This New Climate: New podcast exploring the innovations that tackle climate change launched
This New Climate, a new podcast that explores the innovations that are being developed to transform the world in the face of climate change, will launch this November. The first six-episode series investigates some of the toughest climate challenges of our times and tells the stories of the projects and people who are grappling with them.
This New Climate is an Acclimatise production and the first series is produced in conjunction with the Knowledge and Innovation Community – EIT Climate-KIC – created and supported by the European Institute for Innovation and Technology (EIT). The series explores five EIT Climate-KIC-supported projects or programmes that are tackling issues related to water, agriculture, urban development, supply chains and insurance. Episodes will be published fortnightly starting on 30 November 2018.
The podcast focusses on innovations that can help humanity adapt to a new climate reality. As we enter a new era that will be governed by its ability to respond to a climate system that does not behave how it used to. Our civilisation has emerged in a stable climate. This New Climate asks the questions: what happens when that stable climate breaks down and what can we do about it?
Episode summaries:
1. EIT Climate-KIC and the quest for deep innovation: The first episode introduces EIT Climate-KIC and explores how its approach to stimulating innovation in the face of a challenge as great as climate change. In particular, it unravels how EIT Climate-KIC aims to foster change at the systems level in an effort to bring about transformative change.
2. Running dry: dealing with water scarcity: The world faces a water scarcity crisis. Geisler Kaiser, Executive Direct of Informal settlements, Water & Waste, for the City of Cape Town takes up the story of the city’s water scarcity crisis as it approaches ‘day zero’ in early 2018. This episode explores why it is so difficult to manage water resources and presents Water2Invest – a new tool that helps decision makers make smarter choices about managing water supply and demand.
3. OASIS and the democratisation of climate data: Climate data and information is at the very heart of efforts for insurance companies to price risk and respond to extreme events, such as hurricanes. Steve Bowen, Director of the Catastrophe Insight team at insurance giant Aon, explains why data was central to Aon’s response to hurricanes Harvey, Irma and Maria. The episode tells the story of how the OASIS group of companies are seeking to transform our ability to understand climate risk through a commitment to open source data.
4. Agriculture on the front lines: The agriculture industry feels the effects of climate change very acutely. Iris Bouwers, farmer and Vice-President of the European Council of Young Farmers, tells the story of how her farm and those of her fellow farmers around Europe suffered during the recent drought. The episode then explores a suite of innovations that are helping farmers to adapt, including Agro Adapt that helps policy makers assess the impacts of climate change across the industry, and PhenoPiCam, an innovation that is helping winemakers maintain quality as the world warms.
5. The blue green dream: Cities are concentrated centres of climate risk with large populations, high levels of economic activity and expensive cost of properties. But they are also centres of innovation. This episode explores how nature-based solutions are being developed that can make cities better able to cope with climate impacts like extreme heat and flooding. London-based NHS nurse Claire Herne gives an insight into her experience working in heatwaves and gives an indication of how these conditions can have severe impacts for patients.
6. Sharing supply chain risk: everyone’s a WINnER? Few appreciate the intricate network of suppliers, traders and retailers that make up the food supply network. This episode explores how the risks of climate change are being disproportionately shouldered by smallholder famers, and presents an innovative project called WINnERS, that has helped farmers in Tanzania to share the cost of climate change more evenly across the supply chain.