1 May, 2026

When eco‑dread feels overwhelming, laughter can look like cynicism. But for climate comedian Stuart Goldsmith, humour is less about avoidance and more about resilience. “It’s definitely a coping mechanism,” he says, “but maybe coping can inspire change.”

Goldsmith’s climate comedy sits in a tricky space. Climate change is serious, frightening and real, which is precisely why he’s taken it as his material. In sustainability terms, we might call this materiality: focusing on what genuinely matters. Goldsmith just happens to do it with a microphone.

So what can a joke really change? Behaviour change rarely happens because people are told what to do. Goldsmith avoids preaching, leading instead with vulnerability and silliness. The actions he highlights are small and human: swapping beef for pork (or stopping beef at all) to reduce food emissions, being vegan while avoiding lentil overload, or choosing economy over business class. Not perfection, but honest progress that is explored honestly, through the contradictions and missteps we all face when changing ingrained habits.

He avoids arguing with climate-deniers and focuses instead on the agnostic middle who broadly care about climate, and on corporate decision‑makers and sustainability teams. These are audiences who either need a reminder that all the work is worth it, or who often know the issue but need a small nudge, and as he puts it, “when you’re laughing, you’re much more receptive to ideas”.

He keeps the topic in the agenda, and that’s nothing minor. Eco‑dread (the fear, sadness and helplessness tied to environmental collapse), combined with the scale of the problem, can easily lead to overwhelm, silence and paralysis. Goldsmith counters this with whimsical, daft ideas as a way in.

Though we all know we need more than laughs, comedy, for Goldsmith, becomes a form of collective resilience. Laughing together reminds us we’re not alone and gently invites us to stay open and to keep trying – from wherever we are and with whatever reach or scale our abilities allow.

At GB, we believe businesses of all sizes and across all industries have a part to play. Our role is to understand their realities, and help turn intention into action, and small positive steps into impact at scale.

By Sarah Forero