A 90% Clean Grid Is Possible Quickly

Most decarbonization proposals play out over 30 years, aiming toward 2050. But a new roadmap from researchers at UC Berkeley and the policy firm Energy Innovation shows the grid can get 90% clean in just 15 years. 

No new fossil fuel plants. Lower rates for consumers. 85,000 lives saved. 500,000 additional jobs. Region by region, they lay out exactly how.

Prices have fallen so quickly that our understanding of what’s possible hasn’t kept pace. And now, say researchers, we have the chance to decarbonize much earlier than many thought possible.

This week, we’ll dig into the study and its implications.

Then: pollsters say Americans are “fully bought in” to a clean energy future — and want bigger societal issues addressed with it. But among crucial swing voters, is anyone even thinking about climate? We’ll look at what the latest polling tells us.

Lastly, BP decides its assets are worth $17 billion dollars less than they thought. It’s a massive write down. Is this a tipping point? A leading indicator? 

Co-hosts Katherine Hamilton, Jigar Shah and Stephen Lacey discuss. 

Resources:

• UCB Goldman School of Public Policy: The 2035 Report
• Energy Innovation LLC: 2035 Data Explorer
• Greentech Media: 90% Clean Grid by 2035 Is Not Just Feasible, But Cheaper, Study Says
• Environmental Research Letters: Combining Climate, Economic, and Social Policy Builds Public Support for Climate Action in the US (Bergquist, Mildenberger & Stokes)
• WAPO Opinion: Protesters Want Justice — Including on Social, Economic and Climate Demands
• Yale Program on Climate Comm: Politics and Global Warming April 2020
• Climate 2020 Podcast: How Do You Message Climate In This Political Moment?
• Bloomberg opinion: BP Submits to Brutal Reality on the Future of Oil
• Twitter: Mark Campanale, Carbon Tracker
• Bloomberg opinion: Big Oil Can Help Renewables by Spinning Them Off

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