Climate Conversations
By: CNA
Language: en-US
Categories: News
Climate news and views with Jack Board and Liling Tan. Join our hosts as they make sense of the climate crisis, big ideas and practical fixes for a changing planet. The views and opinions shared during this podcast series are those of the hosts and guests and do not necessarily reflect the views of Mediacorp Pte. Ltd. or its group of companies.
Episodes
Goodbye from us
Aug 28, 2025We're drawing the curtains on one of our OG podcast shows. But don't cry just yet. We'll still be talking about all things climate on our other CNA podcasts to help you make sense of this changing world. Tell us which episode you liked best in the comments or email us at cnapodcasts [at] mediacorp.com.sg.
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Duration: 00:02:10A fork in the road moment for climate change?
Aug 27, 2025The climate challenge may seem insurmountable at times. So, it’s important to look at what is needed but also where we’ve come from. Jack Board and Liling Tan do a planetary health check, and talk through some positive stories, warning signs and personal tips to help the Earth.
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Duration: 00:28:37Tackling Thailand’s air pollution crisis
Aug 20, 2025Southeast Asian parliamentarians are voicing urgent concerns about Thailand’s air pollution problems. Can regional mechanisms solve a long-entrenched issue that’s linked to health concerns for millions of people? Jack Board speaks with Nitipon Piwmow and Arlene Brosas from the ASEAN Parliamentarians for Human Rights.
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Duration: 00:19:22Urban invaders - how global warming fuels the rat boom
Aug 13, 2025The combination of rising temperatures, dense living and a lack of green spaces means rat populations in our cities are growing. Jack Board and Liling Tan uncover the risks and solutions to the pests beneath our feet.
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Duration: 00:15:03Chilling truths: Why the world can’t live without air-conditioning
Aug 06, 2025As the world heats up, the need to cool down is ever increasing. Places that never needed air-conditioning are now seeing growing requirements for it. Jack Board and Liling Tan discuss the plea to turn on our machines.
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Duration: 00:14:59Can India and Bangladesh renegotiate a future for the Ganges?
Jul 30, 2025The future of the Ganges river is in question. As a key water-sharing treaty between India and Bangladesh nears its expiry, Jack Board and Liling Tan discuss the critical negotiations over a river system increasingly impacted by climate change.
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Duration: 00:13:38Big waves and boat sinkings: How climate change is making the seas more dangerous
Jul 23, 2025The recent deadly sinking of a Bali ferry has illuminated how extreme and unpredictable weather - driven by climate change – is making the region’s seas more dangerous to traverse. Jack Board and Liling Tan chat with correspondent Nivell Rayda in Jakarta.
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Duration: 00:25:19What Trump’s ‘big, beautiful bill’ means for clean energy transition
Jul 16, 2025US President Donald Trump’s new sprawling bill will make a major dent on the country’s clean energy industries. Jack Board and Liling Tan get the lowdown on what it means and whether the ripple effects could extend around the world.
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Duration: 00:22:11Can our world heritage sites survive climate change?
Jul 09, 2025Nearly three quarters of humanity's most iconic sites and landscapes are under threat from water-related hazards. Jack Board and Liling Tan discuss whether these special places can be saved from climate change.
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Duration: 00:17:48What happens to Singapore’s gas supplies in times of war?
Jul 02, 2025Singapore is heavily reliant on imported natural gas for its electricity needs. With recent tensions in the Middle East throwing shockwaves into energy markets and supply routes, is the country and broader region prepared? Jack Board and Liling Tan chat with the Singapore LNG Corporation CEO Leong Wei Hung.
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Duration: 00:21:21Meat and maize: How eating more meat is driving big environmental impacts
Jun 25, 2025Meat demand in Asia continues to soar. But the chicken and pork on your plate comes at a cost for both the farmers who produce animal feed and the forests of northern Thailand and beyond. Jack Board and Liling Tan discuss the impact of our insatiable appetite for meat.
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Duration: 00:25:09Climate geoengineering: Planet savers or madcap experiments?
Jun 18, 2025Money and resources are increasingly being invested in climate geoengineering. Jack Board and Liling Tan debate the science and sense of manipulating the climate to counter global warming.
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Duration: 00:23:19Record temperatures, extreme rain incoming this summer
Jun 11, 2025The upcoming northern hemisphere summer is set to break more heat records. From holidays, to workers and crops - the searing temperatures are going to have consequences, as Jack Board and Liling Tan discuss.
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Duration: 00:16:35Mining in the deep blue
Jun 04, 2025US President Donald Trump wants to mine the seafloor. And while the industry has its supporters, scientists say hunting for precious minerals underwater could be highly damaging to the ocean. Jack Board and Liling Tan dive into the topic, ahead of the UN Ocean Conference.
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Duration: 00:16:54Climate cost of conflict
May 28, 2025Climate change and conflict are increasingly fuelling one another, leaving lasting environmental impact across war-struck regions of the world. CNA’s Jack Board and Liling Tan discuss the latest research covering an overlooked factor in today’s hot zones.
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Duration: 00:19:11Battle lines in the water crisis
May 21, 2025The Indus River is at the centre of a simmering conflict between India and Pakistan, neighbours who share the flow of the river. It’s another example of water being central to rising tensions. Jack Board and Liling Tan discuss how the power of water can be weaponised by countries.
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Duration: 00:13:29What's holding investors back from green projects?
May 14, 2025Angrier planet, messier times. What's keeping green investors cautious, and how can countries brace better? Jack Board and Liling Tan find answers.
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Duration: 00:17:20Passports for sale: Climate-vulnerable nations take unconventional steps for survival
May 07, 2025Island nations battling extreme weather and rising seas are offering citizenship in exchange for climate financing. They get money to relocate, reinforce and redevelop, while investors get visa-free passports. Jack Board and Liling Tan discuss survival and sovereignty in the face of global warming.
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Duration: 00:13:03Green hydrogen: Future game changer or false hope?
Apr 17, 2025Green hydrogen has been touted as a promising solution to cleaning up transport, shipping and aviation. But this clean technology has run into multiple hurdles. Jack Board and Lilling Tan chat with Alex Tancock, the CEO of InterContinental Energy.
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Duration: 00:26:16The ‘White Lotus’ effect is redefining the way we travel, but is it sustainable?
Apr 10, 2025Ever fallen in love with a film's location set and booked a holiday there? You're in good company. "Set-jetting" travel is on the rise, thanks in part to the White Lotus effect that saw bookings surge for destinations featured in the popular HBO series.
This week on Climate Conversations, Jack Board and Liling Tan weigh the economic gains of set-jetting against the environmental toll.
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Duration: 00:14:02Fast fashion vs sustainable threads
Mar 26, 2025The global apparel industry remains a major contributor to pollution and waste. But there are ways to still look good without feeling bad. Ahead of International Day of Zero Waste, Jack Board and Liling Tan chat with Michael Sadowski from the Circulate Initiative.
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Duration: 00:20:55Sustainable aviation fuels were meant to take off. What’s gone wrong?
Mar 19, 2025A few years ago, airlines were pushing hard on developing green jet fuels. But adoption rates are slow. Jack Board and Liling Tan unpack the future of clean flying.
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Duration: 00:16:00Dirty skies: Why almost no one is breathing safe air in Southeast Asia
Mar 12, 2025A new report tracks air pollution levels right across the world. The good news? Air quality is slightly improving in Southeast Asia. But as Jack Board and Liling Tan discuss, there are lingering health concerns for all of us breathing in dirty air.
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Duration: 00:14:58How nuclear may be a larger factor in the clean energy equation
Mar 05, 2025They're smaller, safer, scalable, and they could bring nuclear power to places never thought possible. Small modular reactors are the next big thing in the nuclear power race, but Dr Alvin Chew from the S Rajaratnam School of International Studies tells Liling Tan safety trumps tech every time.
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Duration: 00:17:55Cli-Fi? Finding climate themes in popular film and TV
Feb 26, 2025Climate themes in science fiction are everywhere. Some of our favourite shows are telling important stories about our life on Earth. Sci-fi expert Jamie Uy joins Jack Board and Liling Tan to discuss environmental calamity, the end of the world, wars over resources and fantastic technological innovations in some of their favourites.
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Duration: 00:24:22Countries are neglecting to hand in their climate homework
Feb 19, 2025Every five years, countries are expected to give new climate change action targets. A shockingly small number of them met the deadline this month. Jack Board and Liling Tan discuss why and which single nation in Southeast Asia got a pass mark.
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Duration: 00:14:01How do microplastics end up in human brains?
Feb 12, 2025The emergence of microplastics across the planet is leading to new health challenges. Jack Board and Liling Tan discuss some new research and the ways we could contend with tiny particles causing a huge problem.
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Duration: 00:14:07Roaring back to life: Tigers rebounding in Thailand
Feb 05, 2025The tiger is alive in the forests of Thailand. The iconic species is enjoying a boom period of population growth, thanks to conservation efforts. Jack Board and Liling Tan discuss how it’s been done.
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Duration: 00:19:45Trump 2.0: Red lines through green policies
Jan 29, 2025US President Donald Trump announced his return to the White House with a flurry of executive orders, including many impacting climate and energy policy. Jack Board and Liling Tan chat with HuffPost’s Alexander Kaufman to understand what it means for the US and the world.
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Duration: 00:19:48The coolest technology shaking up clean energy in 2025
Jan 22, 2025Innovation in clean energy is moving fast. As the world marks International Day of Clean Energy, Jack Board and Liling Tan pick out some of the technologies to watch in 2025.
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Duration: 00:19:11Wildfires out of control: How natural disasters are made worse by climate change
Jan 15, 2025California is struggling with wildfires as people evacuate their homes which are burning to the ground. What’s in store for 2025 when it comes to natural disasters here and around the world as climate impacts intensify? Jack Board and Liling Tan speak to Ira Spitzer who is reporting from Los Angeles.
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Duration: 00:22:24Will Southeast Asia’s digital rush come at a climate cost?
Jan 08, 2025Southeast Asia is one of the hottest markets for setting up new digital infrastructure. But this modern-day gold rush of building data centres poses a huge climate challenge - dealing with the enormous carbon footprint. Jack Board and Liling Tan give a ringside report.
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Duration: 00:17:08Best of: Why are extinct species coming back in Singapore?
Jan 01, 2025In the final installment of our top five episodes of the year, Liling Tan speaks to Yeo Suay Hwee and Tan Gim Cheong from the Nature Society about certain native species that were once uprooted are now are coming back, and those that are lost forever.
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Duration: 00:17:45Best of: Migrant workers bear the brunt of heat stress
Dec 25, 2024In the fourth of our top five episodes from the archives, Liling Tan asks Associate Professor Jason Lee, Director of the Heat Resilience and Performance Centre at the Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine in NUS about the risks migrant workers face and what other innovative solutions can employers look at to improve the situation.
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Duration: 00:23:56Best of: Can AI better predict the weather?
Dec 18, 2024In the third of our top five episodes of the year, Jack Board and Liling Tan explore how the use of AI is changing industries in unimaginable ways, especially in the climate change and sustainability space.
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Duration: 00:19:05Best of: Must climate communication be so dense?
Dec 11, 2024In the second of our top five episodes of the year, Liling Tan and Jack Board speak with climate academics Prof Winston Chow and Assoc Prof Terry van Gevelt from Singapore Management University to find out why explaining climate change can get tricky when jargon gets in the way.
This podcast episode is in partnership with the inaugural Ideas Festival. You can find out more at www.ideasfestival.edu.sg.
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Duration: 00:25:03Best of: How else can an air-con nation keep cool in a heatwave?
Dec 04, 2024In the first of our top five episodes from the archives this year, we roll back the clock to the first episode of Climate Conversations where hosts Jack Board and Liling Tan tell you why the heatwave will create bigger problems in future than just wilting plants.
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Duration: 00:17:59A climate wrap of 2024
Nov 27, 2024From apocalyptic storms to silver linings, Jack Board and Liling Tan talk through some of the key issues around climate change.
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Duration: 00:24:03EVs in Asia: Ready to roll or stuck in the lot?
Nov 20, 2024An electric vehicle revolution has been underway for a few years. But it hasn’t quite been a smooth road with the technology still facing cost issues, infrastructure questions and turbulence from geopolitics. Liling Tan and Jack Board talk through what’s happening in the EV industry in Southeast Asia.
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Duration: 00:21:01COP29: Spicy speeches and the Trump wild card
Nov 13, 2024The global climate talks are happening in Baku, Azerbaijan. Jack Board tells Liling Tan all that’s happened so far - from the focus on finances to spicy speeches, and an incoming US president who’s hijacked the summit without even being there.
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Duration: 00:20:54COP29: Why you should be paying attention to this year’s big climate talks
Nov 06, 2024Climate negotiations are taking place in Azerbaijan, with a focus on raising money to help poorer nations handle the impacts of a heating planet. Jack Board and Liling Tan discuss what they’re looking out for and hear exclusively from COP29 CEO, Elnur Soltanov.
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Duration: 00:28:58Breaking down the complicated business of carbon capture
Oct 30, 2024Carbon dioxide is responsible for 76 per cent of total greenhouse gas emissions. And yet, the potential to lock up harmful emissions is big business. Jack Board speaks to a world leader in this space, the CEO of Climeworks Christoph Gebald.
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Duration: 00:24:48Can we save Southeast Asia’s capitals from drowning?
Oct 23, 2024The region’s large capital cities - Bangkok, Jakarta and Kuala Lumpur - are facing a multitude of threats centred around water, from flooding, land subsidence, groundwater extraction or sea level rise. To combat these issues, engineering mega adaptation projects are often raised as solutions. Can they save our capitals? Jack Board and Liling Tan chat with CNA correspondents Nivell Rayda and Rashvinjeet Bedi.
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Duration: 00:24:55Kids ask the darndest questions: Climate edition
Oct 16, 2024Just when he thought he was clear of the classroom after being grilled by pre-schoolers on going plastic-free, CNA Correspondent Matthew Mohan finds himself back in the hot seat with Liling Tan on Climate Conversations, taking even tougher questions from kids about all things plastics. Can they answer them all?
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Duration: 00:21:58What’s the biodiversity COP all about?
Oct 09, 2024Globally important biodiversity talks are about to take place in one of the most dangerous countries for environmental defenders. COP16 host Colombia has a lot at stake, and so does the planet, as Jack Board and Liling Tan discuss with environment reporter Oliver Griffin.
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Duration: 00:28:03It’s time for some cheerful climate news
Oct 02, 2024Innovations to make flying time shorter, transporting cargo in a more efficient way and banks moving away from financing fossil fuel loans - there is quite a lot of blue sky thinking in the climate space. Jack Board and Liling Tan list them out.
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Duration: 00:22:36Why is climate change still too 'niche' to be part of mainstream conversations?
Sep 25, 2024Despite the impact of climate change being felt across the planet – it’s still rarely part of everyday conversations. Jack Board and Liling Tan speak to Katharine Hayhoe, a Canadian climate scientist, on why people avoid the topic, and how it's not just up to scientists to do the job of communication.
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Duration: 00:32:49'Progress not perfection’: Formula 1 sustainability chief on the race going green(er)
Sep 18, 2024The roar of the F1 engines is back again this year in Singapore and race organiser Singapore GP says it's on track to halve its energy emissions by 2028. This includes reducing energy use, tapping on green energy sources and limiting their carbon footprint. Jack Board and Liling Tan chat about whether these green goals are achievable as the rubber hits the road.
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Duration: 00:31:39Singapore companies going green is still very much a work in progress
Sep 11, 2024This episode is brought to you by Schneider Electric, a digital partner for sustainability and efficiency.
As the clock ticks towards Singapore’s mandatory climate reporting requirements, Schneider’s cluster president for Singapore and Brunei, Yoon Young Kim, and Singtel’s vice president of group sustainability, Andrew Buay explain what sets companies apart when it comes to disclosing their carbon emissions across scopes 1, 2 and 3, and what they stand to lose if they don’t start early.
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Duration: 00:31:46“I’m terribly worried”: UN chief on warming temperatures in Southeast Asia
Sep 04, 2024Which country needs to reverse emissions trends? Who has to start phasing out coal? Who must answer the SOS on rising sea levels affecting islands and coastal cities? In an exclusive interview with CNA, UN secretary-general Antonio Guterres tells Climate Conversations co-host Liling Tan why the world’s biggest polluting countries need to accelerate change.
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Duration: 00:19:22Can the medical industry reduce its staggering carbon footprint?
Aug 28, 2024From massive amounts of energy usage in hospitals, nursing homes and clinics to single use plastics for medical supplies, the medical industry's carbon footprint beats that of shipping or aviation. But how do you save lives and save the planet too? Jack Board and Liling Tan break it down.
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Duration: 00:16:03The rate of Singapore’s food waste is ‘crazy’: MP Louis Ng
Aug 21, 2024For a small country, Singapore wastes a staggering amount of food. And yet, there are people who struggle to eat three good meals a day. To tackle this, member of parliament Louis Ng spearheaded the Good Samaritan Food Donation Bill which was passed on Aug 7. He speaks to Liling Tan and Jack Board on why he embarked on this journey.
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Duration: 00:26:15Earth Overshoot Day: Will future generations pay for our ecological deficits?
Aug 14, 2024Earth Overshoot Day happened on August 1st. This means we've used up the earth resources faster than we should. Jack Board and Liling Tan chat through what that means for us.
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Duration: 00:16:36Migrant workers bear the brunt of heat stress
Aug 07, 2024With temperatures breaking records in Singapore, what risks do migrant workers have? Aside from just drinking more water, what other innovative solutions can employers look at? Liling Tan asks Associate Professor Jason Lee who is also the Director of the Heat Resilience and Performance Centre at the Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine in NUS.
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Duration: 00:23:34If she wins, could Kamala Harris bring some 'green' to the White House?
Jul 31, 2024If elected, Kamala Harris will need to thread the needle between being strong on climate change and not upsetting hugely influential big oil and gas companies. Jack Board discusses her prospects with NYU climate and energy expert, Dr Carolyn Kissane.
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Duration: 00:16:42The impact of climate change is front and centre in the Pacific islands
Jul 24, 2024Jack Board takes a trip deep into the heart of communities on the climate front line in the Pacific, where culture, identity and nationhood are all at stake.
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Duration: 00:15:54Are we slowing down our plastic addiction?
Jul 17, 2024It’s been a year since supermarkets in Singapore have stopped giving out free plastic bags. Has that created a dent in our consumption of plastics? Jack Board and Liling Tan wrap their heads around the plastic conundrum.
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Duration: 00:19:02Is there a future where nuclear energy is safe and viable?
Jul 10, 2024As nations try and find solutions to sustain ever increasing energy needs, nuclear energy is being seriously considered by Southeast Asian countries, including Singapore. Can experts find a way to deal with the safety and cost issues? Jack Board and Liling Tan talk through the science and scary scenarios.
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Duration: 00:25:30Why oil spills are especially nasty
Jul 03, 2024Oil and water never mix so when there's a spill, all kinds of environmental, financial and even emotional impact ensue. Jack Board and Liling Tan drill deep into the impact of spills and how innovative solutions can prevent them.
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Duration: 00:21:12Sky high farming solves one climate problem but creates another
Jun 26, 2024The vertical farming revolution is a way to deal with climate impacts on traditional farming and food insecurity. But heavy energy and technology costs are getting in the way of scale and commercial success. Jack Board and Liling Tan lay out the facts.
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Duration: 00:23:52Why are extinct species coming back in Singapore?
Jun 19, 2024In a country where urbanisation has uprooted native species that used to call our skies, lands and waterways home, some creatures have beaten the odds of extinction … at least for now. Liling Tan speaks to Yeo Suay Hwee and Tan Gim Cheong from the Nature Society about the species that are coming back, and the ones that are lost forever.
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Duration: 00:17:23Coffee or tea: Which comes with a bigger splash of climate guilt?
Jun 12, 2024The debate between coffee and tea is as old as time. For centuries, fans around the world have quarrelled over their health benefits, caffeine content, and popularity. But this week, Jack Board and Liling Tan serve up a different kind of argument – on the carbon footprint each beverage leaves behind.
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Duration: 00:21:23Did we keep to our post-COVID promise of cleaner, greener cities?
Jun 05, 2024Car-free cities, greener pockets and more sustainable homes for the underserved - these were some ideas for cities to transform for a climate challenged world. But have these promises come to fruition?
Jack Board and Liling Tan do their due diligence on old promises.
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Duration: 00:22:22The clock is ticking on companies to decarbonise
May 29, 2024This episode is brought to you by Schneider Electric, a digital partner for sustainability and efficiency.
Whether you buy a new phone or print a document at the office, every action has a carbon footprint. Jack Board and Liling Tan do the math and break down exactly what carbon accounting does. Our guest this week is Yoon Young Kim, Cluster President at Schneider Electric.
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Duration: 00:28:56Can AI better predict the weather?
May 22, 2024The use of AI is changing industries in unimaginable ways, especially in the climate change and sustainability space. But is it friend or foe? Jack Board and Liling Tan talk all things tech in this episode of Climate Conversations.
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Duration: 00:18:43Oat milk and impossible burgers – just how “green” are alternative foods?
May 15, 2024Food has an outsized impact on greenhouse gas emissions. In this episode of Climate Conversations, Jack Board and Liling Tan tuck into the world of alternative foods and whether they really are better for the environment.
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Duration: 00:23:33Why should we care that corals are dying?
May 08, 2024Globally, coral reefs are being lost at alarming rates. Scientists estimate that half of them have already disappeared and 90 per cent could be gone by 2050 if temperatures continue to rise. Liling Tan and Jack Board explain why this doesn’t just affect our vacations.
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Duration: 00:23:14Must climate communication be so dense?
May 01, 2024Explaining climate change can be an exercise in frustration and futility when jargon gets in the way. Climate academics Prof Winston Chow and Assoc Prof Terry van Gevelt from Singapore Management University defend themselves against Liling Tan and Jack Board, who dials in from scorching Bangkok where the "feels-like” temperature hit 52 degrees Celsius.
This podcast episode is in partnership with the inaugural Ideas Festival. You can find out more at www.ideasfestival.edu.sg.
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Duration: 00:24:42Why a complex problem like climate change needs multi-disciplinary expertise
Apr 24, 2024Studied history or philosophy in school? Your knowledge can help to solve the biggest problems of climate change. Professor David Taylor from NUS and NTU’s Dr Janice Lee speak to Liling Tan and Jack Board checks in from the Pacific Islands on this week’s Climate Conversations.
This podcast episode is in partnership with the inaugural Ideas Festival. You can find out more at www.ideasfestival.edu.sg.
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Duration: 00:24:26How else can an air-con nation keep cool in a heatwave?
Apr 17, 2024In this first episode of a brand-new Climate Conversations, hosts Jack Board and Liling Tan tell you why the heatwave will create bigger problems in future than just wilting plants. Plus, quick climate news, a quiz and a sustainability word of the week.
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Duration: 00:17:38Singapore’s fight to protect the endangered straw-headed bulbul
Mar 27, 2024The Climate Conversations podcast heads outdoors in search of a beloved songbird – the straw-headed bulbul. Fewer than 1,700 of these birds remain in the wild worldwide, largely due to habitat loss and poaching. Julie Yoo meets the co-chairs of the Straw-headed Bulbul Working Group, Low Bing Wen from the National Parks Board and Alfred Chia from Nature Society Singapore, to find out more about the conservation efforts to save these birds.
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Duration: 00:16:16Can Earth Hour produce long-term change?
Mar 20, 2024Each year, millions of people worldwide pledge to turn off or dim their lights for one hour as part of the Earth Hour event. But beyond the symbolic Switch Off moment, how effective are these global efforts? Vivek Kumar, CEO of WWF-Singapore sits down with Julie Yoo to talk about how big an impact the festival has on raising awareness for climate change.
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Duration: 00:18:36Saving our skin from harm caused by climate change
Mar 13, 2024Climate change is already wreaking havoc on the weather and food supplies. But now dermatologists worldwide are blaming it for an uptick in skin issues such as cancer, dermatitis and premature skin ageing. Kesh Gunasinghe, head of R&D Asia Pacific at Kenvue, shares his tips on how to better protect the human body's largest organ.
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Duration: 00:21:46Will the move towards sustainable aviation fuel take flight?
Mar 06, 2024Come 2026, passengers on planes departing from Singapore will have to pay more for their air tickets because carriers will be required to use sustainable aviation fuel. CNA’s Roland Lim was at the Singapore Airshow in February, where the sustainable aviation fuel mandate was the talk of the event. He shares more on how industry players are responding to the pressure to go green.
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Duration: 00:23:10Can Singapore's clean energy transition include nuclear and geothermal sources?
Feb 28, 2024During his Budget 2024 speech, Finance Minister and Deputy Prime Minister Lawrence Wong announced a S$5 billion Future Energy Fund as part of Singapore’s transition to clean energy. Geothermal and nuclear energy sources are currently being studied as part of the country’s power portfolio. GE Vernova’s Asia Decarbonization Leader Kazunari Fukui is our guest this week.
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Duration: 00:20:37The man with a mission for a billion vegans
Feb 21, 2024Former hedge fund manager Vikas Garg has an ambitious vision – mobilise one billion people to try the vegan lifestyle. The Singapore-based company has expanded its mobile platform app to include a peer-to-peer marketplace and restaurant reviews, in hopes of driving sustainable change. But what are the challenges he faces in building the business? He shares with Julie Yoo on this episode.
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Duration: 00:23:39Will Coca Cola’s sustainability efforts move the needle on plastic bottle recycling?
Feb 14, 2024Coca Cola recently launched 100 per cent recycled plastic PET bottles in Singapore and Malaysia, paving the way for other companies to reduce virgin plastic waste. But critics say the beverage behemoth must still address its plastic footprint by reducing production. Shea Flynn, Coca Cola’s director of sustainable packaging policy & partnerships in ASEAN & South Pacific, shares more.
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Duration: 00:24:09Here’s how your table at home can be made from cardboard
Feb 08, 2024Fast furniture is a growing scourge for the planet. Nearly 11 million tonnes of tables, chairs and the like are thrown out each year, according to a 2018 EU report. Peter Ortner, an assistant professor of Architecture and Sustainable Design at the Singapore University of Technology and Design, tells CNA's Julie Yoo how he’s come up with furniture that's lightweight, spill-proof and sustainable.
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Duration: 00:17:46Predicting the next pandemic
Jan 31, 2024How are warmer temperatures accelerating the spread of pathogens and what role does climate migration play in disease outbreaks? Dr Mary Rodgers, who manages the Abbott Global Viral Surveillance Program, explains to Julie Yoo.
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Duration: 00:22:58Can ‘Long Island’ save Singapore from rising sea levels?
Jan 24, 2024Singapore’s “Long Island” project will unfold over the next few decades with the aim of providing coastal protection. But what are the trade-offs to the environment? Dr Stephen Chua, research assistant professor at the Earth Observatory of Singapore at Nanyang Technological University, explains why this groundbreaking project is necessary.
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Duration: 00:17:30How can we travel without destroying the planet?
Jan 17, 2024Travel is back with a vengeance post-pandemic and tourists are flocking to hotspots. How can we plan our trips better without causing environmental strain? CNA’s Dawn Tan tells Julie Yoo how some companies are shaking up the tourism scene.
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Duration: 00:19:33What will be the impact of a hotter Singapore?
Jan 10, 2024Singapore released its third national climate change study in January and the end-of-century projections are sobering. By 2100, the country could face very hot days, with daily maximum temperatures exceeding 35 degrees Celsius. Dr Aurel Moise, Deputy Director at Singapore's Centre for Climate Research, helps unpack what it all means.
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Duration: 00:16:30Best of: Rising heat is worsening mosquito-borne diseases, but could mosquitoes be the solution?
Dec 20, 2023The second of our top two episodes of The Climate Conversations this year explores how humanity’s “biggest enemy” might carry the solution to stop mosquito-borne diseases. With rising temperatures, diseases such as dengue are spreading and with potentially deadly consequences. Professor Scott O’Neill, founder and CEO of the World Mosquito Program shares more about his work.
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Duration: 00:19:16Did COP28 deliver a historic or hollow victory?
Dec 14, 2023COP28 closed in Dubai with an agreement from more than 190 countries to transition away from fossil fuels. Yet it was the final two days that saw intense negotiations with some of the world's largest oil and gas producers. CNA's Julie Yoo and Jack Board give their take on the final agreement, the deep divisions and the challenging path ahead to hit global climate targets.
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Duration: 00:22:33Best of: Climate change is the new enemy for militaries
Dec 06, 2023The first of our top two episodes of The Climate Conversations this year looks at how soldiers are facing scorching heat on the battlefield as climate change wreaks havoc on weather patterns. Retired three-star British general Richard Nugee tells Julie Yoo how armies will have to find new ways to confront climate change.
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Duration: 00:22:49Will COP28 deliver at this crucial time in the climate crisis?
Nov 29, 2023The Conference of Parties or COP28 takes place in Dubai from Nov 30 to Dec 12. Julie Yoo checks in with CNA's sustainability correspondent Jack Board and Melissa Low, research fellow at the National University of Singapore’s Centre for Nature-based Climate Solutions, to discuss what’s on the packed agenda and why this is a critical meeting for all stakeholders.
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Duration: 00:28:39Sinking Pacific Islands fight for survival
Nov 22, 2023Fiji, Tonga and Tuvalu hold a fascination for travellers who are drawn to their unparalleled beauty. But these island paradises are facing an existential climate threat as sea levels rise. CNA’s Jeremy Koh gets a first-hand account and tells Julie Yoo how locals in Tuvalu are adapting to living on an island that is becoming increasingly uninhabitable.
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Duration: 00:17:26Sustainability Chiefs: How DBS Bank decides who gets funded
Nov 15, 2023They say money makes the world go round and financial institutions are critically tied to businesses. But how does climate change come into the decision-making process? Julie Yoo sits down with Helge Muenkel, DBS chief sustainability officer, to discuss how banks make tough decisions on who gets money.
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Duration: 00:25:40Sustainability Chiefs: Online fashion giant Shein says fast fashion can be green
Nov 08, 2023Shein produces as many as 100,000 pieces of clothing daily and critics say this comes at a cost to the planet. In this episode of Sustainability Chiefs, Adam Whinston, Shein's global head of sustainability tells Julie Yoo why he believes the company's business model is often misunderstood.
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Duration: 00:21:14Sustainability Chiefs: Starbucks wants to address climate issues one coffee at a time
Nov 01, 2023In this new limited series Sustainability Chiefs, host Julie Yoo tackles some of the world’s most pressing climate agenda with the people tasked to drive change in global companies. To kickstart the series, she speaks with the chief sustainability officer of Starbucks, Michael Kobori. What can the world’s biggest coffee chain do to reduce its carbon footprint? And will rising global temperatures threaten the future of coffee?
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Duration: 00:17:59Why buy winter clothing for kids when you can rent?
Oct 25, 2023Batman costumes, winter jackets and flower girl dresses - some parents have no idea what to do with these occasion clothes after their kids have outgrown them. Julie Yoo speaks to Angeline Tan, founder of local clothing rental Weekend Kids, on why sustainable shopping for children is good for everyone.
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Duration: 00:15:08Can harmful particles in the haze increase risks for heart attacks?
Oct 18, 2023With an increase in hotspots detected in Sumatra, Singapore is bracing itself for a return of the haze. What's the impact of air-borne particles on your health? CNA's Julie Yoo speaks to Duke-NUS Adjunct Assistant Professor Joel Aik on this episode of The Climate Conversations podcast.
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Duration: 00:14:50How technology can reduce the risk of falling trees
Oct 11, 2023Trees can become dangerous when they’re sick, leaning or dying. But checking the health of each tree is a massive challenge, especially when Singapore has more trees than people. In this episode of The Climate Conversations, Peter Sasi, vice president of APAC at Greehill, tells Julie Yoo how advanced technology can help better protect trees – and people.
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Duration: 00:14:54Russia’s war on Ukraine: The environmental damage is ‘ecocide’
Oct 04, 2023Vibrant wetlands and animals native to Ukraine are silently facing what Oleksii Marushchak calls an “ecocide”. In this episode of The Climate Conversations, the Ukrainian conservation biologist tells Julie Yoo why he has been risking his safety to document Russia’s “war crimes against nature”.
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Duration: 00:09:12Less anger, more solutions: How the SG Climate Rally has evolved
Sep 27, 2023Hong Lim Park was covered in a sea of red as more than 1,400 people gathered on Sep 23 for the first in-person climate rally in Singapore in four years. SG Climate Rally’s founding member Tan Heng Yeng tells CNA's Julie Yoo how her style of activism has changed and why climate change is a complex problem that is closely linked to social inequality.
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Duration: 00:20:45How farmers are fighting back against extreme weather
Sep 20, 2023Floods, heatwaves and extreme cold weather can wipe out sizeable amounts of a farmer’s harvest. In the last episode of Surviving the Sizzle, Rabia Sultan, a female farmer from Pakistan, tells Julie Yoo how she stays positive and finds new ways of growing her crops in a climate-stressed world.
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Duration: 00:18:19Climate change is the new enemy for militaries: Retired 3-star British general
Sep 13, 2023Soldiers will have to battle scorching heat as climate change wreaks havoc on weather patterns. In our second installment of Surviving the Sizzle, retired three-star general Richard Nugee tells Julie Yoo how armies will have to find new ways to confront climate change on the battlefield.
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Duration: 00:22:02'I lost three firefighters': Australian fire chief on the life-threatening work of combating wildfires
Sep 06, 2023In this three-part series, Surviving the Sizzle, Julie Yoo explores the personal stories of people on the frontlines of battling with extreme heat. In the first episode, she speaks to Chris Hardman, chief fire officer at Forest Fire Management Victoria on the real and present danger of an overheated planet.
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Duration: 00:16:54Rising heat is worsening mosquito-borne diseases, but could mosquitoes be the solution?
Aug 31, 2023They are tiny but mosquitoes threaten the lives of 40 per cent of the global population. With rising temperatures, mosquito-borne diseases such as dengue are spreading and with potentially deadly consequences. Professor Scott O’Neill, founder and CEO of the World Mosquito Program, says this is humanity’s “biggest enemy” but suggests that the solution might lie with mosquitoes themselves.
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Duration: 00:18:37Debt-for-nature swaps: Greenwashing or a win-win solution?
Aug 23, 2023It’s a simple idea — reduce a country’s debt burden and put those savings into environmental protection. But how do debt-for-nature swaps actually work in practice? And are they really a win-win solution that benefits both the planet and a developing country’s economic development? Julie Yoo gets some answers from The Nature Conservancy’s Will McGoldrick in this episode of The Climate Conversations.
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Duration: 00:18:18