ODI | Think Change

ODI Global's podcast that discusses some of the world’s most pressing global issues with a variety of experts and commentators. Find out more at odi.org.

ODI | Think Change is a news podcast hosted by ODI Global, with 121 episodes on record and a Required Pod Score of 80. PitchCentric scores this show on Booking Probability, Listen Score, and live audience signals refreshed every 24 hours.

ODI Global hosts ODI | Think Change, a news show with 121 episodes published.

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  ODI | Think Change

  AI in a burning world: who pays the climate cost?

  Aug 6, 202634 min

  This episode of Think Change explores the growing environmental footprint of artificial intelligence – from rising energy demand and emissions to the vast quantities of water needed to power and cool the data centres behind today’s AI revolution. As Europe experiences another summer of record-breaking heat, devastating wildfires and growing water stress, the race to develop and deploy AI raises urgent questions about how we balance technological progress with climate goals. Can the environmental costs of AI be managed? And who bears the burden when new technologies increase pressure on already stretched resources? The conversation looks beyond technology alone to the governance challenges shaping AI’s future: who sets the rules, whose interests are prioritised, and how we can ensure that AI development supports rather than deepens existing inequalities. Recorded during London Climate Action Week, the episode brings together perspectives on energy systems, climate policy and international cooperation to ask what it will take to build an AI future that is innovative, sustainable and fair. Guests: Sara Pantuliano (host) , Chief Executive, ODI Global Divij Joshi, Research Fellow, ODI Global Joaquim Levy, former Finance Minister of Brazil and a Commissioner of the Future of Development Cooperation Coalition Fiona Macklin, Head of Climate, Apolitical Related resources AI’s climate consequences: why AI governance needs to confront climate injustice The Paris AI Summit: is geopolitical rivalry derailing AI governance? The environmental risks of generative AI: why better global governance is urgently needed Global Critical Minerals Outlook 2025

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  ODI | Think Change

  Manchesterism goes global – can Andy Burnham change Britain's place in the world?

  Jul 23, 202643 min

  Following Andy Burnham’s appointment as Britain's Prime Minister, there is renewed interest in what some have described as ‘Manchesterism’ – a political philosophy rooted in place, economic renewal and the belief that national prosperity begins with strong local communities. But if this approach were to shape government thinking, what could it mean beyond Britain’s borders? This episode explores whether a place-based politics could shift Britain’s foreign policy. Would international engagement be judged less by Britain’s global status and more by whether it delivers prosperity and security for communities at home? Could trade, diplomacy and development become tools of regional renewal? Any new government would also inherit profound constraints. With pressure to increase defence spending, sluggish economic growth and difficult choices over taxation and public services, how would a Manchesterist approach balance competing priorities? What role would overseas development assistance play? And what happens to Britain’s soft power if resources become increasingly scarce? More broadly, does Britain need a different organising principle for foreign policy in an era where domestic resilience and international engagement are becoming increasingly intertwined? Guests Sara Pantuliano (host) , Chief Executive, ODI Global Roli Ashtana, Senior Advisor, ODI Global & Senior Research Associate at South African Institute of International Affairs (SAIIA) Laura Chappell, Associate director for international policy, IPPR Kate Ferguson, Co-Executive Director, Protection Approaches Related resources Burnham, Manchesterism and the return of place in foreign policy (LSE blog, by Roli Ashtana) Navigating trade-offs in the global economy: A framework for a world between orders (Report, IPPR)

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  ODI | Think Change

  Think Change episode 101: why isn't evidence enough to win the political argument?

  Jul 9, 202632 min

  Across the world, a familiar story is being retold with striking success: that stagnant wages, housing crises and crumbling public services are the fault of migrants and outsiders - not the billionaires and global systems quietly getting richer. It's a story reshaping elections, hardening divisions, and in some places, fuelling violence. In this episode of Think Change, Sara Pantuliano is joined by Dimi Reider (Othering and Belonging Institute / Shared Futures Institute), Tania Cheung, Libby Lenkinski and Kathryn Nwajiaku-Dahou to ask: why do stories so often beat facts? Why has fact-checking failed to stop divisive narratives from taking hold? And what would it actually take to build a competing story - one rooted in justice and redistribution, not nostalgia for a status quo that wasn't working either? The conversation ranges from the mechanics of how harmful narratives spread, to what's breaking down in how NGOs and philanthropy communicate, to where power, money and attention need to shift if progressive narratives are ever going to compete. Guests: Sara Pantuliano (host), Chief Executive, ODI Global Tania Cheung , Head of the Shifting the Power Programme at Comic Relief Dimi Reider, journalist, policy analyst and facilitator at the Othering and Belonging Institute and Shared Futures Institute Libby Lenkinski, Founding President of Albi and Vice President for Public Engagement at the New Israel Fund Kathryn Nwajiaku-Dahou, Director Politics and Governance, ODI Global Related resources: Building Narratives for Change: where culture strategy meets policy (Event recording, ODI Global) ODI Global Strategy, 2026-2031 Shifting Narratives: From Aid to Agency Shifting the Power Comms Lab Report (Report, Comic Relief)

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  ODI | Think Change

  What happened to truth since episode one?

  Jun 25, 202630 min

  Our first episode of Think Change , recorded in March 2022 just after Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, explored how disinformation was shaping narratives around a fast-moving conflict. We asked who was producing it, how it spread through digital platforms, and how it influenced public understanding of war in real time. Three years on, to mark our 100th episode, we return to these same questions – which have become pivotal to understanding not only conflicts around the world but also international politics. Information has become a battleground. Trust in institutions and the media is waning. And AI is transforming how narratives are created, amplified, contested – often faster than we can make sense of them. In this special episode, leading commentators and thinkers reflect on what has changed since our first episode, and what happens to a society when its members can no longer agree on what is true. Guests Sara Pantuliano, Chief Executive, ODI Global (Think Change host) Lyse Doucet, BBC Chief International Correspondent Lord Mark Malloch-Brown, Former UN diplomat & Former President of the Open Society Foundations Ksenia Iliuk, Co-founder, LetsData Related resources Disinformation and the Russia-Ukraine War (Think Change podcast, ODI Global) A war on many fronts: disinformation around the Russia-Ukraine war (Expert comment, ODI Global) Has AI ushered in an existential crisis of trust in democracy? (Expert comment, ODI Global) Digital Societies Hub (ODI Global)

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  ODI | Think Change

  Will the first International Peacebuilding Week make a difference?

  Jun 11, 202639 min

  The first-ever International Peacebuilding Week, which will run from 22-26 June, comes at a critical moment. Violent conflict is becoming more protracted, global cooperation is under strain, and climate shocks, displacement and weak institutions are compounding risks in some of the world's most fragile settings. Can a dedicated week for peacebuilding help shift the conversation from crisis response to long-term investment in peace? In this Think Change episode, guests discuss what it will take to turn renewed attention into meaningful action. Together, they explore the politics of peacebuilding, the importance of accountability, the growing links between climate and conflict, and why countries most affected by fragility must be at the centre of shaping solutions. As calls for accountability grow in conflicts, including Gaza and Sudan, the conversation asks whether International Peacebuilding Week can become more than a forum for discussion and help build a truly global movement for peace. Guests Sara Pantuliano (host), Chief Executive, ODI Global Elizabeth Spehar , Assistant Secretary-General for Peacebuilding and Peace Support, Departments of Political and Peacebuilding Affairs Michael Keating , Executive Director, European Institute of Peace Habib Ur Rehman Mayar , Deputy General Secretary, g7+ Secretariat Mauricio Vazquez , Head of Policy, ODI Global Risks and Resilience programme Related resources What can – and can’t – the private sector deliver for climate action in fragile states? (Expert comment, ODI Global) Transforming research practices in fragile and conflict contexts: insights from those working on the frontline (Expert comment, ODI Global) Building resilience in complex and conflict settings (ODI Global) The Summit of the Future – how can we build peaceful societies in a fragmented world? (Think Change podcast, ODI Global)

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