Best Jason Rissman Podcasts (2024)

1
Inside IBM's sustainability strategy with Justina Nixon-Saintil, Ep #91 35:45

9h ago35:45

35:45

It’s a sad truth that many companies are struggling or failing to meet their sustainability targets. Sensitive to anti-ESG pressure, interest rates, and other macro factors, many are also holding back from making new commitments. Currently, less than 10% of the Fortune Global 500 has a net zero commitment in place. Amidst this context, it's all the…

1
Hedge funds' role in climate action with Corbin Capital, Ep #90 35:43

4d ago35:43

35:43

Hedge funds aren’t exactly known for contributing to climate progress or other ESG goals for that matter. So I was surprised to learn about Corbin Capital, a firm that aims to leverage the activist strategies of hedge funds not just to generate market-exceeding returns for their clients, but to advance environmental and social objectives. There are…

1
Going for gigatons with Clean Energy Venture's Temple Fennell, Ep #89 39:52

2M ago39:52

39:52

We know we need to be investing trillions of dollars annually into the climate transition. Venture capital is just a small slice of the pie, but there’s simply no time to slow down its contribution to advancing climate solutions. In 2023, however, climate tech venture funding dropped 30% to $32 billion. Whether this was a temporary slowdown caused …

1
Fighting for climate disclosures with Ceres, Ep #88 37:59

3M ago37:59

37:59

After two years of waiting, the SEC finally came out with its new climate disclosure rules. As expected, it was met with a mix of celebration, disappointment, criticism, and lawsuits. The suits came from those who felt the rules went too far and from those who felt they don’t go far enough. Disclosure rules are critical to ensuring companies are ta…

1
Mastercard's master plan for sustainable consumption, Ep #87 36:28

3M ago36:28

36:28

If you think of Mastercard as simply a piece of plastic that enables you to buy stuff, you’re not seeing their vast network of businesses, their billions of customers, or the potential influence they have on consumer behavior. There have been countless efforts over the years to encourage consumers to shop more sustainably, but when it comes to the …

1
Fundraising tips & climate tech outlook with Earthshot VC, Ep #86 44:23

3M ago44:23

44:23

Earthshot Ventures isn't just any climate tech venture firm. Having grown out of the Elemental Excelerator, one of the biggest and best-reputed accelerators in the industry, Earthshot is deeply rooted in the early-stage ecosystem. And it turns out there's something else that sets them apart. Managing Partner Mike Jackson has a knack for coaching fo…

1
Scaling home upgrades through CSAs with Scope Zero, Ep #85 26:24

4M ago26:24

26:24

We know that motivating homeowners to invest in energy efficiency retrofits and home upgrades is hard. Energy efficiency might not sound glamorous, but across the US, retrofits can actually cut our residential energy usage in half. That’s why when I met Scope Zero CEO Lizzy Kolar, I was excited to learn about her company’s novel way of motivating h…

1
Oxford's Climate Tech Opportunity Report with Jamil Wyne, Ep #84 42:15

5M ago42:15

42:15

We know that addressing climate change will take trillions of dollars of investment. According to the Climate Policy Institute, we’ll need to spend over $10 trillion annually for decades. and we only just exceeded $1 trillion for the first time in 2022. I’ll confess, I find these big numbers hard to conceptualize and I’m always glad for more nuance…

1
Unlocking the Potential of Scientists with Activate, Ep #83 37:47

5M ago37:47

37:47

At the center of climate progress are scientists. They’re developing new technologies with which we can build a new, more sustainable global economy. Moving inventions from a lab to startup companies to scaled products, however, takes more than science. Research scientists had long lacked a support structure to help them build successful businesses…

1
Sierra Club Foundation's Shifting Trillions Initiative to Transform Energy Finance, Ep #82 43:16

6M ago43:16

43:16

If you’re listening to this podcast you’ve probably heard of the Sierra Club. It’s one of the largest environmental organizations in the United States, with about 4 million members and a history of advocacy going back to 1892. But what do you know about the Sierra Club Foundation? It’s a $200m organization that, as you’d guess, supports the Sierra …

1
Smart ACs and hot cities with Sensibo's Ran Roth and Prof. Matthias Roth, Ep #81 40:23

6M ago40:23

40:23

I know it’s wintertime for many of you, but that doesn’t mean we can ignore how cities around the world are heating up and how air conditioning is a growing contributor to climate change. Air conditioning is responsible for about 4% of global greenhouse gas emissions. Today, about 20% of electricity used in buildings and about 10% of global electri…

1
Inside Atlassian's Sustainability Playbook, Ep #80 41:11

6M ago41:11

41:11

We all know that companies around the world are working to reduce their emissions and, hopefully, achieve net zero. But what does it take to set up a sustainability program? What are the steps in the process? What are the considerations along the way? And who are the partners one might work with? Most of this work happens behind closed doors, but s…

1
How advertising can accelerate climate progress with Wieden+Kennedy, Ep #79 42:05

6M ago42:05

42:05

What do you think of when you think about advertising and its role in climate change? I’ll confess the first thing that comes to mind is the fossil fuel industry’s multi-billion dollar campaign to discredit climate science, deliberately confuse the public, and delay climate action. But, of course, like every industry, advertising has a role to play…

1
Rockefeller Foundation's $1 billion catalytic climate commitment, Ep #78 34:46

7M ago34:46

34:46

It feels fitting to start 2024 talking about the big numbers, the big climate financing gaps we face and ways to fill them. We know that addressing the climate crisis requires trillions of dollars of investment. It’ll need to come from government, corporations, and big finance, but there’s another stakeholder with an important contribution. Private…

1
Preview for the New Year 4:19

7M ago4:19

4:19

Happy New Year. It is the beginning of 2024 and I am excited to work along side you to achieve a greater future for our planet. On this preview episode I give you a glimpse into the upcoming topics of 2024.By Jason Rissman

1
Replacing plastic using captured greenhouse gases with Newlight, Ep #77 29:18

8M ago29:18

29:18

There’s a lot we can learn from nature. Processes that happen in nature keep resources in flow, by-products are used and contribute to the health of the ecosystem and there is no waste. Fallen leaves enrich the soil, photosynthesis produces oxygen for animals to breathe, and microorganisms decompose methane and carbon dioxide and produce PHP. Oh, n…

1
Building global climate resilience with Global Resilience Partnership & Green Africa Youth Organization, Ep #76 45:44

9M ago45:44

45:44

As we all feel the impacts of climate change more and more each year, the need to invest in climate resilience becomes more and more clear. The World Bank estimates that by 2050, there’ll be more than 1 billion climate refugees. It’s not about choosing between solutions to dramatically cut emissions and investments that help communities prepare for…

1
Impact investing in climate with Impact Engine, Ep #75 41:52

9M ago41:52

41:52

This episode focuses on impact investing and the particular approach of an impact investing firm based in Chicago named Impact Engine. Now that I’ve said the word impact four times, I should probably unpack the jargon. This class of investing aims to create direct, measurable social and environmental impact alongside a financial return. It’s relate…

1
Salesforce's climate investing playbook, Ep #74 47:44

9M ago47:44

47:44

When it comes to big companies’ sustainability commitments, I’ve long been impressed by Salesforce. They made sustainability a core company value and pledged to put the full power of their business behind protecting the planet. Hold your skepticism for a minute – this is more than just big promises. They achieved net zero residual emissions and tra…

1
Fusion, carbon transformation, grid management and more with Braemar Energy Ventures, Ep #73 44:21

9M ago44:21

44:21

Today we’re joined by three team members of Braemar Energy Ventures, ESG Head Lori Collins, Partner Don Tappan, a Co-Founder and Managing Partner Bill Lese. I was excited to talk to the Braemar team because their firm has been investing in energy companies for over 20 years and have backed some early category-defining pioneers like ChargePoint and …

1
Massive infrastructure opportunity with Nexus PMG & GreenBacker, Ep #72 45:26

10M ago45:26

45:26

The climate transition we’re living through brings so many opportunities to rethink our infrastructure that it could easily be the entire focus of this podcast week after week. Today’s episode focuses on a handful of those opportunities: converting waste into valuable upcycled materials, renewable energy infrastructure, biomass, biofuels and more. …

1
Geothermal heat pumps with Dandelion Energy, Ep #71 37:27

10M ago37:27

37:27

Heat pumps have gotten a lot of attention lately. They’re one of the technologies most critical to electrifying buildings and removing our dependency on fossil fuels for heating and cooling. And, they’re a technology that’s taking off. Sales of heat pumps have grown by double digits for two years running. According to the Sustainability Trends Repo…

1
Climate Week recap featuring Al Gore & many others, Ep #70 1:06:04

10M ago1:06:04

1:06:04

This week, we’re doing something a bit different outside of our typical interview format. This is a recap of New York Climate Week. I’ll share some of my impressions and you’ll hear from folks like Vice President Al Gore, California Senator Henry Stern, several friends, and fellow climate travelers. You’ll hear some segments from sessions I attende…

1
Tackling the plastics crisis via blended finance with Circulate Capital & the Circulate Initiative, Ep #69 46:46

10M ago46:46

46:46

When it comes to plastics, we’re in a real bind. We have yet to develop and scale attractive alternatives to the petroleum-based plastic products we all use every day, and the plastics industry drives well over a billion tons of greenhouse gasses, that’s roughly 4% of total global emissions and plastic-related emissions are on track to double by 20…

1
Sunrise Movement & young people's fight for bold climate action, Ep #68 45:07

10M ago45:07

45:07

No matter who I talk to – whether startup founders, investors, or corporate sustainability leaders – when I ask what is needed to really move the needle on climate change, everyone always comes back to the to importance of policy change, of making climate an electoral issue and holding political leaders accountable to take bold action. There’s no d…

1
AI-Powered Climate Tech Breakthroughs with Neotribe's Kittu Kolluri, Ep #67 31:31

11M ago31:31

31:31

When it comes to climate tech, there are a lot of new kids on the block, investors that have brought billions of dollars of new capital and have helped fund climate innovation we badly need. It’s rare that you find folks who have been investing in climate tech for over a decade, let alone two decades. So I was thrilled to sit down with Neotribe’s S…

1
Climate-first investing with GreenPortfolio & Earth Equity Advisors, Ep #66 43:40

11M ago43:40

43:40

From the growing demand for climate-positive investing, new funds, new approaches for financial advisors, and entirely new platforms for managing one's investments are taking off. This is just the beginning. It's hard to imagine how different investing might be as tens of trillions of dollars transfer to younger sustainability-motivated generations…

1
Creating a circular economy of carbon with LanzaTech, Ep #65 44:32

12M ago44:32

44:32

Fossil carbon is not just burnt for energy. It’s also used as an ingredient for millions of everyday products. But what if, rather than extracting new fossil carbon from the ground, the carbon could be sourced from waste and kept in circulation. That’s exactly what a company called LanzaTech is doing. For almost two decades LanzaTech has been using…

1
Climate TRACE's bold plan to map emissions with satellites, sensors & AI, Ep #64 41:08

12M ago41:08

41:08

We all know that addressing climate change means eliminating greenhouse gas emissions, but have you ever stopped to wonder how we know how much we’re actually emitting? The truth is we haven’t really known, but instead rely on estimates. These estimates fail to provide very specific data about where exactly emissions are coming from, when, and what…

1
Electrifying fleets with Spring Free EV & Spring Lane Capital, Ep #63 41:44

12M ago41:44

41:44

The EV revolution is well underway, and we’re clearly in the midst of a massive transition away from gas-powered cars. Consumers are opting for EVs not only to end their costly dependency on fossil fuels, but also because EVs are often just better cars. For fleet managers, the calculus is different and more challenging. Switching to EVs requires no…

1
Turning waste into energy onsite with Closed Loop Partners & HomeBiogas, Ep #62 39:17

1y ago39:17

39:17

I love talking about food waste. It’s one of the biggest contributors to emissions and something that we all contribute to every day. Reducing how much food goes uneaten is, of course, a big part of the solution, but there’ll always be organic waste. If it sits in a landfill, it’ll emit methane and miss the chance to be used as a resource. Today’s …

1
Climate investing past, present & future with Jenn Kenning, Ep #61 35:04

1y ago35:04

35:04

Most of our episodes go deep into specific opportunities to address climate change through new technologies, investment opportunities, advocacy, and policy. This episode takes a step back to look at climate and impact investing, how they’ve evolved in recent years, and where they’re heading. Not only have climate and impact investing exploded in re…

1
Carbon-negative pigments with Nature Coatings and Regeneration.vc, Ep #60 27:03

1y ago27:03

27:03

Decarbonization requires not only eliminating fossil fuels as a main source of energy, but also replacing them as key ingredients in objects we use every day. If you want a crash course on just how much our material world depends on fossil fuels, check out the book How the World Really Works by Vaclav Smil. It’s a fascinating, though sobering read,…

1
Making sustainable investing easy with Carbon Collective & Powerhouse Ventures, Ep #59 41:32

1y ago41:32

41:32

If you’re listening to this podcast you clearly care about climate change and it might bother you that your 401k is likely investing in fossil fuels. Many employers have yet to offer sustainable 401k plans, and it sends billions of dollars of capital into fossil fuels every year. Even ESG funds often invest in fossil fuels. Today’s conversation is …

1
Decarbonization intelligence with SINAI & Energize Ventures, Ep #58 36:24

1y ago36:24

36:24

We often hear about public commitments to reach net zero, but not the nuance, choices, costs, and complexity big companies face when working to decarbonize their global operations. Behind the scenes, any company that is making climate commitments has teams of people focused on decarbonization strategy, carbon accounting, and reporting to figure out…

1
Piloting through the valley of death with NREL, NineDot & Community Energy Lab, Ep #57 46:01

1y ago46:01

46:01

Perhaps you’ve heard of the Valley of Death? It’s the phase of development that often kills off startups before they can reach scale. One key challenge is needing to test and refine their technology and gain true validation. For a few lucky startups, this is where the Wells Fargo Innovation Incubator comes in to help them develop pilots that provid…

1
Sustainable shopping momentum with Future & Back Market, Ep #56 46:38

1y ago46:38

46:38

Today’s episode focuses on sustainable consumption. I know what you’re probably thinking – that the climate crisis requires systemic change and that shifting consumer behavior is slow, it's difficult and it simply won’t add up to enough in terms of the emissions reductions we need. And, I agree – sustainable shopping isn’t enough, but it’s still es…

1
Mushrooms that eat waste with Mycocycle & Gener8tor, Ep #55 38:46

1y ago38:46

38:46

Today, we’re going to talk about mushrooms. More than a delicious pizza topping, fungi can be useful in many different ways and it might even play a heroic role in addressing climate change. How might mushrooms help? Let's count some of the ways. They can be eaten and help reduce our dependence on animal protein. They can replace animal-based leath…

1
City Councilmembers Nithya Raman of Los Angeles & Yassamin Ansari of Phoenix on local climate action, Ep #54 44:16

1y ago44:16

44:16

When it comes to climate policy we hear a whole lot about what’s happening or not at the federal level, and it's easy to miss the critical role of states and cities in responding to climate change. Whether you know it or not, your local government is shaping how your community is preparing for and responding to climate impacts. It’s also making cho…

1
Innovation to restore our oceans with Sustainable Ocean Alliance and Oceans Uprise, Ep #53 48:19

1y ago48:19

48:19

Today, we're taking a deep dive into the ocean. Oceans are central to our planet’s climate system. They regulate temperatures, host a vast array of biodiversity, and here's a crucial point - they absorb about a quarter of all CO2 emissions, acting as a massive carbon sink. But this isn't without consequence. Ocean acidification is a direct result o…

1
Pursuing a just transition with Climate Justice Alliance, Ep #52 41:36

1y ago41:36

41:36

Addressing climate change is not just about eliminating emissions and removing as much carbon from the atmosphere as possible. It's also about people – how their lives, livelihoods, and communities are disrupted by climate impacts as well as by investments in climate solutions. It’s an issue of equity. Pollution and climate-induced extreme weather …

1
Reshaping real estate with Pearl & Clean Energy Ventures, Ep #51 48:52

1y ago48:52

48:52

You probably know that buildings and the built environment account for 40% of our emissions and about 40% of our energy use. Many bright minds are working on this problem, but it remains a tricky one. In the residential market, homeowners are often reluctant to undertake renovations, and when they do, they usually lack the information and contracto…

1
US Department of Energy's Chris Castro on helping communities access the IRA and more, Ep #50 44:24

1y ago44:24

44:24

The US Department of Energy (DOE) plays a key role in the rollout of climate funding and policies, so I was thrilled to chat with Chris Castro. Chris is the Chief of Staff of the Office of State and Community Energy Programs at the DOE. Chris brings entrepreneurial instincts and experience, along with clear passion to his role. We talk about Chris’…

1
How shareholder activism accelerates climate action with ShareAction, Ep #49 39:49

1+ y ago39:49

39:49

Late in 2022, I noticed a BBC News article stating that HSBC – one of the world’s largest banks – had committed to end funding for all new oil and gas drilling. The commitment alone was noteworthy, but what really caught my eye, as I was looking to understand what drove such a powerful commitment, was the mention of a small nonprofit group based in…

1
Marilyn Waite on the Climate Finance Fund and the $4T we need, Ep #48 41:15

1+ y ago41:15

41:15

Today’s episode is a deep dive into climate finance. I’m joined by Marilyn Waite, Managing Director of Climate Finance Fund. Marilyn is one of the world’s leading thinkers, writers and leaders working in several different ways to stimulate the kind and scale of investment needed to address climate change. She brings a deep commitment to climate jus…

1
Transparent solar’s revolutionary potential with Andersen Windows & Ubiquitous Energy, Ep #47 48:38

1+ y ago48:38

48:38

Imagine if solar panels could be invisible and so thin that you could install them inside windows. Exciting, right? This isn’t a science fiction thought experiment, but it’s a real technology being developed by a company called Ubiquitous Energy. And it gets even better: they’re developing this technology in partnership with Andersen Windows, one o…

1
Democratizing climate investing with RaiseGreen & WeSolar, Ep #46 38:04

1+ y ago38:04

38:04

If you’re listening to this podcast you probably agree that climate solutions need to be deployed at scale, across industries, and ultimately influence the lives of everyone. And yet, it’s still hard for most people to invest in and access the solutions our future relies on. The episode features two companies that are working towards increasing acc…

1
Sec. of Agriculture Karen Ross on California's Climate Leadership, Ep #45 38:11

1+ y ago38:11

38:11

Agriculture is a sector that needs to be transformed. We need to cut emissions, improve soil health, and sequester more carbon, all while feeding more people. This episode focuses on how California’s Department of Food and Agriculture is investing in this change. Why California? Well, agriculture in the Golden State is a big deal. It’s a $51 billio…

1
Danone & EDF's partnership to transform agriculture, Ep #44 52:19

1+ y ago52:19

52:19

While new innovations from climate tech startups are exciting, effectively addressing the climate crisis simply isn’t going to happen without big companies making big changes. To be honest, that’s part of why I recently started a new role at NationSwell where I get to help a growing community of chief sustainability officers and ESG leaders take bo…

1
The great school bus transition with Highland Electric & Tim Shannon, Ep #43 32:59

1+ y ago32:59

32:59

There’s a lot of talk about electric cars, but what about other vehicles like buses and trucks? Buses and trucks create 30% of emissions from the transportation sector, so they need to be a priority. This episode focuses on school buses. It turns out that diesel school buses not only pollute the environment, but they cause real health problems for …

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