Energy vs Climate

Send us a text[Rerelease] David, Sara, Ed and author Jeff Goodell discuss the impacts of heat on humans, the topic of Jeff’s new book. From heat-wave deaths, to reduced ability to learn, to the economic effects, who will suffer the most, and what does it mean for the politics of the energy transition?EPISODE NOTESB.C. heat wave leads to 11-hour ambulance wait time, spike in sudden deathsThe Ministry for the Future by Kim Stanley Robinson review The Water will come: Rising Seas, sinking cities and the remaking of the civilized worldMortality risk attributable to high and low ambient temperature: a multicountry observational studyOne extra day > 32C in first trimester --> 50$ less income at age 30.Global non-linear effect of temperature on economic productionHot Temperature and High Stakes Exams: Evidence from New York City Public Schools Global heating ‘may lead to epidemic of kidney disease’Death toll exceeded 70,000 in Europe during the summer of 2003The Lancet Countdown on health and climate change: code red for a healthy futureAt COP26, 100000 march for climate justice Mortality during the catastrophic 2021 heat domeSebastian Perez Did Not Have to Die OSHA - Heat Injury and Illness Prevention in Outdoor and Indoor Work Settings RulemakingThe health costs of climate change from CICCUnited Nations COP16 Cancun AgreementsCOP Emissi___Energy vs Climatewww.energyvsclimate.com Bluesky | YouTube | LinkedIn | X/Twitter

Send us a textHi Everyone!We've got a favour to ask. We're doing a survey to help us understand what you like about Energy vs Climate, and how we can bring you more of that!We would be extremely grateful if you took just a few minutes out of your summer schedule to complete the survey. Your feedback will help us as we plan for Season 5.Thanks! We look forward to coming back in September.___Energy vs Climatewww.energyvsclimate.com Bluesky | YouTube | LinkedIn | X/Twitter

Send us a textOn a special summer episode of Energy vs Climate, we’re addressing the record-setting wildfires that Canada has been experiencing this summer. We're joined by molecular paleoecologist Allison Karp to examine how fire has changed across geologic timescales and how much of this year's wildfires we can attribute to climate change.EPISODE NOTES@1:23 Allison Karp, paleoecologist at Yale and Brown University @11:04 Earliest evidence of wildfire found in Wales 430 million years ago, BBC, original journal article here  @11:33 Indigenous fire management and traditional knowledge @15:20 Record-setting climate enabled the extraordinary 2020 fire season in the western United States@16:31 Data attribution is political: Trump Blames Wildfires on Poor Forest Management. Biden Focuses on Climate Change  @19:25 Politics aside, 1/2 to 2/3 of wildfires attributed to climate change due to increased aridity @22:00 Economic toll and health impacts of wildfires @28:55 Estimated 25% increase in particulate matter at size less than 2.5 micrometers (PM2.5) attributed to wildfires @26:02 Dr. Frances Moore and the shifting baseline syndromeMore from paleoecologist, Allison Karp:Fire contributing to grasslands expansion millions of years ago Fire activity in savannas responded differently to increases in rainfall 1000s of years ago ___Energy vs Climatewww.energyvsclimate.com Bluesky | YouTube | LinkedIn | X/Twitter

Send us a textNo, we didn’t forget to fill in the pod title after Matt Ferrell’s name. On Still TBD, aka the Still To Be Determined Podcast, Matt and his brother Sean discuss electric vehicles, renewable energy, smart technologies, and how they impact our lives. And this week we have a special treat for you: a bonus episode with Ed, Sara, and Matt, who also happens to be host of the massively popular Undecided YouTube channel. Matt's team reached out to us about collaborating and we loved what he was up to, sharing his journey of learning about smart and sustainable technologies with more than 1.2 million subscribers. So, we got together for a virtual nerd-out about our homes and vehicles - a.k.a. the gateway "drugs" to pursuing a more sustainable lifestyle. It's the fly-on-the-wall look into our lives you've all been clamouring for 😉. We hope it entertains and inspires and we hope you'll check out Matt's excellent YouTube channel and podcast. ___Energy vs Climatewww.energyvsclimate.com Bluesky | YouTube | LinkedIn | X/Twitter

Send us a textOn the final episode of Energy vs Climate Season 4, we’re covering the basics of solar geoengineering. We're joined by The Right Honourable Kim Campbell, former Prime Minister of Canada, to unpack the debate over the role of further research, the place of these technologies in the global climate toolkit, and the role for Canada in research and governance.EPISODE NOTES@1:36 Right Honourable Kim Campbell, Canada's 19th and first female Prime Minister@2:56 Solar geo-engineering resources@2:56 David vs. David on solar geo-engineering, David Suzuki - the Nature of Things@8:31 Toward a responsible solar geoengineering research program, David Keith@11:15 Climate Overshoot Commission and what is climate overshoot?@16:50 EvC and special guest Adrien Abécassis on COP27@23:40 Solar geo-engineering International Non-Use Agreement@25:00 “Godfather of AI’ Geoffrey Hinton quits Google...”-The New York Times@25:30 Alberta investing billions into CCUS@29:37 Solar geo-engineering project in Sweden halted@44:40 Why Smart People Can Be So Stupid – Robert J. Sternberg@60:01 Termination shock from solar geo-engineering defined___Energy vs Climatewww.energyvsclimate.com Bluesky | YouTube | LinkedIn | X/Twitter

Send us a textOn Season 4 Episode 9 of Energy vs Climate, David, Sara, Ed and special guest Dr. Blake Shaffer of The University of Calgary, dig into the how and why of Canada's big bet on electrification in the 2023 Federal Budget. EPISODE NOTES: @0:44 Blake Shaffer, economist and professor at the University of Calgary @3:59 Blake Shaffer: Technical Pathways to Aligning Canadian Electricity Systems with Net Zero Goals Report @11:14 Electricity 101: Generation capacity vs. Energy generation @27:39 Non-wire solutions explained @28:39 Co-locating to build less transmission lines and get a higher utilization rate @28:39 BC and Alberta interties, Mark Jaccard and Blake Shaffer, CBC News @ 37:20 Barriers to innovation in Canadian electricity sector, Dr. Sara Hastings-Simon and Anna Kanduth, Canadian Institute for Climate Choices @45:50 Terminology: Spinning reserves and curtailment  @46:32 Solutions to variable renewable energy: Making wind and solar grid forming rather than grid following @50:00 Terminology: Regulated vs. Deregulated electricity systems @53:22 Ontario’s time of use (TOU) system with ultra-low overnight electricity rates to encourage EV charging at night @55:20 Earn $150 to participate in Blake's EV Smart Charging Pilot with Fortis.@56:46 Blake’s favourite utility company: Octopus Energy Additional Links: The Big Switch: Powering Canada's Net Zero Future Report - Canadian Climate Institute___Energy vs Climatewww.energyvsclimate.com Bluesky | YouTube | LinkedIn | X/Twitter

Send us a textOn Season 4 Episode 8 of Energy vs Climate. David, Sara,  Ed, and special guest Dr. Chris Bataille, Adjunct Research Fellow at Columbia University’s Center for Global Energy Policy (CGEP) and researcher with the Institut du Développement Durable et de Relations Internationales (IDDRI.org), discuss contracts for difference policy and and how can it help industrial decarbonization. EPISODE NOTES:Dr. Chris Bataille, Adjunct Research Fellow at Columbia University Centre on Global Energy Policy.@1:12 EvC season 4, Ep. 3: Inflation Reduction Act and impacts to Canada@4:20 Contract for Difference (CfD) – Explained@5:50 CfD in Alberta’s electricity market, supporting renewables deployment by Sara Hastings-Simon@6:52 CfD example in the UK electricity market, supporting renewables deployment@10:22 The Climate Policy Certainty Gap and How to Fill It, by UCalgary School of Public Policy Dale Beugin and Blake Shaffer@13:16 Canada’s pancake stack of sticks and carrots: Output based pricing system, the Clean Fuel Standard, methane regs, oil and gas emissions cap, CCUS tax credit, Emissions Reduction Fund, and Clean Growth Program@15:05 Canada vehicle emissions regulations on par with California@15:45 EvC Season 3, Ep. 32: Rebecca Dell, ClimateWorks Foundation, on Decarbonizing cement@19:42 Canadian subsidies can compete with the USA’s Inflation Reduction Act@29:28 EvC Season 2, Ep. 10: Sally Benson, Stanford University, on Carbon Capture___Energy vs Climatewww.energyvsclimate.com Bluesky | YouTube | LinkedIn | X/Twitter

Send us a text“Just Transition” is making headlines again in Alberta with the Provincial government pushing back against the yet to be tabled just transition legislation the Federal government first promised in 2019. Part of the debate is political, but underneath is the reality of the energy transition and the impact it will have on Alberta communities.How do we separate the politics from the policies when it comes to transition? What can we learn from coal communities that have already started to undergo similar transitions? What have policy makers gotten right? Wrong? And what does this mean for the Provincial and Federal governments facing economic transition on an even larger scale in the province of Alberta?Dig in with Sara, David, Ed and special guest Doray Veno, Executive Director of Lynks - Harvest Sky Services and Supports Society  on Season 4, Episode 7 of Energy vs Climate EPISODE NOTES@1:13 Government of Canada Sustainable Job Plans@1:51 Why Alberta dislikes the term ‘Just transition’. @3:40 Alberta coal phase-out and impacts on the Town of Hanna @4:30 “Hanna offers a clear example of how climate-change policies can impact a community in unexpected ways.”@8:00 Alberta government announces grant to help Hanna amid coal phase-out@10:47 Fear of the Unknown: Coal Community Hanna still waiting for a phase-out plans @13:00  Solar project announced for Hanna@20:26 ‘Just Transition’ must serve people, communities and companies@28:03 Hanna seeing a rise in more entrepreneurship @41:58  How can we transition to more sustainable industries in Canada, support workers and develop resilient communities? @50:23 Government of Canada – the dishonesty surrounding the consequences of Just Transition trade offs@51:03 Canada needs its own bold industrial strategy – the US cannot keep carrying us. @51:47 ___Energy vs Climatewww.energyvsclimate.com Bluesky | YouTube | LinkedIn | X/Twitter

Send us a textYou may recall that we sipped Annex Ale Project's Easy Answers Pale Ale when we recorded our Crypto vs Climate episode back in Season 3.  Little did we know that would be the start of a fun and productive relationship with the good folks at Annex Ales.  And now the beer is here, we're proud to introduce our very own Energy vs Climate Session Ale, the beer that remembers to turn off the lights when it leaves the room.To celebrate, we made a bonus episode taking you behind the scenes of brewing the beer. Keeping with the Energy vs Climate program, Annex Ale Project brewed this beer using alt techniques that minimize energy input while maintaining maximum flavour output. Following the initial boil, cool, and subsequent in-tank dilution, Annex dry-hopped with Vic Secret and Lemondrop to achieve a delicious, pleasantly piney resinous aroma—super on-brand with what we assume to be Mother Nature's vibe.All proceeds from EvC Session Ale go towards increasing the brewery’s energy efficiency, so cheers to new lighting and improved circulation!And stay tuned for the second half of EvC Season Four, coming in early March 2023.___Energy vs Climatewww.energyvsclimate.com Bluesky | YouTube | LinkedIn | X/Twitter

Send us a textOn Season 4, Episode 6 of EvC, Sara, David and Ed tackle the thorny and always controversial topic of carbon offsets, live at Avatar Innovations at The Energy Transition Centre in downtown Calgary.An offset in principle is paying someone else - a company, or a country - to reduce emissions that you yourself cannot, or simply will not reduce. What is the role of offsets in helping the world to avoid dangerous climate change? What's 'additionality' when it comes to offsets, and is it fundamental or merely an after thought? How are offset markets regulated to ensure integrity? And should you bother to click that "yes" button to offset your flight emissions?EPISODE NOTES@1:10 EvC Live held at the Energy Transition Center, at the Ampersand @2:02 Infidelity Offsets video from Climate Ad Project@4:15 Business Renewable Centre of Canada @4:48 Guide to Purchasing Carbon Offsets with Pembina Institute  @5:48 CDM mechanism to reduce emissions by developed countries - Kyoto Protocol @10:05 Additionality, permanence, leakage 101 @23:09 Example of voluntary offsets @24:30 Two flavours of offsets: Alberta Emissions Offset Registry and the Emissions Performance Credit Registry @32:41 Discussion on the quality of voluntary offsets @37:43 Gaming the system with low quality voluntary offsets  @53:50 Low-cost American airline, JetBlue, moving away from carbon offsets ___Energy vs Climatewww.energyvsclimate.com Bluesky | YouTube | LinkedIn | X/Twitter