cluster from a literal garden by the sea, Amelie Desrochers’ journey is anything but linear. In this episode, she traces the unlikely path that led her from Silicon Valley’s tech bubble and diplomatic corridors to the beating heart of the ocean economy. Now principal for blue economy and maritime sustainability at Cleantech Group, Amelie’s work represents the culmination of her search for meaning at the intersection of innovation, diplomacy, and nature—a place where technology meets tides, and purpose truly finds its depth.

Notes and resources

* Amelie Desrochers’ LinkedIn

* Cleantech Group

* Climate Swings Substack

When it comes to addressing climate change, sometimes it’s the “unworkable” ideas that are the ones we need the most. This episode features technologist-turned-sea-level-rise-provocateur Russ Walsh, who unpacks his audacious “SeaNet”: a globe-spanning lattice of canals and inland seas that would siphon ocean water inland and buy coastal cities time. Many will scoff—it’s too big, too messy, too hard. But with tides already licking at doorsteps and whole nations on the line, dismissing bold thinking is the riskiest move of all. Come for the skepticism; stay for the math, the engineering, and the unexpected upside (“blue gold”) that could turn adaptation into opportunity. If the water’s rising either way, shouldn’t we at least hear Russ out?

Notes and resources

* Russ Walsh’s LinkedIn

* Climate Swings episode with Janelle Kellman, former mayor, city of Sausalito

* Climate Swings Substack

Lars Tallert took a wild swing from classical violinist to hard-hitting journalist early in his career, and then became an advisor to prime ministers, UN agencies, and The Guardian—and even served as a frontline witness in Nicaragua, where a reporting project on poisoned banana workers changed his life. Lars then co-founded the Sustainable Journalism Partnership—now 70 countries strong—to answer a simple, urgent question: how can climate journalism actually motivate people to act? In this conversation, Lars traces the thread from anti-apartheid campaigns to today’s “doom and gloom” news cycle, and lays out a blueprint for journalism that empowers communities instead of exhausting them—shifting audiences from consumers to participants, and linking climate change to the systems we live in, from culture to national resilience.

Notes and resources

* Lars Tallert's LinkedIn

* Sustainable Journalism Partnership

* Climate Swings episode with Peter Prengaman, global climate and environmental news director, the Associated Press

* Climate Swings Substack

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Jonathan Tan took the long way to the front lines of the energy transition: UC-Berkeley chemical engineer turned field-hand in the cold of Edmonton and the deserts of Australia, installing wastewater and waste-gas recyclers—then co-founding Coreshell in 2017 after bootstrapping “the world’s cheapest battery lab” from auctioned equipment in a Richmond, California garage. Jonathan straddles business and deep tech, and he’s betting on a deceptively simple idea with huge stakes: swap today’s graphite anodes—mostly sourced from China—for a low-cost, abundant silicon alternative made with assets already operating in North America. If he’s right, EV batteries get cheaper, supply chains get sturdier, and decarbonization speeds up—not only as a moral imperative, but because the product is better for people’s lives. From rock-climbing calmly under pressure to building a team that’s stuck with him for eight years, Jonathan’s story is equal parts grit, chemistry, and clear-eyed pragmatism.

Notes and resources

* Jonathan Tan's LinkedIn

* Coreshell

* Climate Swings Substack

Astrid Atkinson has a story that should inspire even the most jaded climate hawk. Growing up in rural Australia, she first got online when an internet-enabled train arrived in her village. She then decamped to the United States, dropped out of college to work for Google, and swung through a variety of high-impact roles at the search giant before founding her own company when the itch to do something about climate change got too strong to ignore. Now as the head of Camus, which provides digital solutions for the energy grid, she serves as a model of what it means to leave everything on the field when it comes to pursuing a climate career that can truly make a difference.

Notes and resources

* Astrid Atkinson's LinkedIn

* Camus website

* Climate Swings Substack

David Tze has crafted a unique career at the intersection of oceans, food, technology, investment, and climate. As the former CEO of NovoNutrients, he was, essentially, killing three birds with one stone: extracting carbon dioxide from the atmosphere, growing synthetic protein that could feed the world, and finding new and more sustainable ways to harvest fish. This multi-pronged mission emerged out of a professional journey that saw him swing through a variety of crucible moments, including optimizing the online sale of baseball hats and founding an aquaculture investment firm alongside Jared Polis, the current governor of Colorado. Although NovoNutrients has closed up shop since this episode was recorded in March 2025—as all too often happens in the wild world of climate-tech startups—David’s story is a vivid reminder that climate careers can emerge from the most unexpected detours.

Notes and resources

* David Tze's LinkedIn

* News item announcing the closure of NovoNutrients

* Climate Swings Substack