Change Oracle

About Change Oracle

Change Oracle Podcast offers solution-focused expert commentary on a wide range of prescient sustainability issues. The podcast is hosted by Richard Matthews, a consultant, writer, journalist, and change advocate who is also the owner and principal author of Change Oracle which provides widely cited transdisciplinary analysis. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy (https://acast.com/privacy) for more information.

Publisher

Richard Matthews

Category

news · society & culture · technology

Language

en

Explicit

No

First episode

10 Jul 2023

Latest episode

14 Feb 2026

Latest episodes

29 of 38 episodes have a transcript.

1. 

   14 Feb 2026TRANSCRIPT

   Welcome to the Polycrisis

   Earth’s life-support systems are failing. In this episode, we examine the accelerating polycrisis—climate change, biodiversity loss, deforestation, ocean warming, water scarcity, and soil degradation—converging as humanity crosses planetary boundaries and approaches irreversible climate tipping points. With CO₂ levels at record highs, rising global temperatures, collapsing coral reefs, extreme weather disasters, and escalating water stress, scientists warn the window to keep warming below 1.5°C is rapidly closing. Drawing on the latest 2025 climate reports, planetary boundaries research, and expert analysis, this episode unpacks what it means to breach critical environmental thresholds—and what’s at stake if we fail to act. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy (https://acast.com/privacy) for more information.

2. 

   5 Jan 2026

   The Best Environmental News Stories of 2025

   From rebounding sea turtles and record tiger populations to renewables overtaking coal and the landmark High Seas Treaty, 2025 delivered a wave of real environmental breakthroughs. This episode tracks the year’s biggest climate victories, nature-based solutions, clean energy growth, Indigenous leadership, green tech innovation, and the court rulings that reshaped global climate action, showing how communities, cities, scientists, and nations pushed forward even in the face of political resistance. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy (https://acast.com/privacy) for more information.

3. 

   8 Dec 2025TRANSCRIPT

   COP30: A Climate Summit Undone by Fossil Fuels

   This episode dives into what really happened at COP30 — the third straight UN climate summit derailed by fossil-fuel obstruction. From political infighting and infrastructure failures in Belém to the refusal to even name fossil fuels in the final agreement, we unpack why this conference fell so far short of the moment. With climate-driven disasters accelerating worldwide, COP30’s outcome raises a critical question: Is the global process meant to protect our future now incapable of rising to the challenge? Join us as we break down what went wrong, what little went right, and what it means for the shrinking window to secure a livable planet. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy (https://acast.com/privacy) for more information.

Inside a recent episode

Welcome to the Polycrisis

Published 14 Feb 2026 · Transcript excerpt

[…] We don't know precisely how close we are to triggering some devastating tipping point that could threaten human civilization, man said. Scientists have been warning us about climate threats for decades. Despite intensifying warnings, we're not responding at the required scale. The climate crisis is a growing cause of mortality that is already causing millions of premature deaths each year. Efforts are woefully insufficient and we're rapidly running out of time to avoid the worst impacts. In the state of climate action report for 2025, not a single one of the 45 indicators assessed is on track to achieve the 1 .5C aligned targets by 2030. […]

Who has been a guest on Change Oracle

Names identified in recent episode analyses. Showing up to five guests.

• Richard Heinberg
• Asher Miller
• Adam Hanieh

Reach and audience

Public platform figures. Ratings count people who left a rating, not total listeners.

YouTube views

2,987

Score snapshot 15 Sept 2025

Podcast Authority Score: 29 / 100

A composite of feed quality, social presence, YouTube performance and engagement. Read the methodology.

Quality

31

Social presence

0

YouTube

68

Engagement

0

Contact Change Oracle

Guest appearances

Books guests

Based on episode analysis; this does not confirm that the show is currently accepting guests.

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