In this episode, Nick Breeze speaks with Dr. Claudia Wieners, climate scientist at the University of Utrecht, to explore one of the most urgent and controversial questions in climate science: could Stratospheric Aerosol Injection (SAI) be used to prevent the collapse of the Atlantic Meridional Overturning Circulation (AMOC)?

Dr. Wieners explains how AMOC is driven to collapse by two key forces — ocean warming and freshwater influx from increased rainfall and Greenland melt — and why SAI could theoretically counter both. She breaks down the role of the subpolar gyre and deep convection zones in sustaining AMOC, and why the timing of any SAI deployment is absolutely critical: wait too long, and you don't just fail to save AMOC — you could trigger a dangerous "double cooling" effect around the North Atlantic.

The conversation also tackles the complex trade-offs that make SAI so politically charged: its potential impact on the Amazon rainforest, the risk of it being used as a pretext to slow down emissions reductions, and why many EU policymakers refuse to engage with the topic at all — even though, as Dr. Wieners argues, that refusal itself carries serious risks.

Dr. Wieners outlines what a credible research programme would look like: better climate modelling, small-scale stratospheric measurements, and international monitoring infrastructure — and she issues a sobering warning that every year of delay increases the chance we've already crossed a critical threshold for AMOC without knowing it.

🔔 Subscribe for more in-depth conversations on climate tipping points, geoengineering, and the science shaping our future.

In this Climate Genn Episode I speak with the Former UK Green Party leader, baroness Natalie Bennett, who is currently sitting as a Green peer in the House of Lords.

View more on https://genn.cc - become a member on patreon or Youtube for early episodes.

Since the Greens scored a resounding win in the former Labour Stronghold of Gorton & Denton, many pundits and opposition party representatives have claimed that the Greens are embracing a form of Far-Leftwing populism, detracting from the Greens traditional focus on environmental issues.

I asked Natalie if she would come on the podcast to clarify whether the Green’s under Zac Polanski are a different party altogether, or whether the manifesto of decades past is still intact today.

In this ClimateGenn Episode I speak with former Chief Scientific Advisor to the UK Government and Chair of the Climate Crisis Advisory Group, Sir David King. The interview was initiated in response to David being quoted in the Financial Times. The article reported on how people in the East of England being forced to evacuate their homes due to erosion from inundation of sea water. A problem that is forecast to see thousands of homes abandoned in the coming years.

We cover a lot of topics in this conversation but they all illustrate the gargantuan size of problem we face and how badly we humans are responding to challenges. For all the talk of Artificial Intelligence, the glaring truth is: if we focussed our collective real intelligence on solving these problems, the horrors accelerating around us might be greatly reduced and even manageable. If only.

In the next episode I am speaking with former UK Green Party Leader, Baroness Natalie Bennet about the mainstream media narrative emerging claiming that the UK Green Party have replaced environmental policy in order to appeal to the so-called far-left. Is this a radical shift for political opportunism, or, is there consistency with the Green manifesto of the past and how does it all hang together?

There are more episodes scheduled with leading world experts on critical issues from collapsing ice sheets in Antarctica, to how climate is changing all around us, in realtime—

I want to say a big thank you to everyone who commented on the last interview with Dr Jennifer Francis, sharing thoughts and examples of how extreme impacts are impacting your regions and communities.