Eco-business Podcast

This Earth Day, we speak to oceanographer & marine biologist, and founder of Mission Blue, Dr Sylvia Earle about why the ocean plays a crucial role in our fight against climate change.

In this podcast, Eco-Business speaks to three contributing authors to the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change's report from Malaysia, Singapore and the Philippines. The guests are: Associate Professor of Science, Technology and Society, Winston Chow, from the Singapore Management University, Dr Zelina Ibrahim, from the Faculty of Forestry and Environment in Universiti Putra Malaysia, Dr Rodel Lasco, executive director of the Oscar M. Lopez Center, a climate research foundation in the Philippines. The podcast was hosted by Eco-Business correspondent Liang Lei. Tune in as we discuss: The most important findings for Southeast Asia, Challenges and personal sacrifices from working on the report, Contentious discussions to approve a report summary, The value of the IPCC report, six editions and 30 years in, The scientists' hope for the future

Joining the Eco-Business Podcast to unpack the challenges of sustainable packaging are Alvin Lim, chief executive of packaging firm Rypax — which produces packaging from bamboo and sugarcane — and Professor Seeram Ramakrishna, chair of the Circular Economy Taskforce at the National University of Singapore. Tune in as we talk about: What is sustainable packaging? Why is sustainable packaging more expensive? Creating a circular economy for sustainable packaging Greenwashing in the packaging sector Will consumers pay more for sustainability?

The Eco-Business Podcast talks to Madhumitha Ardhanari, senior sustainability strategist at Forum for the Future. Tune in as we talk about: - How the invisibility of sand contributes to its secrecy - How Singapore came to be the world’s biggest importer of sand - Why speaking up about sand extraction matters - The three different ways sand is discussed in Singapore, which continue to justify the extraction of sand - How we may begin to think about alternative discourses of sand

A US$22 billion project involving 12,000 hectares of solar panels and 3,800km of cabling running from Darwin to Singapore might be the most ambitious renewable energy project ever. How will it work? Eco-Business talked to Fraser Thompson of project developer Sun Cable.

Joining the Eco-Business Podcast are Vanessa Ho, executive director of Project X, an NGO that campaigns for the rights of sex workers in Singapore, and Bernadette Victorio, programme director for Fair Finance Asia, which pushes for a fairer, more sustainable finance system. Tune in as talk about: The rules of engagement for NGOs in Singapore A campaign to help Vietnamese KTV workers What FICA means for NGOs How can businesses talk about human rights? Compassion fatigue and human rights How to rejuvenate Singapore's NGO sector The need to connect like minds

Joining the Eco-Business Podcast to talk about what the COP26 climate talks could mean for businesses in Asia is Malavika Bambawale, APAC MD of sustainability solutions for ENGIE Impact. Tune in as we discuss: The main themes to look out for at COP26 Taxes, subsidies, and carbon markets Asia’s “Chicken and egg hesitation” The net-zero backlash How can Asian businesses access climate finance? The need for immediate climate action

Burying archaic systems of waste management to make way for the circular economy is not an easy task, but it is urgently needed to support growing populations and to save our planet’s precious finite resources. Eco-Business speaks to Clarissa Morawski of Reloop about the government and corporate imperatives already driving this change in different parts of the world, as well as the legislative steps needed to close the holes in industry that are slowing the circular economy shift. Tune in as we talk about: - Moving away from the take-make-dispose model - Post-covid circular economy recovery models - The energy required to recycle - Solving waste management issues and changing consumption habits

It is no longer business as usual when it comes to how we tackle climate change and rising global temperatures. Eco-Business speaks to Elena Philipova, Refinitiv about how data can ensure countries and businesses are delivering on pledges to decarbonise. Tune in as we discuss: How the recent IPCC climate report will likely shape conversation at COP26 Moving from rhetoric to implementation Net-zero commitments and the danger of not moving fast enough to decarbonise economies Data and the importance of measuring absolute carbon emissions

Music is about escape, isn't it? When revellers are cutting shapes on the dance floor, can they really be inspired to take climate action? Eco-Business spoke to Robin Perkins, AKA El Búho, and Dilo from DJs For Climate Action, who argue why dance music can be a powerful force for the climate movement.

A plan is underway to enlarge the areas of the oceans that are safe havens for marine life. More than 190 countries have called for 30 per cent of the ocean to be protected by 2030. Joining the Eco-Business Podcast to talk about how target might be achieved is ‘Aulani Wilhelm, senior vice president, Center for Oceans at Conservation International. The Laysan albatross How marine protected areas work Why protecting the ocean matters The challenges of protecting the ocean Is the 30 by 30 target realistic?

With governments and companies racing towards net zero, Google has set a target to use clean energy for every location and every hour of operation by 2030. Is this possible?

The International Energy Agency was founded in 1970s to protect oil supplies. But in a bombshell report published last week, the IEA proposed an end to fossil fuels extraction if the world is to avoid the worst consequences of climate change. The Eco-Business Podcast spoke Peter Kiernan, lead energy analyst for The Economist Intelligence Unit, about: * The IEA's backstory * The changing link between energy and climate * What does no fossil fuels mean for Asia? * A turning point for decarbonisation * Net-zero targets: the devil is in the detail

The World Economic Forum – best known for its Annual Meeting in Davos since 1971 – has been a dynamic platform bringing together the best in business, politics and society to shape global industry agendas. How is WEF helping to shape China’s economic goals alongside its environmental and societal priorities?

Forget Lady Gaga and K-pop. It’s time to celebrate those working feverishly to avert climate doom, says Aaron Olivera, the man behind a proposed research ship that will gather more than a hundred scientists to study climate solutions.

The Eco-Business Podcast talks to Assaad Razzouk, renewable energy entrepreneur and host of the popular podcast, Angry Clean Energy Guy. Tune in as we talk about: Which climate solutions are most flawed? 'No time for nature-based solutions' The corporate net-zero trap The ESG bandwagon The scale of greenwashing How to communicate sustainability

In this podcast, Eco-Business talks to womentech investor Ananya Chandra about the dangers of gender bias in design and the importance of technologies that center women’s needs.

In this Eco-Business podcast, Victoria Haldane, a researcher with the Centre for Sustainable Health Systems and a PhD candidate at the Institute of Health Policy, Management & Evaluation at the University of Toronto unpacks the reasons why sustainability in the healthcare sector is an under-covered issue in the media and global healthcare forums, despite its outsized footprint.

Eco-Business talks to environmental psychologist Dr Denise Dillon about Singapore's uncomfortable relationship with nature, whether loving nature is essential for conservation, and why climate anxiety might be a good thing.

Only 9 per cent of the billions of tonnes of plastic produced is recycled, and the business of recycling is beset with challenges. Recycled plastic certification is one way to improve recycled plastic rates, but plastic certification schemes also face obstacles. Ryan Schoenike is the co-founder of recycling certification firm OceanCycle. Tune in as we talk about: Are consumer goods firms living up to their commitments? Where are the weak links in the plastic recycling chain? Protecting the people collecting plastic The impact of Covid on recyclers in Asia What is meant by "ocean plastic"? The future of plastic, recycling and the oceans