Terra.do - Solve #climatechange

Roxy Matthew Koll is a climate scientist at the Indian Institute of Tropical Meteorology. He is currently leading research on climate change—how it extends to the rapid warming in Indo-Pacific oceans—and impacts the global rainfall pattern, the monsoon and the marine ecosystem. He is a Co-Chair of the CLIVAR Indian Ocean Region Panel, and a Lead Author of the IPCC Special Report on Oceans and Cryosphere in a Changing Climate. The Indian Meteorological Society felicitated him with the Young Scientist Award in 2016, for his research on the changes in the monsoon.

In this podcast, Roxy talks how he got started on his climate journey, what climate change means in India, why monsoon predictability is so important, how India’s National Climate Change Plan needs to evolve and how best to tackle climate change as a country. 

Notes –

01:09 – Roxy’s climate change journey 

03:14 – Climate change in India 

10:56 – The lockdown in India affecting weather patterns

13:31 – Monsoon predictability 

21:22 – Indian National Climate Change Plan 

25:10 – Expectations about COP26

26:33 – Climate change narrative being presented by the media 

28:56 – Scientific communications 

30:26 – Tackling climate change

Ezhil Subbian has completed her degree in Industrial Biotechnology from Anna University, Chennai, and then went on to do a PhD in Molecular Biology and Biochemistry from Oregon Health & Sciences in Portland. 12 years in the Bay Area as part of the biotechnology industry led to her starting up her own company. She is the CEO of String Bio, a company that leverages methane, produced from waste or natural sources, to create next generation raw materials that are sustainable and traceable.

In this podcast Ezhil talks about how she got started on his journey, how market ready String Bio is, what role politics and regulators play, how do we bridge the gap between law and technology and lastly her hope for a course correction towards a ‘new normal’. 

Notes:

00:58 — Ezhil’s career arc 

04:46 — Details of work at String Bio

07:22 — Challenges that String Bio is facing 

09:58 — Politics and policy

13:34 — Future of String Bio connected to food security

15:37 — Bridging the gap between law and technology

19:32 — Fundamental shift from agriculture to science to provide food

23:25 — Technology shaping the narrative of sustainability and food security

27:54 — Course correction for a ‘new normal’ 

Fleur Newman has always been motivated to pursue a career where she can contribute to making our societies more sustainable. She currently leads the work on the Gender and Climate Change agenda item under the Climate Change Convention (UNFCCC) and is the Gender Focal Point and the Focal Point for Women at the UNFCCC Secretariat. Her background is in climate change, sustainable development, energy and international law and in advocating for gender equality and the empowerment of women and girls.

In this podcast, Fleur talks to us about her role in the UNFCCC, opportunities to correct gender imbalance and how as a society we need to collectively push for this to happen in the near future. 

Notes –

01:04 – Fleur’s starting point on his climate change journey 

02:14 – Describing the way the UNFCCC - Gender Function 

07:58 – How are women affected by climate change

12:16 – Resilience in terms of gender and climate change 

14:45 – Climate finance and women 

18:54 – Expectations from COP26

23:36 – Acknowledging challenges as opportunities 

Nnaemeka Ikegwuonu grew up in an agricultural family where he learnt practical crops cultivation and livestock keeping first hand as a kid. Nnaemeka wears several hats - he is the Executive Director of The Smallholders Foundation, which uses community radio to educate farmers. He has also founded ColdHubs which provides solar-powered cooling systems that help farmers in off-grid areas in Nigeria to maintain and extend the life of their harvest. He has received more than 23 awards during his professional and academic career including an Ashoka Fellowship, Nigeria’s Young Person of the Year and has been a Yara Prize Laureate. 

In this podcast Nnaemeka talks about how he got started on his journey, the role his companies play in helping farmers, how social entrepreneurship is a challenge must one jump into headfirst and lastly he hopes that everyone can be a change agent. 

Notes:

01:22 — The onset of Nnaemeka’s environmental journey

06:03 — Challenges faced by farmers in the region

08:42 — Role of The Smallholders Foundation

13:19 — ColdHubs and how it helps smallholder farmers

16:04 — Food security in Nigeria and Coldhubs role

18:22 — Politics and policy

20:06 — Social entrepreneurship

21:25 — Perception about climate change in Nigeria

26:16 — Being a change agent 

Harini Nagendra is a Professor of Sustainability at Azim Premji University. Harini is an ecologist who uses methods from the natural and social sciences - satellite remote sensing, biodiversity studies, archival research, GIS, institutional analysis, and community interviews, to examine the sustainability of forests and cities in the global South. She has also been a Lead Author of the 5th IPCC Report - Working Group III. She is a recipient of numerous awards for her research, has authored two books, and over 150 peer reviewed publications, including in Nature, Nature Sustainability and Science. 

In this podcast, Harini talks to us about her career path, the future of the forests and how relentless the cycle of fight for nature can be.

Notes –

01:19 – Harini’s career arc 

14:31 – Nature nurtures cities versus urbanisation killing green pockets 

18:59 – Covid19 within the frames of climate change 

23:35 – Forests protected by state and national laws 

29:44 – Work related to satellite remote sensing and technology for biodiversity assessment 

32:40 – National Geographic Explorer experiences

34:22 – Books on Bengaluru 

40:46 – Climate change narrative 

43:05 – Call to action  

Dr David Molden is Director General of ICIMOD (International Centre for Integrated Mountain Development), an intergovernmental organization dedicated to the mountains and the people of the Hindu Kush Himalayan Region. He has been instrumental in the development Hindu Kush Himalayan Assessment, an IPCC like assessment that lays out policy options for sustainable development in the region. He is now formulating the HKH Science Policy-Forum to bring countries together to jointly address issues of mountain environments, livelihoods and regional cooperation.      

In this podcast, Dr Molden talks about the role of ICIMOD, the Hindu Kush Himalayan assessment report, the challenges the Hindu Kush mountain region faces and his vision of a climate resilient future. 

Notes –

01:04 – Dr Molden’s starting point on his climate change journey 

10:04 – Role of ICIMOD

14:38 – Hindu Kush Himalayan Region feeding into future policy

16:39 – Examples of ICIMOD’s impact 

23:37 – Nepali government’s policies about climate change  

25:22 – Expectations about COP26

27:19 – Climate change narrative being presented by the media 

29:36 – Informed climate activism

30:59 – Tackling climate change

34:05 – Call to action 

Abhilasha Purwar is an environmental entrepreneur heading Blue Sky Analytics, which is building a global environmental data stack using geospatial & IoT datasets. Abhilasha graduated with a Masters of Environmental Management from Yale University in 2017. She is interested in energy and infrastructure finance (particularly in emerging economies). She is a certified yoga teacher and enjoys Acro Yoga, hiking, biking and backpacking

In this podcast, Abhilasha talks to us about gender diversity in the startup world, all about Blue Sky Analytics, ageism and climate change, ESG investments and so much more.

Notes –

00:59 – The onset of Abhilasha’s environmental journey

02:45 – Challenges of being a woman in the startup world

07:57 – Role of Blue Sky Analytics

12:55 – Ageism and climate change

20:10 – Tech and outdoor sports 

23:13 – Politics and policy

26:45 – ESG investing

30:53 – Tech shaping the narrative of climate change

35:53 – Making environmentalism cool 

Sejal Mehta is currently the editor at Marine Life of Mumbai, the flagship project of Coastal Conservation Foundation. Her past work includes Lonely Planet Magazine India, National Geographic Traveller India amongst others. She is a published author of children's books and fiction.

In this podcast, Sejal talks to us about the creatures that inhabit Mumbai’s beaches, how empowering citizenry with knowledge can increase their awareness about climate change and how important it is to think of Mumbai’s shorelines as a living, breathing thing. 

Notes –

01:07 – Marine Life of Mumbai 

10:48 – Coastal Road project 

17:38 – Social media and MLoM’s Instagram account 

22:06 – Coastwise- an intertidal zone festival/celebration 

26:06 – Outreach to the younger generation

28:31 – All about mangroves 

31:29 – Cleaning up of beaches 

33:58 – Media and spreading awareness

Dr Saleemul Huq is an expert on the links between climate change and sustainable development, particularly from the perspective of developing countries. He was the lead author of the chapter on Adaptation and Sustainable Development in the third assessment report of the IPCC. In 2007, he was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize – as a contributor to the Fourth Assessment Report of the IPCC. In the same year, he was also awarded the Burtoni Award for his contribution to capacity building in climate change negotiation of the developing countries. He is also the director of the International Centre for Climate Change and Development (ICCCAD) in Bangladesh. 

In this podcast, Dr Huq talks about the keys issues facing Bangladesh in climate change, how the role of COP’s have evolved, the climate change narrative in Bangladesh and how an empowered citizenry is the best way forward in terms of #climateaction. 

Notes –

01:20 –  Dr Huq’s starting point on his climate change journey 

03:03 – Key issues in climate change faced by Bangladesh

06:30 – How the Bangladeshi government deals with climate change

11:06 –  IPCC - role as an observer and COP’s

18:13 –  Climate finance 

21:21 –  Climate change narrative 

26:22 – How to tackle climate change 

Ryan Merrill is a recent Doctoral Research Fellow in Sustainability, Strategy and Innovation and an Adjunct Professor at Singapore Management University. He has spent 10 years in higher management in institutional finance, energy research, education, and consulting, and holds a PhD in Environmental Policy from the University of Southern California. Ryan is extremely passionate about the promise of mangrove forestry to lead the fight against climate change and is doing excellent work with his organization The Global Mangrove Trust. 

In this podcast, Ryan talks to us about the importance of mangroves in the fight against #climatechange and the mission and basis for his organization, Global Mangrove Trust. 

Notes –

02:24 – Global Mangrove Trust - mission and vision

05:16 – GROVE - A 2020 Lab idea

12:14 – Politics and policy 

17:08 – The key role of mangroves 

20:59 – Conservation awards for community stewardship of the forest

29:15 – Climate change narrative 

32:57 – Ryan’s call to action