The ClimateTech Podcast

In this episode, we talk about how climate change is affecting both physical health and mental health, and why recognizing these impacts is essential for policy, planning, and support for affected communities.Guests:Liz Willetts, Planetary Health Advisor as well as Policy Reporter at the International Institute for Sustainable DevelopmentAlessandro Massazza, Senior Policy & Advocacy advisor. United for Global Mental HealthFatemeh Bakhtiari, Senior Advisor - Climate Policy, Loss and Damage. UNEP Copenhagen Climate CentreAdditional resources:Loss and Damage Beyond Economics - Exploring Health as a Non-Economic Loss in National Climate Planning, UNEP Copenhagen Climate CentreThe Children’s Climate Risk Report 2026, UNICEFThe climate crisis is a child rights crisis, UNICEFMetrics for biodiversity and health policy integration, Nogués-Bravo, David; Whitmee, Sarah; and Willetts, LizBuilding Resilience through the Climate–Food–Health Nexus: Policy Pathways for Integrated Action in Asia and the Pacific, ESCAPDiverse values of nature for sustainability,. Nature, Pascual, U., Balvanera, P., Anderson, C.B. et al.Policy Brief: Loss and Damage, WHO

In this episode, we discuss how to unlock the potential of urban Nature-based Solutions. We look at multilevel governance as the missing enabler of implementationconnecting national to local levels.With concrete examples from Brazil and Montreal we go into the details of what it takes to turn global goals into the everyday decisions of planners, mayors, communities, and ministries.Guests:Secretary Adalberto Maluf: National Secretary for Urban Environment, Water Resources, and Environmental Quality at the Ministry of Environment and Climate Change of BrazilSidney Ribaux: NbS Expert, formerly Director of the Office of Ecological Transition and Resilience at the City of Montreal, Canada.Julia Rocha Romero: Advisor, Nature-based Solutions, Adaptation Section, UNEP Copenhagen Climate Centre.This conversation builds on a new guide on Nature-based Solutions from UNEP Copenhagen Climate Centre.The guide, Rooted in Nature, provides practical entry points for mainstreaming urban NbS into national policy cycles, and translating them into place-based delivery. It features several key examples from UNEP’s Generation Restoration Cities.Download the Rooted in Nature guide here.The Guide is the result of UNEP Copenhagen Climate Centre’s and UNEP’s collaboration on urban NbS and provides timely takes ahead of World Environment Day and the three COPs under the Rio Convention this year.

In this episode of the ClimateTech Podcast we look at Solar powered irrigation, and how to help scale a Commercially driven Solar Powered Irrigation market, to help smallholder farmers grow their crops and adapt to climate change.With a special focus on Uganda, the episode delves into what has worked for local businesses so far, and what is needed for solar irrigation to reach it full potential.Guests:Douglas Baguma, CEO of Innovex Uganda and chairman of the Uganda Solar Energy Association (USEA)Vincent Sseremba, CEO of Tulima SolarVictor Kazimiri, CEO of Akvo InternationalMore resources and information on solar powered irrigation and scaling climate techonology:👉 https://unepccc.org/project/accelerating-climate-technology-transition/

This episode explores different aspects of Non Economic Losses from climate impacts, looking closer at cultural heritage and indigenous peoples perspectives, to try and find out what kind of data or evidence are most needed to better understand and measure non economic losses from climate change impacts.GuestsJyoti Hosagrahar, Deputy Director of the World Heritage Centre at UNESCONicole Redvers, Western Research Chair & Director at Indigenous Planetary Health and Associate Professor at Western University. Member of the Denı́nu Kų́ę́ First NationFatemeh Bakhtiari, Senior Advisor on Climate Policy, Loss and Damage at the UNEP Copenhagen Climate Centre.Additional RessourcesFinal list of potential indicators, UAE–Belém work programme on indicatorsUNESCO 2030 Culture IndicatorsUNFCCC: "Non-Economic Losses – Featuring loss of territory and habitability, ecosystem services and biodiversity, and cultural heritage" UNESCO: Climate change in Mediterranean World Heritage citiesUNESCO: World Heritage CanopyUNESCO - Climate Change and World HeritageUNESCO: Policy Document on Climate Action for World HeritageIndicator Examples from ICAT Panama:Overview of country work in PanamaLoss and Damage Methodology [Spanish]

This episode looks at the concept of the bioeconomy and its potential to contribute to climate change mitigation and adaptationIt examines the progress being made in scaling up the availability and use of these technologies, highlighting both global trends and region-specific developments. Biobased technologies include processes, products and systems derived from renewable biological resources such as biomass, agricultural residues and algae that can be sustainably replenished over time. Accelerating technological innovation and policy momentum is driving growth in biomass utilization and biogenic carbon solutions, sustainable land use and advanced biobased materials. The global bioeconomy is valued at an estimated $4–5 trillion, with the potential to grow to $30 trillion by 2050, positioning it as a cornerstone of the transition to a low-carbon, climate-resilient, and sustainable future. Realizing this potential will require targeted action across technology, finance, and effective governance and policy.Join Daya Pandey, Francis X Johnson, Alex Godoy-Faundez and Debora Ley, lead authors of the 2025 Climate Technology Progress Report in a broad discussion of the bioeconomy.

In this episode of the ClimateTech Podcast, we explore how clean cooking—especially electric cooking powered by renewables—is emerging as a powerful climate solution with wide-reaching benefits for health, gender equality, and sustainable development.We delve into why clean cooking is now a national priority in Uganda, the numerous co-benefits, barriers to scale, including affordability, access, and awareness, and how carbon markets and Article 6 of the Paris Agreement can unlock new financing pathways.Guests:Herbert Abigaba, Head of the Clean Cooking Unit, Ministry of Energy, UgandaRuth Akiiki Komuntale, Managing Director, ECOCA East AfricaBen Jeffreys, Managing Director, ATECSandra Cavalieri, Clean Cooking Lead, Climate and Clean Air Coalition (CCAC)For more insights, check out the report Business and Financing Models for PV-Supported Clean Cooking.Or check out the SOLCO Partnership - a multi-stakeholder ecosystem catalyzing the transition to solar-powered electric cooking or hybrid e-cooking in last mile communities across the globe, and the Global Electric Cooking Coalition (GeCCo) - a collaboration of eCooking advocates seeking to significantly scale up access to electric cooking solutions across the world.

In this episode of the ClimateTech Podcast, we explore how waste—often seen as a challenge—can become a powerful resource for clean energy and local development across Africa.We dive into the growing waste crisis, how waste-to-energy solutions can reduce pollution, cut emissions, and create jobs, practical innovations in refugee settings and informal waste collection, and look at lessons from the SESA project on capacity building, peer learning, and inclusive planning.Guests:Guglielmo Mazzà, CEO and Co-founder of ReFuse, a Lebanese social enterprise focused on integrated solid waste managementClaudia Schröder, Senior Professional Officer for Climate Change, Energy & Resilience at ICLEI AfricaExplore the SESA Toolbox for practical, replicable energy solutions here: https://toolbox.sesa-euafrica.eu/More information on the Sunny project can be found here: https://sunny-project.eu/

In this episode of the ClimateTech Podcast, we explore the untapped potential of biogas as a renewable energy solution— looking at experiences from Brazil and research from Africa. From household systems to industrial-scale applications, biogas offers a powerful way to reduce emissions, improve waste management, and support energy access.Guests:Yuri Schmitke, President of the Brazilian Association of Waste Energy Recovery (ABREN), who shares insights from Brazil’s national biogas strategy and upcoming biomethane mandate.Dr. Solomon Eghosa Uhunamure, postdoctoral fellow at the University of Cape Town, who brings a research-based perspective on biogas adoption in South Africa.This episode is produced through the Smart Energy Solutions for Africa (SESA) project, funded by the European Union.Explore the SESA Toolbox for practical, replicable energy solutions here: https://toolbox.sesa-euafrica.eu/List of Solomon´s publications and research: https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Solomon-UhunamurePublications available through ABREN: https://abren.org.br/downloads/

In this episode, we look at nature-based solutions and how we can overcome the barriers to scale and implement them in growing cities. The guests present several societal and biodiversity co-benefits resulting implementing nature-based solutions for climate adaptation and resilience in cities.  We delve into policies, regulations, and the need for enhanced capacity and peer-to-peer knowledge transfer between cities of the global south.Guests:Julia Rocha Romero, Advisor – Nature-based Solutions, UNEP-CCCGabriel Dias Mangolini Neves, Environmental Engineer, Municipality of Campinas, BrazilMonalisa Sen, Associate Director, ICLEI – Local Governments for Sustainability, South AsiaLinks to reports and cases mentioned in the episode:Enabling Future-Ready Urbanization in Fast-Growing Cities with Nature-based Solutions Business Models for Financing Nature-Based Solutions in Urban Climate ActionLinear parks in Campinas, BrazilCanal restoration in Kochi, India

In this episode, we look at investing in urban climate resilience with Nature-Based Solutions through innovative business models, and a new publication with examples on how to develop them: Business Models for Financing Nature-Based Solutions in Urban Climate Action.We delve into real-world examples, how to speak the language of private sector stakeholders, underused financing sources, and the importance of data and analysis.Guests:Dora Almassy, nature-based solutions assessment expertSolutionsNajma Mohamed, Head of nature-based solutions, UNEP World Conservation Monitoring CentreVanesa Rodriguez Osuna, Net-Zero Sector Track Lead, UNEP Finance Initiative