Episodes

  • How your morning coffee can help build greener cities

    How your morning coffee can help build greener cities
    Feb 20 2026
    Do you start your day with a cup of coffee? The world's 10 billion kilograms of annual coffee waste usually rots in landfills, spewing greenhouse gases. But now, scientists are turning it into biochar to replace up to 15% of sand in concrete, boosting strength by 30% and cutting carbon footprints by up to 26%. Zhao Ying speaks with Dr. Zhang Jingxuan from the School of Engineering at RMIT, who leads the Life-Cycle Assessment of coffee waste for low-carbon concrete.
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    32 mins
  • What does China's corporate climate reporting standard mean for the green transition?

    What does China's corporate climate reporting standard mean for the green transition?
    Feb 13 2026
    China has taken a major step toward improving corporate climate transparency with the release of its new "Corporate Sustainable Disclosure Standard No. 1 – Climate (Trial)." What does the standard require, and how should businesses and investors prepare? Zhao Ying speaks with Allan Xie, Deloitte China's Climate and Sustainability Leader. This episode was recorded on the sidelines of the 2026 International Conference on Sustainable Development of Energy Economics. Special thanks to the School of Journalism and Communication at Tsinghua University, which co-hosted the conference.
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    26 mins
  • Inside CBAM: How can Chinese exporters navigate EU's carbon rules?

    Inside CBAM: How can Chinese exporters navigate EU's carbon rules?
    Feb 12 2026
    Since January 1st, the EU's Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism (CBAM) has fully entered into force. It places a carbon price on imports including iron, steel, and aluminum. For manufacturers in China and across global supply chains, it's no longer just about the quality or price of a product; it's now fundamentally about the carbon embedded within it. How can companies track, report, and verify emissions to EU standards? What do the EU’s default values mean for exporters? In this episode, Zhou Fang spoke with Tu Jianjun, Managing Director of Agora Energy China and Lin Boqiang, Dean of China Institute for Studies in Energy Policy.
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    17 mins
  • What's behind the EU's shift on Chinese EV imports?

    What's behind the EU's shift on Chinese EV imports?
    Feb 6 2026
    The European Union has reached an agreement with Beijing on general guidelines regarding the pricing of Chinese electric vehicles. Shortly thereafter, Canada announced it would allow up to 49,000 Chinese EVs to enter the country at a most-favored-nation rate of 6.1 percent. Are countries finally prioritizing affordable decarbonization over a global trade war? Zhao Ying speaks with Arvea Marieni, European Climate Pact Ambassador.
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    34 mins
  • China and the UK's climate partnership: Different paths, shared future

    China and the UK's climate partnership: Different paths, shared future
    Feb 1 2026
    China and the UK have forged a robust foundation in advancing green energy and climate action. In recent years, cooperation between China and the UK in the offshore wind sector has grown increasingly close, transitioning from project investments by Chinese companies to deeper industrial integration. At the same time, the technological frontier of cooperation has extended to emerging fields, such as offshore wind-to-hydrogen production. Zhou Fang spoke with Guan Dabo, Distinguished Chair Professor of Climate Change Research from Tsinghua University. We explore how this synergy moves from dialogue to real-world projects. We also discuss the urgent need for joint research on enhancing climate adaptation and resilience.
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    22 mins
  • UN report: Our world has entered an era of "water bankruptcy"

    UN report: Our world has entered an era of "water bankruptcy"
    Jan 30 2026
    A UN report declares that the world has entered an era of global "water bankruptcy," with irreversible consequences. The report warns that many societies have been using water faster than nature can replenish it, and that the situation is so severe that old terms like "water crisis" or "water stressed" simply don't capture the full magnitude anymore. What does a global water bankruptcy really mean? Why is it happening? And can we restructure this debt before it's too late? Zhao Ying speaks with Wu Changhua, President of Global Climate Academy and Chair of the Governing Council of the Asia Pacific Water Forum.
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    31 mins
  • What happens next as US walks away from global climate agreements?

    What happens next as US walks away from global climate agreements?
    Jan 23 2026
    The Trump administration has announced its intention to withdraw from 66 international bodies, including the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) and the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC). Later this month, on January 27, the US will also officially depart the Paris Agreement for the second time. What does all this mean for global climate action? Zhao Ying speaks with Daniel Kreeger, the executive director and co-founder of the Association of Climate Change Officers.
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    32 mins
  • Historic High Seas Treaty to enter into force

    Historic High Seas Treaty to enter into force
    Jan 16 2026
    The High Seas Treaty, formally known as the Biodiversity Beyond National Jurisdiction agreement, will enter into force on 17 January, marking a major step in global ocean governance. What does it do, who benefits, and will it truly change how the high seas are managed? Zhao Ying speaks with Zhang Yimo, Priority Project Coordinator of WWF China's Sustainable Blue Economy Program.
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    35 mins