The Gray Area with Sean Illing

How to solve climate change and make life more awesome

Dec 16, 2019

Saul Griffith, an inventor and MacArthur Fellow, shares his expertise on climate change solutions and clean energy innovations. He emphasizes that decarbonization can lead to a better quality of life, arguing against the notion that sustainability means sacrificing comfort. Griffith outlines pathways to electrification and renewable resources, comparing energy strategies in the U.S. and Australia. He advocates for innovative financing and collective action to achieve a sustainable future filled with technological advancements, asserting that tackling climate change can enhance our lives.

01:36:34

Episode guests

Saul Griffith

AI Chapters

Episode notes

Intro

2min

Setting the Stage for Climate Solutions

2min

Envisioning a Sustainable Future: Decarbonization and Quality of Life

4min

Decarbonizing America: The Energy Transition Challenge

15min

Mobilizing for Climate Action

13min

Navigating Climate Solutions

17min

The Cost of Solar: Comparing Energy Solutions in America and Australia

3min

Empowering a Clean Energy Future

21min

Innovative Solutions to Climate Change

14min

10.

Book Recommendations for Understanding Economics and Environmentalism

2min

The climate series is back! The reason for the delay is that I wanted to make sure that this episode was next up in the series. Once you start listening, you’ll understand why.

So far, we’ve spent the series talking about the problem we're facing and what the world will ultimately look like if we fail. Today’s conversation is different: It is about what it will take to solve climate change and what kind of world we can build if we succeed.

Saul Griffith is an inventor, a MacArthur genius fellow, and the founder and CEO of Otherlab, a high-tech research and development company on the frontlines of trying to imagine our clean energy future. Griffith and his team were contracted by the Department of Energy to track and visualize the entirety of America’s energy flows — and as a result, he knows the US energy system better than just about anyone on this planet. Griffith is also clearer than anyone else I’ve found on the paths to decarbonization, and how to navigate them.

Most conversations about climate change are pretty depressing. This conversation is not. We have the tools we need to decarbonize. What’s more, decarbonizing doesn’t mean accepting a future of less — it can mean a more awesome, humane, technologically rich, and socially inspiring future for us all. This conversation is about a vision of decarbonization that is genuinely awesome, and how we can actually get there.

References:

Otherlab's diagram of US energy flows

Griffith's piece on paths to decarbonization

Book recommendations:

Debt: The First 5,000 Years by David Graeber

Freedom's Forge by Arthur Herman

The Extinction Rebellion Handbook

Silent Spring by Rachel Carson

My book is available for pre-order! You can find it at www.EzraKlein.com.

The first batch of stops for my book tour is up! Get tickets at http://www.whywerepolarized.com

Submit questions for our upcoming "Ask Me Anything" at ezrakleinshow@vox.com

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