Climate Confident

Tom Raftery
  • 5.0 (25)
  • BUSINESS
  • UPDATED WEEKLY

Climate Confident is the podcast for business leaders, policy-makers, and climate tech professionals who want real, practical strategies for slashing emissions, fast. Every Wednesday at 7am CET, I sit down with the people doing the work, executives, engineers, scientists, innovators, to unpack how they’re driving measurable climate action across industries, from energy and transport to supply chains, agriculture, and beyond. This isn’t about vague pledges or greenwashing. It’s about what’s working, and what isn’t, so you can make smarter decisions, faster. We cover: Scalable solutions in energy, mobility, food, and financeThe politics and policies shaping the energy transitionTools and tech transforming climate accountability and riskHard truths, bold ideas, and real-world success stories 👉 Climate Confident+ subscribers get full access to the complete archive, 230+ episodes of deep, data-driven insights. 🎧 Not ready to subscribe? No worries, you’ll still get the most recent 30 days of episodes for free. Want to shape the conversation? I’d love to hear from you. Drop me a line anytime at Tom@tomraftery.com - whether it’s feedback, a guest suggestion, or just a hello. Ready to stop doomscrolling and start climate-doing? Hit follow and let’s get to work.

Episodes

  1. Decarbonising Food Supply Chains with Real Data

    8H AGO

    Decarbonising Food Supply Chains with Real Data

    Send me a message What if the biggest lever for food-system decarbonisation isn’t factories or fleets, but soil you’ll never see on a corporate balance sheet? In this episode, I’m joined by Rhyannon Galea and Kristjan Luha from eAgronom to unpack one of the hardest climate problems to solve: Scope 3 emissions in food and agriculture. This conversation was originally recorded for my Resilient Supply Chain podcast and I’m republishing it here because it cuts straight to the heart of real-world climate action. Most food companies have 70–95% of their emissions sitting on farms they don’t own or control, while those same farms are increasingly exposed to climate shocks. The stakes couldn’t be higher. You’ll hear why regenerative agriculture is less about ideology and more about resilience, profitability, and physics. We dig into how practices like reduced tillage and cover cropping can rebuild soil carbon, improve water retention, and cut emissions without wrecking yields. We also get into the messy reality of data. Why averages and estimates won’t get companies to net zero, and how credible primary farm data changes everything. From satellite verification to machine-level data capture, this episode explores what trustworthy emissions data actually looks like on the ground. You might be surprised by the incentive structures that work best with farmers, and why carbon credits alone are often the wrong starting point. We talk knowledge transfer, practice-based payments, and why 2030 is only “five harvests away” if you’re serious about emissions reduction in food systems. 🎙️ Listen now to hear how eAgronom is helping turn Scope 3 ambition into measurable climate action across Europe’s farms. Podcast supporters I'd like to sincerely thank this podcast's amazing subscribers: Michael Jacobson Cecilia Skarupa Ben Gross Jerry Sweeney Andreas Werner Stephen Carroll Roger Arnold And remember you too can Subscribe to the Podcast - it is really easy and hugely important as it will enable me to continue to create more excellent Climate Confident episodes like this one, as well as give you access to the entire back catalog of Climate Confident episodes. Contact If you have any comments/suggestions or questions for the podcast - get in touch via direct message on Twitter/LinkedIn. If you liked this show, please don't forget to rate and/or review it. It makes a big difference to help new people discover the show. Credits Music credits - Intro by Joseph McDade, and Outro music for this podcast was composed, played, and produced by my daughter Luna Juniper

    42 min
  2. Decarbonising Shipping with Drop-In Waste-Based Fuels

    DEC 17

    Decarbonising Shipping with Drop-In Waste-Based Fuels

    Send me a message What if the fastest way to decarbonise shipping isn’t a shiny new fuel, but the waste it’s already throwing away? Shipping moves 90% of global trade, yet it’s still one of the hardest sectors to decarbonise. In this episode, I’m joined by Nicholas Ball, CEO and founder of XFuel, to unpack why cost, physics, and adoption matter more than climate theatre when cutting emissions at scale. Nicholas leads a company turning difficult waste streams, including oily residues from ships themselves, into fully compliant drop-in fuels for shipping and aviation. These fuels work in existing engines, use existing infrastructure, and can deliver up to 85% lifecycle emissions reductions without charging shipowners three to five times more than fossil fuels. That last point matters. A lot. We dig into why shipping is so price-sensitive, why infrastructure uncertainty is paralysing fuel decisions, and why waiting for perfect solutions risks locking in higher emissions for decades. You’ll hear why XFuel focuses on waste-based and recycled carbon fuels, how lifecycle emissions are verified under EU rules, and why “drop-in” isn’t a marketing term, it’s the difference between pilots and adoption. We also tackle hydrogen head-on. Why it’s massively inefficient as a fuel. Why scarce renewable electricity should be used to decarbonise grids and industry first. And why electrification should happen everywhere it can, with fuels reserved for sectors that genuinely have no alternative. If you care about climate tech that actually scales, real-world decarbonisation, and cutting emissions in sectors that don’t have easy answers, this conversation matters. 🎙️ Listen now to hear how Nicholas Ball and XFuel are pushing practical climate solutions into one of the toughest corners of the energy transition. Podcast supporters I'd like to sincerely thank this podcast's amazing subscribers: Michael Jacobson Cecilia Skarupa Ben Gross Jerry Sweeney Andreas Werner Stephen Carroll Roger Arnold And remember you too can Subscribe to the Podcast - it is really easy and hugely important as it will enable me to continue to create more excellent Climate Confident episodes like this one, as well as give you access to the entire back catalog of Climate Confident episodes. Contact If you have any comments/suggestions or questions for the podcast - get in touch via direct message on Twitter/LinkedIn. If you liked this show, please don't forget to rate and/or review it. It makes a big difference to help new people discover the show. Credits Music credits - Intro by Joseph McDade, and Outro music for this podcast was composed, played, and produced by my daughter Luna Juniper

    39 min
  3. Deep Sea Minerals and the Future of Climate Tech

    DEC 10

    Deep Sea Minerals and the Future of Climate Tech

    Send me a message What if the clean energy transition depended on potato-sized rocks four miles under the Pacific, and we’ve barely started talking about it? In this episode I’m joined by Oliver Gunasekara, CEO and co-founder of Impossible Metals, to tackle one of the most uncomfortable truths in climate tech: there is no net zero without mining. We dig into how deep sea polymetallic nodules, AI-driven underwater robots and smarter policy could reshape the energy transition, emissions reduction, and even the geopolitical balance with China. You’ll hear why 84% of global mining today is still for fossil fuels – and what happens to decarbonisation when ore grades on land collapse to 0.2% while nodules sit at the 4% level. We get into how autonomous robots can hover above the seabed, detect and avoid life, and selectively collect nodules, and why the choice of mining technology matters as much as the decision to mine at all. We also explore the hard politics: critical minerals as a strategic vulnerability, the West’s dependence on Chinese processing, and why delaying decisions on deep sea mining could mean more rainforest lost, higher battery prices, and a slower energy transition. Kismet: the market for nickel, cobalt, copper and manganese is on track to hit $1 trillion a year by 2035 – and we’re still arguing about whether mining “counts” as climate tech. 🎙️ Listen now to hear how Oliver and Impossible Metals are trying to square the circle: scaling climate tech and critical minerals without trashing the planet in the process. Podcast supporters I'd like to sincerely thank this podcast's amazing subscribers: Michael Jacobson Cecilia Skarupa Ben Gross Jerry Sweeney Andreas Werner Stephen Carroll Roger Arnold And remember you too can Subscribe to the Podcast - it is really easy and hugely important as it will enable me to continue to create more excellent Climate Confident episodes like this one, as well as give you access to the entire back catalog of Climate Confident episodes. Contact If you have any comments/suggestions or questions for the podcast - get in touch via direct message on Twitter/LinkedIn. If you liked this show, please don't forget to rate and/or review it. It makes a big difference to help new people discover the show. Credits Music credits - Intro by Joseph McDade, and Outro music for this podcast was composed, played, and produced by my daughter Luna Juniper

    48 min
  4. The 30% Solar Breakthrough: Perovskites and the Future of Power

    DEC 3

    The 30% Solar Breakthrough: Perovskites and the Future of Power

    Send me a message What happens when solar stops being just “cheap” and becomes game-changingly efficient as well, pushing past 30% and reshaping global power economics? In this episode, I sit down with Aaron Thurlow, a 25-year solar veteran and commercial lead at Caelux, to unpack how perovskite-silicon tandem modules could transform not just clean energy - but the resilience, cost base, and strategic footing of every organisation betting on electrification. With AI, manufacturing, and data centres driving power demand through the roof, the timing couldn’t be more critical. You’ll hear how silicon, after 50 years of slow gains, is suddenly getting a step-change boost - not from exotic space tech, but from a thin layer of perovskites that can add 5–6 efficiency points in a single leap. We break down why this matters for utility-scale projects, residential economics, and global supply chain risk as manufacturing begins to regionalise. You might be surprised to learn how close this is to reality: Caelux has already shipped its first commercial product, with more deployments planned in 2026. And Aaron explains why this shift could help companies bridge policy uncertainty, lower project costs, and even change the global balance of energy independence. 🎙️ Listen now to hear how Caelux is redefining the future of efficient, resilient, sustainable energy systems — and why it matters for your supply chain. Podcast supporters I'd like to sincerely thank this podcast's amazing subscribers: Michael Jacobson Cecilia Skarupa Ben Gross Jerry Sweeney Andreas Werner Stephen Carroll Roger Arnold And remember you too can Subscribe to the Podcast - it is really easy and hugely important as it will enable me to continue to create more excellent Climate Confident episodes like this one, as well as give you access to the entire back catalog of Climate Confident episodes. Contact If you have any comments/suggestions or questions for the podcast - get in touch via direct message on Twitter/LinkedIn. If you liked this show, please don't forget to rate and/or review it. It makes a big difference to help new people discover the show. Credits Music credits - Intro by Joseph McDade, and Outro music for this podcast was composed, played, and produced by my daughter Luna Juniper

    36 min
  5. Inside the Solar PPA Model Driving Clean Energy Growth

    NOV 26

    Inside the Solar PPA Model Driving Clean Energy Growth

    Send me a message What if the real disruption in solar isn’t the technology — but the business model behind it? This week I’m joined by Scott Therien, Director of Strategic Partnerships at REC Solar, to unpack one of the most important, and least discussed, shifts in the energy transition: the move from one-off construction projects to long-term, risk-bearing power-purchase agreements. It’s a change that’s quietly reshaping who owns energy infrastructure, who carries the financial risk, and how quickly commercial sectors can decarbonise. In this episode, you’ll hear why the old “buy a solar system and hope it performs” mindset is being replaced by something far more aligned - developers putting up the capital, carrying the downside, and only winning when the customer wins. We dig into how solar-plus-storage now beats diesel on cost and resilience in many markets, why procurement processes often sabotage their own climate goals, and what separates successful projects from expensive disappointments. You might be surprised to learn how much hinges not on panels or batteries, but on load profiles, tariff structures, and whether an organisation actually knows what it wants. We also explore the future: a post-ITC world, the rise of data centres as demand engines, and unexpected benefits like agrivoltaics, including sheep producing better wool under solar arrays. It’s a vivid reminder that decarbonisation isn’t just an engineering exercise; it’s a systems shift. 🎙️ Listen now to hear how Scott and REC Solar are reshaping real-world decarbonisation through smarter ownership, smarter incentives, and smarter design. Podcast supporters I'd like to sincerely thank this podcast's amazing subscribers: Michael Jacobson Cecilia Skarupa Ben Gross Jerry Sweeney Andreas Werner Stephen Carroll Roger Arnold And remember you too can Subscribe to the Podcast - it is really easy and hugely important as it will enable me to continue to create more excellent Climate Confident episodes like this one, as well as give you access to the entire back catalog of Climate Confident episodes. Contact If you have any comments/suggestions or questions for the podcast - get in touch via direct message on Twitter/LinkedIn. If you liked this show, please don't forget to rate and/or review it. It makes a big difference to help new people discover the show. Credits Music credits - Intro by Joseph McDade, and Outro music for this podcast was composed, played, and produced by my daughter Luna Juniper

    43 min
  • 5 Episodes

5
out of 5
25 Ratings

About

Climate Confident is the podcast for business leaders, policy-makers, and climate tech professionals who want real, practical strategies for slashing emissions, fast. Every Wednesday at 7am CET, I sit down with the people doing the work, executives, engineers, scientists, innovators, to unpack how they’re driving measurable climate action across industries, from energy and transport to supply chains, agriculture, and beyond. This isn’t about vague pledges or greenwashing. It’s about what’s working, and what isn’t, so you can make smarter decisions, faster. We cover: Scalable solutions in energy, mobility, food, and financeThe politics and policies shaping the energy transitionTools and tech transforming climate accountability and riskHard truths, bold ideas, and real-world success stories 👉 Climate Confident+ subscribers get full access to the complete archive, 230+ episodes of deep, data-driven insights. 🎧 Not ready to subscribe? No worries, you’ll still get the most recent 30 days of episodes for free. Want to shape the conversation? I’d love to hear from you. Drop me a line anytime at Tom@tomraftery.com - whether it’s feedback, a guest suggestion, or just a hello. Ready to stop doomscrolling and start climate-doing? Hit follow and let’s get to work.

Information

  • Creator
    Tom Raftery
  • Years Active
    2020 - 2025
  • Episodes
    5
  • Rating
    Explicit
  • Copyright
    © 2025 Climate Confident
  • Show Website
    Climate Confident

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