Cleaning Up: Leadership in an Age of Climate Change
Cleaning Up: Leadership in an Age of Climate Change
Once a week, Michael Liebreich and Baroness Bryony Worthington sit down with a leader in clean energy, mobility, climate finance or sustainable development. These in-depth interviews are illuminating and inspiring, and with a catalogue of nearly 200 episodes, there are few better guides to the net-zero transition.
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Cleaning Up: Leadership in an Age of Climate Change

Cleaning Up

We are a media and events platform dedicated to:

• Helping identify scalable climate solutions and exploring their challenges and trade-offs.
• Facilitating the creation of networks for action, bringing together different players and actors
• Amplifying the influence of those offering real solutions in order to accelerate their uptake.

Watch our latest episode on YouTube (or find it on your favourite podcast platform):

Recent Episodes

270
Aug. 12, 2026

AI Has An Electricity Problem | Ep270: Arshad Mansoor

Will AI break the grid? As hyperscalers race to build ever-larger data centres, electricity demand is soaring. The question is no longer whether power demand will grow, but by how much, how quickly, and whether the grid can deliver. This week, Michael Liebreich is joined by Arshad Mansoor, President & CEO of the Electric Power Research Institute (EPRI), one of the world's leading energy research organisations. Together, they tackle one of the biggest questions facing the global energy system:
Aug. 10, 2026

How Renewables Are Replacing Australia's Ageing Coal Fleet | Deep Dive Australia 07: Paul Simshauser

Australia has one of the world's fastest-moving electricity systems. It leads the world in rooftop solar, has deployed grid-scale batteries at extraordinary speed, and is now starting to replace its ageing coal fleet with cleaner sources of energy. But as renewable costs rise and electricity demand grows, can the transition remain affordable while maintaining a reliable power system? This week on Cleaning Up, Michael Liebreich is joined by Paul Simshauser, CEO of Iberdrola Australia, and one
269
Aug. 5, 2026

How Microbes Make and Break the World Around Us | Ep269: David Kirchman

Microbes rarely feature in discussions about climate change, yet they play a central role in regulating greenhouse gases through the Earth's carbon, methane and nitrogen cycles. As the climate changes, understanding these natural processes is becoming increasingly important to develop new approaches to clean energy, agriculture and emissions reduction. This week on Cleaning Up, Bryony Worthington speaks with Professor Emeritus David Kirchman of the University of Delaware, one of the world's l
Aug. 3, 2026

Why The Transition Hasn't Made Australians Rich Yet | Deep Dive Australia 06: David Pocock

David Pocock is one of Australia's most influential politicians, working as the Senator of the Australian Capital Territory. He brings a distinctive perspective to some of the country's biggest debates, from climate policy and energy security to democratic reform and the future of work. A former captain of the Australian rugby team, David entered politics after years of speaking out on issues including climate change, equality and environmental protection. Four years into his Senate career, h
268
July 29, 2026

The Crisis Forcing An Energy Revolution | Ep268: Jonathan Maxwell

The UK is heavily exposed to global energy markets and has some of the highest electricity prices in Europe. At the same time, vast amounts of heat generated across industry and infrastructure go unused. Whether it should be called "waste" is a matter of debate, but could making better use of the energy we already produce be one of the biggest untapped opportunities in the energy transition? This week, Michael Liebreich is joined by Jonathan Maxwell, founder and CEO of SDCL, a specialist inve

Reviews

Best podcast out there

"This is my favourite podcast ! Strikes a great balance between subject knowledge and big picture views, easy to follow for non-energy experts. What I love most is the combination of high profile inte…"

-gruff-a-lo- | May 27, 2022

Informative, accessible and optimistic

"Sensible, intelligent and (usually) entertaining people engaged in finding solutions to the climate crisis we have got ourselves into. A must listen for the climate catastrophists (if that’s a thing?)"

Mattyhoose | June 9, 2022

Mandatory listening for those in cleantech

"Great podcast with superb guests, who get an incisive grilling. More please!"

Finlay McWin | June 20, 2023

The best show for anyone with an interest in climate change

"Michael and his guests (both as hosts and regular guests) offer incredible insight and cover a huge range of topics in this hugely important field. Michael is firm in his beliefs and isn’t afraid to …"

cbfoster123 | Dec. 11, 2023

Very good and important show

"This show is fantastic and should be much more popular and mainstream so that everyone can discuss the energy transition with knowledge rather than emotion"

EddieRosie | July 21, 2024

Essential listening

"Clarifying and comprehensive. Has removed much confusion around environmental and sustains topics for me."

AndrewDSmith00 | Jan. 28, 2025

Insightful and broad ranging podcast

"This podcast is hugely insightful in cutting through some of the noise and demystifying the energy transition. It covers a range of topics from policy to technology and also as far as human behaviour…"

T H M P | Dec. 5, 2024

Always interesting and well presented

"Proper discussions that get to the heart of the biggest issue of our time. Unafraid to debate and no bull."

Them Changes first single | Feb. 20, 2025