Beneath the vast expanse of the Pacific Ocean lies an unseen world: deep seabeds dotted with metal-rich nodules that some claim are vital for the green transition. As demand grows for minerals used in renewable technologies and batteries, governments and companies are increasingly turning their eyes toward the deep ocean.

In this episode, King’s College London academics Dr Ben Tippet and Dr Rowan Gard unpack the promises, pitfalls and politics of deep-sea mining. Together, they explore whether harvesting minerals from the ocean floor offers a sustainable path forward, or whether it risks repeating historical patterns of extraction and inequality.

As the world races toward net-zero goals, decisions made now will shape ocean health, community futures and global environmental justice for generations. This episode asks the question at the heart of the debate:

Do we need deep-sea mining – or do we need to reimagine our relationship with the planet?

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In this episode, host Esau Williams explores how the UK can prepare for a future shaped by rising temperatures, heavier rainfall, and rapidly shifting social and environmental pressures.

From heatwaves and flooding to community resilience and communication strategies that genuinely resonate, this conversation examines what “future-proofing” really looks like - not as a distant political ambition, but as an everyday reality already unfolding across the country.

Esau is joined by three experts who bring complementary perspectives: Dr Helen Adams, Dr Giovanna Gini (King’s College London), and Chris Pollard (Climate Outreach). Together, they unpack how climate change affects daily life, why some people face greater risks than others, and what meaningful, fair adaptation looks like in practice.

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https://kingsglobalaffairs.substack.com

In this episode of The World We Got This, host Esau Williams explores how international development is being reshaped as governments cut budgets, multilateral institutions restructure, and aid becomes increasingly tied to national interest.

Recorded in the wake of the International Development Committee’s inquiry into UK aid, the discussion brings together leading scholars to unpack what these shifts mean for the world’s most vulnerable communities.

Joining the conversation are Professor Andy Sumner (King’s College London), Dr Eduardo Ortiz Juárez (UNDP and King’s), and Professor Naomi Hossain (SOAS), who offer a global perspective on shrinking aid budgets, the future of multilateralism, accountability, and the moral case for development cooperation. Together, they ask whether aid is ending, transforming, or simply being redefined - and who stands to lose if it is.

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