AlterCOP

In 2008, Ecuador became the first country in the world to recognise the Rights of Nature in its Constitution, making history and declaring that nature has a right to exist, thrive, and regenerate. This groundbreaking step recognised that beyond being essential to human health, economic stability, and sustainable development, Nature has value in and of Herself. 🌿 Ecuador planted a seed and today, global movements such as #COP30 and AlterCOP are fighting to protect, embed and expand this understanding. 🌏 As COP and AlterCOP draw to a close today, this message feels more urgent than ever. Across this week, communities, advocates, researchers, youth, and everyday citizens came together at AlterCop in Australia to imagine what climate justice, planetary protection, and a more ethical relationship with nature could look like. The United Nations Association of Australia Young Professionals QLD were proud to support and contribute our network, energy, our channels and our commitment to this global conversation alongside key partners such as People For Nature, Sarah Woolmington, Impact Dragonfly, Audrey Barucchi (CEnvP) and People Planet Pint, standing alongside local organisations, youth leaders, and climate champions who are shaping the future we all depend on and that as younger generation we have the responsibility to protect. As this powerful week wraps up, we carry forward the momentum, the hope, the learnings and the responsibility to keep pushing for real, lasting change. Thank you to our team for joining the voices on stage and all our wonderful partners! Joel Lindsay Fien Van den Steen Kieran Ganasan Nancy Leon Lucía Jiménez Morgado Lily Dwan Milena Garzón Moscoso Linn K Thwin Alex Furey Impact Dragonfly Sarah Woolmington Mercedes Frew Georgia Stel Rosette Williams Lily Dwan Christina Jeong Dr Donnell Davis Milena Garzón Moscoso Dr Joshua Karras JP Anne Chan Cameron Gordon

Had the opportunity to attend several events including the Singapore FinTech Festival and AlterCOP as organizers pack conferences prior to the December lull. Multiple takeaways from the panels and booth visits so offering a few here on Sustainability, Technology and Geopolitics, a recurring thematic at these events: 1) “They do their thing, we do ours” – Further decoupling underway as APAC forges ahead with the Climate Movement without the US. A CEO of a large APAC corporation remarked staying the course is “the right thing to do” amidst the “rightward move” in US politics and its reversion to fossil fuels at the expense of green and clean energy.  Comments about how deeply the movement is too ingrained to warrant a reversal permeated the various sessions. 2) “Tech cuts across everything” – Unsurprisingly, intersections will always exist for any national agenda for technology leadership or corporate sustainability net zero goal. GenAI and Agentic AI were all the hype but lurking beneath is “Q-Day”. In a similar tune as to how this is playing out, Chinese systems cost a sixth of their US counterparts which has led to regional adoption of both with use cases being deployed across various sectors like transportation. 3) “Who has the Power?” – If Great Power Rivalry is tied to the battle for technology leadership, one cannot help but wonder whether the US is missing a trick by de-emphasizing Sustainability and clean energy under the banner of “America First”. During SFF week, it was reported that a datacenter loaded with NVDIA chips in Santa Clara, US, is still sitting in a quasi-mothball state. https://lnkd.in/gmymmdB6 Whilst the current US Administration recognize that all things hardware and software are needed to dominate the technology race, the above reflects that having the best Blackwell and Rubin chips to come will not suffice. In the meantime, the Chinese have moved to dominate clean energy production value chains. China’s role being the world’s greatest carbon polluter notwithstanding, its electrification and renewables push has diversified its power sources which at least from a technology and geopolitical standpoint compares favourably to the US going all in on “Drill, Baby Drill”. To be fair, the US still has a lot going for it. It remains the world’s greatest technology innovation hub, a function of unparalleled capital and venture markets funding, world-class universities and a culture that encourages high-risk, high-reward entrepreneurship which is the envy of the world. Given that there is clearly no technology infrastructure backbone when there is no energy, it can be posited that from a geopolitical lens, the US posture towards Sustainability and Clean Energy needs to grow a spine. Singapore FinTech Festival AlterCOP #ESG #Decarbonisation

Nature’s found its way — as nature always does — into conversations on investment and real estate. And high time too. Over the past two weeks, I participated in two panel discussions. One was The Asset’s 8th ESG and Sustainability Summit, and the other was AlterCOP. The latter, held at the Singapore Sustainability Academy this year, has become a homegrown, lively alternative to the official proceedings of COP. At the first forum, I was asked a question by the moderator and journalist Tom King on how Keppel Ltd. looks at nature in our investments. We factor climate risks, both physical and transition in nature, in our investment due diligence processes. As much as we can, we integrate natural elements into our built assets, and have observed an upswing in asset performance, through energy savings and more satisfied tenants. On whether investing in data centres is a sustainable exercise, my point was simple — global data literacy needs to improve. Underserved populations and the Global South need access to data to really be part of the global conversation on ESG, as opposed to being lab rats observed from afar. Concomitantly, our efforts should be in actively channeling funding into decarbonising data centres. At the second forum, the entire conversation centred around how nature and cities can be better integrated. Asked by moderator Sarah Katz on what I would do if I were mayor for a day, I responded that I wouldn’t last a day as a mayor, but would find a way to reintegrate our waterways back into the city as natural channels of biodiversity. This would thus create a natural sponge ecosystem and breathe new life, quite literally, into our highly compressed, heat-stressed urban environments. We did talk about many other things of course, but what is clear is that nature, both as a theme and as an investable asset type, will loom large in the next decade and beyond. Thank you to the moderators and fellow panellists: For The Asset’s ESG Summit: Esther An; Muhammad Ibrahim, CFA; Katarina Hammar For AlterCOP: Srilalitha Gopalakrishnan (Dr); Yann Follain

🌏 ALTERCOP VIETNAM 2025: CAREER PATH TO SUSTAINABILITY Unlock your future in climate & sustainability! AlterCOP is a global initiative by The Matcha Initiative and The Transmutation Principle - an independent, non-political, volunteer-driven climate and sustainability conference held in parallel with the United Nations Climate Conference COP30 Brazil 🇻🇳 For the first time ever, AlterCOP 30 comes to Vietnam. After a successful Founder Meetup on 18 November — bringing together 50+ founders and climate-tech professionals to explore how Vietnamese climate-tech startups are bridging science, business, and humanity — we’re excited to introduce the second event, this time dedicated to students and early-career professionals who want to shape a sustainable future. 🌱 ALTERCOP VIETNAM: CAREER PATH TO SUSTAINABILITY Sustainability is not just a choice — it’s the future we must build. From university labs to real-world impact, the journey toward a low-carbon, resilient society requires innovation, responsibility, and bold action. This event empowers young changemakers to: ✨ Pursue a meaningful career ✨ Build long-term climate solutions ✨ Join the next generation leading Vietnam’s sustainability transition 🎙 Expert Speakers At the event, participants will be introduced to key insights from COP30, followed by inspiring talks from leaders driving sustainability in Vietnam: Mr. Markus Klemmer – Founder, Planetzero.earth Co., Ltd.; Business Development Director, Syntegra Solar International AG Mr. Tien Do – Co-founder, NAYAN Sustainability Ms. Tien Nguyen – Sustainability Expert, LnData, INC. Vietnam Ms. Diep Nguyen – Founder, Greensyn 🌿 Hands-on Sustainability Workshops In the afternoon, participants can join practical, globally recognized workshops: ♻️ Climate Fresk – Understand climate science through interactive collaboration ♻️ Circular Economy Collage – Explore systems thinking for waste-free models ♻️ Biodiversity Collage Vietnam Collage – Discover how ecosystems work and why they matter These sessions are designed to boost knowledge, teamwork, and creativity — essential skills for sustainability careers. 📅 Event Details 🔥 Date and Time: 8h30 am - 5 pm, 29 November 2025 📍 Venue: UEF - Ho Chi Minh City University of Economics and Finance (UEF), Ho Chi Minh City 🧭 Format: Expert sharing · Workshops · Networking 🌍 Participants: Local & international speakers, students, young professionals, and sustainability advocates 🚀 Register now to unlock your sustainable career pathway! This is a unique opportunity to connect directly with leaders in renewable energy, climate action, and sustainability. Gain inspiration, build your network, and take the first step toward shaping Vietnam’s green future. 👉 REGISTER HERE: https://lnkd.in/gCp6Sad8 #AlterCOPVietnam #COP30 #ClimateAction #SustainabilityCareers #ClimateTech #GreenJobs #NetZero #CircularEconomy #Biodiversity #YouthForClimate #VietnamSustainability #GreenFutureVN #HCMCEvents

Successfully wrapped up AlterCOP 30 Malaysia! 🌳 Back when I was studying in Singapore, I attended workshops by The Transmutation Principle and The Matcha Initiative , and that’s where my interest in climate action really grew. Before returning to Malaysia, I reached out to see if there were any volunteering opportunities… and it turned out AlterCOP Malaysia was happening right as I came back. I joined the Marketing & Outreach team as a volunteer, and I’m truly grateful to have contributed to this 4-day event that brought together hundreds of passionate people committed to climate resilience and sustainability. It’s been incredibly inspiring and rewarding. Huge Thank You to the organizers, volunteers, partners, and everyone involved for building such an amazing community!! Looking forward to AlterCOP 31~

🌏 Survived AlterCOP30’s Human Library! 🌏 Last Friday I completed my “Meet Your Match” Human Library session at AlterCOP 30… and Auntie Clara had to speak three rounds back-to-back! Thankfully, the organisers sent me a couple of photos (photo credit: AlterCOP) because everything was so hectic I forgot to take any myself.😅 But! I did take a few lovely photos of Peter Novak Kruthika Eswaran, SCR, PhD Shakura Bashir who were presenting on carbon markets and NbS social accountability engagements. Since we’re all one big climate kampung, I’m happily sharing their moments here — they carried the flag for good, grounding climate action while I was being “borrowed” like an overdue library book. Huge thanks to theveryone who came by to chat, challenge, question, debate, and gossip (in a climate-positive way, of course). Auntie Clara’s heart is very full. To the organisers of AlterCOP — respect. What an incredible space for real conversations, honest learning, and zero-judgment curiosity. And special thanks to Jay Tan for the invitation though the poor chap had exams and couldn't be there for the session. If you didn’t catch me last week, don’t worry — Auntie Clara will return whenever someone needs a human book or an explanation of sloth wisdom. #AlterCOP #COP30 #HumanLibrary #ClimateAction #Sustainability #CarbonMarkets #NbS #AuntieClaraSays #MeetYourMatch

🌿 We don’t need more trees in cities. We need more life ↴ Urban biodiversity isn’t just about adding plants. It’s about reimagining how we live. I moderated a discussion on 𝘜𝘳𝘣𝘢𝘯 𝘉𝘪𝘰𝘥𝘪𝘷𝘦𝘳𝘴𝘪𝘵𝘺: 𝘍𝘳𝘰𝘮 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘎𝘢𝘳𝘥𝘦𝘯 𝘪𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘊𝘪𝘵𝘺 𝘵𝘰 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘊𝘪𝘵𝘺 𝘪𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘎𝘢𝘳𝘥𝘦𝘯 panel at AlterCOP, and it gave me a whole new appreciation for urban design. 🌱 Nature isn’t a backdrop. It’s infrastructure. It’s public health. It’s climate resilience. It’s our future economy. And Singapore is at a turning point. We’re not just greening more spaces… We’re starting to design ecosystems into the city itself. Here are 6 insights from our conversation with Esther An (City Developments Limited), Prof Veera Sekaran (National University of Singapore), Sripragas Nadaraja (Ramboll): 1️⃣ Landscapes shouldn’t just look green...they should stay alive Too many urban landscapes are manicured, aesthetic… and dead within months. Why? Because they’re designed for visuals, not survival. They ignore sunlight, soil, water, and real-life habitat needs. Real biodiversity is messy. Adaptive. Layered. Alive. We need to get comfortable with some ecological wabi-sabi. 2️⃣ Green + Blue must be designed together You can’t separate biodiversity from water. Flood resilience, cooling, species movement… All of it works only when we design systems, not features. 3️⃣ CFOs and CSOs roles are merging This is bigger than a title change. It signals that nature is no longer a cost centre. It’s a financial asset. Disclosure frameworks like TNFD are accelerating this mindset shift fast. 4️⃣ Microforests are the future of dense cities Small but mighty: they bring cooling, pollinators, shade, and biodiversity, even in tiny urban pockets. And they’re reshaping how developers think about value. 5️⃣ We need to shift from planting trees → to designing ecosystems Checklists and plant palettes aren’t enough. We need species layering, soil systems, water cycles, and long-term stewardship baked in from day one. 6️⃣ Biodiversity only moves people when they feel the benefits Mental health, productivity, cooling, flood safety, wellbeing...these are the hooks that influence decision-makers. ➡️ My biggest takeaway as moderator? Singapore’s climate leadership won’t be measured by how green our buildings look… But by how alive our urban ecosystems become. That only happens when corporates, policymakers, scientists, engineers, and communities design together, as one living system. Nature isn’t something we “fit in.” It’s something we build with. If you want more posts like this, practical, human-centred sustainability, drop a 🌿 below or hit follow. Let’s redesign how we live. (Speaking gig #36 for 2025, #204 for all time)