Energy vs Climate

Dr. Andrew Leach, energy economist, discusses Canada's oil sands, CO2 emissions, refinery economics, growth plans, and the role of critical minerals in clean energy transitions. Topics include oil market reports, benefits of oil sands to Canadians, net zero goals, GHG emissions intensity, and challenges in the oil sands industry.

Dr. Petra Dolata, an expert in historical transitions, joins the hosts to discuss the history of energy transitions, including policy frameworks, prime movers, energy substitution, and social dimensions. They explore past transitions, peaking moments, and profitable solutions for climate and oil challenges, offering valuable insights for current energy transitions.

Send us a textWhat is the role of literature in the climate policy and technology discussion? How does the genre allow us to explore uncomfortable climate scenarios, including those to do with heat death and direct action? While ultimately successful, the path laid out in the book is very bumpy, volatile, and rife with violence – strikingly different from the smooth and orderly transition often offered up by politicians and techno-optimists.On S5E7 of Energy vs Climate, David, Sara, Ed, and New York Times bestselling author Kim Stanley Robinson (of The Ministry for the Future) discuss how science fiction can help us explore different climate scenarios and solutions.EPISODE NOTES@0:21 – Kim Stanley Robinson@0:21 – The Ministry for the Future - Kim Stanley Robinson@3:13 – How hot is too hot for humans? Understanding wet-bulb temperatures@9:00 – Carboncoin @10:25 – The unprecedented Pacific Northwest heatwave of June 2021@13:55 – Karl Popper@18:45 – How to Blow Up a Pipeline - Andreas Malm@20:32 – Dave Foreman @21:30 – Climate protesters throw tomato soup on Van Gogh’s ‘Sunflowers’@27:50 – Who is Wiebo Ludwig? A thunder storm wrapped in the flesh of a man. Part 1@30:52 – Glacier geoengineering to address sea-level rise: A geotechnical approach (Lockley et al, 2020)@31:50 – Solar Geoengineering - should we go there?@39:25 – Empowering Female Climate Change Activists in the Global South: The Path Toward Environmental Social Justice - Peggy Ann Spitzer@44:05 – The Hottest Year @46:10 – Utility of the blockchain for climate mitigation (Chen, 2018)@49:05 – Overshooting 1.5 C limit 'looks inevitable' with record CO2 emissions from fossil fuels___Energy vs Climatewww.energyvsclimate.com Bluesky | YouTube | LinkedIn | X/Twitter

Send us a textPublished each year, the International Energy Agency’s (IEA) World Energy Outlook (WEO) is a leading source of scenario-based analysis of global energy demand and supply. This year, as the global energy crisis shows signs of calming, the WEO finds a peak in fossil fuels before 2030 across all scenarios. The result has been met with skepticism by some politicians in Canada, with Alberta’s Premier Danielle Smith going so far as to question the credibility of the organization. A follow-on special report from the IEA on the oil and gas industry in net zero transitions, released on November 23, offers additional insights on the role of oil and gas producers in achieving a decarbonized global energy sector.David, Sara, Ed, and the International Energy Agency’s Chief Energy Economist, Tim Gould discuss the findings of these IEA reports and the implications for Canada and its natural resources on Season 5, Episode 6 of Energy vs Climate.EPISODE NOTES @3:20 – World Energy Outlook 2023@6:10 – Oil and gas industry faces moment of truth – and opportunity to adapt – as clean energy transitions advance@9:45 – Electric Vehicles @10:53 – China’s electric vehicle surge will shock global markets@14:06 – Oil demand to begin long-term decline this decade, according to new Pembina report@24:01 – Oil Companies Are Preparing for a Lucrative Decline@24:26 – Building Momentum Toward Net Zero @29:05 – Canada’s Energy Future 2023 @32:50 – The Place of Energy Security in the National Security Framework: An Assessment Approach@42:26 – Canada introduces framework to cap greenhouse gas pollution from oil and gas sector@45:34 – Minister Guilbeault announces Canada’s draft methane regulations to support cleaner energy and climate action@46:40 – World Energy Investment 2023@56:26 – Economic Research: Climate Change Will Heighten Output Volatilit___Energy vs Climatewww.energyvsclimate.com Bluesky | YouTube | LinkedIn | X/Twitter

The podcast discusses carbon removal as a critical tool in reducing CO2 concentrations, challenges in commercializing CDR technology, sustainable aviation fuel, implications for climate policy, virtual Power Purchase Agreements, and the race to cool the planet.

Key topics in the podcast include carbon sink and low-carbon building materials, transition to electrification for home heating, progress in green cement technology, challenges of technological change for sustainability, incentives for green energy, natural gas bans in the U.S., and balancing energy efficiency, climate action, and affordability in housing development.

The podcast discusses the challenges and opportunities in building long-distance transmission lines in North America. It explores the growth of renewable energy in Texas, the advantages of DC systems for transmission, and the challenges in energy generation planning. It also covers diverse efforts in renewable energy, collaboration between Alberta and BC, European interest in reducing dependence on Russian gas, and comparing North America and Europe's resource mix and transmission.

Send us a textHey everyone, Ed here.  David, Sara and Ed will be back next week with an episode about electricity interties in the clean energy system. Until then we’d like to share another podcast with you that we think might be of interest, called Challenging Climate. Hosted by Jesse Reynolds and Pete Irvine, Challenging Climate tackles tough questions about the science, technology, economics and politics of climate change. Their topics range from climate modelling, persuasive narratives, national security, international development and even biotech. Jesse, Pete and their guests cover similar topics to what we cover here at Energy vs Climate, while offering a different perspective, one we hope listeners will find interesting and enlightening. Find it and subscribe wherever you listen. ___Energy vs Climatewww.energyvsclimate.com Bluesky | YouTube | LinkedIn | X/Twitter

Send us a textSince the Paris Agreement coming into force in 2016, world leaders have increasingly emphasized the need to keep warming to the 1.5°C target by the end of this century, in order to avoid more dangerous impacts from climate change. Yet temperature readings around the globe show that the world has already warmed by roughly 1°C on average above pre-industrial levels. Many models suggest we will very likely exceed 1.5°C of warming, possibly in the next 5-10 years, in the absence of aggressive worldwide action to reduce emissions and (perhaps) engineer the climate. While we have made much progress, unfortunately the world is nowhere close to that level of action. So does the 1.5°C target still make sense if overshoot seems almost certain? Is it a science-based target or a political target - and even a reasonable and just target in the first place? Is the target about holding the line at 1.5°C or getting it back down to 1.5°C by 2100? When are we likely to exceed it, how will we know, and what will be the physical and political consequences of missing it?On S5E2 of Energy vs Climate, David, Sara, Ed, and climate scientist Zeke Hausfather of Stripe and Berkeley Earth discuss all things 1.5°C.EPISODE NOTES0:36 – Key Aspects of the Paris Agreement 1:23 – Climate Change: Global Temperature 2:16 – Zeke Hausfather - Berkeley Earth 5:37 - Earth likely to cross critical climate thresholds even if emissions decline, Stanford study finds 7:07 – 10 Big Findings from the 2023 IPCC Report on Climate Change 8:25 – Adrien Abécassis - COP 27 Debrief 10:16 – The Berkeley Earth Land/Ocean Temperature Record - Rohde and Hausfather (2020) 12:21 – Near-term acceleration in the rate of temperature change - Smith, et al (2015)15:05 – How low-sulphur shipping rules are affecting global warming 15:12 – Tonga Eruption Blasted Unprecedented Amount of Water into Stratosphere23:00 – Solar Geoengineering - should we go ther___Energy vs Climatewww.energyvsclimate.com Bluesky | YouTube | LinkedIn | X/Twitter

Send us a textOn our first episode of Season 5, Sara and Ed speak to Dr. Melanee Thomas of the University of Calgary about her survey research into Albertans' attitudes to the energy transition, the oil and gas industry, coal and climate change. David wasn't able to join us for this one, but he'll be back live for Episode 2.EPISODE NOTES@00:49 If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it: how the public’s economic confidence in the fossil fuel industry reduces support for a clean energy transition @2:16 Great expectations: Public opinion about energy transition @11:21 CanCO2Re Initiative @12:35 Clean energy investment is extending its lead over fossil fuels, boosted by energy security strengths @17:00 Forget Ottawa — Albertans growing alienated from their own leaders, too@19:30 Investment Impact of Alberta's Renewable Energy Moratorium@19:44 Suncor has been too focused on energy transition, must get back to fundamentals: CEO@20:14 Ottawa to reveal plan for emissions cap on oil and gas this fall@22:25 Alberta oil industry wary of NDP government@26:50 Alberta Energy Regulator: Coal Production@33:23 Mark Carney Sees ‘Wall of Opportunity’ for Energy Investors@36:50 Coal Boss Takes Climate Change Denial to the Extreme @40:14 Alberta Oil Sands Technology and Research Authority @43:28 Psychosocial adaptation to climate change in High River, Alberta: implications for policy and practice (Hayes et al.)@45:43 The Impact of Wildfires on Mental Health: A Scoping Review (To et al.) @53:43 ___Energy vs Climatewww.energyvsclimate.com Bluesky | YouTube | LinkedIn | X/Twitter