Climate Conversations

From streaming a movie on Netflix, to e-commerce and e-banking, we rely on data centres to process and communicate information at lightning speeds. Yet they are energy and water guzzlers. How are governments balancing the lucrative opportunity of building more data centres but also managing their large electricity footprint? And what does an eco-friendly data center look like? Jaime Ho speaks to Darren Webb, co-founder and CEO of Evolution Data Centers, which specialises in sustainable data infrastructure.

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Just what did the most important climate conference since Paris in 2015 achieve? What did nearly 200 countries commit to and where did they fall below expectations? Have a few cans been kicked down the road to Egypt next year even if countries cannot afford a minute to waste? Jaime Ho gets Melissa Low, Research Fellow at the NUS Energy Studies Institute to give us her take.

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In a special edition, CNA's climate correspondent Jack Board reports on COP26 from Glasgow. While world leaders and corporate executives huddle in halls and on stages to decide the future of the Earth, he speaks to people who are clamouring for change but have been shut out from having a seat at the table: An indigenous group mother-and-daughter duo from the Philippines, a young man who gave up being a doctor to fight for the planet and a Thai architect. They outline what are “non-negotiables” and why the struggle for climate action must persist.

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Prime Minister Ismail Sabri Yaakob announced the country's goal of reaching net zero as early as 2050. Plans include ending new coal-fired power plants, increasing renewable energy capacity and adopting carbon tax. What are the challenges with implementation? What does it mean for Malaysia’s economy, and role of sectors such as fossil fuels and palm oil? Jaime Ho speaks to Hezri Adnan, Executive Director of the Malaysian Institute of Economic Research.

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From this week, negotiators and leaders will gather in Glasgow to negotiate outcomes that will set in place promises made in the landmark Paris Agreement of 2015. On the back of the latest IPCC report which delivered a “code red for humanity”, what can and must we expect at COP26? Jaime Ho speaks to Isabelle de Lovinfosse who works for the British Government as the Head of Southeast Asia COP 26 Strategy, based in Singapore.

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Advances in deep learning and computational power have made artificial intelligence (AI) less science fiction and more of a reality as a powerful tool in fighting climate change. But exactly what can it do to help us reduce emissions and mitigate impacts? What are the downsides of using AI to deal with a problem as complex as climate change? Jaime Ho speaks to Markus Kraft, Professor of Chemical Engineering and Director of Cambridge CARES, the University of Cambridge’s research centre based in Singapore and author of Intelligent Decarbonisation.

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With rising electricity prices and growing demand, how do electricity companies balance cost with carbon emissions reductions commitments? Why are alternative energy sources still not a big part of the mix and how can customers help in this green journey? Jaime Ho speaks to Lim Han Kwang, CEO of Geneco and Group Head (Retail, Regulation and Renewables) of YTL PowerSeraya to find out how they intend to hit sustainability targets and embrace green energy.

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The global shipping trade is a vast network of unimaginable scale: 90 per cent of the world's trade is done by sea. But where does global shipping stand within the world’s emissions reductions commitments? And why is it so hard for this industry to decarbonise? Can the industry lower its emissions or is that a bar too high? Jaime Ho talks to Sanjay Kuttan, Chief Technology Officer of the Global Centre for Maritime Decarbonisation.

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In 2019, passionate young people organised the SG Climate Rally. But with COVID-19, activism has leaned even further towards social media. But how far can it really go in driving climate action? Jaime Ho speaks to Woo Qiyun who runs the Instagram page The Weird and Wild for her take on how her brand of activism works, and on the challenges and opportunities behind this new virtual activism.

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We live in a world where the boom in e-commerce allows us to buy anything we want and have it delivered within the day. Yet we have also awoken to the impact of climate change, and the need to reduce waste and embrace sustainability. So how do we square this circle? Is there a gap between purpose and action? Is it about buying “greener” or just buying less? Jaime Ho speaks to Sharon Ng, Professor and Head of the Marketing Division at Nanyang Business School.

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