How $147m supported citizens across America doing what most pundits said was impossible: ending the reign of King Coal, with Bruce Nilles

“We walked out of his office, to the first bar, had a couple shots of tequila, and then got to work”, says environmental lawyer Bruce Nilles on stage as our guest at ‘Climate Curious Live: Climate Impossible?’ in London, June 2026. In conversation with co-hosts Ben Hurst and Maryam Pasha, Bruce shares the surreal situation he found himself in when shutting down coal plants with the ex-mayor of New York, Michael Bloomberg. Tune in to learn how a bake-sale funded, grassroots movement was given the guidance and capital to scale up; eventually shuttering 92% of coal plants across the US, in one of the most effective and durable climate actions of our time.

Enjoyed this short? Listen to the full conversation with Bruce Nilles on Climate Curious: https://tedxlondon.com/podcasts/what-the-end-of-king-coal-means-for-big-oil-gas-with-bruce-nilles/

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Executive produced by Josie Colter

Produced by Ben Beheshty