World Resources Institute Podcasts Plus

Forests and farmland are part of the lives of more than 700 million people in India, but they need to be kept healthy if those people are to flourish. At a time of climate and biodiversity crises, nature-based solutions are a vital part of the answer. This WRI podcast explores the role of nature-based solutions in India. It is presented by Anjali Koppala, and features Romit Sen, Senior Vice President, Corporate Sustainability at HSBC India, and Siddharth Edake, Senior Manager in the Food, Land and Water program at WRI India.

Measuring the impact of nature-based solutions (NBS) interventions takes consistent ground-level data alongside independent, verifiable, satellite-based data. When collected together, the door opens for more private sector investment, helping to close the nature finance gap that’s at least $700 billion large. We bring you examples from Bangladesh and India to explore how projects are enticing more resources through the capture and use of remote sensing data.

Episode Guests include:

- Paulina Villalpando, Associate Director for Nature, HSBC

- Fred Stolle, Land & Carbon Lab Director of Impact, WRI

- Dipak Zade, Social Sciences Thematic Lead, WOTR

- Tapas Ranjan Chakrabotry, Climate Change Senior Programme Manager, BRAC

What do the world’s most climate-vulnerable countries need global leaders to achieve at this year’s COP29 UN climate summit? Experts from the Allied for Climate Transformation by 2025 (ACT2025) consortium — a unique coalition amplifying the voices of climate-vulnerable countries in climate negotiations — discuss their hopes, ambitions and concerns going into this year's climate conference, and reflect on progress since COP28.

Topics in this episode include the agreement in Baku on a new climate finance goal (NCQG), which will replace the $100 billion goal set in 2009, progress on addressing loss and damage, next-generation nationally determined contributions (NDCs) that are due early next year, and how to close the significant gaps that remain in finance for adaptation.

With Gabrielle Swaby of WRI, Alejandra Lopez from Transforma, and Saqib Huq from the International Centre for Climate Change and Development (ICCCAD).

Paving the way to COP29 next month and COP30 in 2025, Brazil hosted an impactful Clean Energy Ministerial (CEM) at the beginning of October. WRI experts met with global leaders all week, laying a foundation for Latin American countries to demand enabling regulatory frameworks for renewable energy deployment and financing — two topics that regional expert peers also highlighted during our discussion. It’s critical to enact policies in emerging markets that allow private and public finance to flow into and upgrade energy systems.

Episode Guests:

- Sylvana Bohrt, International Clean Energy Associate, WRI Energy Program

- Ana Teixeira, Country Transition Analyst, Bloomberg NEF

- Juan Paredes, Senior Renewable Energy Specialist, Inter-American Development Bank (IADB)

Additional BNEF Resources:

- Energy Transition Factbook 2024, launched in October 2024:

https://assets.bbhub.io/professional/sites/24/Clean-Energy-Ministerial-Factbook-2024.pdf

- Brazil Transition Factbook, launched in September 2024:

https://assets.bbhub.io/professional/sites/24/Brazil-Transition-Factbook.pdf

The Clean Energy Ministerial (CEM) is the annual COP of energy where the major drivers of responses to climate change and clean energy solutions can hammer out what the future global energy system could and should look like. It’s a perfect chance ahead of COP29 to gather, deliberate and plan for a decarbonized planet.

WRI experts will be on the ground in Brazil all week (September 30 – October 4) sharing their expertise and collaborating with renewable energy industry leaders to advance clean energy in Latin America, a region that’s surprisingly less dependent on fossil fuels than most. .

In addition to providing an opportunity to forge stronger partnerships, CEM demonstrates how WRI is well-positioned to help ensure a just and equitable future for people, nature and climate. Alex Dolan, Communications and Engagement Lead for WRI’s Global Energy Program, explores the role that South America countries will play at the conference and beyond.

Episode Guests:

- Javier Bustos-Salvano, Executive Director for ACENOR

- Tatsatom Goncalves | Research Fellow, WRI Energy

China’s impact on global supply chains is unparalleled, so decarbonizing the businesses that set up shop in that country — from fashion sector leaders like Decathlon to food & beverage behemoths like Budweiser – is paramount to meeting international energy targets.

In the third episode of this series, you’ll hear about the different strategies the CSP team in China is using to slash Scope 3 emissions, which typically make up a majority of a corporation’s carbon footprint. 

WRI China researchers laid out a sector-wide blueprint to begin their science-based decarbonization journey and partnered with major brands to model a new strategy for increasing renewable energy use up and down supply chains. Pairing the economic influence of big companies with the ambition of small businesses that make up their supply chain is a replicable recipe to reduce emissions... rapidly. 

Episode Host:

- Wenquan Zhang - WRI China Research Associate

Episode Guests:

- Mofan Zhang - WRI China Research Analyst

- Anthony Wei - Decathlon’s North Asia Zone Sustainability Director

- Terry Yao - Budweiser's Sustainability & Agriculture Development Director of Procurement APAC

Delivering healthcare is a 24/7 job. But what happens when the electricity supply – necessary for so many critical procedures and equipment, medications, and operating facilities – is unreliable? Hear how HSBC India partnered with WRI India to finance solar power and battery energy storage solutions for rural healthcare facilities across three Indian states of Jharkhand, Maharashtra, and Assam.

Creating a consistent electrification plan has improved service for more than 400,000 patients. Ensuring reliable, renewable energy means that health facilities can focus on what they do best; serving their patients safely. Shivani Shah, Senior Communications Manager, talks about the successes and challenges of scaling solar-based healthcare to thousands of facilities across the country, with multiple WRI and non-WRI experts. Guests for the episode include:

- Dr. Rajni Gupta – Program Manager, Catholic Health Association of India (CHAI)

- Romit Sen – Senior Vice President, Corporate Sustainability, HSBC India

- Lanvin Concessao – Program Manager, WRI India Energy Program

- Rishikesh Mishra – Senior Program Associate, WRI India Energy Program

All eyes are on Asia as it attempts to complete a clean energy transition away from fossil fuels. National governments will have to work with the private sector to achieve their ambitious climate goals. That’s where the Climate Solutions Partnership (CSP) comes into play.

With financial support from HSBC, WRI researchers are innovating and implementing data-backed solutions to steer more private finance toward the scaling up of renewable energy across Asia. Hear from three experts at the forefront of the nexus between capital and clean energy to see how the Asian countries where the CSP operates in – China, India, Indonesia and Vietnam – are leading the way toward a decarbonized future, as well as the challenges they face in completing that journey.

Guests include:

- Justin Wu, Asia-Pacific Co-Head of Climate Change, HSBC

- Beni Suryadi, Acting Manager of Sustainable & Renewable Energy, ASEAN Center for Energy (ACE)

- Deepak Krishnan, Deputy Director, Energy Program, WRI India

Looking back on the Asian Development Bank’s Asia Clean Energy Forum (ACEF), WRI experts, Marlon Apanada and Jennie Chen explain the important role that WRI plays as a thought-leader, as well as convening stakeholders and implementing innovating solutions to help Asia achieve its clean energy transition goals.

Apanada and Chen explore pre-conference predictions and anticipate upcoming major regional agreements that will impact the future of renewable energy on the continent, as well as how WRI’s work aids Asia in meeting these goals while ensuring benefits for people, nature and climate.

As ACEF 2024 wraps up, WRI brings you a closer look at the innovative aspects of agrivoltaics that China is tapping into to reach its goal of tripling renewable energy by 2030. Looking beyond the clean energy conference, Shengnian Xu, a research associate in WRI China’s Energy program, sees WRI being well-positioned to help lead the global discussions around critical minerals...a topic that dominated the discussions at the Asian Development Bank’s week-long event.

Check out our full coverage of ACEF at: https://www.wri.org/podcasts