Wicked Problems - Climate Tech Conversations

Richard Delevan
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Wicked Problems - Climate Tech Conversations

A show about climate and climate tech: the intersection of technology and capital, people and politics, that will shape the future, and whether you'd want to live in it. Host Richard Delevan is normally trapped in the UK, but with a global view - featuring guests from VC/PE, startups, scaleups, corporates, media, and beyond. Subscribe at wickedproblems.earth for an ad-free version, our newsletter, and member-only goodies. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

  1. Make Electricity Cheap Again + BP's Reverse Ferret

    HACE 4 DÍAS

    Make Electricity Cheap Again + BP's Reverse Ferret

    In this episode of Wicked Problems, host Richard Delevan delves into the latest developments in the UK's carbon budget and examines the prospects for clean industrial transitions in Europe. With highlights from the UK's Climate Change Committee's seventh carbon budget and insights from Emma Pinchbeck on future household energy savings, the discussion emphasizes the urgent need to reduce electricity prices while expanding clean power technologies. Interviews with climate tech experts, including Liam Hardy from Green Alliance and Charlie Mercer from the Startup Coalition, explore the pressing need for government support in electrifying industries and the potential impacts of decentralized approaches to renewable energy. The episode concludes with reflections on BP's strategic pivot back to oil and gas and the broader geopolitical implications of the energy transition. 00:00 Introduction to Clean Electricity and Carbon Capture 00:21 Weekly Climate News Recap 01:33 UK's Carbon Budget and Future Projections 03:34 Challenges and Opportunities in Clean Energy Transition 05:45 BP's Shift in Energy Strategy 07:06 Interview with Charlie Mercer on Climate Tech 09:08 Government Spending and Climate Tech Investments 15:41 Liam Hardy Green Alliance 17:16 Interview with Liam Hardy on Electrification of Industry 29:46 Encouraging Innovation in Smaller Startups 30:20 The Cost Disparity Between Electricity and Natural Gas 31:11 Understanding the Spark Gap 33:19 Challenges in Reducing Electricity Costs 37:17 Government Policies and Industrial Support 39:32 Creative Solutions for Energy Transition 41:24 Debating Hydrogen and Carbon Capture 45:43 Final Thoughts and Future Directions 48:39 BP Investor Call 48:39 BP's Strategic Reset and Future Plans 56:19 The Gulf of America Controversy Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

    1 h
  2. Climate is now a 'Hot War'. Strap In. Buy a Helmet. w/ Joseph Gelfer.

    19 FEB

    Climate is now a 'Hot War'. Strap In. Buy a Helmet. w/ Joseph Gelfer.

    For full show notes and ad-free listening come to wickedproblems.earth. In this episode, host Richard Delevan discusses the failures and frustrations of traditional climate activism with sustainability strategist Joseph Gelfer. They explore Gelfer's call for 'climate populism'—a revolutionary, rather than reformist, approach to climate change that involves mobilizing public dissatisfaction with the elites. Delavan delves into how populist tactics used by figures like Donald Trump and Nigel Farage could inform a more aggressive climate strategy. The episode also touches on the far-reaching implications of political and technological trends led by influential figures such as Elon Musk and Peter Thiel, and what that means for the future of climate action. 00:00 Introduction and Frustration with Current Approaches 00:25 Welcome to Wicked Problems 00:51 Net Zero 2050: A Sinister Goal 01:17 Energy Policies and Their Consequences 01:40 Testimony of Secretary of Energy Chris Wright 01:56 The Role of Jordan Peterson and the Alliance for Responsible Citizenship 02:40 The Impact of Elon Musk and Data Control 03:27 Conversation with Joseph Gelfer: Sustainability Strategies 06:43 The Disconnect in Sustainability Efforts 07:58 The Need for Revolutionary Change 10:21 Understanding Trumpism and Climate Denial 17:39 Climate Populism: A New Approach 21:27 The Potential of Farage and Future Political Shifts 24:44 Defining Success and Truth 26:33 The Spectrum of Truth 27:30 The Climate Crisis and Ethical Dilemmas 29:54 Final Thoughts and Contact Information 33:47 The Conservative Movement's Long Game 37:41 Silicon Valley's Libertarian Vision 43:47 The Crisis of Democracy Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

    54 min
  3. The Empire Strikes Back: Climate, Fires, Insurance, and Payback, w/ Dave Jones

    13 FEB

    The Empire Strikes Back: Climate, Fires, Insurance, and Payback, w/ Dave Jones

    This edition is supported by our friends at the Climate Majority Project. If you’re in the UK, and have decided it’s time to do something more than doomscrolling and more useful than throwing paint…on 15-16 March at Limehouse in London. Get more info and tickets here. Fires in Los Angeles at last count had $35 billion plus of insured losses and probably $300 billion plus of economic losses. Who should pay? Here to help decode that we spoke with Dave Jones - former Insurance Commissioner for California from 2011 through 2018. He's now the director of the Climate Risk Initiative at University of California, Berkeley. He recently wrote an oped in the New York Times arguing that the oil companies should have to pay for the damages of the LA wildfires, to arrest the insurance crisis. Steve Coulter of the Green Alliance here in the UK expands on, slight tension, conundrum, paradox. Steve talks about his recent briefing on this point, particularly focusing on Lloyd's of London. And, um, finally, our good friend, returning champion, Dana Drugmand, journalist, publisher of Climate in the Courts and One Earth Now, who's been helping us understand these issues in the US nearly a year now. She helps us explore the counteroffensive launched against the Empire State’s 2024 Climate Superfund law by 22 Republican state attorneys general who filed suit against state of New York to challenge the law signed by Governor Kathy Hochul at the end of last year. Dana compares that to some of the other pushback to the first-of-its-kind bill that was passed and signed into law earlier last year in Vermont. 06:35 Interview with Dave Jones: Background and Climate Risk 08:22 Insurance Industry's Role in Climate Change 10:11 Holding Fossil Fuel Companies Accountable 15:03 Subrogation and Legal Actions 18:12 Impact on Insurance Markets and Homeowners 20:15 Financial Risks and Regulatory Responses 38:39 Mitigation Measures and Legislative Actions 48:06 Industry Split on Sustainable Practices 49:09 Lloyd's of London: A Case Study in Poor Performance 50:33 The Growing Uninsurability Crisis 53:53 Government Intervention and Systemic Risks 56:33 Call to Action for Policymakers 59:50 New York's Climate Superfund Law and Legal Challenges 01:07:34 The Broader Implications of Climate Litigation 01:22:40 Conclusion and Final Thoughts Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

    1 h y 27 min
  4. SRM & Centering the Global South: Degrees Initiative

    10 FEB

    SRM & Centering the Global South: Degrees Initiative

    Last week, to a lot of online reaction, not all of it good, we spoke to Kelly Wanser from Silver Lining, a non profit that advocates for research in this area. Not everyone was happy we talked about the subject. Understandably people are concerned, with good reason. Humanity doesn't have a great track record of avoiding being reckless or selfish and making decisions here in the so called global north that will definitely hurt other people — but we do it anyway. Whether it's like small island states that will go under the waves in our lifetimes because of. These effects and at the International Court of Justice hearing lawyers for big nations basically saying, “oh, well, that's sad Sorry about that. I don't think we can do about it though But here here's some tickets to get some immigration for a couple thousand of you anyway to come to Australia but in exchange, we're gonna need your fishing rights and Mineral rights for the undersea stuff.” Or telling India and China, “sorry. No, you cannot have the standard of living that fossil fuels enabled The West to have.” Weirdly, not everyone is super excited with that kind of trade off. So if we’re going to feel obliged to look seriously at SRM - which is not the same as endorsing it - at the very least there should be ground rules: Insisting that the science done by and for researchers in the global south should be given privileged position in conversations about whether to do that research, about how to weigh potential costs and benefits, how to govern any of that stuff, how to even talk about it. Because places like Latin America, or South Africa, or Pakistan tend to have communities least able to cope with any potential negative outcomes. Andy Parker, Founder and CEO of the Degrees Initiative based in Bristol in the UK, has doing exactly that for 16 years - we think it made for an interesting chat. And in May, Degrees Initiative is convening the world’s largest conference to date on SRM, in Cape Town, South Africa. It might well reset the global conversation on the science, the economics, and the geopolitics of SRM. If you’re enjoying these conversations, do please share it, leave a rating and review on the platform of your choice, and send us feedback here at wickedproblems.earth. 00:49 Current Climate Challenges and Innovations 01:39 Global Perspectives on Climate Science 05:14 The Ethics of Solar Geoengineering 10:05 Interview with Andy Parker 19:22 The Degrees Initiative and Global South 23:45 Potential Risks and Considerations of SRM 26:32 Potential Side Effects of Not Using SRM 26:57 Security Implications and Uncertainties 27:40 Degrees Initiative: Research and Support 28:40 Fictional Scenarios and Real Concerns 30:03 Termination Shock and Climate Impact 37:01 Governance Challenges of SRM 40:22 Mainstream Media and SRM Discourse 43:15 Popular Culture's Take on SRM 45:50 Final Thoughts and Future Directions 48:34 Conclusion and Contact Information Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

    53 min
  5. More Apocalypse, Less Optimism - w Dana R. Fisher

    9 FEB

    More Apocalypse, Less Optimism - w Dana R. Fisher

    Get all our episodes and show notes ad-free at wickedproblems.earth. Professor Dana R. Fisher of American University is one of the most astute analysts of two things going through a huge stress test right now in the US - climate science, and democracy. Wicked Problems is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber. The necessity of today’s outro track will become obvious, and with apologies for my slandering of Flava Flav: She spoke to us from near Washington, where Elon Musk and his merry band of DOGE incels is being cheered on by Donald Trump as they ignore court orders and systematically gut research on the climate. She joined us at the end of last year, to talk about her book Saving Ourselves: From Climate Shocks to Climate Action. We planned to talk for maybe 20 minutes today about her recent work researching and documenting the vandalism to American science underway. Then she told us about her new research surveying attendees at the “People’s March” who were 75% female, overwhelmingly moderate, middle-aged, mainstream Democratic voters, she found that 33% of people surveyed thought violence was justified to protect American democracy. And that was BEFORE Trump’s inauguration and his pardon of those convicted of violently trying to overturn the results of the 2020 US election on Jan 6 2021. So we went over time. For nearly an hour. Come walk with us. Outro Tracks Chapters 05:33 Introduction and Guest Welcome 05:52 Discussing the Current State of the Apocalypse 06:22 Field Work and Resistance Movements 08:37 The People's March and Data Collection 10:02 Media Misrepresentation and Crowd Sizes 15:00 Political Violence and Survey Findings 23:32 Impact on Federal Funding and Research 29:06 Government Actions and Future Implications 34:06 National Guard and Rising Tensions 34:49 Impact on Jobs and Development 35:39 USAID and Soft Power 37:51 Theories on Government Dismantling 38:38 Civil War and Martial Law Concerns 39:02 Military's Role and January 6th Reflections 48:20 Normalization of Violence 51:00 Climate Change and Democracy 52:36 Future Uncertainties and Personal Reflections Thanks Appreciate you listening/watching/reading us. As we also get into it’s more important than ever that we get voices like Prof. Fisher’s to you to make sense of what’s happening. And what might be coming. We hope you’d consider helping us continue the work by becoming a material supporter of Wicked Problems - and maybe even share the love by gifting a subscription to someone who appreciates apocalyptic optimsm. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

    1 h y 1 min
  6. The Mandate of Heaven (And Hell)

    7 FEB

    The Mandate of Heaven (And Hell)

    Get full show notes and our newsletter at wickedproblems.earth - and you can also get these episodes ad-free. Wicked Problems: Energy Transition and Decarbonization Insights In this episode of Wicked Problems, host Richard Delevan delves into key issues and recent developments in the energy transition and decarbonization efforts. . Special guest Freya Pratty from SIFTED.eu (get her climate tech newsletter here) shares insights into the growth and challenges within climate tech companies, including an in-depth look at Octopus Energy's software success, Kraken. The episode also highlights a significant paper from Oxford University examining the potential resilience of the U.S. Inflation Reduction Act against repeal, offering a glimmer of hope in the current political climate. Professor Sam Fankhauser of the Smith School joined us. And in some good news, the episode touches on the impressive rise of EV sales in the UK, policy impacts on the electric vehicle market, and the implications of Chinese EV makers entering the market. Ben Nelmes of New Automotive and Ben Kilbey of Bold Voodoo and EVUK came round. Join us for these crucial discussions and deep dive into the future of energy and climate policy. And clips from the Energy Transition Acceleration Forum at the British Library produced by The Carbon Trust - featuring Chris Stark of DESNZ being interviewed by Bloomberg's Akshat Rathi, Quadrature Climate Foundation's Greg de Temmermen, and Arthur Downing of Octopus Energy. 00:00 Introduction and Consumer Issues 00:34 Welcome to Wicked Problems 01:20 Upcoming Interviews and Highlights 01:51 Interview with Freya Pratty 05:22 Deep Dive into Octopus and Kraken 13:41 First of a Kind Factories 17:07 Debate on Climate Tech Terminology 29:00 Sam Fankhauser Oxford 29:00 Interview with Professor Sam Fankhauser 39:35 Navigating Congressional Influence on Climate Policy 40:22 Vulnerabilities in Renewable Energy Policies 41:16 The Role of Media and Reporting in Climate Change 41:57 Global Perspectives on Deliverism and Climate Jobs 43:28 Emotional vs. Rational Approaches to Climate Advocacy 45:16 Global Climate Legislation Trends 46:20 Anglo-Saxon Peculiarities in Climate Policy 47:51 Future Research and Projects at Oxford Net Zero 50:02 EV Sales Ben Squared 50:27 Surprising Trends in UK EV Sales 01:00:02 The Rise of Chinese EV Manufacturers 01:04:35 Challenges and Opportunities in EV Market Policies 01:15:54 The Importance of Affordable Electricity in Decarbonization 01:18:46 UK's Role in Global Climate Leadership 01:20:48 Outro Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

    1 h y 23 min
  7. We have to talk about geoengineering. Part 1.

    5 FEB

    We have to talk about geoengineering. Part 1.

    Late last year we started interviewing folk in the business of solar radiation management (SRM) - aka one flavour of “geoengineering”. It’s a taboo subject. It’s sci-fi gold. It’s also something we’re going to be talking about. Particularly after famed climate scientist James Hansen and a platoon of other climate scientists published a new paper declaring not just the Paris Agreement goal of limiting warming to 1.5C to be in the rear-view mirror, but - as Damian Carrington in the Guardian summed it up: “The new analysis said global heating is likely to reach 2C by 2045, unless solar geoengineering is deployed.” The reason for a lot of this acceleration in global heating, say Hansen and colleagues, is (perversely) the result of successful efforts to reduce pollution. Specifically, removing sulfur from maritime fuel. That sulfur has been causing potentially millions of deaths a year due to respiratory diseases. So it’s being phased out. Only one problem - the sulfur was having the under-appreciated consequence of reflecting quite a lot of sunlight back into space. How much? More than the entire energy output of humanity in a given year. And now that it’s been removed, enough to - according to the paper - drive half the acceleration in global heating over the past 5 years or so. Hansen is hardly fringe for picking this up, though people don’t all agree on the significance. Zeke Hausfather, who was not involved in the research, is among climate scientist who has acknowledge this “aerosol forcing” problem. Some data of his turned up in Nat Bullard’s superb annual climate deck: Wicked Problems is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber. On the call releasing their findings, Hansen et al discussed SRM. Which (even more perversely) often involves ideas for putting sulfur dioxide back into the atmosphere. But on purpose. To cool things off. To buy time. So here is part one of a series of conversations about SRM, featuring Kelly Wanser - the head of Silver Lining, one of the leading non-batshit-crazy outfits trying to do research on technologies that might make it possible. We’ll put out part two very soon. 00:00 Introduction to the Climate Crisis 00:28 The Doomsday Clock and Climate Realities 01:57 Hansen's Climate Predictions 02:55 Aerosol Forcing and Global Warming 05:10 Purposeful Global Cooling 08:04 Interview with Kelly Wanser 11:07 Silver Linings' Mission and Climate Interventions 23:19 Challenges and Ethical Questions 31:32 Introduction to Luke Eisman and Make Sunsets 31:50 Neal Stephenson's Influence and Geoengineering Concept 32:45 Luke Eisman's DIY Approach to Geoengineering 34:05 Critique of Non-Expert Interventions 35:10 Challenges in Atmospheric Science 37:51 Responsible Research and Global Perspectives 40:10 The Importance of Atmospheric Monitoring 47:56 Global South and Climate Risk Research 5 2:55 The Montreal Protocol and Climate Agreements 54:54 Final Thoughts and Recommendations Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

    1 h y 2 min
  8. Elon Musk should be afraid of this researcher.

    3 FEB

    Elon Musk should be afraid of this researcher.

    Come to wickedproblems.earth for full show notes. Sophie Hall of ETH Zürich joins Richard Delevan to discuss her research into using game theory to embed more fairness into the algorithms that increasingly control the services we rely upon for our everyday lives. 00:00 Introduction to Wicked Problems 00:04 The Role of AI in Critical Infrastructure 01:01 AI's Impact on Society and Ethics 03:19 Trust and AI in Life-or-Death Situations 04:57 Personal Anecdotes and AI's Everyday Influence 07:23 AI in Energy and Infrastructure 08:48 Ethics and Fairness in AI Algorithms 11:29 Interview with Sophie Hall: AI and Fairness 12:47 Sophie's Research and Its Real-World Applications 26:21 Challenges and Future Directions in AI and Policy 45:02 Conclusion and Call to Action Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

    51 min
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A show about climate and climate tech: the intersection of technology and capital, people and politics, that will shape the future, and whether you'd want to live in it. Host Richard Delevan is normally trapped in the UK, but with a global view - featuring guests from VC/PE, startups, scaleups, corporates, media, and beyond. Subscribe at wickedproblems.earth for an ad-free version, our newsletter, and member-only goodies. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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