The Agenda Podcast with Stephen Cole

As governments around the world set increasingly tough environmental targets, it's becoming clear that investment from business is also going to increase. A new report from the UN Environment Programme, the World Economic Forum and the Economics of Land Degradation say that by 2030, investment in nature-based solutions are going to have to treble from the current level of $133 billion. 

This week on The Agenda podcast, Stephen C...

The COVID-19 pandemic has, of course, had an extraordinary effect on all our lives. But for women, according to a new report, it's had a particularly devastating impact. The World Economic Forum's (WEF) annual Global Gender Gap Report shows the coronavirus has pushed back gender parity by an entire generation. In this episode of the Agenda podcast, Stephen Cole will look at when, if ever, we might finally reach true gender ...

The world's largest biodiversity summit was due to take place in Kunming, China on March 16 but has been postponed once again due to the global pandemic. 

In a year which has been dominated by COVID-19, Stephen Cole looks at the future of the world's flora and fauna and the fundamental connections between all life on Earth. 

The pandemic has provided an opportunity to pause for reflection and shown that protecting nature'...

Oil fueled the 20th century—its cars, its wars, its economy and its geopolitics. As the US returns to the Paris Climate accord and after President Biden pledged to halve carbon emissions  by the end of 2030, the world is speeding up the shift to a new, greener order. But what does that really mean? Will we finally say goodbye to fossil fuels? This week, The Agenda Podcast with Stephen Cole talks to people in "power" to see ...

Before the pandemic, tourism was growing faster than the world's economy and traveling had never been easier. Then COVID-19 brought globetrotting to a halt and left the trillion-dollar industry in tatters. 

But with rapid vaccination bringing optimism, can the sector now get back on the move? How different will the travel experience be? And which parts of the world are open for business?

First on the podcast we talk to Eduardo Sa...

Is the world ready for electric cars on a large scale? The Agenda Podcast finds out whether Europe – and remote parts of the world – are prepared for such an accelerated change to the way we travel.

First on the podcast is Bjorn Annwall, head of Volvo's Europe, Middle East and Africa (EMEA) region and newly-appointed Chief Financial Officer. He tells us how the Swedish car manufacturer plans to make electric-only vehicles by its...

Since January 1, the UK has been trading under new systems agreed in the post-Brexit trade deal. So what problems have the first 100 days exposed for the UK and Europe? 

Agenda is joined by the CEO of Eurochambres, Ben Butters, and the head of international affairs for small businesses, James Sibley. They discuss the impact of Brexit on small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) across the continent and try to dissect how much of the...

Questions over efficacy, blood-clot fears, threats to block exports, and its sluggish supply – the distribution of vaccines has been causing a major division across Europe, particularly between the EU and the UK. 

This week on the Agenda Podcast we look at how the two blocs have approached the distribution of COVID-19 vaccines and how today's disputes could affect the vaccine procurement of tomorrow and beyond.

With France and Ge...

For more than a year now, millions of people have been forced out of their offices by the pandemic to work from home. But is that a situation that's here to stay or a temporary blip – an "aberration," as Goldman Sachs boss David Solomon has put it?

The Agenda Podcast with Stephen Cole considers the future of work, and asks what are the real benefits and potential pitfalls of a post-pandemic return to the office?

First we ...

As a relatively new invention, cryptocurrencies have up to now largely escaped regulation.

But if they're ever to really cross over into the mainstream that will have to change. So what rules are actually needed? How might they be enforced? And how exactly might that shape the future of digital currencies?

Today on the Agenda Podcast, we look at what could be the future of money. First we’re joined by Laith Khalaf, financial anal...

Apple, Amazon, Facebook, Microsoft and Google – it's become nearly impossible to live in the modern world without the services of these five companies. In this episode of The Agenda Podcast, Stephen Cole looks at what sets Big Tech apart from other digital platforms and why it's now facing unprecedented levels of scrutiny and calls for regulation.

First he speaks to Stephen Scheeler, former Facebook CEO for Australia and New...

With global interest rates at record lows, and pandemic volatility everywhere you look, The Agenda podcast with Stephen Cole looks at the safer and more risky options for investors. 

[00:39] Moira O'Neill, head of personal finance at Interactive Investor, who explains why ethical investment is a trend that's here to stay, and which sectors we should be watching for a decent return in a post-pandemic world.

[07:14] Arturo Bris...

In the past, addicts were considered weak-willed but now the medical profession is starting to treat addiction as a disease. Also, as times change, the kinds of things we become addicted to change too, as does the number of people who fall victim to addiction.

In this episode of the Agenda podcast we look at why people become addicts and the approaches different countries and cultures have to treating addiction.  

First we talk to Al...

One in 18 people around the world now owns their own business, and experts predict that far from proving a hindrance, the current COVID-19 pandemic will actually be a help to millions more who may be using lockdown to perfect their potentially billion-dollar business ideas.

On this episode of The Agenda podcast, Stephen Cole talks to Dan Vahdat, Founder and CEO of Huma – an A.I. business designed to democratize healthcare – about ho...

Are vaccines interchangeable? Who should get priority? If your parents received the vaccine can you visit them? 

In this episode of The Agenda podcast, Stephen Cole puts some of the most prominent queries and concerns from listeners to Jerome Kim, director general of the International Vaccine Institute.  

Stephen also talks to Jane Williams, doctor of Public Health Ethics at the University of Sydney's Center for Values, Ethics an...

It's virus versus vaccines... but which countries are leading the fight? If vaccine nationalism can be overcome, what other obstacles are there in the vaccine supply chain? How concerned should we be about new variants? 

To discuss vaccine nationalism and the risk it could pose to global progress, we speak to  Siddhartha Datta, regional adviser for Europe at the World Health Organization (WHO) [00:51].

We’re also joined by Chen J...

This year, the world's space superpowers are set to launch brand new lunar missions. This week on the Agenda podcast we set our sights on space, and see what the future of space exploration might look like. First on the podcast we’re joined by Xu Yansong, the Director for International Cooperation in the China National Space Administration [01:41] He explains what China’s ambitions are in space.  

We also speak to veteran space ...

With Donald Trump out of the White House, attention now shifts to how Europe and the United States continue their relationship.  

But just because there's a new man in the White House, does that mean all wounds are healed, and that both sides are ready to work together to create a new world order? Or will Europe, now it's had a taste of true transatlantic independence, be ready to tread its own path going forward? 

On this ed...

The number of obese people in the world has tripled in the past 50 years – costing health services across the globe trillions of dollars. 

Recent research shows people who are obese are twice as likely as those of a healthy weight to be hospitalized with COVID-19. They are also 78% more likely to end up in intensive care and 50% more likely to die from the virus.

We speak to Barry Popkin, professor of nutrition at the University of N...