Zero Ambitions Podcast

This week Professor of Economics at Manchester Metropolitan University is giving us a concept or idea on economics the environment and climate change each day.

Dr Jan Rosenow joins us on the first day of CoP26 to talk about the decarbonisation of our buildings and how we transition to zero carbon heating. The conversation includes the electrification of heat and how we ensure a just transition.As the director of European programmes, Dr. Jan Rosenow leads RAP’s initiatives in Europe on power market design and Efficiency First. He is responsible for all aspects of leadership, management, and financial viability of RAP’s work in Europe.Dr. Rosenow serves on the Executive Committee of the International Energy Agency’s demand-side management program and sits on the board of the European Council for an Energy Efficient Economy. He has also advised the International Energy Agency, the European Commission, the European Parliament, the U.S. Agency for International Development, the German Corporation for International Cooperation (GIZ), government departments in a number of countries, and the UK’s Office of Gas and Electricity Markets, as well as serving as an expert witness on several occasions to the British Parliament. He was the lead author of the International Energy Agency’s global assessment of market-based instruments for energy efficiency.Dr. Rosenow also has a strong track record in energy research. He is an honorary research associate at Oxford University’s renowned Environmental Change Institute. He has authored more than 70 publications in the form of peer-reviewed papers, technical reports, and conference papers. He has also served as an expert witness to the House of Commons.In 2020, Dr. Rosenow was elected to be a fellow of the Royal Society for the Encouragement of Arts, Manufactures and Commerce (RSA) in light of his “longstanding dedication to moving the UK towards a more sustainable and resilient energy future.”Prior to his engagement with RAP, he worked closely with the European Commission’s Directorate-General for Energy through his policy work for the global consultancy Ricardo. Dr. Rosenow earned several post-graduate qualifications, including a master’s degree in environmental policy and regulation from the London School of Economics and a doctorate from Oxford University.

This week we are joined by Bex Porter who is the Built Environment Lead for the High-Level Champions TeamThe UN High-Level Climate Champions are spearheading the race to a cleaner, safer, healthier and more resilient world. Through our campaigns, Race to Resilience and Race to Zero, we are elevating ambition and mobilizing credible climate action among cities, regions, businesses and investors.A GLOBAL CAMPAIGN TO BUILD CLIMATE RESILIENCEThe Race to Resilience is the UN-backed global campaign to catalyse a step-change in global ambition for climate resilience, putting people and nature first in pursuit of a resilient world where we don’t just survive climate shocks and stresses but thrive in spite of them.Led by the High-Level Climate Champions for Climate Action – Nigel Topping and Gonzalo Muñoz – the Race to Resilience aims:By 2030, to catalyse action by non-state actors that builds the resilience of 4 billion people from vulnerable groups and communities to climate risks.Through a partnership of initiatives, focus on helping the most vulnerable, frontline communities to build resilience and adapt to the physical impacts of climate change, such as extreme heat, drought, flooding and sea-level rise, in three area types:Urban: Cities, industrial communities and informal settlements become healthy, safe and thriving spaces that support resilient livelihoods and allow for green recovery post COVID-19.Rural: Smallholder farmers, rural entrepreneurs, and industries across food and agricultural supply chains are adaptive and are equipped to thrive in the face of climate change whilst protecting nature.Coastal: Safeguard coastal and riverine cities, communities and businesses through increased investment in adaptation and resilience and protection of natural ecosystems that support those livelihoods and economies.

Morten is the Business Development Manager at DBDH (Danish Board of District Heating) in charge of all activities in Western Europe.The DBDH is a Danish member organization with members from the entire Danish district heating sector. Thier mission is to “Promote District Energy for a Sustainable City Transformation”. Morten works with governments, cities and other relevant stakeholders to strengthen the development of district energy across Europe including the UK and Scotland..Inspired by the long and successful development and implementation of district heating in Denmark which now provides heat to two million Danish homes, Morten’s job is to provide value and insights that can further develop both the understanding of what district heating is and the value it can bring to the European society, communities and end-users. Well planned and well-structured district heating will play an important part in the future heat profile of any European city with a long-term green profile.Morten's career began in the district heating industry in Eastern Europe and Russia more than 20 years ago with knowledge building and knowledge transfer. This was followed by 13 years as business development director in a large inward investment organization.

Conversation with Michael Jones, the Head of Housing Delivery and Asset Management at York City Council.Michael is the strategic lead for all asset elements of housing at the authority. He is passionate about zero-carbon housing delivery and the energy efficiency of retrofit.Part of a team tasked with leading initiatives that improve the health and wellbeing of residents, he is involved in the design, accessibility and adaptability of housing.Both Michael and York have a clear vision for the service where residents voices are heard and listened to. The objectives are to drive efficiency and performance of repairs, maintenance and adaptations of council services.The authority has been building strong partnerships across the city to make long-lasting positive change with housing as the driver of that change, mitigating fuel poverty and addressing climate change, and building strong, stable, healthy communities.

This week I caught up with Scott McAulay, from the Anthropocene Architecture School.Scott is an architect who has been writing about climate change and the built environment, and the need for radical change and to reshape the architectural education model.I discussed Scott's journey and what has caused him to rebel and how the Anthropocene architecture school has developed and grown over the past couple of years into a voice advocating radical change but also of opportunity.He is unapologetic in pushing for a change in the education of architects to bring the climate emergency to the forefront of design requirements and sees Sustainability and Retrofit as areas that are underrepresented within the architecture curriculum.It was a pleasure speaking to Scot, he is informed, passionate and clear in what he is calling for. Radical change now.

Discussion with Professor Kevin Albertson on the UK Energy Market and the causes of the current energy issues regards increased costs and supply, as well as some of the policy solutions that might be available to us.Prof. Kevin Albertson is an eclectic economist with a background in statistics and economics. He is a member of the Decent Work and Productivity Research Centre, is author/co-author of over 40 refereed academic articles and book chapters, and is co-author/editor of eight books, including the Haynes Guide ‘How to Run the Country’ and ‘Decent Work: Opportunities and Challenges.Kevin’s work ranges from business and social forecasting and the evaluation of government policy to the impact of globalised liberal markets on the political-economic prospects of the UK; the ways, means and implications of privatisation and marketisation in the public sector; and the development of social, and responsible, innovation. He is currently working in the areas of employment and society in a low-to-zero (economic) growth economy, and the wellbeing aspects of relational – as opposed to transactional – socio-economic interactions.• Albertson, Corcoran and Phillips (eds.) (2020) “Marketisation and Privatisation in Criminal Justice” is out now and available from Policy Press.https://policy.bristoluniversitypress.co.uk/marketisation-and-privatisation-in-criminal-justice • de Saille, Medvecky, van Oudheusden, Albertson, Amanatidou, Birabi and Pansera (2020) “Responsibility Beyond Growth A Case for Responsible Stagnation” is out now and available from Policy Press.https://bristoluniversitypress.co.uk/responsibility-beyond-growth • To read “1979 and all that”, a conservative critique of the neo-liberal policies established in the 1980s please go to https://academic.oup.com/cje/advance-article-abstract/doi/10.1093/cje/bez037/5550923

Peter Rickaby qualified as an architect at Cambridge University and holds a doctorate in energy studies from the Open University. He worked in leading architectural practices in New Zealand and London before a thirty-five-year career as an energy and sustainability consultant in buildings and housing. He has published numerous technical guides to energy efficiency and was Managing Editor of the Institute of Sustainability's acclaimed suite of Low Carbon Domestic Retrofit Guides. Peter has been a Board Director of the Centre of Refurbishment Excellence (CoRE) and a member of the Board of Trustees of the National Energy Foundation. He contributed extensively to the Each Home Counts review, for which he was also a member of the Implementation Board, and he chairs the BSI Retrofit Standards Task Group. Peter was the Technical Author of the BSI's two UK retrofit standards: PAS 2035 Retrofitting dwellings for improved energy efficiency: Specification and guidance; and PAS 2038 Retrofitting non-domestic buildings for improved energy efficiency: Specification. Now semi-retired, Peter helps to run the UK Centre for Moisture in Buildings (UKCMB) and coordinates the Building Envelope Research Network (BERN@ UCL), both at University College London. Peter is also Technical Director of The Retrofit Academy.

Interview with Scott Foster, who is the Director of Sustainable Energy at the United Nations Economic Council for Europe (UNECE), and Jenna Cramer who is Executive Director at the Green Building Alliance in Pittsburgh and part of the UN Centre of Excellence programme.