Carbon Clarity

Kev Couling

Carbon Clarity is a podcast for the carbon curious - with interviews, news and views from experts in the world of carbon and sustainability.We connect with some amazing guests to bring you insight, interest and clarity. If you want to find out more about Hut22, head over to our website: hut22.co.uk

  1. #22: 3 things I'd tell every organisation kickstarting their Net Zero journey.

    MAR 25

    #22: 3 things I'd tell every organisation kickstarting their Net Zero journey.

    Episode 22: 3 Things I'd Tell Every Organisation Kickstarting Their Net Zero Journey Most organisations have someone responsible for net zero. Far fewer have someone genuinely accountable for it. And that gap — between good intentions and actual emissions reductions — is where years get lost. In this solo episode, host Kev Cooling steps back from the interview format to share the three things he'd tell any organisation that's serious about reducing its carbon footprint. Drawn from over 20 years in carbon management and distilled into his two free hackbooks on Governance and Leadership, these aren't the flashiest ideas in sustainability — but they are the most consistently overlooked. In this episode: Why giving someone a job title isn't the same as making them accountable — and what genuine accountability actually looks likeThe shadow leaders cast, and why one visible act of hypocrisy can undo months of hard workWhy trying to convert everyone in your organisation is one of the biggest energy drains in sustainability — and where to focus insteadWhether your net zero programme has stalled or you're just getting it off the ground, this episode will give you a clearer sense of where to put your energy first. Free resources mentioned: Governance Hackbook — www.hut22.co.ukLeadership Hackbook — www.hut22.co.ukWebsite: https://www.hut22.co.uk LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kevin-couling/ Music credits: March of the Bold by Balloon Planet (via Artlist.io) Check out their stuff here: https://soundcloud.com/balloon-planet

    19 min
  2. #21 The rulebook that could transform UK construction.

    MAR 2

    #21 The rulebook that could transform UK construction.

    The Rule Book That Could Transform UK Construction. Until recently, anybody could say their building was net zero — and define what that meant in their own terms. The UK Net Zero Carbon Building Standard was created to change that. In this episode, Kev is joined by two people who know it inside out: Will Arnold, Head of Sustainable Materials at the Useful Simple Trust and the standard's technical author, and Apeksha Gupta, Principal Consultant in ESG and Net Zero at Greengage, who spent 2025 applying it to real buildings on behalf of real clients. Between them, they cover what 200+ pilot projects taught the steering group, why the data infrastructure you put in place today will define your ability to decarbonise tomorrow, and how a heritage-listed office in the City of London came within touching distance of net zero aligned status. Will also reveals what's new in version one — including a practical completion on-track check that could be a game-changer for speculative developers — and explains why a coalition of global investors managing trillions in real estate concluded this was the only standard in the world that did what they needed. If you work in the built environment, this is the episode to get you ready for version one. Things mentioned in the show: • UK Net Zero Carbon Building Standard (pilot version, launched late 2024; version one forthcoming): Pilot Version | UK Net Zero Carbon Buildings Standard • UK Green Building Council (UKGBC) — research that led to the standard (2021): UKGBC - The UK Green Building Council • BREEAM / LEED / NABERS — certification schemes referenced in context: Certification for Sustainable Buildings | BREEAM, LEED rating system | U.S. Green Building Council, About NABERS UK | CIBSE Certification • RICS Professional Standard on Whole Life Carbon — Whole life carbon assessment (WLCA) for the built environment Website: https://www.hut22.co.uk LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kevin-couling/ Music credits: March of the Bold by Balloon Planet (via Artlist.io) Check out their stuff here: https://soundcloud.com/balloon-planet

    54 min
  3. #20 The gap between media noise and boardroom action has never been bigger.

    JAN 28

    #20 The gap between media noise and boardroom action has never been bigger.

    The gap between media noise and boardroom action has never been bigger. In this episode of Carbon Clarity, I'm joined by Will Symons, Deloitte's Asia Pacific Sustainability Leader, for a conversation that cuts through the headlines. We cover:  🌏 Why China's climate commitments matter more than you think  🔄 The shift from marketing departments to CFO desks  🤖 How AI could be climate's secret weapon (not its enemy)  🏗️ What Australia's rapid grid transformation teaches the world  📊 The real drivers behind corporate sustainability action Will's leading 1,500 sustainability practitioners across the region and has a unique view on what's actually happening versus what we're reading about. If you've been wondering whether the sustainability agenda is really slowing down, this conversation will give you a very different perspective. Stuff mentioned in the show: ISSB (International Sustainability Standards Board) - S1 & S2 TNFD (Task Force on Nature-related Financial Disclosures) IFRS Sustainability Disclosure Standards Paris Climate Agreement (Paris Agreement/COP21) NDCs (Nationally Determined Contributions) NABERS (National Australian Built Environment Rating System) NABERS UK Green Steps Program (Monash University) #CarbonClarity #Sustainability #ClimateAction #AsiaPacific #Leadership Website: https://www.hut22.co.uk LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kevin-couling/ Music credits: March of the Bold by Balloon Planet (via Artlist.io) Check out their stuff here: https://soundcloud.com/balloon-planet

    54 min
  4. #19: Building more than networks: How energy infrastructure creates social value AND saves carbon.

    11/26/2025

    #19: Building more than networks: How energy infrastructure creates social value AND saves carbon.

    When you hear about half-billion-pound heat network projects, you probably think: carbon savings, right?  But what if I told you these massive energy infrastructure schemes are also creating apprenticeships, building local supply chains, and bringing serious inward investment to cities?  Kit Gillibrand from Hermetica Black has spent over a decade turning complex energy projects into reality – from Madagascar to Manchester. And he's got a powerful message: the best energy infrastructure projects don't just decarbonize cities, they transform them.  In this conversation, Kit explains how places like Greater Manchester are using long-term energy contracts to develop local skills, why removing government grants might actually force better decisions, and how energy infrastructure is becoming the foundation for development rather than a cost on top of it.  If you've ever wondered how these enormous projects actually get financed, built, and delivered – or why they're about so much more than just saving carbon – this episode is for you.  🎧 Listen to Carbon Clarity – wherever you get your podcasts. Things mentioned in the show: Find Kit on LinkedIn, here. Find Hermetica Black, here. The Spark Gap - the difference in cost / kWh of gas and electricity. Useful article from the EcoExperts here. The HMT Green Book - guidance for evaluating project from .Gov. Explanation provided by Thornton & Lowe here. The Public Sector Decarbonisation Scheme (PSDS) - info from the Government here. Website: https://www.hut22.co.uk LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kevin-couling/ Music credits: March of the Bold by Balloon Planet (via Artlist.io) Check out their stuff here: https://soundcloud.com/balloon-planet

    47 min
  5. #18 The strategy-reality gap: What's really happening in asset management.

    10/29/2025

    #18 The strategy-reality gap: What's really happening in asset management.

    We talk about sustainability strategies all day long... but why do so few of them actually work on the ground? I sat down with Mark Hingston from Cushman & Wakefield to explore one of the industry's biggest challenges: the gap between what we say we'll do and what actually happens in asset management. We dive into: ✓ Why corporate sustainability plans fail at the operational level ✓ The criticality of data driving institutional investment decisions ✓ How embodied carbon is reshaping property portfolios ✓ Whether apprenticeships could solve our engineering skills crisis ✓ The surprising lessons sustainability can learn from health & safetyIf you've ever wondered why your organisation's net zero commitments aren't translating into real change, this conversation will resonate. The Strategy-Reality Gap: Mark Hingston on What's Really Happening in Asset Management is out now. 🎧 Listen to Carbon Clarity - wherever you get your podcasts. #Sustainability #AssetManagement #RealEstate #NetZero #CarbonClarity Things mentioned in the show: GRESB - International framework used by investors to evaluate and benchmark real estate assets. Find out more here. UKGBC Whole Life Net Zero Carbon Roadmap - valuable study looking at what needs to happen to meet our Net Zero goals. Find it here. NABERS UK - Energy rating scheme that was hugely successful in Australia where it was developed, now being used in the UK. Administered by the Chartered Institute of Building Services Engineers (CIBSE). Here. TCFDs - Task Force on Climate-related Financial Disclosures. Now replaced by the ISSB's IFRS1 & 2, the TCFDs remain important for UK -based companies. Find out about future plans in the UK here and the replacement requirements, here.   Website: https://www.hut22.co.uk LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kevin-couling/ Music credits: March of the Bold by Balloon Planet (via Artlist.io) Check out their stuff here: https://soundcloud.com/balloon-planet

    40 min
  6. #17 How to think differently about climate change - Kev flying solo!

    09/24/2025

    #17 How to think differently about climate change - Kev flying solo!

    Following a busy summer and various happenings at the Hut22 HQ, I'm flying solo in this episode of Carbon Clarity! Instead of a guest, I'm bringing you three book recommendations, all of which made me think differently about climate change. If you want to know which books to read to make you think differently too, check out the episode! Things mentioned in the show: There is no planet B, by Mike Berners-LeeEntangled Life, by Merlin SheldrakeRegenesis, by George MonbiotWebsite: https://www.hut22.co.uk LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kevin-couling/ Music credits: March of the Bold by Balloon Planet (via Artlist.io) Check out their stuff here: https://soundcloud.com/balloon-planet

    14 min
  7. #16 How data centers could heat your morning shower . With Andrew Cripps

    08/26/2025

    #16 How data centers could heat your morning shower . With Andrew Cripps

    In one possible transition to low carbon heat we might spend millions on individual heat pumps for every home and building... but what if there's a smarter way to heat entire areas of our towns and cities? In this episode, I'm talking to Andrew Cripps from Vital Energy about heat networks - the technology that's been quietly heating more of our cities than you might realise for decades, and could be the key to decarbonising homes and other buildings. In this fascinating conversation, we explore how one energy centre can heat 10s, 100s, or even 1000s of buildings, why your terrace house might be perfect for a heat network, how data centres could warm your home, and why this relatively old solution might just be the future. From campus systems to city-wide networks - Andrew reveals how we could transform the way Britain heats its buildings. Ready to discover the heating revolution hiding in plain sight? Check out the episode now. Website: https://www.hut22.co.uk LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kevin-couling/ Music credits: March of the Bold by Balloon Planet (via Artlist.io) Check out their stuff here: https://soundcloud.com/balloon-planet

    48 min
  8. #15. Don't look back: Construction's missing feedback loop with Joe-Jack Williams.

    07/30/2025

    #15. Don't look back: Construction's missing feedback loop with Joe-Jack Williams.

    We spend weeks perfecting tender documents for projects we might not even win, but how much time do we spend learning from the buildings we actually build? Spoiler alert: almost none.  In this wide-ranging conversation, I discuss with Joe-Jack Williams from Bywater how the construction industry has developed a serious case of selective blindness when it comes to post-occupancy evaluation – and why it's such a missed opportunity. But that's just one of the things we talk about! Alongside some great insights to the use of timber in construction, Bywater's speciality, Joe-Jack takes us through challenges such as the tender-focused culture that leaves little time for actual learning, the moisture management issues that are critical for timber projects and how it all comes back to insurance! We explore why engaging insurers early unlocks timber construction potential, how moving beyond risk-transfer approaches could improve collaboration, and why the novation process creates genuine dilemmas for design teams trying to serve both contractors and clients effectively. But here's the thing – Joe-Jack isn't just identifying challenges. He's armed with solutions. We discuss how targeted investment in trades training could transform our low-carbon transition, why post-occupancy evaluation builds better buildings AND better client relationships, and how moving beyond "standard" approaches isn't just beneficial – it's essential for meeting our embodied carbon targets. Ready to cure construction's amnesia? This episode might just change how you think about what happens after handover. Listen now and discover why the buildings we never revisit hold the keys to construction's future. Things mentioned in the show: POE / BPE: Post-Occupancy Evaluation / Building Performance Evaluation. Rigorous process of qualitative and quantitative assessment of building performance once it has been substantially occupied for a period (typically 12 months) NABERS: CIBSE Website (CIBSE administer NABERS in the UK) UKNZCBS: UK Net Zero Carbon Building Standard. Standard developed through extensive industry collaboration setting out standards for energy and embodied carbon performance of new build and major refurbishment schemes. Currently in pilot. EPDs: Environmental Product Declaration. Declaration from manufacturers setting out the impact of specific products impact across a range of environmental metrics. BREEAM: Environmental impact rating system for non-domestic buildings and communities administered by the BRE. BRE also administer HQM, a similar standard for dwellings. BREEAM website. CIBSE: Chartered Institution of Building Services Engineers. Novation: The practice of formally transferring members of a construction project design team between clients - typically from the land owner / developer / etc to the main contractor. Usually happens prior to development of the detailed design. More on Freeths website. RIBA: Royal Insti Website: https://www.hut22.co.uk LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kevin-couling/ Music credits: March of the Bold by Balloon Planet (via Artlist.io) Check out their stuff here: https://soundcloud.com/balloon-planet

    44 min
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About

Carbon Clarity is a podcast for the carbon curious - with interviews, news and views from experts in the world of carbon and sustainability.We connect with some amazing guests to bring you insight, interest and clarity. If you want to find out more about Hut22, head over to our website: hut22.co.uk

Information

  • Creator
    Kev Couling
  • Years Active
    2024 - 2026
  • Episodes
    22
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © 2026 Carbon Clarity
  • Show Website
    Carbon Clarity