Kimiko Hirata shares her vision of a carbon-free Japan, and how shifting from “no” to “yes” is the key to mobilising people and government towards positive change. In the wake of the Fukushima nuclear disaster, Japan had the opportunity to keep its commitments to renewable energy, says Goldman Environmental Prize winner and environmental activist Kimiko. Instead Japan closed its nuclear sites and went all in on coal power plants and stands as the country with the fifth most coal power plants in the world. Kimiko joins Climate Curious to share why positive action is more powerful than negative narratives in decarbonising a nation. Recorded live at TED Countdown 2025 in conversation with Climate Curious co-host Ben Hurst.

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/climatecuriouspod/

TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@climatecuriouspod

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCtF6xzNkVIczlDmVcH8FCMA

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/10996041/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TEDxLondon

Website: https://tedxlondon.com/podcast/

All other links: https://linktr.ee/climatecuriouspod

Executive produced by Josie Colter

Produced by Ben Beheshty

Curated by Deesha Chandra

Hosted by Maryam Pasha and Ben Hurst

Communications by Tara Cooper and Issey Gladston

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.