Climate Rising

Bill Weir, CNN's Chief Climate Correspondent, dives into the media's impact on climate narratives. He highlights the importance of storytelling in shaping public perception and driving action against climate change. The discussion covers the evolution of climate journalism, innovative series like 'Eating Planet Earth,' and the challenge of visually representing environmental issues. Weir emphasizes how personal storytelling can alter consumer behavior and unite diverse perspectives to inspire collective action on climate challenges.

Erik Snyder is the founder and CEO of the Drawdown Fund, dedicated to financing climate tech startups. Paul Hawken, an influential author and editor, co-established the fund to combat climate change. They discuss innovative investment strategies for sustainable solutions, including impactful initiatives in urban infrastructure and mass transit. The conversation highlights the challenge of food waste in climate change, emphasizing the importance of strategic funding and the need for scalable technologies to create meaningful environmental change.

Today’s episode focuses on some innovative alternative low-carbon natural materials being used in fashion. Bolt Threads CEO Dan Widmaier describes Mylo, a substitute for leather that’s derived from mushrooms, via the TED Climate podcast that we’re bringing here a bonus episode of Climate Rising. It’s a perfect extension of our two most recent Climate Rising episodes that focus on other low-carbon advanced materials: GALY’s lab-grown cotton and C16 Bioscience’s lab-generated treeless palm oil.

Today’s episode is the fifth in our series on decarbonizing the roots of value chains, where we’re looking deep into supply chains that serve many industries. Previously we talked about green concrete, green steel, regenerative agriculture, and lab-grown cotton.  Today we’re discussing palm oil – a widely used product that’s also associated with climate change due to some palm oil plantations arising from clearing and burning tropical forests, releasing carbon and destroying habitat and biodiversity. We talk with Shara Ticku, Co-founder and CEO of C16 Biosciences (and HBS alumna), which uses fermentation to produce a palm oil substitute. She describes how she and her partners built their start-up, including how they decided which products to develop, and which customers to pursue. She also shares advice for those interested in working at climate tech startup companies like hers. Climate Rising Host: Professor Mike Toffel, Faculty Chair, Business & Environment Initiative (LinkedIn)Guest: Shara Ticku, Co-founder and CEO, C16 Biosciences, and HBS alumna (LinkedIn)

Luciano Bueno, founder of GALY, discusses lab-grown cotton using sugar, its benefits, and market strategies. They explore innovative textile production, fundraising challenges, and other applications like saffron and cell-based meat.

Chris Marquis, a professor at the University of Cambridge Judge Business School and author of 'The Profiteers,' discusses the revolutionary potential of regenerative agriculture for decarbonizing farming ecosystems. He tackles corporate accountability, revealing how some companies engage in 'corporate gaslighting,' shifting blame for environmental harm. Marquis emphasizes the need for a reassessment of stakeholder capitalism and highlights innovative companies like Indigo Ag and Patagonia that are prioritizing ecological restoration in their practices.

This episode is a part of our series on decarbonizing the roots of value chains, where we’re looking deep into supply chains that serve many industries. Our prior episode explored green concrete, and today’s focuses on steel. Steel production primarily relies on coal and coke, and accounts for nearly 7% of global CO2 emissions. But new technologies are on the horizon. Maria Persson Gulda, Chief Technology Officer at H2 Green Steel, joins us to discuss an innovative solution: green steel made from green hydrogen. By harnessing renewable power, H2 Green Steel is pioneering a path to drastically reduce steel's carbon footprint. Maria will also share insights into the world’s largest green steel plant in Sweden H2 is building, the evolving technological landscape, and the pivotal role of initial adopters. Climate Rising Host: Professor Mike Toffel, Faculty Chair, Business & Environment Initiative (LinkedIn)Guest:  Maria Persson Gulda, the Chief Technology Officer at H2 Green Steel (LinkedIn)

This podcast explores the use of green concrete to reduce carbon emissions in construction, highlighting Harvard University's pilot testing with Urban Mining Industries. They discuss challenges, strategies, and innovative products like Positive made from recycled glass to cut down greenhouse gas emissions. The focus is on decarbonizing construction materials and measuring carbon emissions throughout the supply chain.

In this episode in our adaptation series, Peter Hall, Managing Director at Resonance Impact Advisory, draws upon his experience in global engineering and professional services firms to share how consulting and advisory companies can help their clients assess their risks and take actions to become more resilient to climate change. He walks through several adaptation frameworks and roadmaps recently developed by governments, civil society, and private companies to help provide clarity and guidance on the steps necessary for more resilient companies and societies. For notes and resources visit; climaterising.org

Claudine Blamey from Aviva discusses how climate change impacts insurance companies with transition and physical risks, innovative insurance products like parametric and catastrophe insurance, and the need for proactive measures and climate modeling for effective risk management.