SUPER SUMMERUPPERER

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Let Me Sum Up

Tennant Reed, Luke Menzel, Frankie Muskovic
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  • POLITICS
  • EVERY TWO WEEKS

Your regular deep dive into recent reports on climate and energy with Frankie Muskovic, Luke Menzel and Tennant Reed. Because there is too much.

  1. 26 MAR

    Oil’s Well That Ends Wells: The Crisis The IEA Was Born For

    Subscribe to LMSU’s Patreon for the political commentary BoCo pod you didn’t know you needed in your life! Politics junkies? Guilty as charged! Nothing was going to keep your intrepid hosts from grabbing the popcorn and settling in to watch the SA election this past weekend. Run, don’t walk, over to www.letmesumup.net and subscribe to our Patreon to hear what we make of the Malinauskas empire and an orange wave. -- The world is still cray cray and your intrepid hosts are here to bear witness to what Fatih Birol has called a fuel crisis worse in its impact than the two 70s oil crises combined. CRIKEY was that a wake-up call for us Aussies who hadn’t yet seen electricity or gas prices spike, but started using public transport and buying more EVs as fuel prices hit $3/L. Where to next you ask? Who knows what batshit crazy moves the orange man will make, but the more uncertainty over where its all going creates delay in supply chains readjusting to the new reality. And could we finally see the imposition of a gas export tax that actually collects revenue? WILD TIMES.  Our main course While Dr Birol - longtime IEA maestro - was on Australian shores, he was spruiking their hot-off-the-press report ‘Sheltering from Oil Shocks: measures to reduce impacts on households and businesses’ which promotes a menu of ten options to cut oil consumption through demand side measures. What’s on the IEA wishlist? Public transport! Carpooling! Slowing down on highways! More efficient truck driving! Don’t fly for work! Change to electric cooking! And some doozies that maybe won’t go down well in some quarters (yep, the ol’ WORK FROM HOME idea). This is a striking bit of comms from the IEA. Absolutely right to focus on the here and now, but the longer term actions like ramping up EVs, electrification and reducing reliance on fossil fuels altogether appeared in a modest epilogue. It had your intrepid hosts wondering if the US threat to the IEA to drop that crazy net zero stuff is having an impact. Time will most surely tell! One more things Tennant’s One More Thing is: a Fraunhofer Institute study of data from 1 million European cars, indicating PHEVs use 3x the fuel they are estimated to using regulatory tests. The reasons: drivers don’t plug them in that much; and the cars tend to run their fossil engines during electric mode more often than regulators assumed. Frankie’s One More Thing is: the formal establishment of Muskovic’s Methane Musings with the exciting development that NSW EPA have just announced they WILL IN FACT regulate methane emissions from coal mining. Luke’s One More Thing is: a shameless plug for the Energy Efficiency Council’s annual conference, coming up in Sydney on May 27-28 at which some guy who apparently does another energy podcast, (Michael Liebreich?) will in fact appear in all three dimensions and corporeal form in Sydney at this conference. If you’ve heard of him, I guess you better go check it out. And that’s it for now, Summerupperers. There is now a one-stop-shop for all your LMSU needs: head to letmesumup.net to support us on Patreon, procure merch, find back episodes, and leave us a voicemail!

    1hr 24min
  2. There Is Too Much: The 2025 South Australian Election

    26 MAR ·  BONUS • SUBSCRIBERS ONLY

    There Is Too Much: The 2025 South Australian Election

    You intrepid hosts unpack it all – the ascent of God King Malinauskas; the collapse in the Liberal vote, and the ascendency of One Nation. May contain tangential references to energy and climate.

    27 min
  3. There Is Too Much: Resources Sector Plan with Dr. Mary Stewart

    13 MAR ·  BONUS • SUBSCRIBERS ONLY

    There Is Too Much: Resources Sector Plan with Dr. Mary Stewart

    We complete our odyssey through the Albanese Government's six sector plans by taking on the final plan, Resources, with the expert assistance of Dr. Mary Stewart. Plus some bonus bonus reflections on the future of sector plans!

    37 min

  4. 12 MAR

    The General Theory Of Fossil Death Spirals

    Another regional conflict precipitating another energy security crisis has your intrepid hosts feeling some deja vu as we find ourselves in an increasingly familiar setting as we contemplate the opportunities and challenges presented in the current US-Israel war on Iran. Beyond the horrific human toll of the Trump administration’s latest incoherent, all-tactics-no-strategy foray into the Middle East, there are some complex consequences to world energy markets playing out and it’s too soon to tell where this all goes from here. Global oil prices? Spiking! And likely to lead to airfare cost increases. Gas prices? Also spiking! But not in Australia, say whaaat? Like we said, ‘It’s Complicated’. Our main course We stick solidly ON THEME this week with ‘Fossil energy minimum viable scale: unseen infrastructural threats to safety and decarbonization may arise as fossil energy systems are phased out’ from Joshua Lappen and Emily Grubert, published recently in Science. This compact paper packs a punch and has a couple of big ideas to engage with. One is that energy transition types have been want to assume legacy fossil fuel infrastructure will carry on at the required capacity over the required timeframes to see replacement renewables in place. NOT SO say our authors, who contend that minimum viable scales for operation are not well understood and are certainly not being factored into planning for the transition, when it comes to physical, financial and managerial constraints. Their advice? DO better modelling, planning and managing of these issues at an asset level. Elements of this paper felt super familiar (hello gas distribution network death spiral) whole others worrying novel (oh hi there fuel-refinery-that-won’t-operate-under-65%-capacity). Liked the provocations here we did! One more things Tennant’s One More Thing is: Cloud Carrier’s proposal to power a new data centre in NSW entirely by natural gas. Lots of debates sure to come! Frankie’s One More Thing is: continued excitement at all things methane abatement focused, from the CCA’s stated priority to look at this in 2026 to the NSW EPA’s consultation on measures it may implement to reduce or destroy fugitive methane emissions from coal mining. Luke’s One More Thing is: listener voicemail from none other than Baethan Mullen, CEO of the Superpower Institute, who left us a note with his reaction to our reaction to their recent paper on pricing carbon pollution. Thanks TSI for keeping us busy reading your excellent work! And that’s it for now, Summerupperers. There is now a one-stop-shop for all your LMSU needs: head to letmesumup.net to support us on Patreon, procure merch, find back episodes, and leave us a voicemail!

    1hr 10min

  5. 26 FEB

    Superpower Institute Soft Launches A Little Idea Called ‘Carbon Pricing’

    It’s 2026 and we’re back, baby! Clearly not much has been happening in the world since we left you appreciating the one liners of dreamy cult classic The Princess Bride, so this we’ll keep brief. HA! Your intrepid hosts cast our sights beyond the binfire of domestic politics for a moment to the latest international institution to draw the ire of the Trump administration - this week featuring the International Energy Agency! The IEA’s recent biennial ministerial gathering in Paris last week saw the US demand climate be dropped as a priority – and specifically that net zero scenarios be dropped from their projections – Or Else! In this case, Or Else means a US withdrawal along with their dollars. Will the IEA succumb to these demands? Your intrepid hosts think unlikely, but Australia and other countries will need to stand firm and/or pick up more of the tab. Our main course The folks at The Superpower Institute must have known the LMSU crew leapt into 2026 ravenous for climate content and oh boy, did they deliver. Their recent paper, ‘The Case For Pricing Pollution,’ authored by 2025 Wonky Award winner Reuben Finighan and Ingrid Burford packs not one BUT TWO big ideas for your intrepid hosts to digest. A ‘Polluter Pays Levy’ would see a price on carbon applied to fossil fuel production/supply with price eventually pegged to the EU ETS, combined with a ‘Fair Share Levy’, a two-way cashflow tax of 40% on oil and gas (but mostly gas) producers, replacing the current and not effective Petroleum Resource Rent Tax. In other words: don your meat dress, crank One Direction, and tax rents and carbon while planking. YOLO (again)! Why has TSI ‘gone there’? we can hear you gentle listeners ask. We are not on track to meet our net zero commitments, structural budget deficits demanding spending restraint in the face of growing costs attached to worthy social supports, and weak productivity suggests the need for a more efficient way to price carbon and raise revenue ($35.6 Bn a year out to 2050 is big dollars). This report is a bold provocation, aiming to stimulate discussion ahead of the 2026/27 Safeguard Review to suggest it’s time to revisit the policy that until recently dared not speak its name. Your intrepid hosts welcome the provocation and thinks there may be multiple ways to skin the carbon price cat. Also, this should definitely have been two papers. Kthnxbye. One more things Tennant’s One More Thing is: another obscure but entertaining pop culture find: V: The Original Miniseries. Available we’re not sure where. You’re welcome! Frankie’s One More Thing is: a strange and unexpected role reversal as she plugs the long-awaited, much lusted after in one T Reed’s heart, the final report from the Government’s carbon leakage review! Slipped out the same day as #LibSpill2026 no less. TL;DR is: do the CBAM! (and not much change from draft report). Luke’s One More Thing is: the currently-showing-in-theatres-Baz-Luhrmann-spectacular “EPiC: Elvis Presley in Concert”. Stitched together from footage of different Elvis concerts over time, Luke reckons even if you’re not a hunk of burning love for Elvis before seeing this, you might be after.  And we throw in a cheeky plug right at the end for Climate Action Week Sydney! Get on it! And that’s it for now, Summerupperers. There is now a one-stop-shop for all your LMSU needs: head to letmesumup.net to support us on Patreon, procure merch, find back episodes, and leave us a voicemail!

    1hr 21min
  6. There Is Too Much: The New Liberal Leadership Team

    26 FEB ·  BONUS • SUBSCRIBERS ONLY

    There Is Too Much: The New Liberal Leadership Team

    Your intrepid hosts veer dangerously close to political commentary as they reflect on the recent move to depose Sussan Ley and install Angus Taylor as leader of the Federal Liberal Party. So what does it all mean for Australia's climate and energy debate? And how will the Government respond? Scintillating insights guaranteed!

    25 min

  7. 12 FEB

    Should We Downplay Tonnes To Fight Climate Change? My Assets We Should!

    We're back, and we're kicking off a big year with the first annual LMSU Summer Book Club! That is right, Tennant, Frankie, Luke and Alison curled up with a climate themed read over summer: Existential Politics: Why Global Climate Institutions Are Failing and How to Fix Them by Jessica F Green. What did we make of it? Views were... mixed at best. Tune in to find out more, and if you are so inclined this book is available on Kindle! -- Our hearts go out to everyone impacted by Victorian bushfires over summer, within the climate and energy community and beyond. You can help out by chipping a few bucks to the Victorian Bushfire Appeal. -- We'll be returning to regularly scheduled programming in a couple of weeks, but until then there is a one-stop-shop for all your LMSU needs: head to letmesumup.net to support us on Patreon, procure merch, explore the back catalogue, and leave us a voicemail!

    56 min
  8. There Is Too Much: Trump Withdraws US From UNFCCC

    9 JAN ·  BONUS • SUBSCRIBERS ONLY

    There Is Too Much: Trump Withdraws US From UNFCCC

    We break into our summer hiatus for some rapid reactions to the news the Trump Administration is pulling the United States from the UN Framework Convention On Climate Change. Given developments, you may be in the market for some thoughts on the future of multilateralism. If so, you should check out 'Existential Politics: Why Global Climate Institutions Are Failing And How To Fix Them’ by Jessica F. Green. LMSU book club episode on this timely tome incoming in the next few weeks! More info here: https://press.princeton.edu/books/hardcover/9780691245232/existential-politics And/or join Frankie in her definitely not-guilty pleasure summer read, Niki Savva's post mortem of the 2025 federal election, Earthquake! Review here: https://theconversation.com/niki-savvas-earthquake-is-a-damning-account-of-the-election-that-shook-australia-270452

    34 min
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About

Your regular deep dive into recent reports on climate and energy with Frankie Muskovic, Luke Menzel and Tennant Reed. Because there is too much.

Information

  • Creator
    Tennant Reed, Luke Menzel, Frankie Muskovic
  • Years Active
    2022 - 2026
  • Episodes
    139
  • Rating
    Explicit
  • Copyright
    © 2024 Let Me Sum Up
  • Show Website
    Let Me Sum Up
  • Provider
    L.A MENZEL & F MUSKOVIC & T.R REED

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