Asian Insider Ep 78: Drive carbon emissions down, says UNDP chief during COP26 2nd week

17:57 mins

Synopsis: Each month, The Straits Times' US bureau chief Nirmal Ghosh presents an Asian perspective of the week's global talking points with expert guests.

In this episode, Nirmal Ghosh hosts Achim Steiner, Administrator of the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), who is now at the ongoing COP26 climate conference in Glasgow till Nov 12.

They discuss the following points:

Small islands and small island states facing a climate injustice issue: Failure to deliver climate promises? (3:00)
Why they do not qualify for international development finance and have suffered from slow climate financing (4:25)
On potential economic disruption, competition for resources, the next generation feeling disengagement (5:40)
Steiner's view on the role and future of teenage Swedish environment activist Greta Thunberg, and why more 'Gretas' in various continents will start emerging (9:30)
We are not a laboratory: There are more lower cost alternatives existing now to tackle climate crisis instead of relying on so-called "breakthrough" carbon capture and geoengineering (11:32)