<p>This week on <em>Outrage + Optimism</em>, we’re taking a breath.</p><br><p>After two intense weeks of daily updates from COP30 in Belém, we’re returning to weekly programming with something different - a slower, deeper, more reflective conversation that felt too valuable to cut.</p><br><p>While in the Blue Zone, we sat down with <a href="https://www.kimstanleyrobinson.info/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Kim Stanley Robinson</a>, the acclaimed author of <em>The Ministry for the Future</em>, <em>2312</em>, <em>The Mars trilogy</em>, and the <em>Science in the Capital</em> series. His writing has been read by negotiators, ministers, campaigners, and many of you.</p><br><p>In our conversation, Kim Stanley Robinson reflects on why <em>The Ministry for the Future</em> begins with such a devastating opening chapter, a “punch in the gut” designed to reveal the human limits of adaptation. He introduces the idea of “pre-traumatic syndrome,” the unsettling clarity that comes from imagining a catastrophe before it happens, and how this can motivate us rather than paralyse us. We explore storytelling as a cultural tool for moving from despair to determination, and why each of us needs a a unifying purpose that gives shape to our actions in a chaotic world.</p><br><p>At a COP defined by urgency, exhaustion, and flashes of courage, this wide-ranging conversation with Kim Stanley Robinson felt like a necessary exhale, a moment to step back and reflect on why we do this work, and what kind of future we’re choosing to build.</p><p>We’re airing the conversation almost exactly as it happened.</p><br><p>🎤 Leave us your voice notes and questions for upcoming episodes on <a href="https://www.speakpipe.com/OutrageandOptimism" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">SpeakPipe</a></p><br><p>Follow us on social media for behind the scenes moments and to watch our videos:</p><br><p>Instagram <a href="https://www.instagram.com/outrageoptimism/?hl=en" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">@outrageoptimism</a> </p><p>LinkedIn <a href="https://uk.linkedin.com/company/outrageoptimism" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">@outrageoptimism</a></p><br><p>Or get in touch with us <a href="https://www.globaloptimism.com/contact?hsLang=en" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">via this form</a>.&nbsp;</p><br><p>Series Producer: Ben Weaver-Hincks</p><p>Planning Producer: Caitlin Hanrahan</p><br><p>Edited by: Miles Martignoni</p><br><p>Exec Producer: Ellie Clifford</p><br><p>This is a Persephonica production for Global Optimism and is part of the Acast Creator Network.</p><br><p><br></p><hr><p style='color:grey; font-size:0.75em;'> Hosted on Acast. See <a style='color:grey;' target='_blank' rel='noopener noreferrer' href='https://acast.com/privacy'>acast.com/privacy</a> for more information.</p>

Outrage + Optimism: The Climate Podcast

Persephonica and Global Optimism

Kim Stanley Robinson on Pre Traumatic Imagination and the stories that change us

NOV 27, 202536 MIN
Outrage + Optimism: The Climate Podcast

Kim Stanley Robinson on Pre Traumatic Imagination and the stories that change us

NOV 27, 202536 MIN

Description

<p>This week on <em>Outrage + Optimism</em>, we’re taking a breath.</p><br><p>After two intense weeks of daily updates from COP30 in Belém, we’re returning to weekly programming with something different - a slower, deeper, more reflective conversation that felt too valuable to cut.</p><br><p>While in the Blue Zone, we sat down with <a href="https://www.kimstanleyrobinson.info/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Kim Stanley Robinson</a>, the acclaimed author of <em>The Ministry for the Future</em>, <em>2312</em>, <em>The Mars trilogy</em>, and the <em>Science in the Capital</em> series. His writing has been read by negotiators, ministers, campaigners, and many of you.</p><br><p>In our conversation, Kim Stanley Robinson reflects on why <em>The Ministry for the Future</em> begins with such a devastating opening chapter, a “punch in the gut” designed to reveal the human limits of adaptation. He introduces the idea of “pre-traumatic syndrome,” the unsettling clarity that comes from imagining a catastrophe before it happens, and how this can motivate us rather than paralyse us. We explore storytelling as a cultural tool for moving from despair to determination, and why each of us needs a a unifying purpose that gives shape to our actions in a chaotic world.</p><br><p>At a COP defined by urgency, exhaustion, and flashes of courage, this wide-ranging conversation with Kim Stanley Robinson felt like a necessary exhale, a moment to step back and reflect on why we do this work, and what kind of future we’re choosing to build.</p><p>We’re airing the conversation almost exactly as it happened.</p><br><p>🎤 Leave us your voice notes and questions for upcoming episodes on <a href="https://www.speakpipe.com/OutrageandOptimism" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">SpeakPipe</a></p><br><p>Follow us on social media for behind the scenes moments and to watch our videos:</p><br><p>Instagram <a href="https://www.instagram.com/outrageoptimism/?hl=en" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">@outrageoptimism</a> </p><p>LinkedIn <a href="https://uk.linkedin.com/company/outrageoptimism" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">@outrageoptimism</a></p><br><p>Or get in touch with us <a href="https://www.globaloptimism.com/contact?hsLang=en" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">via this form</a>.&nbsp;</p><br><p>Series Producer: Ben Weaver-Hincks</p><p>Planning Producer: Caitlin Hanrahan</p><br><p>Edited by: Miles Martignoni</p><br><p>Exec Producer: Ellie Clifford</p><br><p>This is a Persephonica production for Global Optimism and is part of the Acast Creator Network.</p><br><p><br></p><hr><p style='color:grey; font-size:0.75em;'> Hosted on Acast. See <a style='color:grey;' target='_blank' rel='noopener noreferrer' href='https://acast.com/privacy'>acast.com/privacy</a> for more information.</p>