CONVERSATIONS ON CLIMATE

Money makes the world go round. But can the banking system build a different, better world in the process?
Tara Schmidt, of Lloyds and Bank of Scotland, has bet her career on it. She argues that, after the turmoil of 2008 and Covid-19, finance can be the ‘tip of the spear’ in the drive towards a sustainable future.
Tara Schmidt is Head of Climate and Sustainability Strategy, Sustainability & ESG Finance at Lloyds Bank and Bank of Scotland. An engineer by training, Tara moved out of the oil industry in 2004 and has been working in sustainability consulting around the world ever since, with Accenture and ERM.
In episode 13 of the Conversations on Climate Tara talks to Chris Caldwell of United Renewables and the highlights include:
Tara's early interest in sustainability, and finding environmental engineering before it was a taught course.
Applying the finance sector’s risk management lessons from 2008, to climate change.
E, S & G – a history of interdependence, and a problem of measurement.
Winning over board rooms: the power of ‘what-if?’.
The importance of global frameworks in shifting walkers to joggers to runners on climate.
The potential of a just transition to revive the UK’s industrial heartlands Saudi Arabia, Malaysia, South Africa – avoiding decarbonisation ‘scarring’ in the developing world.
COP 27 and beyond: looking holistically at crisis and opportunity.
A message to MBAs: be brave and take that pay cut!
This is an interesting conversation one that shouldn't be missed.
"...so we look a lot at sustainability linked lending, ... In fact, we're looking at 85 different net zero technologies to decarbonize the UK economy. Some of those technologies, we're having to think very innovatively of how we de-risk those technologies and leaning in more with government or thinking about blended financing opportunities as well through infrastructure, banking and so on....So it's not always about it's less risk, it's more of the bank has committed as part of a know we are a founding member of the Net-Zero Banking Alliance and we are aiming to reduce our own finance emissions by 50%. So we want to lean in with our clients and provide those incentives to help also reduce our own financed emissions. But in leading them with them, we have, as a core purpose of the bank, is to help Britain prosper. So really trying to think more about how we can see the economy thrive and support our clients on their own journeys towards that..."
REFERENCES:
https://uk.linkedin.com/in/schmidttara
Energy Institute article on - What climate change means for oil and gas companies:
https://knowledge.energyinst.org/search/record?id=112648
 
Conversations on Climate is a podcast produced by United Renewables in association with the London Business School Energy Alumni Club. 
It brings together the best minds from academia and business, to offer their experience and expertise in the face of climate change –from game theorists to corporate diplomats, and oil industry veterans to micro-algae entrepreneurs. 
For more top-quality interviews with our incredible guests, subscribe to our youtube channel or follow us on twitter. We’d love to have you join us!
Don’t forget to share with your colleagues, friends and family. We would love to hear your opinions and feedback, so please leave your comments on our platforms.
Throughout season 1, we talk about how the scope of the challenge before us is beyond that of any one individual or any one solution. We talk to thinkers, researchers, policymakers, and business leaders. They discuss a diversity of ideas and solutions to global climate and environmental issues and why they matter.
Season 1 is presented by Chris Caldwell and produced by UNITED RENEWABLES in association with LONDON BUSINESS SCHOOL, ALUMNI ENERGY CLUB.
For more information visit: https://www.unitedrenewables.co.uk/resources
Please visit our YouTube channel, where all of our Conversations are available for you to enjoy.
SUBSCRIBE TO THE CHANNEL HERE: https://bit.ly/3GZpd7R 
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Do you find yourself leaving the office after another hectic day and wondering – what is this all for?
What is the point of work – does it actually do any good in the world?
And perhaps most importantly – what can I even do about the things that really matter?
If those feelings sound familiar, then this episode of Conversations on Climate was made for you.
It’s the frankest and most heartfelt discussion we’ve ever put out as a podcast, and we have the remarkable Sam Baker to thank for that.
Sam is the founder of Walk2COP, a grass-roots campaign for climate action which is running a virtual walk to COP27, from Glasgow to Egypt.
After 23 years working in the heart of business consultancy at Deloitte as a partner for ESG and Climate Change, Sam Baker left in 2021 to start a new life as a climate activist.
He stepped out of his front door and didn’t stop walking until he reached the Glasgow Conference last year – and hasn’t stopped building his campaign since.
The conversation is full of wonderful stuff, for the heart as well as the mind. We challenge you to listen and not be moved; and whether moved emotionally or moved to action, Sam and everyone involved in the Conversations on Climate podcast are right here with you.
Just a few highlights:
What drove him to walk away from business
The work he was most proud of in his consultancy career – 
Is incremental change from within big business enough?
His view on the annual cycle of COPs – as essential as they are indecipherable
Why climate lost momentum in 2022 (and how we can get it back)
Addressing the moral and pragmatic case for reparations – could an ‘insurance pool’ work?
On claiming the title of climate activist: how to recognise the ‘fierce and courageous’ among us 
The power of slowing down 
How he answered his scariest question: has my career done more harm than good?
Why everyone he meets now wants to talk about degrowth
Capitalism adrift – finding a new blueprint for the future
That’s just a taste of what’s in the episode. It was on of the most personal, insightful, and challenging discussions we’ve had yet. Don’t miss out.
“...so I think a couple of things. I think one is, you know, this challenge is on us and it's not going to go away... embrace it and feel you're at least thinking or trying to address it in some shape or form...the second thing is that you can't keep a lid on it. I mean, lots of people are, you know, pretending it's not going to happen or pretending it's not their job...But, would you rather know that now and begin to think about what you want to do about it? Or would you rather put it off and then open that box in ten, 20 years time?...rather like I have actually in the last few years and think: how was I so blind? I was so blind. And you can't really you don't have that time back again for sure..."
REFERENCES:
www.walk2cop27.com
Check out the film: https://www.walk2cop26.com/fundraisingfilm
https://www.linkedin.com/in/sam-baker-925500/?originalSubdomain=uk
Conversations on Climate is a podcast produced by United Renewables in association with the London Business School Energy Alumni Club. 
It brings together the best minds from academia and business, to offer their experience and expertise in the face of climate change –from game theorists to corporate diplomats, and oil industry veterans to micro-algae entrepreneurs. 
For more top-quality interviews with our incredible guests, subscribe to our youtube channel or follow us on twitter. We’d love to have you join us!
Don’t forget to share with your colleagues, friends and family. We would love to hear your opinions and feedback, so please leave your comments on our platforms.
Throughout season 1, we talk about how the scope of the challenge before us is beyond that of any one individual or any one solution. We talk to thinkers, researchers, policymakers, and business leaders. They discuss a diversity of ideas and solutions to global climate and environmental issues and why they matter.
Season 1 is presented by Chris Caldwell and produced by UNITED RENEWABLES in association with LONDON BUSINESS SCHOOL, ALUMNI ENERGY CLUB.
For more information visit: https://www.unitedrenewables.co.uk/resources
Please visit our YouTube channel, where all of our Conversations are available for you to enjoy.
SUBSCRIBE TO THE CHANNEL HERE: https://bit.ly/3GZpd7R 
and ring the notification bell
Join us on Twitter: https://bit.ly/3MnhuSf 
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Everyone is talking about sustainability in the last few years – and it feels like businesses have finally joined the discussion in earnest. But what does sustainability actually mean – and is the current conversation really up to scratch? Scrutiny around CSR is on the rise - the greenwashing debate, for example, has heated up in recent years – but we are only seeing the tip of the iceberg, according to our most recent guest. Its time for talk to meet scientific reality.
Get ready for one of the most fresh and fascinating Podcasts you’ll have come across this year. 
Professor Ioannis Ioannou has been working on sustainability and CSR from the very beginning of his career, and it shows. He brings a profound depth of thought and experience to the table. However, he is not one to rest on a set of old ideas – this is a thinker on the leading edge of sustainability theory and practise. Just check out his record: a consistent top-100 figure in the prestigious Social Studies Research Network; an outspoken CSR influencer on social media; and the founding teacher of one of the powerful (and over-subscribed) executive sustainability courses in the world.
This episode takes in so many different facets of CSR and climate that it was a challenge to list them all! More importantly, Professor Ioannou had a new and piercing take for each and every topic we landed upon. You’ve got breadth, you’ve got depth, you’ve got expertise, novelty and passion.
How Ioannis came through the existential challenge of his MBA and found meaning in work
The six features of genuine sustainability that all businesses must meet
Greenwashing: what it is, how to spot it, and even a couple of silver linings!
What keeps him going in the face of a ‘depressing’ lack of progress on climate
His assessment of the latest cohorts of MBAs and executives – is this truly a new generation?
Understanding the ‘fictitious trade-off’ behind the profits vs purpose debate
Why he believes that firms will use ESG to ‘invest their way out’ of the coming economic crisis…
…even as we can’t rely on passive investment strategies to drive that change
Political cowardice is behind the total institutional failure on climate change – and why the culture wars are an asymmetric conflict 
His views on Biden’s Build Back Better programme – ‘you can’t negotiate with science!’
‘No excuse’: personal responsibility as the ultimate way through the climate crisis
“…Think about Tesla, for example, and how it disrupted the automobile industry. Think about Beyond Food and Impossible Meats and how they disrupted their food industry…. Think about how Oatly came in and disrupted natural milk. So in other words, the new market entry signifies to me that sustainability as a trend has created new market opportunities, and therefore especially … a startup that is born sustainable doesn't have the organizational inertia and the challenge of transforming, you can take advantage of these opportunities and you can scale...”
“..So companies, in a sense, are now more legitimate to engage on this transformational journey that sustainability requires… However, this is the plague of our times, I think a lot of companies are trying to find the shortcuts… They're trying to cheat their way to responsibility...”
Professor Ioannis is a frequent contributor to Bloomberg, the FT, the Guardian, and of course the BBC.
REFERENCES: http://ioannou.us/about-us
https://www.ft.com/content/54f96d4e-82ec-11e9-9935-ad75bb96c849
https://hbr.org/2019/05/save-or-invest-how-companies-should-navigate-recessions
 
Conversations on Climate is a podcast produced by United Renewables in association with the London Business School Energy Alumni Club. 
It brings together the best minds from academia and business, to offer their experience and expertise in the face of climate change –from game theorists to corporate diplomats, and oil industry veterans to micro-algae entrepreneurs. 
For more top-quality interviews with our incredible guests, subscribe to our youtube channel or follow us on twitter. We’d love to have you join us!
Don’t forget to share with your colleagues, friends and family. We would love to hear your opinions and feedback, so please leave your comments on our platforms.
Throughout season 1, we talk about how the scope of the challenge before us is beyond that of any one individual or any one solution. We talk to thinkers, researchers, policymakers, and business leaders. They discuss a diversity of ideas and solutions to global climate and environmental issues and why they matter.
Season 1 is presented by Chris Caldwell and produced by UNITED RENEWABLES in association with LONDON BUSINESS SCHOOL, ALUMNI ENERGY CLUB.
For more information visit: https://www.unitedrenewables.co.uk/resources
Please visit our YouTube channel, where all of our Conversations are available for you to enjoy.
SUBSCRIBE TO THE CHANNEL HERE: https://bit.ly/3GZpd7R 
and ring the notification bell
Join us on Twitter: https://bit.ly/3MnhuSf 
Join us on Facebook: https://bit.ly/3Q5UKcj 
Join us on LinkedIn: https://bit.ly/3tFEnK3
 
 
 

So you saw climate change coming a long time ago. You were one of the first to recognise the importance of decarbonisation, and you sniffed out the critical role that renewables would play in the 21st century, even before the millennium had turned. Which means you must have made a killing, as we began the greatest economic and energy transformation in modern history. Right?
Or…maybe not. Because, even if you have made the right long-term calls over the last few decades, the market hasn’t always rewarded you for it. And that’s the puzzle we’re looking at today.
This week’s episode of Conversations on Climate takes us back to our roots, as we go deep on the green energy investment environment. Anyone with a passing understanding of our field knows that is has been a really exciting place to be for the last decade; not least because the landscape has shifted so rapidly around us. This is not a world where you can afford to sit still! 
And a part of that excitement is that investing in clean energy throws up more questions than answers at times, such as:
Is renewables investing like infrastructure or start-ups?
Does Tesla count as cleantech?
Is clean energy recession-proof? Or is it more volatile than traditional industries?
Do financial opportunity and regional political intention always match up?
Is this a safe space for retail investors?
As COO of National Energy Holdings, Giannis Komitas knows a thing or two about this world. After a career in engineering and consultancy, he has found his home as a clean energy investor. From New York to London to Athens, he is deeply versed in the art of taking private capital and matching it to renewables opportunities – with an eye for value, resilience, and building the kind of long-term relationships with stakeholders that really matter.
Our conversation started from some familiar jumping-off points, for anyone connected to the industry – but where we ended up was not where I would have expected. Perhaps that shouldn’t have been a surprise, when talking to a man who self-describes as an investment ‘nomad’.
The show run-down:
How Giannis made the leap from engineer to investor
Is green energy a ‘boring’ industry? 
The risks of a renewables bubble, and his experience riding the rollercoaster of a young and fast-developing sector
Cleantech and recessions – how generators survived market meltdowns and government alike
Understanding this as a sector of ‘nomad’s (and how to hunt down the next area of opportunity)
What Giannis looks for when evaluating a new investment opportunity 
The importance of respect as a generator: for markets, local communities, and the land itself
His caution for retail investors 
Utilities vs Big Oil – who is going to take a bigger part of the green energy pie?
The value of a historical lens – how the infinite energy generation should understand the future of carbon 
References:
https://uk.linkedin.com/in/giannis-komitas
https://national.energy/team
Conversations on Climate is a podcast produced by United Renewables in association with the London Business School Energy Alumni Club. 
It brings together the best minds from academia and business, to offer their experience and expertise in the face of climate change –from game theorists to corporate diplomats, and oil industry veterans to micro-algae entrepreneurs. 
For more top-quality interviews with our incredible guests, subscribe to our youtube channel or follow us on twitter. We’d love to have you join us!
Don’t forget to share with your colleagues, friends and family. We would love to hear your opinions and feedback, so please leave your comments on our platforms.
Throughout season 1, we talk about how the scope of the challenge before us is beyond that of any one individual or any one solution. We talk to thinkers, researchers, policymakers, and business leaders. They discuss a diversity of ideas and solutions to global climate and environmental issues and why they matter.
Season 1 is presented by Chris Caldwell and produced by UNITED RENEWABLES in association with LONDON BUSINESS SCHOOL, ALUMNI ENERGY CLUB.
For more information visit: https://www.unitedrenewables.co.uk/resources
Please visit our YouTube channel, where all of our Conversations are available for you to enjoy.
SUBSCRIBE TO THE CHANNEL HERE: https://bit.ly/3GZpd7R 
and ring the notification bell
Join us on Twitter: https://bit.ly/3MnhuSf 
Join us on Facebook: https://bit.ly/3Q5UKcj 
Join us on LinkedIn: https://bit.ly/3tFEnK3
 
 

As Vice-Dean and Professor of Strategy and Entrepreneurship at London Business School, Julian Birkinshaw is a world-renowned figure in the world of management. With decades of experience studying organisational innovation, corporate entrepreneurship and strategic leadership, he is a perfect guide to the business landscape of today – one marked by disruption, ‘discontinuous innovation’ and existential debates from digital technology to the very purpose of the firm itself.
Beyond the academy, Julian is also a popular author, speaker and executive mentor across the world of business. When we say he’s a big deal, we mean it – he makes regular appearances in the “Thinker’s Fifty” and has received widespread acclaim for books such as Rethinking Management, Becoming a Better Boss, and Fast/Forward.
As well as his own ideas on ‘organisational ambidexterity’ and ‘adhocracy’ in the face of climate change, we also took a hard look at rational strategic planning, remote working, the Great Resignation, and the very future of shareholder capitalism itself. 
What’s in this episode?
Professor Birkinshaw’s work arbitraging business and academia (yes, in both directions!)
How to find – and sculpt - big ideas that truly resonate with leaders on the ground
Disruption as the key framework to understand our times…
…and why the secret to surviving it might just be to following the ‘dancing elephants’
Digital technology as a grand experiment for hierarchical authority
The ‘grey rhino’ that is climate change: a greater or lesser challenge than COVID for adaptive firms? Will Big Oil cope better in Europe or the US?
His view on the purpose vs. profits debate – and the Unilever story we can’t stop talking about 
Where he would head out into the world, as a purpose-first MBA graduating today
Motivation, micromanagement and the Great Resignation
Organisational ambidexterity – what it is and why it matters
Thinking through global climate institutions as ‘adhocracies’ 
"…take the Fortune 500 from last year and guess how many of that Fortune 500 did not exist in any form 25 years ago at the beginning of the Internet revolution. And most people, when I ask that question, they say, oh, maybe it was 100 or 200. Some people say maybe it was 300….Only 17 of the Fortune 500 are completely new. And of course, it's Facebook. It's it's Amazon, it's Google. It's Netflix. I mean, Tesla, you can name half of those even without thinking about it.…Most people fixate on the world's being disrupted…"
"…You’ve got to be resilient to very short term shocks covered in a global financial financial crisis where the effect is felt within weeks. You've got to be resilient to the stuff which takes, you know, months, If not years to work through. And certainly digitization is one… and then you've got to be resilient to the things which take decades to work their way through, which, of course, is climate change.
…And and we sometimes call the first one a black swan event… the thing that you kind of didn't foresee. And then suddenly it's there and and you think, oh, my gosh, why didn't we think of that? Then you've got the other end. You've got climate change, which sometimes is called a gray rhino.
And the metaphor there is, this thing is coming at you, it's coming at you. You can see it a long way off. No one needs to predict this. It's happening. And yet, because it's a long way off for a long time, you actually just sort of, you know, say, yeah, I can see it's coming…
…And then and then suddenly you've actually got to act…climate change is in some ways the hardest. I mean, everybody found COVID difficult, but the point is, there was never any ambiguity about what needed to be done… but the climate crisis: the question is, is when do you act, not do you act…?”
References:
https://www.london.edu/faculty-and-research/faculty-profiles/b/birkinshaw-j
https://julianbirkinshaw.com
Article from HARVARD BUSINESS REVIEW:
https://hbr.org/2014/05/beware-the-next-big-thing/
Conversations on Climate is a podcast produced by United Renewables in association with the London Business School Energy Alumni Club. 
It brings together the best minds from academia and business, to offer their experience and expertise in the face of climate change –from game theorists to corporate diplomats, and oil industry veterans to micro-algae entrepreneurs. 
For more top-quality interviews with our incredible guests, subscribe to our youtube channel or follow us on twitter. We’d love to have you join us!
Don’t forget to share with your colleagues, friends and family. We would love to hear your opinions and feedback, so please leave your comments on our platforms.
Throughout season 1, we talk about how the scope of the challenge before us is beyond that of any one individual or any one solution. We talk to thinkers, researchers, policymakers, and business leaders. They discuss a diversity of ideas and solutions to global climate and environmental issues and why they matter.
Season 1 is presented by Chris Caldwell and produced by UNITED RENEWABLES in association with LONDON BUSINESS SCHOOL, ALUMNI ENERGY CLUB.
For more information visit: https://www.unitedrenewables.co.uk/resources
Please visit our YouTube channel, where all of our Conversations are available for you to enjoy.
SUBSCRIBE TO THE CHANNEL HERE: https://bit.ly/3GZpd7R 
and ring the notification bell
Join us on Twitter: https://bit.ly/3MnhuSf 
Join us on Facebook: https://bit.ly/3Q5UKcj 
Join us on LinkedIn: https://bit.ly/3tFEnK3
 
 
 
 
 
 

If you want a guided tour through the traditional oil and gas sector in this existential moment, there is no better guide than our guest today – Julio Dal Poz. He is a true veteran of the industry: from his beginnings as an engineer on deep-water drills; through stints as analyst and consultant for upstream explorers and energy markets (including a brief covering digital tech and transformation in the sector); to his years at Equinor, where he finished up head of the Advisory Board for Strategy, working on the clean energy transition. Today, he turns his experience and expertise towards helping energy firms design their own transition strategies for our future world, at FTI Consulting.
Can we resolve the tension between energy security and affordability? Does greenwashing really exist? Will the “majors” be able to innovate out of their traditional corners? Is net-zero possible for fossil fuel firms? If you think you know the answers to these questions, then prepare for a full-frontal challenge – because Julio doesn’t hold back, and it makes for a fantastic conversation.
 
Julio’s career transition – from getting more oil out of the ground, to helping legacy energy firms shift to a green world
The ‘next Kodak’ – the internal view of an oil major coming to terms with the reality of decarbonisation
Equinor as an early adopter in the age of the Paris Agreement
The role of government and regulation in making industry change possible
The energy trilemma of security, affordability and sustainability – does a sweet spot even exist?
Clean tech innovation – watch the smaller players if you want to get a jump on the future
Why SCOPE 3 emissions are going to be the biggest struggle for oil companies – and how they are thinking about them
Why Julio thinks greenwashing misses the point
The differences between the Global North and Global South in facing energy transitions
Chris Caldwell of United Renewables and host of The Conversations on Climate podcast talks with industry veteran Julio Dal Poz.
 
Brazilian-born Julio Dal Poz started his career in deepwater oil drilling as an engineer. Through many twists and turns – working across Norway, Brazil, the UK, and the Middle East - he is now a consultant advising traditional energy firms on making the transition to clean energy with FTI Consulting.
After a spell as an energy specialist at Accenture, He spent the key years between the Financial Crisis and the Paris Agreement as Senior Strategy Advisor at Equinor, where he saw first-hand what change really looks like at arguably the world’s most forward-thinking oil major. He is a frequent keynote speaker and panelist at global energy events worldwide.
Julio is a great partner for this conversation, combining his deep experience with a willingness to question common conceptions about the the fossil fuel industry,
…how society addresses the challenge of of climate change. And I think it's not discussed enough as well. I was thinking the other day about our relationship with with energy and how it's changing as well, in the same way that our relationship with, let's say, food or clothes is changing. And if we are much more concerned about how things are manufactured, how things are produced, and we're much more concerned about how our electricity is provided as well.
But now, because energy prices and electricity in these and me, because prices are going up so much, people are starting to think again quite hard about how much energy they consume and also where it's coming from as well. And then if you have a rooftop solar in your home and if you have like a battery at home or if you have like a smart meter on on your home, you have a much closer relationship to the energy that you are consuming.
…but all those things can be solved… maybe that's is the exciting part of the industry these days. There's lot of innovation.. a lot of startups working on incredibly new ideas to resolve technical and technology challenges of resolving energy generation, resolving how to deal with, intermittency of renewable power, how to deal with the challenge of storing renewable energy as well…
 
References
https://www.linkedin.com/in/julio-dal-poz-16b8202/
About FTI Consulting
https://www.fticonsulting.com/about
Background on Equinor
https://www.equinor.com
Conversations on Climate. In this podcast and video series, we hold conversations on climate with experts from around the world that explore the biggest challenge of our time - before time runs out. We hope you all will enjoy this series and find it useful. If you love this episode, please be sure to check out our other podcasts and videos. Please make sure to like and subscribe to our channel and ring the notification
We talk to thinkers, researchers, policymakers, and business leaders. They discuss a diversity of ideas and solutions to global climate and environmental issues and why they matter. Season 1 is presented by Chris Caldwell and produced by UNITED RENEWABLES in association with LONDON BUSINESS SCHOOL, ALUMNI ENERGY CLUB.
Don’t forget to share with your colleagues, friends and family. We would love to hear your opinions and feedback, so please leave your comments on our platforms.
Throughout season 1, we talk about how the scope of the challenge before us is beyond that of any one individual or any one solution. We talk to thinkers, researchers, policymakers, and business leaders. They discuss a diversity of ideas and solutions to global climate and environmental issues and why they matter.
Season 1 is presented by Chris Caldwell and produced by UNITED RENEWABLES in association with LONDON BUSINESS SCHOOL, ALUMNI ENERGY CLUB.
For more information visit: https://www.unitedrenewables.co.uk/resources
Please visit our YouTube channel, where all of our Conversations are available for you to enjoy.
SUBSCRIBE TO THE CHANNEL HERE: https://bit.ly/3GZpd7R 
and ring the notification bell
Join us on Twitter: https://bit.ly/3MnhuSf 
Join us on Facebook: https://bit.ly/3Q5UKcj 
Join us on LinkedIn: https://bit.ly/3tFEnK3
 
 
 

HOW TO GROW CARBON CAPTURE AND STORAGE - Riccardo Gubbioli
In this podcast, Chris Caldwell CEO of United Renewables Ltd and host of the Conversations on Climate series finds out about one of the next generations of carbon sequestration from fellow LBS MBA, RICCARDO GUBBIOLI. 
Riccardo is an Energy Transition & De-Carbonisation Investor and Director of corporate finance at BRILLIANT PLANET. 
Their fascinating conversation introduces us to the microscopic world of MICROALGAE and we discover Riccardo’s journey: From Engineering to Renewable Energy to Agricultural Technology and where Ag Tech Meets Carbon Sequestration.
Chris Caldwell learns about the challenges in this sort of cutting-edge business, as well as some of the secrets behind the science and technology that makes this a hot topic. 
We get some understanding about the production process, why scale matters, and how Microalgae could play a very important role in the fight for de-carbonisation while providing a very valuable food resource.
Riccardo Gubbioli has done it all in the renewables industry: Consultant, Investment Director, MD and VP. With an MBA and several languages under his belt, he is a true powerhouse in the European energy world.
His 15 years in the game have seen him work across Europe(including advising the European Commission on energy transition investment) and close over half a billion dollars in deals. He is currently DIRECTOR OF CORPORATE FINANCE at CCS scale-up BRILLIANT PLANET.
“…we have a specific terminology which allows us to buy prospect relevant algae for different specific and uses. So for example, you say I might want to have a product which is rich in protein - so we know what type of algae we can grow. So we'll have the best protein ratio. Similarly, we want lipids.… “
“…also we cross-reference that with the amount of carbon they take from the atmosphere, the time it takes them to grow, the energy it takes to grow….so it's obviously a complex matrix…”
REFERENCES: 
Find out more about Riccardo https://www.linkedin.com/in/riccardo-gubbioli-9115161
Harnessing the power of Algae: https://www.brilliantplanet.com
TECHCRUNCH article - April 2022: https://tcrn.ch/3A4pyDe
 
Conversations on Climate. In this podcast and video series, we hold conversations on climate with experts from around the world that explore the biggest challenge of our time - before time runs out. We hope you all will enjoy this series and find it useful. If you love this episode, please be sure to check out our other podcasts and videos. Please make sure to like and subscribe to our channel and ring the notification
CONVERSATIONS ON CLIMATE: where we interview experts from around the world and explore the biggest challenge of our time - before time runs out.
Throughout season 1, we talk about how the scope of the challenge before us is beyond that of any one individual or any one solution.
We talk to thinkers, researchers, policymakers, and business leaders. They discuss a diversity of ideas and solutions to global climate and environmental issues and why they matter. Season 1 is presented by Chris Caldwell and produced by UNITED RENEWABLES in association with LONDON BUSINESS SCHOOL, ALUMNI ENERGY CLUB.
Don’t forget to share with your colleagues, friends and family. We would love to hear your opinions and feedback, so please leave your comments on our platforms.
Throughout season 1, we talk about how the scope of the challenge before us is beyond that of any one individual or any one solution. We talk to thinkers, researchers, policymakers, and business leaders. They discuss a diversity of ideas and solutions to global climate and environmental issues and why they matter.
Season 1 is presented by Chris Caldwell and produced by UNITED RENEWABLES in association with LONDON BUSINESS SCHOOL, ALUMNI ENERGY CLUB.
For more information visit: https://www.unitedrenewables.co.uk/resources
Please visit our YouTube channel, where all of our Conversations are available for you to enjoy.
SUBSCRIBE TO THE CHANNEL HERE: https://bit.ly/3GZpd7R 
and ring the notification bell
Join us on Twitter: https://bit.ly/3MnhuSf 
Join us on Facebook: https://bit.ly/3Q5UKcj 
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CAN GAME THEORY AND THE MATHEMATICS OF STRATEGY HELP FIND THE ANSWERS?
Chris Caldwell CEO of United Renewables Ltd and host of Conversations on Climate podcast series has a fascinating discussion with Jean-Pierre Benoît.
We were fortunate enough to capture this conversation at the London Business School where Professor Benoît is Chair of the Economics Department. 
Professor Benoît is a world-recognised expert on game theory and the economics of decision-making. Professor Benoît has applied the theoretical toolkit of game theory to a wide range of questions. His published work covers everything from auctions to immigration theory, the ‘blue wall of silence’ to catastrophes at chemical plants. Naturally, he had no problem turning his insights to the question of climate change – and why polarisation and disaster might be more rational outcomes than we think. It is a fascinating and thought-provoking chat.
• How economics has changed across Professor Benoit's career
• The limitations of Rational Analysis - are we rationally irrational?
• Polarisation and the subject of the environment
• The case for presenting new facts to win over sceptics
"...There's a lot of phenomena that look irrational - aren't necessarily irrational… things look crazier than if you take a big perspective…"
"…Of course, there's something called the better than Average Effect. Maybe you've heard about that. Right? So as I bring people into a room and I say, Do you think you're a safer driver than most people?  Let's say less likely to cause an accident?And 80% of people say yes. So most people think they're better drivers than most people…"
REFERENCES:
https://www.london.edu/faculty-and-research/faculty-profiles/b/benoit-j
Paper on APPARENT BIAS: WHAT DOES ATTITUDE POLARISATION SHOW? https://lbsresearch.london.edu/id/eprint/1075/
TedX Talk on Rational Accidents: https://youtu.be/7CAVJVJXOT8h
 
CONVERSATIONS ON CLIMATE: where we interview experts from around the world and explore the biggest challenge of our time - before time runs out.
Throughout season 1, we talk about how the scope of the challenge before us is beyond that of any one individual or any one solution.
We talk to thinkers, researchers, policymakers, and business leaders. They discuss a diversity of ideas and solutions to global climate and environmental issues and why they matter. Season 1 is presented by Chris Caldwell and produced by UNITED RENEWABLES in association with LONDON BUSINESS SCHOOL, ALUMNI ENERGY CLUB.
Don’t forget to share with your colleagues, friends and family. We would love to hear your opinions and feedback, so please leave your comments on our platforms.
Throughout season 1, we talk about how the scope of the challenge before us is beyond that of any one individual or any one solution. We talk to thinkers, researchers, policymakers, and business leaders. They discuss a diversity of ideas and solutions to global climate and environmental issues and why they matter.
Season 1 is presented by Chris Caldwell and produced by UNITED RENEWABLES in association with LONDON BUSINESS SCHOOL, ALUMNI ENERGY CLUB.
For more information visit: https://www.unitedrenewables.co.uk/resources
Please visit our YouTube channel, where all of our Conversations are available for you to enjoy.
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We travel to THE HAGUE to meet PAUL BEIJER a deep thinker on strategy, finance, and government relations.
Chris Caldwell talks to Paul about the importance of positive interactions with government bodies when dealing with strategies for renewable energy and climate change.
Paul is Managing director and founder of GR-IQ, a government relations consultancy and he is also former VP of government relations at SHELL as well as Country Chair of the LBS Alumni Energy Club.
Paul’s specialty is government relations (aka public affairs). This corporate function is dedicated to ensuring a business understands the regulatory and governmental environment in which it acts – and then deciding how to influence that environment to meet the firm’s objectives. 
Clean energy as a sector is perhaps more exposed to governmental behaviour than any other transformational technology around today. From carbon pricing to contracts for difference, grid infrastructure to charging networks, how the state regulates and invests can make or break its green energy market. And yet government relations departments are a rare sight on a renewables firm’s organisational chart. 
"... if there's one topic they find really challenging to make decisions on and constantly have discussions about, it's the metrics of good government relations..."
"Of course, we are now facing a pretty existential crisis, but also a pretty unique opportunity. And I'm sure we're going to talk more about what that looks like. But that's the backdrop that politicians also need to convince their populations that change is needed because it's going to be painful and costly."
You can find out more about Paul here:
https://www.gr-iq.com/#about-us
Don’t forget to share with your colleagues, friends and family. We would love to hear your opinions and feedback, so please leave your comments on our platforms.
Throughout season 1, we talk about how the scope of the challenge before us is beyond that of any one individual or any one solution. We talk to thinkers, researchers, policymakers, and business leaders. They discuss a diversity of ideas and solutions to global climate and environmental issues and why they matter.
Season 1 is presented by Chris Caldwell and produced by UNITED RENEWABLES in association with LONDON BUSINESS SCHOOL, ALUMNI ENERGY CLUB.
For more information visit: unitedrenewables.co.uk/resources
Please visit our youtube channel, where all of our Conversations are available for you to enjoy.
SUBSCRIBE TO THE CHANNEL HERE: https://bit.ly/3GZpd7R and ring the notification bell
Join us on Twitter: https://bit.ly/3MnhuSf
Join us on Facebook: https://bit.ly/3Q5UKcj Join us on LinkedIn: https://bit.ly/3tFEnK3

In this podcast Conversation, Chris Caldwell talks to Kritika Kumar,  a smart energy specialist, digital transformation expert, and the London Business School Alumni Energy Club Co-President.
They discuss how the implementation of smart technology can transform the efficiency of a building's energy use, creating both cost savings and a reduction of its carbon footprint.
Based in Hong Kong, Kritika explains how she is involved with the rollout of new technologies and the impact this is having in a very energy-intensive environment.
There is a huge amount packed into this half-hour conversation. It was fascinating to hear Kritika’s perspective as someone taking the climate fight to an East Asian megacity, and there will be something new for each and every listener:
-          Why Hong Kong is so far behind in the race to net-zero
-          The challenges of decarbonising a island of 7.5m people – and finding somewhere to charge your electric car
-          Why government targets are necessary, but not sufficient, in driving change
-          The role of decarbonising the built environment in a city-state (and why a subtropical climate doesn’t help)
“Different types of industries now are looking into how can they reduce their own carbon dioxide emissions. I recently interacted with an auction house that was looking into a sustainability policy…last year, they looked into all their emissions coming from shipping, logistics, buildings …shipping artwork from all over the world. And that was a major factor of their emissions. You know, you wouldn't see an auction house looking into their carbon dioxide emissions ten years ago, but it's happening now…”
“…and then on the consulting side, all these companies that are wanting to have a decarbonisation strategy: they don't know how. They need experts in sustainability, in carbon reduction, in ESG. And there's a huge opportunity there, not only in terms of guiding or setting that strategy, but on the implementation as well.”
“I would say the kind of work I am doing is more on this implementation side where I'm helping reduce the carbon dioxide emission in buildings by helping reduce the energy consumption in buildings through technology; installing hardware; software solutions that can help optimise buildings…”
Useful links: 
https://www.linkedin.com/in/kritikakumar1/?originalSubdomain=hk
Key energy stats from the IEA(2019)
https://www.iea.org/countries/hong-kong
Throughout season 1,  we talk about how the scope of the challenge before us is beyond that of any one individual or any one solution. We talk to thinkers, researchers, makers, and business leaders. They discuss a diversity of ideas and solutions to global climate and environmental issues and why they matter.
Season 1 is presented by Chris Caldwell and produced by UNITED RENEWABLES in association with LONDON BUSINESS SCHOOL, ALUMNI ENERGY CLUB. For more information visit: unitedrenewables.co.uk/resources