Climate Conversations

The home of the future is going to be a sustainable and a smart one so everyone can help reduce carbon emissions. Solar panels on the roof, appliances that conserve energy when not in use and a smart system that tells you how much you've consumed. How soon can these become a reality, how much would they cost and what about the challenge of retrofitting old buildings? Jaime Ho speaks to Manish Pant, Zone President in East Asia and Japan of Schneider Electric.

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The Ministry of Sustainability and the Environment has plans to create 55,000 new and upgraded jobs over the next 10 years. These plans need people but what are the skills and knowledge needed? Will passion and pay finally meet for future roles in sustainability? Jaime Ho speaks to two young guests who have already dipped their toes into this green future - Benedict Tan who majored in Environmental Studies at Yale-NUS and S Sandiyashini, a first year Life Sciences and Management student at NUS.

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The 6th Assessment Report from the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) found that things are bleak and the time to fix it is fast running out. Jaime Ho speaks to Winston Chow, Associate Professor of Science, Technology and Society at Singapore Management University and a contributor to the report, on what more governments, businesses and people can do to avoid the worst that will inevitably come.

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The young will inherit a planet very different from their parents. How aware are our students about climate change? What does going green and environmental education in schools look like and how much can they influence others around them with what they learn in class? Jaime Ho speaks to Tampines secondary school students Alexander Chua and Pratibha Naidu, and their teacher, Preeti Sheri.

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Ride-hailing companies like Grab and Gojek have announced a flurry of climate commitments in the form of electric vehicles or carbon offsets, including plans for fleets to run on clean energy by 2030. What sort of dent will they make in cutting emissions? What will a switch to electric vehicles mean for private hire drivers and consumers? And how does ride-hailing fit into Singapore’s car-lite vision? Jaime Ho speaks to Andrew Chan, Managing Director of Transport at Grab Singapore in this week’s episode.

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No natural eco-system captures carbon quite as well as the humble mangrove. What are the hidden opportunities and realities of what mangroves can do in mitigating climate change? And what role do such nature-based solutions play amid other strategies countries have to make in reducing emissions? Associate Professor Dan Friess from the National University of Singapore who has studied mangroves for over a decade, speaks to Jaime Ho.

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As nations target net-zero emissions goals, the quest to transform energy systems and shift towards renewables could move the needle on climate action. But how far can alternatives like solar, wind and biothermal still go, and what about carbon capture and storage? Jaime Ho speaks to Francesco La Camera, Director-General of the International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA) on the urgency of implementation and the questions around cost.

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Can Asia “radically reinvent” its energy systems and reduce reliance on fossil fuels despite rising demand? What are the “exit costs” when oil and gas companies change their business models? Accenture Senior Managing Director Valentin de Miguel speaks to Jaime Ho on the unique challenges facing the region and what companies and governments can do to make this leap.

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In tackling the climate crisis, nations have to transform their energy sector, a key component responsible for the majority of global greenhouse gas emissions. The International Energy Agency (IEA) has set out a pathway on what countries must do starting now. But how feasible are its projected milestones and can nations with vastly different resources keep to their commitments? Jaime Ho speaks to co-author of the IEA's report, Dr Timur Gul. 

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Can Indonesia get to net zero emissions by 2050, and what roles can a carbon tax and natural climate solutions play? And what about the tricky challenges of reducing fossil fuel subsidies and Indonesia's reliance on coal? Jaime Ho speaks to Dino Patti Djalal, Chairman of Foreign Policy Community of Indonesia and fellow at the Milken Institute’s Asia Center.

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