Bill Hare is a physicist and climate scientist with 30 years of experience in science, impacts and policy responses to climate change and stratospheric ozone depletion. He is a founder and CEO of Climate Analytics, which was established to synthesize and advance scientific knowledge on climate change and provide state-of-the-art solutions to global and national climate change policy challenges.
He was a Lead Author for the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) Fourth Assessment Report, for which the IPCC was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 2007. Hare has contributed actively to the development of the international climate regime since 1989, including the negotiation of the 1992 UN Framework Convention on Climate Change, the 1997 Kyoto Protocol and the Paris Agreement in 2015.
Hare is a graduate of Murdoch University in Western Australia and a visiting scientist at the Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research.
THE CREATIVE PROCESS’ ONE PLANET PODCAST
What makes a good net-zero target again?
BILL HARE
Net-zero is a big idea. It’s a big theme. And, unfortunately, what's going up are many ways to look like you're doing net-zero when you're not. So in the ideal world, getting to net-zero means essentially reducing your emissions, and then, where you have residual emissions left, that means you might need to have negative emissions. For example, it's relatively easy to decarbonize the power sector completely, and you can do it quickly and cheaply in most places, but you’re always going to be left with some levels of emissions from agriculture.
THE CREATIVE PROCESS’ ONE PLANET PODCAST
What are your thoughts on public-private partnerships and how might they help accelerate progress?
BILL HARE
It's an interesting question and it's quite a complex space and so my answer it's going to reflect my personal preference rather than an analytical evaluation of which private-public partnerships will have the potential to work the best. For my tastes, the thing that's really interesting and could be a real gamechanger is the mobilization of private capital on a decarbonization pathway. There's been a lot of talk about this over the years but it's beginning to gain momentum and we’re seeing it in different places. We’re seeing it in, for example, the proposal to help South Africa phase out its coal plant by simply buying the coal plant out. We’re seeing it in discussions in Indonesia in the same direction where private capital is coming in supported by public capital to actually bring about the big switch.
This interview was conducted by Mia Funk with the participation of collaborating universities and students. Associate Interviews Producer on this podcast was Marley Hinschberger. Digital Media Coordinator is Phoebe Brous.
Mia Funk is an artist, interviewer and founder of The Creative Process & One Planet Podcast (Conversations about Climate Change & Environmental Solutions).
