Could a Ministry for the Future solve the climate crisis? | Kim Stanley Robinson interview

Could a Ministry for the Future solve the climate crisis? | Kim Stanley Robinson interview

Author: The BMJ January 9, 2026 Duration: 42:44
This episode is available in video form on YouTube: https://youtu.be/1cGrD47eZSk American science fiction author Kim Stanley Robinson joins Kamran Abbasi to discuss climate disaster, the need for political imagination, and science fiction's vision for health. Kim Stanley Robinson is the acclaimed author of a trilogy of novels, exploring the terraforming and settlement of Mars. His most recent novel, 'Ministry for the Future', was published in 2020. 'Ministry for the Future' sets out a vision for real solutions to our climate crisis, covering global finance, the animal kingdom, rising sea levels, energy production and much more. The book imagines a Ministry that begins its work in 2025. Five years after publication, with 2025 past and gone, The BMJ spoke to Robinson to explore how closely the novel's vision for the future has reflected reality. 01:00 BMJ's New Climate Change Initiative01:21 Kim Stanley Robinson's Ministry for the Future04:02 The Role of Political Violence in Climate Action10:50 The Concept of the Carbon Coin12:51 The Importance of Global Collaboration27:32 The Role of Medicine in Climate Change32:33 Youth and Climate Activism37:53 Hope and Despair in Climate Action41:29 Conclusion and Future Works Read more about The BMJ's climate coverage in the latest issue: https://www.bmj.com/content/392/8479

Produced by The BMJ, this weekly audio series delves into the pivotal research and urgent clinical debates shaping modern medicine. Each episode moves beyond the published page, bringing together the authors, critics, and practitioners directly involved to dissect a new study or a pressing health question. The conversation is rigorous and nuanced, designed for those who appreciate the complexity behind headlines. You’ll hear unscripted discussion about methodology, implications for practice, and the occasional healthy disagreement that drives science forward. This isn't just a summary of the latest findings; it's a critical appraisal in real time, offering listeners a front-row seat to the evolving discourse that defines evidence-based care. The Medicine and Science from The BMJ podcast serves as an essential audio companion for clinicians, academics, and anyone keen to understand the ‘why’ and ‘how’ behind medical news. It transforms the latest evidence from the journal into an accessible, thought-provoking dialogue, ensuring that busy professionals can stay deeply informed. Tune in for a direct, intelligent, and often surprising take on the science that matters most.
Author: Language: en-gb Episodes: 100

Medicine and Science from The BMJ
Podcast Episodes
Planet centred care - How to talk about this stuff [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 53:20
We’ve heard throughout the series from people who have a passion for sustainability, and have successfully made changes in their organisations to reduce the planetary impact of their work. In doing so, they will have rec…
Planet centred care - Why doing less can be hard [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 49:46
One element of sustainable healthcare is simply reducing the amount of healthcare you’re doing by not doing the things that are of no value to patients. However, how do we do this in practice? And why is it often so hard…
Planet centred care - Sustainable healthcare is better for patients [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 38:06
Acting on climate change is often framed as having to give stuff up, to cost more money, to make sacrifices. Yet in healthcare we find the opposite can often be true: there are many actions we can take which reduce the c…
Planet centred care - Sustainable healthcare is good for staff [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 55:12
Ooops! If you listened to episode 3 when it first came out you may have realised that the title didn't quite match the content. We've just updated the title and the show notes below, and stay tuned for when we'll be soon…
Talking overdiagnosis [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 35:36
In this month's Talk Evidence, Helen and Juan are reporting from Preventing Overdiagnosis - the conference that raises issues of diagnostic accuracy, and asks if starting the process of medicalisation is always the right…
Planet centred care - Greening the gaze [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 45:10
Planet centred care is new podcast series for the BMJ exploring issues related to environmentally sustainable healthcare, aimed at all clinicians, and anyone working in healthcare, who want to make sure they can continue…
Planet centred care - It’s all about working together [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 42:37
Healthcare is a complex system, and if we want to make changes such as those needed for sustainable healthcare, we need to work across multiple teams, and make sure we hear everyone’s voice, including our patients’. In t…