Green Shift

Ep. 20: Unlocking Green Finance in Southeast Asia with Nikki Kemp Southeast Asia faces a $1.1 trillion annual climate funding gap — and the world is falling short by $800 billion every year. So what's actually blocking the flow of green capital into the region? David Austin and James Balzer sit down with Nikki Kemp, Executive Director of the Singapore Green Finance Centre at SMU, to break down the...

⚛️ Singapore has taken a major step toward a possible nuclear future. The country is beginning the IAEA’s Integrated Nuclear Infrastructure Review (INIR) process — a critical milestone used by countries considering nuclear energy for the first time. But what does that actually mean? And why are Small Modular Reactors (SMRs) suddenly becoming part of Southeast Asia’s energy conversation? In this ep...

The Strait of Hormuz crisis is exposing a hard truth about the global energy transition: the world is still deeply dependent on fossil fuels. In this episode of Green Shift, sustainability conversations collide with geopolitical reality as Rajiv Biswas, CEO of Asia-Pacific Economics and Dr. Victor Nian, Founding Co-chair of the Centre for Strategic Energy and Resources (CSER) examine how the US-Ir...

Is nuclear energy making a comeback—and could it power Southeast Asia’s sustainable future? In this episode of Green Shift, we dive into one of the most important (and controversial) topics in the global energy transition: Small Modular Reactors (SMRs). As energy demand surges—driven by AI, data centers, and economic growth—the region faces a critical question: 👉 Can nuclear be the key to a relia...

Shipping moves 80–90% of the world's trade—but it's also one of the hardest industries to decarbonise. In this episode of Green Shift, David Austin and Dr. Victor Nian sit down with Riccardo Barbiellini, maritime and energy transition specialist at Bureau Veritas' Future Shipping Team. Riccardo works at the intersection of shipping, regulation, and decarbonisation, helping one of the world's most...

Can Asia-Pacific build a cross-border carbon capture system—and make it actually work? In this episode of Green Shift, host David Austin and co-host James Balzer sit down with Kevin Pang (SVP at FutureScaleX) to unpack one of the most complex—and potentially transformative—climate solutions: Carbon Capture and Storage (CCS). From Japan’s push to export CO₂, to Southeast Asia’s vast storage potenti...

♻️ Can Aloe Vera Power the Future? Inside the World’s First Aloe-Based Battery | Green Shift Podcast What if the batteries in your remote control, toys, or clocks were 100% eco-friendly, biodegradable, and even more powerful than regular alkaline batteries? 🌱🔋 This episode of Green Shift welcomes Nimisha Varma, co-founder of Aloe E-Cell, and Kash Singh, founder of Primea. Earth, to explore one o...

In this episode of Green Shift , we ask the hard questions behind Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG), sustainable finance, and carbon disclosure with Professor Ben Charoenwong of INSEAD . His research digs into how markets, data, and politics shape what we call “sustainability” — and why the biggest challenge may not be money, but misaligned incentives and bad measurement . From greenwash...

At the Singapore University of Technology and Design (SUTD), sustainability by design isn’t a slogan — it’s a mission. In this episode of Green Shift , hosts David Austin and Dr. Victor Nian speak with Ms. Corinna Choong , Chief Sustainability Officer and pioneer staff member at SUTD, about how the university is using design, technology, and research to drive sustainability impact — from AI-powere...

Can Singapore Achieve 24/7 Carbon-Free Electricity? | Green Shift Podcast with Transition Zero Singapore is exploring how to power the future—clean, round the clock. 🌞⚡🌙 In this episode of Green Shift , host David Austin and co-host Dr. Victor Nian speak with Isabella Suarez , Policy Analyst at Transition Zero , about their new report on 24/7 Carbon-Free Electricity (CFE) . They discuss: 🔹 How...

🌏 Carbon Capture in Indonesia: Governance, Technology, and the Path to Net Zero | Green Shift Podcast Description: Indonesia is the first country in ASEAN to introduce national carbon capture and storage (CCS) regulations — but can it turn ambition into action? In this episode of Green Shift, host David Austin and co-host Dr. Victor Nian (Founding Co-Chair, Centre for Strategic Energy and Resourc...

Is the world's petro-powerhouse going green? 🌱 In this episode of Green Shift, we sit down with Dr. Aisha Al-Sarihi, a leading expert on environmental policy, to unpack the dramatic sustainability shift happening across the Gulf region. From Oman's net-zero pledge to massive investments in green hydrogen, the story is changing faster than you think. We explore: ⚡️ Why Gulf nations like Oman and...

🌍 Green Shift Podcast | Green Fuels with Clarence Woo In this episode of Green Shift, David Austin and Dr. Victor Nian sit down with Clarence Woo , Managing Director of the Global Centre for Green Fuels , to explore the critical role of biofuels and green fuels in Asia’s energy transition. We unpack key questions: What counts as a green fuel? Why is ethanol such an important piece of the puzzle?...

Steel is everywhere — from buildings and cars to wind turbines and solar panels — but it’s also one of the world’s biggest carbon emitters. So how do we decarbonize an industry that makes up 7–11% of global emissions? In this episode of Green Shift, host David Austin is joined by co-hosts Dr. Victor Nian (CSER) and Jordan Kronen, along with special guest Hasliza Omar, PhD candidate in energy secur...

In this episode of Green Shift, we sit down with Dr. Mary Ann Franco, Senior Consultant and Regional Coordinator for Southeast Asia at Aquatera and a global network expert at the Centre for Strategic Energy and Resources (CSER). Dr. Franco shares her insights from years of research and fieldwork on how off-grid and island communities in Southeast Asia adopt renewable energy. We explore the misconc...

In this episode of Green Shift, we welcome Paul Murphy—nuclear energy veteran and founder of Murphy Energy & Infrastructure Consulting—for a candid conversation about the future of energy. Paul breaks down the total system cost of different energy sources, explains why baseload power matters, and challenges common assumptions about renewables and nuclear. With co-hosts Dr. Victor Nian and Jord...

Singapore says it will reach net zero by 2050—but how will it get there? In this episode of Green Shift , host David Austin sits down with climate policy expert Melissa Low to unpack Singapore’s Nationally Determined Contribution (NDC), its emissions trajectory, and the risks of relying too heavily on carbon offsets or carbon capture. We discuss: What NDCs are and why they matter under the Paris A...

🇪🇸 Spain’s Sustainability Push in ASEAN: Renewables, Biofuels & the Spain-Singapore Business Summit 🇸🇬 In this special episode of Green Shift , host David Austin is joined by co-hosts Dr. Victor Nian and Jordan Kronen to explore Spain’s growing role in Southeast Asia’s energy transition. Featuring Antonio García Rebollar and Daniel Yáñez  from the Economic and Commercial Office of the Emb...

What is carbon pricing, and why is it so important for tackling climate change? In this episode, we break down the mechanics of carbon taxes, emissions trading, and cap‑and‑trade policies — and show how putting a price on carbon can drive down emissions while supporting economic growth. Joined by Dr Shreekant Gupta , a veteran economist specializing in climate and sustainability, we explore how ca...

What happens when two experts you respect disagree? That was the question at the heart of this episode. Our guest, Assaad Razzouk is CEO of Gurīn Energ y, a renewable energy company based in Singapore and is also known as The Angry Clean Energy Guy on his podcast of the same name. And he is the author of Saving the Planet Without the Bullshit. What they don’t tell you about the Climate Crises , wh...

Green Shift  is a collaboration between  Austin Media , the  Centre for Strategic Energy and Resources (CSER)  and  Organizational Analytics. Everyone on the team met while working with the  Institute for Environment and Sustainability (IES)  at the  Lee Kuan Yew School of Public Policy (LKYSPP) . We're excited to carry that relationship forward post-IES. We...