Energy vs Climate

Send us a textWhen it comes to our transportation system, decarbonizing aviation is a very expensive ton of CO2 to go after. But potential solutions abound, including lower carbon liquid jet fuel, electrification, hydrogen and more energy efficient aircraft. On Episode 23 of Energy vs Climate Dr. Steven Barrett of MIT’s Department of Aeronautics and Astronautics helps David, Sara and Ed assess those different pathways as the aviation industry searches for how to do its fair share in a net-zero world – without putting flight out of reach for all but the very rich.@ 1:58 The world’s largest offshore wind farm just hit two major milestones@3:47 $3.5-million provincial inquiry into 'anti-Alberta' activities struggles to find a bad guy@ 6:00 Rigged: online archive and podcast documenting the history and evolution of disinformation in America@ 6:33 Will Postmedia Face a Reckoning for Its Climate Coverage?@ 13:04 Harbour Air eyes 2023 for first electric passenger flights@ 15:26 The limits of bioenergy for mitigating global life-cycle greenhouse gas emissions from fossil fuels@ 18:34 Smarter driver Fuel-efficient driving course@ 22:02 Delta commits $1 billion to become first carbon neutral airline globally@ 23:25 France moves to ban short-haul domestic flights@ 25:50 Despite pandemic pause, demand for new airplanes is expected to swell in next two decades, Boeing says@ 28:01 Government of Alberta support for hydrogen@34:25 The Sky’s the limit challenge Seeking a Canadian Breakthrough in Green Aviation Fuels@ 38:21 Sweden sees rare fall in air passengers, as flight-shaming takes off@ 38:31 Scientists' warning on affluence@43:21 Contrails: How tweaking flight plans can help the climate@50:16 Carbon neutral hydrocarbons (Trade off point carbon tax/synthetic fuels)@50:54 David on Solar fuels (Video)@51:59 IPCC report on Carbon Capture including Storage C___Energy vs Climatewww.energyvsclimate.com Bluesky | YouTube | LinkedIn | X/Twitter

Send us a textCoal is grabbing headlines – China has pledged to stop financing new coal plants abroad, the Liberals campaigned on a promise to ban thermal coal exports, and the Alberta government backtracked on a plan to open up the foothills and mountains to mining. Metallurgical coal is also under fire with a global push for carbon-free steel. So what is the future for coal in China, Canada and the world more broadly? What role can Canadian LNG play in displacing China coal-fired electricity, and what does the experience of coal contraction globally tell us about the future for other fossil resources?On Episode 22 of Energy vs Climate David, Sara, Ed, and special guest Edward Cunningham, Director of the Harvard Kennedy School Asia Energy and Sustainability Initiative, mine for answers.EPISODE NOTES@2:34 Kerry Lines up Pledges to Scrub Emissions from Carbon Heavy Industries@4:34 The Nobel Prize in Physics 2021 goes to climate modellers2014's Nobel prize for blue LED @7:49 Not coming to a road near you any time soon - Self-driving cars@9:13 Mining looks to electric, autonomous vehicles to reduce costs and improve efficiency@11:17 Coal timeline graphic (pg. 52) + EvC Youtube version@15:02 Coal in China@24:29 Belt-and-road news@24:57 China’s Global Power Database tracks power plants financed by Chinese foreign direct investment and/or China's two global policy banks@31:20 Assessing China’s efforts to pursue the 1.5°C warming limit@37:40 IEA World Energy Outlook 2021 (Coal plant age at retirement)Contributions by different countries/regions to CO2 @41:57 Canadian LNG to displace Chinese coal-fired electricity?Pembina Institute on LNG @47:22 Global Liquefied Natural Gas Expansion Exceeds Demand 1for Coal-to-gas Switching in Paris Compliant Pathways@50:00 Carbon tariffs and Met Coal@54:25 CCUS in China@57:54 China’s largest department capture project is a global minnowEvC Episode 19: Carbon Capture @58:30 What coal tell us about the future for other fo___Energy vs Climatewww.energyvsclimate.com Bluesky | YouTube | LinkedIn | X/Twitter

Send us a textDavid, Sara and Ed unpack what moved the dial on climate and energy this summer. They also look at this week's climate and energy news and preview what's to come on this season of Energy vs Climate.- - -@1:12 Sustainable Energy Development Masters Program at the University of Calgary@3:30 Energy within Environmental Constraints - Harvard Massive Online Open Course@6:37 Executives from Exxon, Shell, BP and others are being called to testify in Congress @7:39 Merchants of Doubt by Naomi Oreskes and Erik M. Conway @7:45 Drilled Podcast @12:58 Harvard University pledges to divest from fossil fuels David on Divestment@17:41 Cost of financing for coalCoal financing costs surge as investors opt for renewable energy @20:55Work begins on 3.3 GW solar-CSP project linked to 500 MW of storage, in Qinghai China pledges to stop building new coal energy plants abroad @27:13 Heat ImpactsExtreme, deadly heat in Canada is going to come back, and worse. Will we be ready? Heat has larger impacts on labor in poorer areas (David is a co-author)Relationship between season of birth, temperature exposure, and later life wellbeing@35:25 2021 IPCC Report@35:30 The Environmentalist’s Dilemma: Promise and Peril in an Age of Climate Crisis by Arno Kopecky@39:42 US EV sales dataNorway bans gas car sales in 2025, but trends ___Energy vs Climatewww.energyvsclimate.com Bluesky | YouTube | LinkedIn | X/Twitter

Send us a textHi, We hope you’re all staying well during this eventful summer.We have a favour to ask. We're doing a survey to help us understand what you’re looking for from Energy vs Climate and where we could make programming and format changes to better meet your needs. We would be very grateful if you took just a few minutes out of your summer schedule to complete this survey. Your feedback will help us as we plan for Season 3 of the pod and beyond. Thanks, and we look forward to coming back in late September with new Energy vs Climate shows covering new topics. Ed, Sara and David Get on the email list at www.energyvsclimate.com___Energy vs Climatewww.energyvsclimate.com Bluesky | YouTube | LinkedIn | X/Twitter

Send us a textOn Episode 20 of Energy vs Climate David, Sara, and Ed revisit some of the topics covered on previous episodes and answer outstanding audience questions about net zero oil sands, carbon capture, nuclear, enhanced oil recovery, the electricity grid, and their grand vision for Canada's energy future. This is the last episode of the season, but we'll be back in September with more guests, more debate, and more solutions for the energy transition. In the meantime, we're looking to you, our listeners, to help us make next season even better so subscribe to our newsletter at energyvsclimate.com and watch for an audience survey coming to your inbox later this summer. Watch the Youtube version of this episode. Get on the email list at www.energyvsclimate.com___Energy vs Climatewww.energyvsclimate.com Bluesky | YouTube | LinkedIn | X/Twitter

Send us a textThe world has been taking carbon capture, utilization and storage seriously for a couple of decades now. It feels like we’re on the cusp of an explosion of CCUS projects, especially in the US. But will this be any different than Carbon Capture 1.0, which some consider a failure to launch? And if yes, why?On Episode 19 of the Energy vs Climate show, David, Sara and Ed host special guest Sally Benson, professor of energy resources engineering at Stanford University. Benson directs the Stanford Center for Carbon Storage and the Stanford Carbon Removal Initiative. She brings technical knowledge and decades of experience to the topic. Sally and David first overlapped on CCS two decades ago and served on the IPCC’s 2005 Special Report on CCS. What did they get wrong? Right? What has been learned? And what does it mean for Canada? Watch the Youtube version of this episode. Get on the email list at www.energyvsclimate.com___Energy vs Climatewww.energyvsclimate.com Bluesky | YouTube | LinkedIn | X/Twitter

Send us a textOn Episode 18 of Energy vs Climate, top climate scientist Andrew Weaver dives into Canada’s energy versus climate bunfight. Weaver, a professor of earth and ocean sciences at the University of Victoria and former leader of the BC Green Party shares the most surprising parts of moving from science to politics, what it’s like to negotiate the political tension between the go-slow right and the eager left, and answers the question: how realistic is Canada’s 2030 commitment? Watch the Youtube version of Episode 18. Get on the email list at www.energyvsclimate.com___Energy vs Climatewww.energyvsclimate.com Bluesky | YouTube | LinkedIn | X/Twitter

Send us a textFrom cement to steel to mining, Canada has a lot of its economy wrapped up in heavy industry. What are the key opportunities and challenges on the path to decarbonizing heavy industry? What are some of the most promising technology and process solutions? What should governments do to help these sectors to decarbonize?  On Episode 17 of Energy vs Climate, David, Sara, Ed, and special guest Thomas Koch Blank, senior principal at RMI, dig into what's working, not working, and what to do next.Or check out the Youtube video version of Episode 17. Get on the email list at www.energyvsclimate.com___Energy vs Climatewww.energyvsclimate.com Bluesky | YouTube | LinkedIn | X/Twitter

Send us a textClimate and energy debates rest on predictions. How many years left to save the planet? How cheap will solar power get? We dive into the dirty world of making such projections. What’s the difference between climate models and energy system models? What do past forecasts tell us about the accuracy of these models? Hint: there’s no shortage of overconfidence.  On Episode 16 of Energy vs Climate, David, Ed, Sara, and special guest Ken Caldeira of the Carnegie Institution for Science Department of Global Ecology at Stanford University debate the use and abuse of models in energy decisions, and share behind-the-scenes insight into how David and Ken helped Bill Gates learn these topics.Tune into the Youtube version of the episode. Get on the email list at www.energyvsclimate.com___Energy vs Climatewww.energyvsclimate.com Bluesky | YouTube | LinkedIn | X/Twitter

Send us a textFrom personal transportation to long haul freight, how fast can we decarbonize, how much will be electrified vs other solutions, and what are the limiting factors affecting the pace of change?  On Episode 15 of Energy vs Climate, David, Sara, Ed, and special guest Amy Myers Jaffe, research professor and managing director of the Climate Policy Lab at Tufts University,  break down the steps to decarbonizing transportation and dig into what the transition will mean for Alberta and Canada in terms of demand for oil, changes to local transportation infrastructure, and the potential to capture a part of the new market. Check out the Youtube version of this episode. Get on the email list at www.energyvsclimate.com___Energy vs Climatewww.energyvsclimate.com Bluesky | YouTube | LinkedIn | X/Twitter