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This week we discuss small bit of feedback on our IC 17. Then for the main question we look at the battery industry in the EU all with the previously discussed strategic autonomy in mind. We explore the EU's dependency on raw materials and its cost disadvantage and ultimately look at whether the current regulatory framework around batteries can be a blueprint for sustainable strategic autonomy going forward.

If you want to give feedback you can write to **kaisa@inconvenientchats.com** or **jan@inconvenientchats.com**.

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In this episode, Kaisa brings back last week’s discussion about geopolitics taking over from sustainability. We go through several ways how climate action makes sense from a geopolitical perspective, i.e. protecting state interests from external pressure (did anyone say ‘strategic autonomy’?). Green energy fits the bill well, but how do human rights and biodiversity protection fit under the “geopolitical packaging” of sustainability?

If you want to give feedback you can write to **kaisa@inconvenientchats.com** or **jan@inconvenientchats.com**.

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This week, we take a first stab at probably one of the biggest topics we have discussed so far: geopolitics and how it currently overshadows sustainability. The problem is clear as public perception shapes political urgency, climate action has clearly taken a step back. We look at the World Economic Forum in Davos and take it as an example of where currently the spotlight in the public debate is. Then, we also talk about where sustainability talks where hidden in Davos and what would be a good reframing for the sustainability agenda going forward. All in less than 30 mins....

In this episode, we explore the complexities of balancing personal responsibilities with global issues, particularly in the context of climate change. We discuss cognitive bandwidth, the challenges of staying engaged with climate activism, and the evolving nature of political engagement as we grow older.

If you want to give feedback you can write to **kaisa@inconvenientchats.com** or **jan@inconvenientchats.com**.

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This week we try to take a blind eye to the "in" in "inconvenient" and try to look at a few positives that happened in climate action in 2025, including the integration of climate education in school curricula., significant advancements in renewable energy, and a landmark advisory opinion from the International Court of Justice emphasising climate protection as a human right.

If you want to give feedback you can write to **kaisa@inconvenientchats.com** or **jan@inconvenientchats.com**.

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This week, we look into two recent decisions from Ecosia, a really great not-for-profit search engine that make every Euro they earn available for climate action. We focus on their recent proposal and funding for a Climate Nobel Prize and their decision to integrate AI capabilities in their search engine by buying them from OpenAI. For both we look into what this is costing the immediate climate action and whether the decisions were a good one. As always it is very complicated and inconvenient.

If you want to give feedback you can write to **kaisa@inconvenientchats.com** or **jan@inconvenientchats.com**.

If you have...

Welcome 2026! Inconvenient Chats kicks off the new year with a primer conversation about the challenges of growth - or de-growth - and explore its implications for sustainability. If growth requires resources, but we’re running out of them, shouldn’t we be considering all available options? We discuss the lack of mainstream conversation of de-growth and post-growth world, why that may be, and why we should talk about it more.

If you want to give feedback you can write to **kaisa@inconvenientchats.com** or **jan@inconvenientchats.com**.

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Last episode before the winter break. In this week's Inconvenient Chats, we explore the complex relationship between artificial intelligence (AI) and climate change. We discuss the significant energy consumption of data centres, the environmental impacts of AI, and the challenges of balancing technological advancement with sustainability. How big of a problem is our use of AI for the climate? Has it the potential to become its biggest? And what has that to do with data centres?

If you want to give feedback you can write to **kaisa@inconvenientchats.com** or **jan@inconvenientchats.com**.

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This time, we discuss Bill Gates' recent essay on climate change, which sparked significant debate and controversy ahead of COP30. We analyse Gates' main points, the public's reaction, and the implications of his statements. The essay has been irritating (inconvenient, even) for the climate community for obvious reasons, though the fuel among climate denialists was probably an unplanned outcome and perhaps a little inconvenient for Bill Gates himself too. In the end, we ask what is the responsibility of someone so influential, and how much is that even worth debating?

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What is the right way to react when climate reports are signaling we are going in the right direction - big time? The Planetary Boundaries Health Check report reported in September that a 7th boundary out of nine has been breached, and the UNEP Emissions Gap report recently concluded that the world is ‘off-track’ to meet Paris climate targets and well on its way to overshoot 1.5 degrees of warming in 2030. We discuss in today’s episode how gloomy macro-news easily makes one, very understandably so, feel powerless. The risk of avoidance and/or cynicism is real, but also very unproductive...