Wicked Problems - Climate Tech Conversations

Join Michael Spiekermann, co-founder of Fridays for Future in Austria, Yasmine Abdu, founder of the AI startup Carbon Track, and sustainability strategist Charles Perry as they dive into the provocative debate of 'Abundance vs. Limits' in climate discourse. They discuss the moral dilemmas of climate policy, innovative approaches to sustainable shopping, and envision a future powered by renewables and AI. The conversation emphasizes grassroots activism, the need for genuine communication in climate narratives, and the power of collaborative efforts to drive systemic change.

Get all the show notes and bonus content at wickedproblems.earth!How am I gonna be an optimist about this? This conversation’s official exit music is from Bastille. But stick around for a twist. Turns out it’s not just men who think about the Roman Empire.Polymath raconteuse Solitaire Townsend - sustainability consultant, co-founder of Futerra, UN envoy, award-winning author of the non-fiction The Solutionists - wasn’t just thinking about Rome. She’s wondering, ‘what if I combine some Roman Empire stuff with climate fiction in an alt-history universe in a novel featuring a kick-arse heroine?’ And gets herself a two-book deal.Pre-order Godstorm from our Bookshop.org site or wherever you get good books.Wicked Problems is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber.As a cli-fi/alt-history nerd with shelves stuffed with riffs on Rome from Gibbon to Mary Beard with stops for Asimov’s Foundation series, I cannot tell you how pleased I am to be the first to introduce Solitaire Townsend as “novelist” on a podcast.We talk about her turn to fiction, why now, why the alt-history genre, kick around ideas about alt-history from Philip K. Dick to Star Trek (with some Ursula le Guin because why not), and how she deploys the form to tell a cautionary tale about a world that could have been a lot worse off in its climate breakdown — where Rome never fell, because of the 2nd-century CE invention of the combustion engine.As Solitaire says, if we started burning oil under Marcus Aurelius, climate change would have started much sooner. The warming and rising seas fuel extreme weather events called “God-storms”, caused - according to the Imperial version of Fox News - by lack of piety.Most of that is in the background only creating the more personal, intimate world in which her characters struggle - including a gladatrix-turned-governess seeking to rescue her charge from nefarious clutches and kicking serious arse along the way.In Conversation00:28 First Podcast as a Novelist00:56 Pitching 'Godstorm'02:18 Background and Career of Solitaire Townsend02:37 Solitaire, Sustainability Caesaris04:01 Nonfiction Writing Journey05:49 Role of Storytelling in Social Change07:22 Transition to Fiction Writing08:14 Discovering a Passion for Writing10:24 Exploring Alternate History14:05 Speculative Fiction and Personal Interests17:26 Themes and Inspirations for 'God Storm'20:14 Character Development and Empathy22:14 Reflections on Ursula Le Guin and Sci-Fi27:21 Conclusion and Book Pre-Order InformationPre-order Godstorm from our Bookshop.org site.Exit Music Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Wim Carton, a climate researcher and co-author of 'Overshoot' and 'The Long Heat', dives into the urgent climate crisis and the realities of carbon dioxide removal (CDR) technologies. He critiques the influence of fossil fuel companies and explores the socio-political dynamics hindering meaningful action. The conversation reveals the necessity of political change for effective climate strategies. Carton argues that while CDR may be necessary, it must be separated from existing systems that perpetuate fossil fuel use. Collaboration and inclusivity in climate discussions are emphasized.

Rishika Pardikar, an Indian journalist known for her work on environmental and land rights issues, shares her insights on India's climate challenges. She discusses the impact of mega projects on tribal lands and the cultural complexities of reporting climate issues in India. Rishika highlights the inefficiencies of Indian appliances and forecasting technology, and addresses the intertwining of religion, nationalism, and climate science. She emphasizes the need for localized climate reporting and accountability from powerful entities, showcasing the unique narratives from the Global South.

For nearly a decade, a court in Hamm, Germany has been considering a case brought by a Peruvian farmer, Saul Luciano Lliuya, against the giant German utility RWE. The legal claim was novel: Lliuya said because RWE had caused a percentage of climate change because of its share of past fossil emissions, and that climate change threatened his farm by potentially collapsing a glacial lake, RWE should have to pay a pro rata percentage of the adaptation costs of protecting the farm against potential flood.Judges flew to Peru, took testimony from dozens of experts, heard the defence by RWE. And as their press release noted, the claim in its particulars was dismissed:Climate case against RWE: Hamm Higher Regional Court rejects Peruvian plaintiff’s appeal as unfoundedThe court held there was “no imminent danger” to Saul’s farm.But that’s not the whole story. As an Ancient Greek king supposedly once said: “If we are victorious in one more battle with the Romans, we shall be utterly ruined.” Because in its 25th May ruling the court also held - for the first time, anywhere - that fossil fuel emitters can be held accountable financially for damages, anywhere.Three days later, as if to make a point, the Swiss village of Blatten 500 miles south of Hamm in Germany was destroyed by a glacial collapse. One person was reported missing - but most of the area’s 300 residents had been moved out of danger in time.So is the RWE case a blow to climate litigation or is it a Pyrrhic victory that could set in motion a whole range of new claims that could run to the tens of trillions of dollars, in the kind of law case even Americans can understand: “You broke my fence, you pay to fix the fence.” Or in this case: “You broke my climate.”Dana Drugmand covers climate cases around the world and we talked about the precedent this might set - and we also discuss some of her coverage of plenty of other US climate cases that continue to roll on despite the best efforts of the Trump Administration and oil & gas companies to stop them.Wicked Problems is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber.In this Conversation00:00 Introduction and Guest Welcome00:31 Overview of Climate Litigation01:51 The German Court Ruling: Saul Luciano Lliuya vs. RWE02:39 Significance of the RWE Case06:37 Implications for Global Climate Litigation10:15 US Climate Lawsuits: Boulder, Colorado vs. Exxon and Suncor14:37 Federal Preemption and State Law Claims15:43 Hawaii's Climate Deception Case17:23 Trump Administration's Legal Counterattacks22:14 Youth Climate Lawsuit: Lighthouse Review vs. Trump23:47 Montana's Constitutional Right to a Healthy Environment25:19 Challenges in Federal Court27:14 The Role of Climate Litigation in the US30:17 California's Clean Air Act Battle31:56 Conclusion and Future OutlookIt’s a good listen - and if you’re a subscriber you can find links to get these episodes ad-free at wickedproblems.earth. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Full ep notes at wickedproblems.earthI have a confession to make. Even with a self-image as a world-weary cynic, I’m as vulnerable to manipulation as anyone else, especially for stories I grew up with.The Limits to Growth came out the year I was born. I grew up in the US in the 80s. So we heard a lot of things like this:So even though I’m late to it, I was delighted to have come across the work of Katy Shields, who presents (and co-produced with Vegard Beyer) a beautifully executed 3-episode audio documentary series about Limits to Growth, which makes its principal author Danella Meadows the main character.Hearing Katy’s telling of the story of this extraordinary woman who tried to warn us against the future we now inhabit, often in her own words - thanks to an unpublished book outline by Danella to which Katy got exclusive access - made me a bit embarrassed to have previously accepted the bracketing of Limits to Growth in the same category of far more problematic stuff like Malthus, Ehrlich’s The Population Bomb or (the MAGA-right fave) Jean Raspail’s dystopian novel The Camp of the Saints. Many such works seem not so troubled by population growth per se as much as the hue of the babies being produced.While I’m not completely convinced by the arguments Meadows made and Katy Shields/Vegard Beyer excavated and made fresh, Katy does have an excellent series of essays where she takes forward the thinking of Meadows et al as a way to investigate how economics was hijacked by the opponents of Limits to Growth.In this Conversation00:00 Introduction: Questioning Growth00:32 Meet the Guest: Katy Shields02:21 Discovering 'Limits to Growth'04:38 The Impact of Systems Dynamics07:30 Critiques and Misunderstandings09:37 Danella Meadows' Influence11:23 Uncovering Unpublished Diaries14:43 Life on Foundation Farm18:51 Economic Theories and Climate Inaction19:12 The Abundance vs. Scarcity Debate20:08 Historical Influence on Modern Economics21:41 The Chicago School's Dominance23:26 Challenges in Modern Economic Education28:54 Donella Meadows' Legacy31:15 Visioning a Sustainable Future34:34 Future Directions and Final ThoughtsAt the top of the episode we clip a 1994 speech by Danella Meadows that is an extraordinary few minutes that seem to foreshadow the ‘abundance discourse’ currently all the rage on the centre-left.Which is not actually to shame those who, I believe in good faith, believe that ‘perpetual growth’ is the only potential solution to the challenges of the mid-21st century. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Come to wickedproblems.earth to get the full-fat version! Exit music for this episode is “Oil Money” by Graham Barham. Because, well, it’s a bit obvious this time, no?If insanity is doing the same thing repeatedly and expecting a different result, global climate institutions like the annual COP meetings are definitionally loopier than Elon Musk deep down a K-hole.We spend our time arguing about how to count emissions in order to avoid the real conversation, which is a struggle between three asset classes: fossil fuel assets, ‘vulnerable’ assets (like Small Island Developing States), and ‘green’ assets. Pretending that struggle is not existential is the essence of climate diplomacy for the past 35 years.University of Toronto political scientist Professor Jessica Green thinks we’re well past the point we can afford to continue pretending. Reading her forthcoming book, Existential Politics - Why Global Climate Institutions are Failing and How to Fix Them, was like waking from a dream. You should pre-order it now.She cuts through the nonsense to focus on the real dilemma. The only way through an “energy transition” is for fossil fuel companies, enormously powerful economic and political actors, to have $trillions in ‘stranded assets’ and balance sheets that go up in smoke.Turkeys don’t vote for Christmas (an idiomatic expression I’m pleased to be the first to share with Prof. Green). Yet the entire structure of global climate diplomacy is built on the fallacy that, somehow, oil majors and NOCs would ignore their self-interest and agree to die.As you’ll hear in our conversation, Prof. Green doesn’t pull punches and doesn’t suffer fools. There’s an impatience in her writing and her presentation that has a lot of James Dyke “fuck this noise can we please stop kidding ourselves” energy. At some points I wanted to reach for the hemlock, but thankfully she is as witty as she is sharp.I ask her how her ideas intersect or cut against other critiques of the mainstream climate conversation like Andreas Malm and Wim Carton in Overshoot, Rupert Read’s take on transformative adaptation and Tadzio Mueller’s anticipation of collapse.I think you’ll enjoy the chat. Let us know what you think:In this Conversation01:48 Existential Politics Explained04:18 The Flaws in Carbon Markets05:47 Distributional Politics and Climate Policy08:36 The Role of Corporations in Climate Governance10:49 The Paris Agreement and Its Shortcomings19:26 The Misconception of Solving Climate Change Like the Ozone Problem20:54 Environmental Effects and Substitutes22:04 Challenges in Environmental Governance22:57 Market Dynamics and Trade Issues25:03 Fossil Capital vs. Green Capital28:31 The Role of Litigation and Policy37:11 Grand Bargains and Political Realities38:21 Carbon Capture and Storage Debate40:26 Buy this Book! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Get the full show notes and bonus material at wickedproblems.earth! How do things get names? Who decides? What happens if they’re contested? Does it matter?A brand, a label, a name, the words applied to people, places, or things change how an audience feels, and influences outcomes.“Call me Ishmael”, “deadnaming”, or try using the wrong place-name depending on what bank of the River Foyle in Northern Ireland you find yourself, and see how that goes. On the other hand, if your company so dominates your category that your brand becomes a verb, like Hoover. But in the internet age the process happens much faster — see Google, Uber, Tinder.As for people and companies, a tricker object is a whole category. Successfully dominating a category - even if you have to invent one - is, according to Silicon Valley investors like Peter “Competition is for Losers” Thiel, the only type of strategy worth pursuing. And often that will involve getting the name of the category right - some magical combination of things already in the zeitgeist, something that chimes with the audience/customer/media without them consciously knowing why.The idea of whether businesses are in a category called “cleantech” or “climate tech” or “defence tech” or “fintech” does matter, I’d argue.So I asked Art Lapinsch, a startup founder with a successful exit turned climate communications guru and energy lawyer. Now writing a lot of smart stuff on the subject in his new consultancy Delphi Zero, I wanted to return to the “is ‘climate tech’ dead?” debate.But Lapinsch’s bio itself would be enough to want to hear him - going from fleeing civil war in the former Yugoslavia to adtech startup founder to turning to climate solutions ventures and how they should tell their stories. You’re going to enjoy getting to know him. I certainly did. And he was a good sport when dog-related imminent disaster required putting him on hold for a minute. Don’t worry. There’s good interval music for the occasion.In this Conversation00:00 Introduction to Climate Tech Narratives01:17 Meet Art Lapinsch: Background and Mission02:36 Personal Impact of Global Events03:03 Delving into Energy Security04:28 The Evolution of Climate Tech08:32 Communication Strategies in Business17:49 The Role of Neologisms in Industry21:38 Ethics and Communication22:05 Defining Neologisms and Ethical Communication22:41 The Venn of Profit, Legality, and Ethics23:50 Ethical Communication Techniques25:36 Political Communication and Climate Founders27:15 Common Mistakes in Branding and Communication30:11 Navigating Venture Capital Challenges35:32 Personal Reflections on Risk and Resilience40:46 Final Thoughts and Future Projects Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Get full show notes, bonus content, and ad-free listening at wickedproblems.earth!“More clean energy. More affordable energy. That dual mandate is the real challenge.” In this episode, Richard Delevan talks to Cat Clifford, senior reporter at Cipher News, about what happens when data center demand collides with outdated policy, broken infrastructure, and an AI arms race nobody can afford to lose.We go deep into Cat’s reporting on:AI’s Ballooning Electricity Appetite– Why AI is driving the biggest spike in electricity demand in a generation– The paradox of AI as a climate solution—if it’s powered cleanly– The unknowables: how big, how fast, and how chaotic?The Nuclear-Tech Bromance– Why big tech is cozying up to small modular reactors (SMRs)– Who’s bankrolling the nuclear revival—and who might get burned– The role of always-on baseload in the age of AI factoriesGeothermal’s Promised Land– Advanced geothermal’s bipartisan political appeal– Why it’s ideal for U.S. energy dominance—but underfunded– Will Congress rewrite the tax credit rules in time to matter?Texas, Tariffs, and Transmission– What just happened in the Texas Legislature—and why it matters beyond Texas– How tariffs whiplashed investor confidence in solar and AI supply chains– Why permitting reform—and grid expansion—are stuckPolitics, 2026, and the Price of Power– What voters will care about: the cost of energy– Who pays to keep the lights on in the AI age?– What the fight over IRA tax credits tells us about the Senate’s climate futureQuote of the Episode:“If the U.S. is serious about the AI race, solar and storage are the only near-term way to meet demand. Everyone’s going to have to compromise.”Further Reading:Cat Clifford at CipherCat Clifford on LinkedInCat Clifford on BlueSky Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Full show notes and bonus content at wickedproblems.earth.In this episode we talk about climate tech in the age of AI, state failure, and the occasional aircraft powered by poop. In this episode, Canadian climate futurist and returning champion Michael Barnard joins us for a globe-spanning conversation about why he’s still cautiously optimistic — and why, if you’re only paying attention to the U.S. or Europe, you’re probably looking the wrong way.In Conversation· Pakistan's rooftop solar revolution: how a glut of Chinese panels and uncoordinated net metering turned into 22 GW of grassroots decarbonization in a single year.· Ports, poop, and power: what district heating, sewage sludge, and whiz-powered planes tell us about what works — and what’s quietly already scaling.· China’s decarbonization surprise: Michael walks us through why China’s emissions have actually started to fall, why Western media missed it, and why most U.S. industrial policy is a “radically stupid” own-goal.· The end of American credibility: on failed trade narratives, disappearing clean energy investment, and the strategic competence of the so-called Global South.· Three technologies to watch: Geothermal heat-as-a-service, waste-based sustainable aviation fuels, and electrified ports as power utilities of the future.Timeline02:28 Optimism in the Face of Climate Challenges05:08 Pakistan's Energy Transformation14:16 Leapfrogging in the Global South21:23 China's Role in Global Emissions Reduction27:08 The Rise of the Electro State28:33 China's Dominance in Critical Minerals29:37 Globalism and Neoliberalism: A Mixed Bag30:42 The Market Economy's Failures32:13 Technology Diffusion and Industrial Policy34:48 The United States' Broken Industrial Policy43:04 Geothermal Energy Innovations46:04 Sustainable Aviation Fuel from Waste49:35 The Future of Electrified PortsFurther Reading* CarbonBrief on China's emissions drop* Jenny Chase (BNEF) on Pakistan’s rooftop solar boom* Barnard on ports and maritime decarbonisation* Sustainable Aviation Fuels from Human Waste* The Dawn of Everything by Graeber & Wengrow* Trifecta Ireland – new NGO for clean, secure, affordable energy* Kingsmill Bond (Ember) on the rise of the Electrostate v Petrostate Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.