Shift Key with Robinson Meyer and Jesse Jenkins

Want to Decarbonize Your Life? Here’s How.

Oct 9, 2024

Jillian Goodman, deputy editor at Heatmap News, and Emily Pontecorvo, founding staff writer, share insights on effective actions for tackling climate change. They delve into the Decarbonize Your Life project, highlighting impactful choices like energy-efficient heat pumps and dietary changes. The discussion includes the importance of collective consumer influence and sustainable transportation, including the benefits of electric vehicles and e-bikes. They also explore the challenges of transitioning to cleaner technologies and navigating public charging stations.

01:05:58

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Episode guests

Emily Pontecorvo

Jillian Goodman

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Episode notes

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Quick takeaways

Transitioning to electric vehicles is identified as the most impactful action individuals can take to combat climate change.

Adopting strategic dietary choices, such as consuming less beef and minimizing food waste, significantly contributes to reducing carbon emissions.

The importance of focusing on actions that drive systemic change rather than merely reducing personal carbon footprints is emphasized throughout the discussion.

Deep dives

Decarbonize Your Life Project Overview

The Decarbonize Your Life Project provides actionable recommendations aimed at helping individuals make impactful and informed choices in their daily lives to combat climate change. The project emphasizes a shift in focus from merely reducing carbon footprints to maximizing individual impact through strategic decisions. It highlights six significant actions that drive change in personal consumption patterns while explaining the reasoning behind these recommendations. Understanding that consumers are participants in a global economy, the project leverages personal decision-making to exert greater influence on decarbonization efforts.

Intro

2min

Empowering Decarbonization: Individual Actions for Climate Impact

30min

Reducing Emissions through Smart Travel Choices and E-Bikes

2min

E-Bikes: A Sustainable Family Choice

7min

Emissions and Heat Pumps: A Complex Analysis

17min

Navigating the Community of Electric Vehicle Charging

2min

Lobbying Dynamics and Social Norms in a Changing Climate

6min

How can you fight climate change in your daily life? Last month, Heatmap published our attempt at answering that question: Called Decarbonize Your Life, it’s a series of stories and guides to help you make decisions that nudge the energy system away from fossil fuels. We consulted studies, ran our own analysis (with help from some friends), and used our expert judgment to arrive at six big, high-leverage actions you can take to fight climate change.

On this week’s episode of Shift Key, Jesse and Rob speak with Heatmap’s deputy editor Jillian Goodman and founding staff writer Emily Pontecorvo about what those actions are, how the guide came together, and why big choices matter so much more than small ones. Shift Key is hosted by Robinson Meyer, the founding executive editor of Heatmap, and Jesse Jenkins, a professor of energy systems engineering at Princeton University.

Mentioned:

Decarbonize Your Life

Quantifying the potential for climate change mitigation of consumption options

Emily on WattTime’s work with Apple

Emily on heat pumps

Jillian on the climate food rules

Rob on switching to an EV

Rob and Emily on why we don’t include flying

Jesse’s downshift (sorta); Rob’s upshift.

This episode of Shift Key is sponsored by …

Watershed’s climate data engine helps companies measure and reduce their emissions, turning the data they already have into an audit-ready carbon footprint backed by the latest climate science. Get the sustainability data you need in weeks, not months. Learn more at watershed.com.

As a global leader in PV and ESS solutions, Sungrow invests heavily in research and development, constantly pushing the boundaries of solar and battery inverter technology. Discover why Sungrow is the essential component of the clean energy transition by visiting sungrowpower.com.

Intersolar & Energy Storage North America is the premier U.S.-based conference and trade show focused on solar, energy storage, and EV charging infrastructure. To learn more, visit intersolar.us.

Music for Shift Key is by Adam Kromelow.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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Shift Key with Robinson Meyer and Jesse Jenkins

Want to Decarbonize Your Life? Here’s How.

Episode guests