Plain English with Derek Thompson

An Optimistic Guide to America’s Clean-Energy Future

May 2, 2023

Ramez Naam, a clean energy expert, and Vinod Khosla, a Silicon Valley venture capitalist, share their insights on America’s clean-energy future. They explore the historical significance of energy control and the urgent need for a renewable transition. Discussions include the exciting potential of fusion energy and innovative solutions in agriculture to tackle climate challenges. They emphasize the importance of reframing the clean energy narrative and the role of venture capital in driving technological advancements for a sustainable future.

01:25:24

Episode guests

Vinod Khosla

Ramez Naam

AI Chapters

Episode notes

Intro

2min

Evolving Energy: A Path to Clean Transition

48min

Navigating the Challenges of Climate and Agriculture

5min

The Resilience of Venture Capital in Climate Technology

3min

Forging the Future: Clean Tech and Fusion Energy

15min

Transforming Cement Production for a Sustainable Future

5min

Challenging Traditional Views on Clean Energy Scaling

3min

The world is engaged in a multitrillion-dollar project to decarbonize the economy to slow or reverse climate change. But what exactly does that mean? How optimistic should we be that we can pull this off? And what new technology do we need to build to make it happen? This is a mega-pod with two guests. Ramez Naam is a writer, speaker, and one of the best technologists I know at explaining the progress we’re making toward building a clean-energy economy. And Vinod Khosla is one of the most famous venture capitalists in Silicon Valley, the founder of Khosla Ventures, and an investor in several sci-fi-sounding companies, including one that is working on fusion technology—which might be one of the most exciting and important technologies we'll ever build.

Host: Derek Thompson

Guests: Ramez Naam & Vinod Khosla

Producer: Devon Manze

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