Climate Confident Jarand Rystad on Renewables, The Global Energy Transition, and the Race to Net Zero
In this week’s replay episode of the Climate Confident Podcast, I bring back one of my favourite conversations from earlier this year - my discussion with Jarand Rystad, founder and CEO of Rystad Energy, about the global energy transition and whether we’re truly moving fast enough to meet climate targets.
Jarand makes a compelling case that the shift to renewables isn’t just about climate, it’s driven by the simple economics of cheaper, better technologies. Solar, wind, and batteries are already beating fossil fuels on cost, and countries like China are proving just how fast this transition can accelerate. In fact, they’ve already hit their 2030 renewable targets six years early, while the US risks ceding leadership in the technologies of the future.
We explore the three pillars of decarbonisation - clean electricity, widespread electrification, and tackling the “last 20%” of hard-to-abate emissions through hydrogen, CCS, and sustainable fuels. Jarand also dives into the overlooked challenges: from aviation’s limited options to land-use pressures, long-duration storage, and the politics that can either speed us up or hold us back.
One of my favourite takeaways? The transition isn’t a question of if, but how fast. Policy choices, investment in disruptive technologies, and global competition will decide whether we land closer to 2°C or push down towards 1.5°C of warming.
If you missed this episode the first time round, now’s the time to catch up. And if you did hear it before, I promise - it’s well worth a second listen.
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Credits
Music credits - Intro by Joseph McDade, and Outro music for this podcast was composed, played, and produced by my daughter Luna Juniper