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There are a number of reasons why we have to halt the climate crisis. One of them is public health. In this episode we discuss these important questions:

• How do we rethink the future of healthcare when tackling climate change is only one of many challenges?
• What impacts will the COP28 UAE Consensus make on climate actions in reducing carbon emissions of healthcare sectors across the world?
• As one of the most trustworthy voices in the society and the key players in providing healthcare services, what can doctors and nurses play a crucial part in accelerating global climate mitigations?
• How can high-income economies collaborate with low-income ones to share best practices in both spearheading a more affordable and equitable healthcare reform and decarbonizing healthcare services?

Today Zhao Ang has a conversation with Sonia Roschnik, Executive Director of the Geneva Sustainability Centre. The Centre, powered by the International Hospital Federation (IHF), was launched in 2022 in response to the need for hospitals and healthcare services to address climate change. Sonia has over three decades of experience in healthcare and sustainability policy.

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To achieve a 100% renewable energy system worldwide by 2050 affordable or not? Apart from the maturing technology, like solar PV and wind power, are we too late to develop some alternative technologies such as carbon capture and storage, direct air capture, geoengineering, and small modular nuclear reactor? With the tightening time window to control carbon emissions in order to keep the global temperature rise on average by 2100 well below 2 degree Celsius, what can policymakers from major economies do to make the most use of the available and scalable low-carbon energy technologies? One of the best scholars who are able to answer these questions is Dr. Mark Jacobson from Stanford University. Over 15 years ago, he proposed a 100% renewable energy system based on water, wind, and solar energy (WWS) and has been working and researching the relevant energy policy and planning solutions for a variety of countries, states, and cities ever since. In this episode, Professor Jacobson discusses his ideas and research findings on the WWS system. Although you may not agree with most or even some of his arguments, the discussions are definitely to expand your learning on the future energy system and some key policy issues of addressing climate change. As he mentioned at the end of the talk, educating ourselves on such complicated climate and energy policy issues could be the first action point for each one of us.

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Since 2020, not only some national governments but also many large multinational companies have announced their climate pledges - reaching net zero emissions by 2050. Among them are some oil and natural gas giants, such as BP, Shell, Chevron and ExxonMobil, which are the majors in the industry and the top contributors of the carbon emissions across the corporate world.

• How do we understand the majors’ mid-term and long-term climate strategies?
• Shall the end-users of oil and gas products, like the global consumers of conventional vehicles, share the responsibilities of burning dirty fuels, emitting carbon dioxide and causing climate change?
• Among regulating corporations by setting up a phase-out timeline of old technology, nudging consumers to change behavior, and subsidizing the growth of a new low-carbon technology, which option shall policy makers choose?
• Why is it controversial for the majors from both Europe and the United States to invest in large amount of carbon offset projects?
• Can the majors bet on the promised development of new technologies, like carbon capture and storage and direct air capture, and go through the energy transition in the long run?

In this episode, Dr. Gregory Trencher from Kyoto University in Japan shares his research findings and viewpoints based on a new paper which he co-authors with the other two scholars.

Further Reading: Trencher, G., Blondeel, M. and Asuka, J. (2023). Do all roads lead to Paris? Comparing pathways to net-zero by BP, Shell, Chevron and ExxonMobil. Climatic Change, 176, 83.
Access: https://link.springer.com/epdf/10.1007/s10584-023-03564-7?sharing_token=dvNVaGLdv_KAz5FFMnfFT_e4RwlQNchNByi7wbcMAY5d47vWLe-7NUah2sJ8amtONIx_6DNbZS-Ux9jIdwHqHp9jVCB68RK-96qeHy5tgfMDOkuPU-crNlM7_tp0QVsATBol9VNvWuW1djitKquffaUTZ1mebJBYjj9x0ENJJx4=

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