Risk Radar

Episode 8: Exploring Risk and Stigma in Childhood Obesity with Dr Jumana Hashim

In this episode of the Risk Radar podcast, host Jared Ng and guest Dr Jumana Hashim discuss the VOICE exhibition—a collaborative project between the Institute for the Public Understanding of Risk (IPUR) and the Centre for Behavioural and Implementation Science Interventions (BISI). The conversation explores how childhood obesity is perceived and communicated as a risk in Singapore, highlighting the often-overlooked emotional and social impacts, including weight stigma and mental health challenges. Dr Hashim shares insights from research involving young adults who experienced childhood obesity, revealing how family, educators, and social environments shape risk perceptions and behaviors. The episode delves into how the VOICE exhibition used immersive art and storytelling to translate these complex findings into an engaging public experience. Interactive elements encouraged visitors to reflect on their own attitudes and roles in addressing stigma, making the risks more relatable and prompting meaningful conversations. The episode emphasises the power of creative communication in shifting public understanding of health risks and fostering empathy, with plans for future evaluation and expansion to other public health topics.

Episode 7: Inside Climate Risk Communication with Prof Ben Newell

In this episode of Risk Radar, we sit down with Ben Newell, Director of UNSW’s Institute for Climate Risk & Response (ICRR), to unpack how climate risk communication can move both policy and people. We explore useful practices that encourage policy support and individual action, discuss how to strike the right balance between technical risk reporting and plain language, and hear Ben’s candid views on climate risk perceptions, policymaking, and their impacts on climate resilience in businesses and among the public. Tune in to Risk Radar on Spotify or Apple Podcasts to explore what builds trust and climate resilience across business and society — and what doesn’t.

Episode 6: United Nations Global Risk Report - Climate Journalism with Amy Sim

In this episode of the mini-series on the UN Global Risk Report, we talk with Amy Sim, Regional Programme Manager at Internews’ Earth Journalism Network (EJN), and explore how journalists make climate impacts relatable, and the shift from doom narratives to solutions journalism and touch on the dangers of greenwashing. The episode highlights the need for multilateral preparedness, the knowledge–action gap, and how the community can build resilience in a journalist' perspective. If you would like to check out the Voices for Planetary Health Report mentioned by Amy Sim in the episode, the links are below.  * Full Report: Here [https://drive.google.com/file/d/1TUtMEo2RnAg88SFlEOhKBU4UEDKm2Cal/view?pli=1] * Communication Strategies Playbook Version: Here [https://drive.google.com/file/d/1lUBrrPjuhCw6q9se8XzcMg_CctV3p_fP/view] * Website Link: Here [https://internews.org/internews-launches-voices-for-planetary-health-package/]

Episode 5: United Nations Global Risk Report - AI Perceptions and Policies with Jennifer Castaneda & Zoi Roupakia

In this episode of Risk Radar, host Jared Ng is joined by AI policy experts, Jennifer Castaneda and Zoi Roupakia to unpack the findings of the UN Global Risk Report —with a special focus on public perceptions of AI risks in Southeast Asia. They explore more on optimism about AI in the region, digital divides in governance frameworks, and how data security and misinformation fuel concern.  The discussion highlights the challenges governments face in balancing innovation, regulation, and public confidence, for integrating safe and effective AI adoption. This episode also spotlights an executive summary booklet featuring key policy insights on AI, data, workplace safety, and digital trade in Southeast Asia, developed by Cambridge Industrial Innovation Policy and partners using World Risk Poll data. Tune in to discover why understanding perceptions is vital for responsible AI governance and read more the executive summary here [ https://www.ciip.group.cam.ac.uk/wp-content/uploads/2025/07/LRF-WRP_Executive-summaries.pdf]!

Episode 4: A Human-AI Partnership in Environmental Risk with Marla Orenstein

In this episode, host Jared Ng is joined by IPUR Visiting Fellow Marla Orenstein to discuss the newly released report, Using AI to Assess and Manage Environmental Risk: A Toolkit for the Public Sector. Tailored for environmental regulators, policymakers, researchers, and other stakeholders, this episode explores how AI and the data revolution are transforming environmental risk management and regulatory practices. Hear real-world case studies from around the globe, discover how AI can augment (not replace) the work of environmental professionals, and learn about the critical challenges—from accountability and transparency to equity and energy use—facing the field.  Tune in to explore how AI can be responsibly leveraged for more informed and ethical environmental decision-making.