Climate Rising

Joel Makower, co-founder and Chair of Trellis, has been a climate media pioneer since 1991. He discusses the evolution of Trellis as a major player in sustainability media, emphasizing its role in advancing climate action. The conversation touches on the challenges of sustainability reporting, the impact of major events like Green Biz, and the integration of environmental reporting with business journalism. Makower also shares insights into the complexities of storytelling in today's fragmented media landscape and the potential of AI in driving sustainability initiatives.

Sam Read, the Executive Director of the Sustainable Entertainment Alliance, shares insights on how major studios like Disney and Netflix are tackling climate change. He highlights the collaboration among industry leaders to improve sustainability in production. Sam discusses the shift to clean mobile power and the narrative potential of integrating climate themes into storytelling. He also offers valuable advice for those aiming to get involved in climate-related initiatives in the entertainment sector.

Stewart, Netflix's first Sustainability Officer, shares his vision for integrating sustainability into entertainment. He discusses the challenges of weaving climate narratives into popular content, making them compelling and relatable. Stewart highlights Netflix's pioneering strategies for reducing its carbon footprint, including electrifying productions and collaborating on clean technologies. He also emphasizes the shift from risk-focused to opportunity-driven narratives, showcasing how entertainment can inspire climate action and innovation.

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)