A Sustainable Future

What’s the role of an influencer in the effort to address climate change?Listen to Jason Mitchell discuss with Assaad Razzouk, CEO of Gurīn Energy, aboutwhat’s at stake in the fight for climate action, how to think about the energytransition in the context of this year’s global electoral cycle, and, ofcourse, why we need more angry clean energy people.

How is the Loan Programs Office providing unprecedented amounts of capital for clean energy innovations? Listen to Jason Mitchell discuss with Jigar Shah, US Department of Energy Loan Programs Office Director, his $215 billion mandate in commercialising clean energy innovations, how these technologies align with US energy security goals and climate commitments, and what the multiplier effect of LPO financing could mean for private sector investment. Jigar Shah is the Director for the Loan Programs Office (LPO) at the US Department of Energy where he leads and directs the organisation's considerable loan authority within manufacturing, innovative project finance, and tribal energy. With more than 25 years of experience in clean energy, he is an expert in project finance, clean technology, and entrepreneurship, as well as a visionary leader and innovator in the field of sustainable infrastructure. Prior to joining the DOE, Jigar co-founded and served as the President of Generate Capital, the leading investment and operating platform for distributed energy storage, microgrids, fuel cells, electric vehicles, and organic waste management. He also founded SunEdison, the inventor of the modern solar-as-a-service industry, and served as the founding CEO of the Carbon War Room, a global non-profit founded by Sir Richard Branson to help entrepreneurs address climate change. Jigar is the author of Creating Climate Wealth: Unlocking the Impact Economy, a book that outlines his mission to scale the transition to a global clean energy economy.

David Morgan, COO of easyJet, discusses aviation's sustainability revolution with a focus on decarbonization, technological innovation, sustainable aviation fuel challenges, hydrogen use, UK government initiatives, aircraft lifecycle, and customer attitudes towards low-cost airlines.

Where are the tensions in the climate science community driving research and real-world policy impact? Listen to Jason Mitchell discuss with Professor Adam Sobel, Columbia University, about what the tropics and wet bulb temperature mean in the context of climate change; how to think about the trade-offs between the applied and theoretical sides of science; and why we need to rethink the social responsibility of climate scientists.Adam Sobel is Professor at Columbia University’s Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory and Engineering School. He studies the dynamics of climate and weather phenomena, particularly in the tropics. In recent years he has become particularly interested in understanding the risks to human society from extreme weather events and climate change. He is author or co-author of over 150 peer-reviewed scientific articles; Storm Surge, a book about Hurricane Sandy; and numerous op-eds. He is also host of the Deep Convection podcast.

What will the upcoming EU elections mean for sustainable investors? Listen to Jason Mitchell discuss with Henry Foy, the FT's Brussels Bureau Chief, about June’s EU elections, why the policy agenda will likely pivot towards defence an away from the Green Deal, and how EU policymakers may try to reframe defence and security for sustainable investors.Henry Foy is the FT's Brussels Bureau Chief, leading coverage of EU affairs and managing a team of correspondents that reports on European politics and policy. He is also the lead writer of Europe Express, the FT’s agenda-setting weekday newsletter on European affairs. Previously, Henry was Moscow Bureau Chief, where he interviewed Vladimir Putin and charted his regime's descent into repression. He has also been posted in Warsaw and London. He joined the FT in 2013 from Reuters, where he was a correspondent in India.

How prevalent are psychological biases like confirmation bias and black-and-white in your thinking? Listen to Jason Mitchell discuss with Professor Alex Edmans, London Business School, about why misinformation is a problem that affects us all; how we can counter it through more critical, rigorous analysis; and what it means for the world of sustainable investing.Alex Edmans is Professor of Finance at London Business School. Alex serves as non-executive director of the Investor Forum, on the World Economic Forum’s Global Future Council on Responsible Investing, on Royal London Asset Management’s Responsible Investment Advisory Committee, and on Novo Nordisk’s Sustainability Advisory Council. Alex’s book, Grow the Pie: How Great Companies Deliver Both Purpose and Profit, was a Financial Times Book of the Year and has been translated into nine languages, and he is a co-author of Principles of Corporate Finance (with Brealey, Myers, and Allen). He is a Fellow of the Academy of Social Sciences. His latest book, May Contain Lies: How Stories, Statistics, and Studies Exploit Our Biases – And What We Can Do About It comes out in April 2024.

Why is the world’s largest single waste stream—demolition concrete—one of the secrets to carbon dioxide removal? Listen to Jason Mitchell discuss with Neustark Head of Carbon Dioxide Removal, Lisa Braune, about what the world’s largest waste stream—demolition concrete—means as a carbon sink; how the private sector and governments are working to support and embed CDR technologies; and why CDR certification is so important in the wake of the recent carbon offsets scrutiny.

Dr. Tom Gosling from London Business School discusses investors' role in climate outcomes, emphasizing rethinking net zero commitments and universal ownership theory. They explore challenges in aligning investments with a 1.5-degree target, balancing financial responsibilities with environmental goals, and the importance of strategic engagement for impactful actions.

To what degree can investors control climate outcomes? Listen to Jason Mitchell discuss with Professor Madison Condon, Boston University School of Law, about what universal ownership theory represents in the context of climate change and how this has recently changed. In addition, this far-reaching conversation highlights how private sector ownership of climate models has created a ‘climate intelligence arms race’ that has serious oversight implications.Madison Condon is an Associate Professor at Boston University School of Law where she teaches Environmental Law and Corporations. Her research focuses on climate change and its relationship to corporate governance, market risk, and financial regulators. She was first a Legal Fellow, and then an Attorney, at the Institute for Policy Integrity from 2017-2020. Before that, she clerked for Judge Jane Kelly of the Eighth Circuit Court of Appeals and was a fellow with the Earth Institute at Columbia University.

Why is a multi-disciplinary approach key to addressing biodiversity loss? Listen to Jason Mitchell discuss with Professor Simon Levin, Princeton University, about what’s at stake in the effort to preserve biodiversity loss; how his work has expanded into the sociological, political economy and policy space; and why a common language — a grammar for economic reasoning — is vital for bringing together different disciplines to understand nature.Professor Simon Levin is the James S. McDonnell Distinguished University Professor in Ecology and Evolutionary Biology at Princeton University and the Director of the Center for BioComplexity in the High Meadows Environmental Institute. His research examines the structure and functioning of ecosystems, the dynamics of disease, and the coupling of ecological and socioeconomic systems. Simon is a Fellow of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences and the American Association for the Advancement of Science, a Member of the National Academy of Sciences and the American Philosophical Society, and a Foreign Member of the Istituto Veneto di Scienze, Lettere ed Arti, and the Istituto Lombardo. He has over 500 publications and is the editor of the Encyclopedia of Biodiversity and the Princeton Guide to Ecology. Simon’s awards include: the Heineken Prize for Environmental Sciences, Kyoto Prize in Basic Sciences, the Ecological Society of America’s MacArthur and Eminent Ecologist Awards, the Tyler Prize for Environmental Achievement, and the National Medal of Science.