UK’s Hot Poets Project & Climate Poet, Repeat Beat Poet, Climate Champs–Hannelore and Jeremy Grantham & the Grantham Research Institute on Climate Change and the Environment

GRANTHAM RESEARCH INSTITUTE ON CLIMATE CHANGE AND ENVIRONMENT

 The Grantham Research Institute on Climate Change and the Environment (GRICCE) was established by the London School of Economics and Political Science in 2008 to create a world-leading center for policy-relevant research and training on climate change and the environment.

It brings together international expertise on economics, finance, geography. The Institute’s vision is a world in which climate change and other global environmental challenges are managed effectively to promote prosperity and well-being.

GRICCE’s focuses its research on biodiversity, environmental behavior, climate change adaptation and resilience as well as sustainable public and private finance, among other topics.

Why does the Grantham Research Institute on Climate Change and the Environment matter to us? Its independence. Because it’s funded by the Grantham Foundation for the Protection of the Environment, it can afford to carry out rigorous research without interference from sponsors, or supporters.

I would also argue the “Explainers” tab on its website is another reason why GRICCE matters to us. On the one hand, the explainers are made easy to understand. On the other hand, they also include enough in-depth analysis to satisfy folks who want to go a little deeper.

And last of all, because Grantham sponsors the Hot Poet series. Nothing like a straight-laced, buttoned-up institution sponsoring a dozen poets and artists, climate change culture warriors aiding and abetting in the fight to combat climate change to brighten you day!

Visit us at theclimate.org/episodes and click on the links in the Deeper Dive section a the end of this story to enjoy more.

DEEPER DIVE: GRICCE, Hot Poets, Grantham Foundation

CLIMATE POET, THE REPEAT BEAT POET

Speaking of Hot Poets, whenever we can, we like to spotlight artists taking a swing at climate change through their medium of choice. Today’s spotlight is on Repeat Beat Poet. Peter deGraft-Johnson is The Repeat Beat Poet, a British Ghanaian, London-based poet and emcee who fuses stream of consciousness writing and Hip Hop culture to capture and extend moments of time, thought and feeling.

He’s currently in residency at the Grantham Research Institute at the London School of Economics as part of Hot Poets. The Grantham Research Institute on Climate Change and the Environment was established by the London School of Economics and Political Science in 2008 to create a world-leading center for policy-relevant research and training on climate change and the environment.

Hot Poets is a UK ArtsCouncilEngland-funded project run by Tongue Fu, Chris Redmond and Liv Torc. Originally created for COP26, Hot Poets stands the test of time by combining poetry and science to imagine a better possible future. Here’s a sample of The Repeat Beat Poet extending a moment, called, A Rhyming Guide to Climate Litigation:

 This poem was written by The Repeat Beat Poet in collaboration with the Institute’s Joana Setzer. The Repeat Beat Poet’s work has been published by Bad Betty Press, Magma Poetry, and Poetry On The Picket Line. His debut release This That was covered in Wordplay Mag.

For more climate action poetry by Hot Poets, visit to theclimate.org/episodes and click on the links in the Deeper Dive section of this story. 

DEEPER DIVE: Insta, YouTube, LinkTree, TroubleTongues, Hot Poets Playlist

BRITAIN’S HOT POETS PROJECT

So, wait. What’s the deal with these Hot Poets? Hot Poets is a multi-partner project co-created by spoken word artists and producers Liv Torc and Chris Redmond of Tongue Fu.

Liv Torc is a spoken word artist and producer and co-host of The Hip Yak Poetry Shack. Chris Redmond is a writer, musician and producer. Tongue Fu band is a rolling collective of the UK’s best improvisers, with exceptional jazz chops and a broad range of musical tastes from classical to hip hop to klezma, according to its website. 

Hot Poets is an UK Arts Council England-funded project that presented at COP26. And why do the Hot Poets matter to us? In addition to being an archive of 12 powerful poetry and science films, Hot Poets is a budding movement in climate communication. Their philosophy is “Poetry is the new power in climate communications.”

They believe poems are a method for explaining complex issues in a way that touches people’s hearts, souls, bones. Further that poems have the power to engage, influence and spread hope. So, the group is actively seeking to match one of its Hot Poets with pioneers, scientists, educators, engineers or other climate change mavericsk to help tell the world about the work those climate change warriors are doing.

If you too believe that bringing poetry and science together is a good way to imagine a better possible future, check out Hot Poets now. Click on the link in the Deeper Dive section of this story at theclimatedaily.org/episodes to join the Hot Poets community.

DEEPER DIVE: Hot Poets, LSE/GRICCE, Chris Redmond, Liv Torc, Tongue Fu, Hot Poets Community

CLIMATE CHAMPIONS, HANNELORE AND JEREMY GRANTHAM

Who are Jeremy and Hannelore Grantham, and why do they matter to us? They just might be considered the first billionaire power couple of climate change. They started way back in 1997, when they founded the Jeremy and Hannelore Grantham Environmental Trust, focused on reducing and reversing global environmental degradation.

The foundation does both investing and philanthropic work. Its investment philosophy is to “take early stage positions in important yet underfunded climate opportunities,” such as Regrow Ag, Vibrant Planet and KulaBio.

Philanthropically, the foundation’s communications grant-making supports grassroots efforts that have helped stop the development of coal plants globally; revealed the way fossil fuel incumbents derail democracy; and helped defend communities put at risk by short-sighted corporate decisions.

To get a sense of Grantham’s commitment to fighting climate change, know this: he has repeatedly stated his opinion that the rising cost of energy – the most fundamental commodity – between 2002 and 2008 has falsely inflated economic growth and GDP figures worldwide.

Back in 2013, he stated his belief that the world has been a “carbon bubble” (as in internet or housing “bubble”) for approximately the last 250 years in which energy was very cheap. this bubble is coming to an end. He has stated his opposition to the Keystone Pipeline on the basis of the ruinous environmental consequences that its construction will bring to Alberta and to the entire planet due to the contribution that burning the extracted oil would make to climate change.

Hannelore Grantham is a trustee of RMI, and on advisory boards of Oxfam and The World Wildlife Fund and a member of several committees dealing with threats posed by climate change. Since 2001, they have donated about $400 million to environmental causes. Now if only other billionaire couples would get onboard the Grantham train…

DEEPER DIVE: Grantham Foundation, RMI, Bloomberg