Optimistic Outlook

Successfully addressing the climate crisis requires significant progress by 2030. Will we get there? Christiana Figueres, a former UN climate leader who led the process securing the Paris Climate Agreement, offers expert perspective, defining the current state of the problem and how we can grow our ability to rapidly put solutions into action. Prepare to be uplifted about what’s possible and to learn about critical climate priorities slated for the UN climate conference COP28.

Christiana is a Founding Partner of Global Optimism, co-presenter of climate podcast Outrage + Optimism, and co-author of "The Future We Choose: The Stubborn Optimist's Guide to the Climate Crisis."

Show notes:

Christiana's TED talk: https://www.ted.com/talks/christiana_figueres_the_inside_story_of_the_paris_climate_agreement?language=en

Outrage + Optimism: https://www.outrageandoptimism.org/

Accelerating carbon reduction: https://www.siemens.com/us/en/company/sustainability.html

Imagine self-healing concrete or traffic lights with “eyes” that save lives in crosswalks. Technology startup leaders join Barbara to discuss breakthrough innovations that could be accelerated by the launch of a new White House initiative: Advanced Research Projects Agency – Infrastructure (ARPA-I). Listen for inspiring, detailed insights from Ginger Krieg Dosier, Founder and Board Member, Biomason, and Angus Pacala, CEO, Ouster, as they discuss the power of applying emerging technologies and fresh R&D investment to transportation infrastructure.

Show notes:

White House fact sheet: https://www.whitehouse.gov/ostp/news-updates/2023/06/13/fact-sheet-biden-harris-administration-announces-new-actions-hosts-inaugural-arpa-i-summit-to-highlight-the-next-generation-of-transportation-infrastructure-innovation-for-americans/

Ouster: https://ouster.com/

Biomason: https://biomason.com/

With American healthcare representing 10% of U.S. carbon emissions, decarbonizing hospitals and healthcare systems promises to deliver meaningful climate action. In this episode, Barbara brings listeners inside an innovative project reducing energy usage in imaging at University of California San Francisco (UCSF). The solutions will not only help to support decarbonization but yield immediate operational savings for hospitals and healthcare systems recovering financially from the pandemic. Guests are Dr. Sean Woolen, USCF’s Assistant Professor for Department of Radiology and Biomedical Imaging and Director of the Green Radiology, and Jerry Folsom, Global Head of Digital Portfolio for Healthcare and Life Science, Siemens Smart Infrastructure.

Show notes:

Study results: https://www.siemens-healthineers.com/en-us/press-room/press-releases/greenradiology

Smart healthcare: https://www.siemens.com/us/en/markets/healthcare.html

Press release: https://www.siemens.com/us/en/company/press/siemens-stories/usa/siemens-helps-put-sustainability-forefront-medical-imaging-care.html

Effective partnerships between large companies and startups can accelerate net-zero strategies and even produce cost savings that strengthen the business case. Recording from the TED Countdown Summit, Barbara talks to Maisie Devine, Executive Director of Sustainable Innovation at AB InBev and Founder of the award-winning 100+ Accelerator program, which is building an ecosystem of partners delivering breakthrough advancements in supply chain decarbonization. They share takeaways from the conference and introduce listeners to a unique vertical farming project that could remake hops production. Siemens is a member of the TED Future Forum, a TED Countdown initiative focused on the role of business in accelerating solutions to the climate crisis.   

Show notes: 

100+ Accelerator: https://www.ab-inbev.com/sustainability/100-accelerator/ 

Vertical farming: https://www.siemens.com/global/en/company/stories/industry/2023/vertical-farming-controlled-environment-agriculture-cea-digital-transformation-sustainability-80-acres-farms.html 

Barbara shares her keynote speech from May’s Automate conference in Detroit.

Show notes:

Siemens and FREYR: https://press.siemens.com/global/en/pressrelease/freyr-scale-battery-cell-gigafactory-production-siemens-xcelerator

 Advanced Manufacturing: https://www.siemens.com/us/en/company/topic-areas/advanced-manufacturing.html

Optimizing Battery Production: https://www.siemens.com/us/en/company/topic-areas/advanced-manufacturing/large-battery-manufacturing.html

Barbara reflects on how her ideas about leadership changed during the pandemic by sharing an audio version of her recent leadership essay, The Greatest Gift We Can Give Our Organizations.

Show Notes:

Comment on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/greatest-gift-we-can-give-our-organizations-barbara-humpton/

Art of Leading Interview: https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/key-role-leaders-help-people-understand-what-good-looks-adam-bryant/?trackingId=gXb6mof6ZeWLcKVC6p4P1w%3D%3D

Barbara’s 2021 leadership essay: https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/i-fell-ill-covid-19-shutdowns-began-heres-what-taught-barbara-humpton/

Siemens CEO Roland Busch joins Barbara to discuss “glocalization” and how to scale technologies shaping a better tomorrow as industry and infrastructure become more productive and sustainable. 

Show notes:  

Roland on glocalization: https://www.weforum.org/agenda/2023/01/globalization-isn-t-working-but-glocalization-can-davos2023/ 

Siemens Xcelerator and Industrial Metaverse: https://new.siemens.com/global/en/company/insights.html 

Roland’s annual shareholders meeting speech: https://assets.new.siemens.com/siemens/assets/api/uuid:44ea0485-0c69-4005-be07-ae7364cf41aa/Roland-Busch-HV-Rede-2023-EN.pdf 

Rail Manufacturing Announcement: https://press.siemens.com/global/en/pressrelease/siemens-mobility-invest-220-million-north-carolina-rail-manufacturing-facility 

The U.S. power grid has been called both the “greatest machine ever built” and the “great enabler” of our greatest innovations. But can we successfully reinvent it? In this decade of action, with technology companies stepping up and new federal climate and infrastructure laws moving forward that each focus on power grid modernization, Barbara is joined by Karen Wayland, CEO, Gridwise Alliance. Karen is a recognized expert in national energy and environmental policy who has served in leadership positions at the highest levels of government and nonprofits.

Show notes:

Gridwise Alliance: https://gridwise.org/

Grid Modernization: https://www.siemens.com/us/en/company/bipartisan-infrastructure.html

Clarence Anthony, CEO and Executive Director, National League of Cities, joins the podcast to provide a local perspective on the deployment of the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law. With many communities directly accessing federal infrastructure funds for the first time, Anthony outlines priorities for cities, towns, and villages nationwide.     

 Show Notes:   

For the last episode of 2022, Barbara is joined by Dr. Connie Hadley, an organizational psychologist and founder of the Institute for Life at Work, to discuss how to build stronger, more innovative teams. Building on the show’s core theme of optimism and last year’s episode on growth mindset, this conversation unpacks how work cultures rooted in trust and psychological safety foster individual resilience and wellbeing. The outcome? Work environments more conducive to healthy risk taking that lead to growth and more impactful results.

Show notes:

Psychological Safety 101: https://www.institutelifework.org/topic-briefings/psychologicalsafety