Refrigerants play a vital role in modern cooling systems, yet their impact on climate change is often underestimated. These chemical substances are among the most potent greenhouse gases, contributing to ozone layer depletion and global emissions.

In this episode, we welcome Dr. Anastasia O’Rourke, Senior Managing Director of Carbon Containment Lab, a Yale University-affiliated non-profit.

Dr. O’Rourke unpacks the environmental risks associated with refrigerants, highlights their contribution to global emissions, and shares insights into strategies that can incentivize refrigerant recovery. We also dive into the specific challenges Asia faces in managing refrigerant usage.

How can companies in mainland China accurately collect and report value-chain emissions data?

Reporting life cycle emissions has been challenging for companies in China due to the lack of country-specific data and standardization in emissions calculations.

Johnson Gui, founder of E-C Digital, delves into how his company solves this issue through automated data collection. Johnson speaks about the important of accurate data, the potential of AI in data collection and the scalability of their data collection model.

In this episode, Callum Douglas, an independent nature and climate consultant, discusses the biodiversity crisis and nature-based solutions in Asia.

Callum explores how biodiversity loss can impact real estate, and actions stakeholders are taking to protect biodiversity during construction and building operation.

He also highlights the important roles of technology, policy and financing in advancing biodiversity protection across China and Asia.

In this episode, Alexander Bent, co-founder and managing partner of Undivided Ventures, shares insights on sustainability challenges in the built environment.

Undivided Ventures invests in innovations and companies that have solutions for some of the biggest sustainability issues in the built environment.

Alexander speaks about innovations featured in a decarbonization / circularity competition for offices and retail jointly launched with Hang Lung. He also discusses investor interest toward sustainable building practices, and broader green building trends to look forward to.

Storytelling and advocacy are critical components of climate action.

In this episode, global explorer and climate and agriculture scientist Tim Jarvis AM (Member of the Order of Australia and Australian of the Year 2024, SA), shares leadership lessons that can accelerate collaborative climate action. Tim shares how to apply trust and pragmatic optimism to ESG leadership; he also shares small steps individuals can take to invest in a more sustainable future.

How can we shape physical environments to ensure inclusivity?

In this episode, Sally Ren, founder of Diversability Lab and Director of B-Community for B Corp China based in Beijing, shares insights on designing for diversity and inclusion. B Corp Certification is a designation that a business is meeting high standards of verified performance, accountability, and transparency on factors from employee benefits and charitable giving to supply chain practices and input materials. Sally highlights the importance of conducting diversity/accessibility assessments in public spaces to ensure inclusion, and shares some positive examples of inclusive design.

Climate patterns are clearly changing, and climate models combined with engineering knowledge can help make physical assets more climate-resilient.

Homan Wong, Associate of Climate and Sustainability at ARUP East Asia, joins us to share his insights on building and maintaining climate resilience. Homan explains how climate modelling can be used to predict future extreme weather events, and shares how ARUP adapts real assets and infrastructure for climate resilience.

Building materials used in interiors can impact both the health of individuals and the climate.

In this episode, architect and Founder of the RESET Standard and GIGA, Raefer Wallis, discusses the connections among carbon, health and circularity. Based among Shanghai, Paris and Montreal, Raefer also shares some of his experience working with luxury clients on sustainability and the current building standards landscape. Tune in to understand what a circular built environment future looks like in China!