In this powerful live episode filmed at Bain & Company London, Earth Set co-founder Fiona Howarth sits down with Neil Shearing, Group Chief Economist at Capital Economics and author of The Fractured Age, to unpack one of the biggest economic shifts of our time: the end of globalisation as we’ve known it.
From the rise of China to the role of semiconductors, rare earths, green tech, and the geopolitical tug-of-war reshaping supply chains, Neil offers a clear-eyed look at how the world is dividing into competing blocs — and what that means for business, climate, and global security.
Together, they explore:
🌏 Why the last 30 years of global cooperation are over — and what replaces them
🇨🇳 China’s economic model, Belt & Road strategy, and dominance in green tech
🇺🇸 How the US is reshaping alliances, tariffs, and industrial policy📉 Why Taiwan is the global economy’s most vulnerable chokepoint
🔋 The critical minerals race: cobalt, rare earths, aluminium, and EV supply chains
⚡ How fracturing could reshape the energy transition — for better or worse
🏭 What Western governments must do now to stay competitive
🔮 Who the winners and losers could be in a world split in two
Neil brings nuance, data, and clarity to a topic often dominated by headlines. If you want to understand the forces reshaping the global economy — and the future of climate action — this is essential listening.
🎧 Listen if you’re curious about:
Economics, geopolitics, supply chains, China, the US, semiconductors, industrial strategy, climate tech, the energy transition, and how global politics will shape the next decade.
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Earth Set hosts monthly conversations in London with the people accelerating a net-positive future. Be part of the room where ideas collide and solutions emerge. Visit earthset.co for information and tickets
Recorded live at the Blue Earth Summit 2025, this episode captures the energy, optimism, and innovation driving climate action today.
Join hosts Amy Rennison and Fiona Howarth as they speak with founders, thinkers, and changemakers across the event — from the Internet of Energy to plastic-free design, community power, steward ownership, and climate tech for good.
You’ll hear from:
Dan Travers, Open Climate Fix, on AI and decentralized energy
Sian Sutherland, A Plastic Planet, on designing waste out of the system
Howard Johns & Reg Platt, People Owned Power and Emergent Energy, on bringing solar to every street
Sophie Lambin, Kite Insights & Hurd, on unlocking employee-led climate action
Patrick Andrews & Erica Neve, Yoak & Steward Ownership Alliance, on reimagining business through nature
And more innovators from across the Blue Earth community
From the buzz of the summit floor to the big ideas shaping our regenerative future — this episode is a celebration of the current of change flowing through people and projects redefining what’s possible.
📅 Attend our live events in London: earthset.co
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In this live Earth Set founder session, Fiona Howarth, Founder and Director of Octopus Electric Vehicles, joins her Earth Set co-founder Amy Rennison to share how a simple idea—and one Google search—grew into a business that’s helped thousands make the switch to electric.
From setting up a leasing company during lockdown to raising over £1.4 billion in finance for EVs, Fiona’s story is a masterclass in scaling with purpose. She talks about the messy middle of startup life—the “Batphone” days, the 2,000 unexpected leads, and building a team culture that puts people before problems.
This episode was recorded live at Blue Garage as part of the Earth Set founder community series.
🎧 Listen in to hear:
The origin story of Octopus EV and how it scaled from idea to impact
Why culture and purpose drive growth that lasts
Lessons for founders navigating uncertainty and rapid scale
How the energy and transport transition is converging faster than we think
About Earth Set Earth Set is a network and live podcast series where the people accelerating a net-positive future come together to share ideas, challenge assumptions, and build real-world solutions.
🎟️ Attend our monthly events – held on the first Tuesday of every month in London🌍 Find upcoming events, speakers, and community highlights at earthset.co
In this live Earth Set conversation, we check back in on the UK’s journey to net zero — one year on from our first climate progress panel — to find out who’s winning, who’s lagging, and what it will really take to hit our 2030 and 2050 targets.
Our guests bring the data, the context, and the challenge:
Emily Nurse, Head of Net Zero at the Climate Change Committee
Dave Jones, Co-founder and Global Insights Director at Ember
Ben Westerman, Policy and Advocacy Director at Electrify Britain
Together, they unpack what’s changed in the past year — from the halving of UK emissions since 1990 to the surge in clean power and electric transport. You’ll hear that:
UK emissions fell another 2.5 % in 2024, marking a tenth straight year of cuts.
Surface transport is now the UK’s biggest emitter — but one in five new cars is fully electric.
Battery costs dropped 40 % last year (and may fall another 40 % in 2025), transforming the economics of clean power.
Yet 71 % of new homes were still built with fossil-fuel heating in 2024.
The discussion explores why battery tech is scaling faster than anyone expected, why heat pumps are still lagging, and how shifting the way we price electricity could unlock real public support for the transition.
It’s a conversation about progress and perception — because the road to net zero isn’t just about targets and technology, it’s about making people feel the benefits of the transition in their homes, their bills, and their daily lives.
Welcome to Earth Set, the podcast where the people accelerating a net positive future come together to share ideas, challenge assumptions, and build real-world solutions.
In this episode, hosts Amy Rennison and Fiona Howarth sit down with James Arbib — investor, futurist, and co-author of Stellar: A World Beyond Limits — and How to Get There.
James argues that we’re standing at the edge of a transformation bigger than any industrial revolution:
Together, they explore how technologies like solar, wind, and AI might unlock what James calls a “stellar world” — one that functions more like a star, radiating energy and value without constant extraction. It’s a conversation about economics, innovation, and human behaviour — and how we can shape the transition rather than be swept up in it.
Each episode of Earth Set is recorded live at our monthly events in London, where founders, investors, scientists, and policymakers gather to imagine what comes next.
If you’re curious about the future of work, energy, and civilisation itself — and want to stay hopeful while taking action — this one’s for you.
Welcome to Earth Set, the podcast where the people accelerating a net positive future come together to share ideas, challenge assumptions, and build real-world solutions.
In this trailer, hosts Amy Rennison and Fiona Howarth introduce the vision behind Earth Set and what listeners can expect each month - from live events to in-depth conversations with the changemakers shaping a regenerative economy.
You’ll hear what “net positive” really means (spoiler: it’s about making things better, not just less bad) and how Earth Set connects founders, investors, scientists, policymakers, and innovators who are reimagining how we live and work on a changing planet.
Each episode is recorded live at our monthly Earth Set events in London, where ideas collide, networks grow, and collaboration sparks real impact. The podcast brings those conversations to you, wherever you are.
If you care about the future of the planet - and want to stay hopeful while taking action - this is your community.