Eco-Business Podcast Eco-Business

Steve Willis and Genevieve Hilton, the authors of "climate optimism" novel Fairhaven, tell the Eco-Business Podcast:

Why did you write this book?
Why do we need an optimistic take on climate change?
Does individual action matter?
Refreezing the Arctic – far fetched idea?
Criticism of fossil fuels executives writing a novel about climate solutions
Book chapters as pitches to industry

How can Asia Pacific secure water for future generations? The Eco-Business Podcast talks to the Vice President, Global Lifecycle Services, Emerging Markets, of water technology company Xylem, on why climate change will exacerbate existing water scarcity and quality issues in the region

Heat, storms, floods, fires – Asia is highly vulnerable to climate risk, but massively underinsured against it. This trend is putting the wallets and livelihoods of billions in jeopardy.

Data by global insurer Munich Re last month showed that the region was once again poorly indemnified in 2023, with only 14 per cent of US$50 billion of damages recovered.

Joining the Eco-Business Podcast to examine the factors holding Asia back on climate insurance are Dr Jack Xia, chief actuary of Singapore-based insurer Igloo, which offers an automated “Weather Index insurance” for farmers in Vietnam, and Dr Christopher Au, head of risk advisory and insurance firm WTW’s Asia Pacific Climate Risk Centre.

Tune in as we discuss:
- The reasons Southeast Asia is underinsured against growing extreme weather risks
- How insurers can strike a balance between keeping premiums affordable and ensuring business continuity
- The risk of uninsurable climate risks in the region
- The role of government and blended finance models
- What climate insurance could look like in the future

Can sustainable real estate address the climate-induced problems plaguing the Philippine capital of Manila? The Eco-Business Podcast talks to the chief sustainability officer of Arthaland Oliver Chan about the growing sustainable real estate market in the Philippines and how the company strikes a careful balance between sustainability and affordability

A strong oil and gas presence is expected at the COP28 climate summit this month, after host United Arab Emirates said everyone needs to be at the table to find better solutions to stop global warming.

But many remain sceptical of whether the industry can be earnest contributors to the climate agenda.

Fossil fuels are the primary cause of global warming, and some of the biggest energy majors have in recent years walked back their sustainability ambitions.

Blockbuster Big Oil earnings last year amid high fuel prices have led to profiteering accusations, while environmentalists suspect that fossil fuel lobbyists blocked more ambitious targets at last year’s COP27 in Egypt.

Joining the Eco-Business podcast to discuss the role that fossil fuel firms will play at COP28 is Charlotte Wolff-Bye, the chief sustainability officer of Petronas.

Petronas is Malaysia’s state-owned energy company, and one of the country’s biggest financial contributors. It has operations around the world, and its daily production averaged 2.4 million barrels of oil equivalent last year.

The company has also been present at past COP summits, where it has pledged action in areas such as better managing methane emissions.

Tune in as we discuss:
- What Petronas will bring to COP28
- Can there be greater action on the fossil fuel sector’s sizeable Scope 3 emissions?
- How Petronas aims to build trust with sceptics
- What a “responsible phase-down” of fossil fuels – as floated by COP28 leadership – entails
- The ideal outcomes from the climate summit

Transboundary haze pollution is back with a vengeance in Southeast Asia. The Eco-Business Podcast talks to RSPO CEO Joseph D'Cruz about what the palm oil oil sector can do to put out the peatland fires that have burned annually for four decades.