Episodes

  • Will this be the most carbon-intensive World Cup in history?

    Will this be the most carbon-intensive World Cup in history?
    Jun 12 2026
    The 2026 FIFA World Cup is underway, with a record 48 teams competing across the United States, Canada, and Mexico. As the tournament grows bigger, so does its climate footprint. Will this year's tournament be the most polluting in FIFA history? Where do the emissions come from? And does the game's continued expansion go against its climate goals? Climate Watch host Zhao Ying speaks with Tim Walters, a professor at Okanagan College in British Columbia, Canada.
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    38 mins
  • Growing Green: Finding Balance in China's Fields

    Growing Green: Finding Balance in China's Fields
    Jun 6 2026
    China's farms are changing. The goal is no longer just producing more food, but producing food that's safer, healthier and more sustainable. Young people are bringing fresh ideas back to the countryside. But the path isn't always easy. Even agricultural experts once struggled to convince farmers to change. Yet demand for greener food continues to grow. Can healthier soil, smarter farming and a new generation of farmers reshape the future of Chinese agriculture? Join us in Anqiu, Shandong Province, as we explore how one agricultural heartland is helping drive China's green transition.
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    34 mins
  • Is the hantavirus outbreak a warning sign of climate change?

    Is the hantavirus outbreak a warning sign of climate change?
    Jun 5 2026
    A deadly hantavirus outbreak aboard the MV Hondius cruise ship has captured headlines over the past few weeks. Beyond the immediate public health crisis, scientists are looking at the climate factors that may be driving the spread of this rodent-borne disease into new areas. Climate Watch host Zhao Ying speaks with Dr. Kirk Douglas, Director of the Center for Biosecurity Studies at The University of the West Indies, Barbados.
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    33 mins
  • From smoke to system: Reinventing industry

    From smoke to system: Reinventing industry
    May 30 2026
    Heavy industry helped power China’s rise for decades. But today, it also stands at the center of the country’s carbon challenge. In Chongqing, one of western China’s biggest industrial hubs, the green transition is taking shape inside cement factories burning waste instead of coal, AI-driven car plants, and logistics hubs powered by electricity and hydrogen. In this episode of Climate Watch, we travel to Chongqing to explore how China is trying to cut emissions while keeping one of the world’s largest manufacturing economies running. As the country pushes toward its “Dual Carbon” goals, can heavy industry become cleaner without slowing down growth?
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    33 mins
  • AMOC at risk: Could the critical Atlantic current collapse?

    AMOC at risk: Could the critical Atlantic current collapse?
    May 29 2026
    Scientists are increasingly worried about the potential collapse of a key Atlantic ocean current. The Atlantic Meridional Overturning Circulation, AMOC, helps regulate global climate by transporting vast amounts of heat across the oceans and shaping weather patterns worldwide. Is AMOC approaching a tipping point? Climate Watch host Zhao Ying speaks with Paul Beckwith, a climate system scientist based in Ottawa and a popular content creator on YouTube.
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    39 mins
  • Powering the transition: Rewiring an industrial city

    Powering the transition: Rewiring an industrial city
    May 23 2026
    As nations accelerate the shift to renewables, maintaining grid stability is increasingly critical. In Changzhou, an industrial hub with high energy demand, this transition is already underway—from solar neighborhoods and underground salt-cavern storage to virtual power plants coordinating distributed energy. In this episode of our special series “China’s Green Code: Rewriting the Rules of Growth,” we visit Changzhou to see how China is balancing stability, affordability, and sustainability in its new energy system.
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    26 mins
  • China builds greener data centers in Xizang

    China builds greener data centers in Xizang
    May 22 2026
    China is building a new generation of greener data centers in Xizang Autonomous Region. Using the region's cold climate and clean energy resources, these projects aim to reduce the carbon cost of powering AI. Can high-altitude computing reshape the climate footprint of the digital age? We talk to Zha Daojiong, Professor of International Political Economy at the School of International Studies at Peking University, and Lin Boqiang, Dean of the China Institute for Studies in Energy Policy at Xiamen University.
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    26 mins
  • How close are we to losing emperor penguins?

    How close are we to losing emperor penguins?
    May 15 2026
    The emperor penguin has been moved from "Near Threatened" to "Endangered" on the International Union for Conservation of Nature Red List. Scientists warn that the early break-up and loss of sea ice could halve their population by the 2080s. Climate change is also threatening Antarctic fur seals and southern elephant seals. What exactly is happening at the bottom of the world? Why are species that have survived for thousands of years now at risk? And as scientists and policymakers meet in Hiroshima for the Antarctic Treaty Consultative Meeting, what action will follow? Climate Watch host Zhao Ying speaks with Zhang Yimo, Priority Project Coordinator of WWF China's Sustainable Blue Economy Program.
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    27 mins