TRACK CHANGES - climate change and sustainability interviews

Murray Griffin
TRACK CHANGES - climate change and sustainability interviews

TRACK CHANGES interviews people working for decarbonisation, nature repair, and a less polluted and wasteful world. Their insights can help us achieve change in our own working lives. The podcast is hosted by Murray Griffin, from climate and sustainability communications and content consultancy Earthed.au. It includes regular chats with Mark Tilly, AsIa Pacific editor for Carbon Pulse and Biodiversity Pulse.

  1. Geoengineering through solar radiation modification - a last chance option?

    18/12/2024

    Geoengineering through solar radiation modification - a last chance option?

    There is no doubt that we have the means and the knowledge to rapidly decarbonise, reach net zero, and become net negative. But success is not guaranteed.  If we falter over the coming years, could geoengineering through solar radiation modification be a last chance option? Might we reach the point where we need to cool the planet, to give us a bit more breathing space while we decarbonise? Is it possible, or is it too dangerous? Would it undermine efforts to rapidly decarbonise? Would the benefits outweigh the risks, taking into account the harm already being done due to global heating? How would the world decide whether to deploy solar radiation modification (SRM), or even whether to conduct research? Who would make these decisions and what would the guardrails be? These questions are terrifying to contemplate. But so is the prospect of temperature rise beyond 1.5 degrees.  Not surprisingly, there are deep divisions among the scientific community. Some scientists - including high-profile climate scientist James Hansen - consider our current situation is so dire that there should be a rigorous, rapid scientific assessment of the feasibility and impacts of SRM approaches. There are other scientists who are resolutely opposed to SRM, and consider it a dangerous distraction from a focus on decarbonisation and greenhouse gas drawdown.  In this episode, I talk to Janos Pasztor who for seven years worked with the Carnegie Climate Governance Initiative, which took neither a pro- or anti- approach to SRM, instead focusing on governance issues around solar radiation management.  He also talks about a new report on SRM issued by the EU Commission's top scientific advisory body.  Janos's previous roles include UN Assistant Secretary General for Climate Change and senior advisor on climate change to then UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-Moon, in the lead-up to the 2015 Paris climate COP that led to the Paris Agreement. He has also held senior executive roles with environment group WWF International, the UN Environment Programme (known as UNEP), and with the secretariat to the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change. Discover more on the various views on SRM: The Carnegie Climate Governance Initiative (operating from 2016 to 2023) https://c2g2.net Solar radiation modification - a report published in December 2024, by the EU Commission's Group of Chief Scientific Advisors. https://scientificadvice.eu/advice/solar-radiation-modification/ SAPEA evidence review report - solar radiation modification, also published in December 2024 https://portal-cdn.scnat.ch/asset/3af0316d-c0f2-5ca6-b543-c9bdba33baa5/srmerr.pdf 'Impact of solar geoengineering on temperature-attributable mortality', also published in December 2024, https://www.pnas.org/doi/abs/10.1073/pnas.2401801121?af=R 'Safeguarding the polar regions from dangerous geoengineering' (November 2024) https://www.researchgate.net/publication/385550908_Safeguarding_the_polar_regions_from_dangerous_geoengineering 'An open letter regarding research on reflecting sunlight to reduce the risks of climate change,' (February 2023), signed by more than 100 physical and biological scientists studying climate and climate impacts, including James Hansen https://climate-intervention-research-letter.org

    57 min
  2. International trade and climate policy; plus going feral

    15/12/2024

    International trade and climate policy; plus going feral

    “We are not getting to net zero, we are not going to meet our climate goals, unless we deal with the emissions associated with international trade.” Emma Aisbett. A double-header episode, firstly covering climate change and international trade, then an update efforts to better manage a key threat to Australia's biodiversity. Preventing catastrophic climate change requires a new approach to international trade. But the World Trade Organisation has struggled to step up. What is being done to ensure trade policy doesn’t stand in the way of climate change action, but is instead supportive of it? And what more can be done? In this episode, you'll hear from climate and trade expert Emma Aisbett, Associate Professor at the Australian National University School of Law. Emma has a bachelor of chemical engineering (UNSW), a masters degree in environmental change and management (Oxford University), and a PhD in economics (UC Berkeley). Her current research centres on trade-related climate policy and international green industrial policy, and she has some intriguing things to say, covering issues including carbon border adjustment mechanisms (CBAMs) and guarantee of origin schemes. Then, it's a change of topic. You'll hear from Mark Tilly, Asia Pacific editor of Carbon Pulse and Biodiversity Pulse about one of the biggest threats to Australia's biodiversity, and what's being done about it. Feral cats in Australia kill over 1.5 billion native mammals, birds, reptiles and frogs, and 1.1 billion invertebrates each year. Predation by cats is a recognised threat to over 200 nationally threatened species, and 37 listed migratory species.  Mark gives us an update on the latest efforts by federal, state and territory environment ministers to deal with this threat. Discover more: Papers that Emma has recently contributed to include: ·      Eight principles to design certification for embedded emissions in major export products. https://policybrief.anu.edu.au/eight-principles-to-design-certification-for-embedded-emissions-in-major-export-products/ ·      Principles for embedded emissions accounting to support trade-related climate policy. https://researchportalplus.anu.edu.au/en/publications/principles-for-embedded-emissions-accounting-to-support-trade-rel You can find out more about Australia's efforts to deal with feral cats here https://www.dcceew.gov.au/environment/invasive-species/feral-animals-australia/feral-cats.  And you can find out more about Carbon Pulse and Biodiversity Pulse here https://carbon-pulse.com.

    53 min
  3. COP29 wrap: A surprise, a superfan, and Singapore

    05/12/2024

    COP29 wrap: A surprise, a superfan, and Singapore

    In this episode, find out from Evan Stamatiou what has prompted the Global South to become more enthusiastic about carbon markets. And hear his thoughts on the COP 'beehive', as well as on the importance of COP-complementary action, as demonstrated by regional leaders such as Singapore.  And for all you wonks out there who think you understand the Paris Agreement's Article 6 international cooperation provisions, chances are you don't! That's because you've focused on Article 6.2 (country to country trading) and 6.4 (a centralised crediting scheme under UN supervision), and overlooked the importance of the Agreement's 'non-market' Article 6.8 cooperation measure!  Article 6.8 superfan Emily Gerrard explains its significant potential, and describes the likely impact of what was achieved at Baku on Article 6.  Plus Mark Tilly gives an overview of the COP, discusses the quality of the COP's Article 6 decisions, and describes the COP's most surprising speech. Was this the finance COP or the nothing-much-but-finance COP? Did the COP's presidential problem turn out to be not so much the US President-elect, but the Azerbaijani COP presidency? For answers to all these questions and more, tune in here!  For more of Evan's reflections on COP, check out his LinkedIn posts: https://www.linkedin.com/in/evan-stamatiou-8916b115/. To read Emily's analysis of Article 6, check out here posts here: https://www.linkedin.com/in/emily-gerrard/. And for comprehensive international carbon and biodiversity news, check out Carbon Pulse and Biodiversity Pulse: https://carbon-pulse.com.  Explore related COP29 Track Changes episodes: Carbon markets and climate finance - an interview with Peter Castellas of Climate Zeitgeist. COP29 mix-tape - the COP from 'A' to 'J' (conference vox pops from the delegates pavilion). COP29: Richie Merzian - from climate negotiator to clean energy advocate. COP29: Leaders of today and tomorrow (Three speakers at the leaders segment that kicked off COP29 - UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, the UN's chief  climate scientist Jim Skea, and the Prime Minister of Barbados, Mia Mottley - followed by two leaders of tomorrow - Toni Kemel Soalablai and Charlie Bevis - who are both involved in the Youth Negotiators Academy. COP29: Damaged but not lost - an interview with WWF's Kesaya Baba.

    1h 4m
  4. COP29: Peter Castellas on carbon markets and climate finance

    21/11/2024

    COP29: Peter Castellas on carbon markets and climate finance

    This COP29 episode is a chat with Peter Castellas, chief executive of Climate Zeitgeist. Peter founded Climate Zeitgeist to catalyse investment in business solutions that address climate change. Its activities include the annual Climate Investor Forum, which connects investors and climate change solutions providers. Peter talks about the COP, with a strong focus on progress being made on rules for carbon markets, which are a key instrument that enables climate change cooperation between countries and companies.  These rules are being established under what's known as Article 6 of the Paris Agreement. Article 6 comprises two parts. Article 6.2 provides for market-based exchanges of emissions abatement between countries. And article 6.4 provides for a UN-administered carbon market.  Explore related Track Changes episodes: COP29: A surprise, a superfan, and Singapore (reflections on COP from Evan Stamatiou of Climate Risk Management, Emily Gerrard of Comhar Group, and Mark Tilly of Carbon Pulse).  COP29 mix-tape - the COP from 'A' to 'J' (conference vox pops from the delegates pavilion). Richie Merzian - from climate negotiator to clean energy advocate. Leaders of today and tomorrow (Three speakers at the leaders segment that kicked off the COP - UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, the UN's chief  climate scientist Jim Skea, and the Prime Minister of Barbados, Mia Mottley - followed by two leaders of tomorrow - Toni Kemel Soalablai and Charlie Bevis - who are both involved in the Youth Negotiators Academy. COP29: Damaged but not lost - an interview with WWF's Kesaya Baba, and Mark Tilly of Carbon Pulse.

    27 min
  5. COP29 mix-tape: Vox pops from the delegates pavilion

    20/11/2024

    COP29 mix-tape: Vox pops from the delegates pavilion

    Vox pops are journalism's equivalent of bungee jumping - you take a leap forward and hope for the best!  I wandered the corridors of the large area allocated for organisation and country pavilions at COP29, asking representatives about their work, and about their focus at the COP. You'll hear from people working on issues including health, adaptation, risk communication, solar energy, transition planning, carbon markets, infrastructure planning, the business response, methane mitigation, and more.  And you'll hear from people based in countries and regions including Bangladesh, Switzerland, the Horn of Africa, Sweden, Pacific island nations, India, and South Korea.  It was a particular honour to talk to Ghana's lead negotiator, Dr. Antwi-Boasiako Amoah. Ghana is a very active member of the V20, which is a coalition of 70 climate-vulnerable developing countries.  It was a thrill to record these interview snippets, and I hope you enjoy listening to them! (Oh, and one more piece of jargon you will hear - 'Article 6' refers to a part of the Paris Agreement that deals with international cooperation, especially through markets).

    36 min
  6. COP29: Richie Merzian - from negotiator to clean energy advocate

    18/11/2024

    COP29: Richie Merzian - from negotiator to clean energy advocate

    Richie Merzian is currently the chief executive of Australia's Clean Energy Investor Group, which represents investors in the clean energy transition. He is also a former member of Australia's negotiating team, so he can talk about the COP from both sides of the fence.  In this wide-ranging episode Richie explains how the negotiations operate, and describes what clean energy investors can bring to the table.  We also discuss whether the world would be better off with the US out of the negotiations for the next few years, and the potential impact of the G20 leaders summit.   Richie highlights how Australia's experiences with renewables deployment can help other countries that are on the same path. And he emphasises the potential value of Australia and the Pacific hosting COP31 in 2026.  It's a wide-ranging episode, and that's because my guest has a wide range of expertise. Tune in for some great insights!

    39 min
  7. COP 29: Leaders of today and tomorrow

    15/11/2024

    COP 29: Leaders of today and tomorrow

    This episode is a two-parter - the first part featuring leaders of today, and the second featuring leaders of tomorrow.  First up, you'll hear from three speakers at the leaders segment that kicked off COP29 - UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, the UN's chief  climate scientist Jim Skea, and the Prime Minister of Barbados, Mia Mottley.  (I'm a big fan of Prime Minister Mottley, and you'll understand why when you hear what she has to say about climate finance.) Then you'll hear from two leaders of tomorrow - Toni Kemel Soalablai and Charlie Bevis - who are both involved in the Youth Negotiators Academy. You will be amazed at what the Academy has achieved in a very short space of time. You'll also be fascinated with what Toni and Charlie have to say when I asked how different these negotiations would be, if it wasn't a conference of the parties, but was instead a conference of the parties' youth.

    49 min
  8. COP 29 - damaged, but not lost: We can still do this!

    12/11/2024

    COP 29 - damaged, but not lost: We can still do this!

    The episode features Kesaya Baba, who is heading up WWF Australia's delegation to the COP, and Mark Tilly, Asia Pacific editor of Carbon Pulse. There's excellent comments and insights from both. Yes, Trump's election win has damaged the mood of the COP, and the damage might extend beyond the atmospherics to some key issues that are the focus of the negotiations, as Mark explains.  But not everything is about Trump. Progress can still be made. Others could step up. And, as Kesaya says, limiting temperature rise to 1.5 degrees is not a lost cause.  Oh, and thanks to podcasting news service PodNews for listing Track Changes as a new and noteworthy podcast!

    45 min
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3 Ratings

About

TRACK CHANGES interviews people working for decarbonisation, nature repair, and a less polluted and wasteful world. Their insights can help us achieve change in our own working lives. The podcast is hosted by Murray Griffin, from climate and sustainability communications and content consultancy Earthed.au. It includes regular chats with Mark Tilly, AsIa Pacific editor for Carbon Pulse and Biodiversity Pulse.

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