What if society completely phased out fossil fuels? This week, Saul Griffith joins the show to discuss how this future is actually possible. Best of all, much of the work can be done with our existing technology—starting from inside the home. Saul founded the organizations Rewiring America and Rewiring Australia, dedicated to the electrification of those countries. He’s also the author of Electrify: An Optimist's Playbook for Our Clean Energy Future and The Big Switch: Australia’s Electric Future. Saul talks about the efficacy of the variety of climate solutions on the table, from nuclear energy to carbon capture, and from geoengineering to his preferred method of electrification. GPT-4 also supplies a potential pathway to the complete electrification of society based on Saul’s book—but is it too fantastical? Or does it not go far enough?Read the AI-generated stories for this episode here.Read the transcript of this episode here. For more info on the podcast and transcripts of all of the episodes, visit www.possible.fm/podcast.Topics:03:50 - Hellos and intros04:50 - How Saul manages to stay optimistic06:55 - How to inspire action against climate change08:36 - Climate change is mostly a “machines problem”14:41 - Why and how the solution should focus on households17:47 - Should nuclear energy be part of the climate solution?21:21 - Responding to GPT-4 “electrifying the world” story23:56 - Responding to critics25:20 - The technology that’s still required for sustainability29:42 - Carbon capture and storage: use cases and limitations33:50 - The importance of systems change—a “new social contract”43:45 - The efficacy of geoengineering48:10 - Rapidfire questions55:10 - Debrief with Reid and AriaPossible is a new podcast that sketches out the brightest version of the future—and what it will take to get there. Most of all, it asks: what if, in the future, everything breaks humanity's way? Hosted by Reid Hoffman and Aria Finger, each episode features an interview with a visionary from a different field: climate science, media, criminal justice, and more. The conversation also features another kind of guest: GPT-4, OpenAI’s latest and most powerful language model to date. Each episode has a companion story, generated by GPT-4, which will serve as a jumping-off point for a hopeful, speculative discussion about what humanity could possibly get right if we leverage technology—and our collective effort—effectively.Possible is produced by Wonder Media Network and hosted by Reid Hoffman and Aria Finger. Our showrunner is Shaun Young. Possible is produced by Edie Allard and Sara Schleede. Jenny Kaplan is our Executive Producer and Editor. Special thanks to Nan Ransohoff, Christin Pelgrum, Surya Yalamanchili, Saida Sapeiva, Ian Alas, Greg Beato and Ben Relles.

Saul Griffith, an Australian inventor and MIT PhD, discusses a range of interesting topics in this podcast. From his involvement in rewiring America to Australia's potential as a hydrogen superpower, rooftop solar, trade jobs in the energy industry, and the moral dilemma of climate change. He explores the importance of leadership and the challenges faced in electrifying households. The podcast also touches on perception, financing, and breaking the notion of limited government funds.

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 flowsGriffith's piece on paths to decarbonizationBook recommendations: Debt: The First 5,000 Years by David GraeberFreedom's Forge by Arthur HermanThe Extinction Rebellion Handbook Silent Spring by Rachel CarsonMy 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.comSubmit questions for our upcoming "Ask Me Anything" at ezrakleinshow@vox.comYou can subscribe to Ezra's new podcast Impeachment, explained on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Stitcher, Overcast, Pocket Casts, or your favorite podcast app. Credits:Producer and Editor - Jeff GeldResearcher - Roge KarmaEngineer - Cynthia Gil Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Energy expert Saul Griffith discusses decarbonizing Australia through electrification, promoting optimism in climate action, limitations of hydrogen as an energy source, transitioning to renewable energy in the domestic economy, and community initiatives driving climate action.

Saul Griffith, an Australian-born engineer and clean energy expert, discusses the importance of electrification in achieving net zero emissions. Topics include challenges and benefits of electrifying industries, renewable energy in cold climates, sustainable heating systems, and rethinking finance for sustainable solutions.