Afleveringen
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Nuclear energy holds great potential to contribute to power sector decarbonisation. It is a carbon-free and extremely energy dense resource that produces no air pollution. However, it comes with significant drawbacks: not only is nuclear energy very expensive, but the byproduct is radioactive material that can be extremely toxic and is long-lasting, leading to safety fears.
In this episode, James and Daisy discuss the benefits and challenges of nuclear energy, one of the most contentious topics within the environmental movement. What exactly is nuclear energy? What role should nuclear power play in the transition to cleaner energy? And how do the risks of nuclear energy compare to the risks posed by climate change?
SOME RECOMMENDATIONS:
Gaia: A New Look at Life on Earth – a book by James Lovelock that puts forward the idea that life on earth functions as a single organism. Our World in Data (2020): What are the safest and cleanest sources of energy? Fossil fuels are the dirtiest and most dangerous, while nuclear and modern renewable energy sources are vastly safer and cleaner. This article is also a useful resource to explore global data on nuclear energy production: Nuclear Energy.OTHER ADVOCATES, FACTS, AND RESOURCES:
IEA: Nuclear power accounts for about 10% of electricity generation globally, rising to almost 20% in advanced economies.Terrestrial Energy is a Canadian nuclear technology company working on Generation IV nuclear technology.Verv is an AI-based smart home product that sits next to your electricity or smart meter and analyses your home energy data at its source. In 2018, a Government-backed trial in Hackney used Verv’s renewable energy trading platform to enable customers with renewable energy supplies and battery storage to sell surplus power directly to neighbours.The Guardian (2024): The cost of completing Hinkley Point C (a nuclear plant in Somerset) will be between £31bn and £34bn, although if completion is delayed to 2031 costs would rise to £35bn.Thank you for listening! Please follow us on social media to join the conversation:
LinkedIn | Instagram | TikTok
Music: “Just Because Some Bad Wind Blows” by Nick Nuttall, Reptiphon Records. Available at https://nicknuttallmusic.bandcamp.com/album/just-because-some-bad-wind-blows-3
Producer: Podshop Studios
Huge thanks to Siobhán Foster, a vital member of the team offering design advice, critical review and organisation that we depend upon.
Stay tuned for more insightful discussions on navigating the transition away from fossil fuels to a sustainable future.
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Nearly every aspect of our lives depends on minerals. From mobile phones and cars to medical devices and laptops, these essential elements are everywhere. The transition from fossil fuels to clean energy hinges on critical minerals. However, their mining and processing can lead to significant environmental and social challenges.
In this episode, James and Daisy explore the complex issues surrounding the supply of critical minerals. Can we bridge the gap between supply and demand? How can we navigate the escalating geopolitical tensions? Can we trust the mining companies?
SOME RECOMMENDATIONS:
Toxic Cost of Going Green: a 23-minute documentary from Unreported World investigating cobalt mining in the Democratic Republic of Congo. Material World: A Substantial Story of Our Past and Future by Ed Conway: Read this book to learn more about the six most crucial substances in human history: sand, salt, iron, copper, oil and lithium.Morgan Bazilian: As the Director of the Payne Institute and a Professor of public policy at the Colorado School of Mines, Dr. Bazilian offers compelling insights into mining and energy security.Cleaning Up: Leadership in an Age of Climate Change: Listen to this podcast by Michael Liebreich and Bryony Worthington where each week they have a conversation with a leader in clean energy, mobility, climate finance or sustainable development. They have recent episodes on topics related to critical minerals, including battery recycling. Simon Evans: Follow Simon on social media for more insights on the energy transition, including critical minerals. Simon covers climate and energy policy for Carbon Brief, a UK-based website covering the latest developments in climate science, climate policy and energy policy.OTHER ADVOCATES, FACTS, AND RESOURCES:
IEA: “To hit net-zero globally by 2050, would require six times more mineral inputs in 2040 than today.”IEA: “A typical electric car requires six times the mineral inputs of a conventional car.”SUN Mobility aims to accelerate the adoption of electric mobility with their battery swapping technology. This technology enables users to purchase their electric vehicles without a fixed battery pack and subscribe to a battery swapping service that allows them to simply swap a depleted battery for a fully charged, temperature-controlled battery pack.The Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment Directive (WEEE Directive) is a European Community Directive that, together with the Restriction of Hazardous Substances (RoHS) Directive became law in February 2003. The WEEE Directive set collection, recycling and recovery targets for all types of electrical goods. MIT Climate: “In 2021, over 7.5 billion tons of coal were extracted from the ground, while the IEA projects that the total amount of minerals needed for clean energy technology by 2040 will be under 30 million tons.”McKinsey: Mining is not seen as an attractive industry for young talent in Canada – 42% of respondents, aged 15 to 30, definitely would not consider working in mining, and 28% probably would not. Pollination commissioned a new independent legal opinion, which concludes that directors subject to the law of England and Wales should have regard to relevant nature-related risks.National Grid: In the UK, power provided from coal was responsible for only 1% of electricity generation in 2023, compared to 2018 when coal represented 5.1% and 2013 when 39.6% was generated by coal.Thank you for listening! Please follow us on social media to join the conversation:
LinkedIn | Instagram | TikTok
Music: “Just Because Some Bad Wind Blows” by Nick Nuttall, Reptiphon Records. Available at https://nicknuttallmusic.bandcamp.com/album/just-because-some-bad-wind-blows-3
Producer: Podshop Studios
Huge thanks to Siobhán Foster, a vital member of the team offering design advice, critical review and organisation that we depend upon.
Stay tuned for more insightful discussions on navigating the transition away from fossil fuels to a sustainable future.
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Zijn er afleveringen die ontbreken?
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China is often called out for its excessive contribution to global greenhouse gas emissions, predominantly due to its huge reliance on coal power. However, at the same time it is the world leader in renewable energy generation and has a rapidly expanding electric vehicle industry.
In this episode, James and Daisy discuss China’s centrality to global climate action. Is China slowing down its use of fossil fuels? Should we be concerned about our high dependence on China for minerals and other resources? What can we learn from China’s approach to transition?
SOME RECOMMENDATIONS:
China Dialogue was founded by Isabel Hilton, an international journalist, in 2006. It is an independent non-profit committed to accurately portraying China’s development impacts across the Global South through geopolitically even-handed reporting and constructive dialogue. It is a useful place to get informed on what is going on in China. Climate Action Tracker – an independent scientific project that tracks government climate action and measures it against the globally agreed Paris Agreement. It tracks 39 countries and the EU, evaluating climate change mitigation targets, policies and actions. It is a great resource for seeing how countries are progressing towards achieving their climate goals.OTHER ADVOCATES, FACTS, AND RESOURCES:
WRI: “China is the biggest emitter at 26.4% of global greenhouse gas emissions, followed by the United States at 12.5%.” However, this was as of 2019. According to Our World in Data, it looks like China’s contribution to global emissions may have risen to 30.68% in 2022. This webpage also has some interesting graphs showing a breakdown of China’s CO2 emissions by source.Rocky Mountain Institute: “China produces three-quarters of all lithium-ion batteries and 70 percent of cathode capacity and processes and refines more than half of the world’s lithium, cobalt, and graphite.”Visual Capitalist has some nice graphs on the wind and solar power scale-up: “85% of solar PV is manufactured in China.”Our World in Data: “On the basis of cumulative CO2 emissions measured from 1751 through to 2017, China is responsible for 13% globally and about half of the United States' cumulative emissions.”IEA: “China accounts for almost 60% of new renewable capacity expected to become operational globally by 2028.”Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) – a massive China-led infrastructure project seeking to connect Asia with Africa and Europe via land and maritime networks. Read more about it in this explainer from Chatham House. Soltecture (formerly Sulfurcell) was the German company James referred to that develop and produce thin film solar cells. Jack Ma co-founded Alibaba, one of the world’s largest e-commerce businesses. Lauri Myllyvirta is a Senior Fellow at the China Climate Hub, a global non-profit dedicated to understanding Asia through policy, arts, and education.Jeanne-Marie Gescher – one of the world’s leading experts on China. We recommend her book All Under Heaven: China’s Dreams of Order.Thank you for listening! Please follow us on social media to join the conversation:
LinkedIn | Instagram | TikTok
Music: “Just Because Some Bad Wind Blows” by Nick Nuttall, Reptiphon Records. Available at https://nicknuttallmusic.bandcamp.com/album/just-because-some-bad-wind-blows-3
Producer: Podshop Studios
Huge thanks to Siobhán Foster, a vital member of the team offering design advice, critical review and organisation that we depend upon.
Stay tuned for more insightful discussions on navigating the transition away from fossils to a sustainable future.
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Fossil fuels—coal, oil, and natural gas—have been a dependable and efficient energy source for over a century. However, their combustion releases greenhouse gases, making fossil fuel emissions the primary driver of climate change. Reducing fossil fuel consumption is imperative to mitigate global warming.
In this episode, hosts James and Daisy delve into the contentious debate surrounding fossil fuels. Are fossil fuels essential for meeting current and future global energy needs? How might we transition away from our reliance on fossil fuels? Should fossil fuel companies play a role in our green future?
SOME RECOMMENDATIONS:
Carbon Tracker: Follow this independent financial think tank for comprehensive analysis on the energy transition. Make My Money Matter: Learn how to align your UK pension with sustainability goals.
IPCC (2022): “Fossil fuel combustion and industrial processes represent the single largest source of CO2 (85%) and overall greenhouse gas emissions (64%) worldwide.” The Guardian (2024): ‘Smoking gun proof’: fossil fuel industry knew of climate danger as early as 1954, documents show The International Energy Agency (IEA) – an intergovernmental organisation specialising in sustainable energy. Explore insights from the World Energy Outlook 2023. Octopus Energy – a British renewable energy group specialising in sustainable energy. Mark Z. Jacobson – a Stanford University professor tracking California’s renewable energy performance. In July 2024, California celebrated 100 days of renewables supplying 100% of California’s electricity demand for a portion of each day. We looked up fossil fuel subsidies and according to the IMF, globally, fossil fuel subsidies were $7 trillion or 7.1 percent of GDP in 2022.
OTHER ADVOCATES, FACTS, AND RESOURCES:
Thank you for listening! Please follow us on social media to join the conversation:LinkedIn | Instagram | TikTok
Music: “Just Because Some Bad Wind Blows” by Nick Nuttall, Reptiphon Records. Available at https://nicknuttallmusic.bandcamp.com/album/just-because-some-bad-wind-blows-3
Producer: Podshop Studios
Huge thanks to Siobhán Foster, a vital member of the team offering design advice, critical review and organisation that we depend upon.
Stay tuned for more insightful discussions on navigating the transition away from fossils to a sustainable future.
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Welcome to the first episode of Fossil vs Future! Join hosts Daisy and James as they introduce themselves and their backgrounds in the climate movement, and discuss the importance of intergenerational dialogue as a tool for driving meaningful change in the face of climate challenges.
KEY ADVOCATES AND RESOURCES HIGHLIGHTED IN THIS EPISODE:
Daisy shared a compelling statistic from the International Energy Agency (IEA) (2022): “Children born today will emit 10 times less carbon during their lifetimes than their grandparents if the world achieves the goal of reducing global emissions to net zero by 2050.”
Read more about some of the enterprises James has contributed to that are shaping strategies for a sustainable future:
Center for International Environmental Law (CIEL) – A nonprofit focused on environmental law. Alliance of Small Islands States (AOSIS) – An intergovernmental organization representing small island nations on climate issues. CDP (formerly the Carbon Disclosure Project) – A non-profit assisting entities in disclosing their environmental impacts. Crown Agents – A nonprofit working on international development. ODI (Overseas Development Institute) – An independent think tank on global affairs. Foundation for International Environmental Law and Development (FIELD) – An NGO supporting fairer international environmental laws. Climate Change Capital – A private asset management and advisory group that supported efforts to develop solutions to climate change and resource depletion (it operated from 2003 to 2015).Learn about some of the impactful organisations Daisy has worked with:
The Felix Project – A charity addressing food surplus and food insecurity in London. ImpactARC – A women-owned sustainable investment consulting firm.
Philippe Sands – Celebrated Author of numerous books including East West Street & Specialist in international law who James worked with on the legal consequences of the Chernobyl accident. You can read Philippe’s book: Chernobyl: Law and Communication: Transboundary Nuclear Air Pollution - The Legal Materials. Steve Sawyer (1956-2019) – Former Greenpeace leader and environmental activist. Paul Hohnen – An independent consultant and former Australian diplomat and director of Greenpeace International.
James also referred to some inspiring individuals:
Thank you for listening! Please follow us on social media to join the conversation:LinkedIn | Instagram | TikTok
Music: “Just Because Some Bad Wind Blows” by Nick Nuttall, Reptiphon Records. Available at https://nicknuttallmusic.bandcamp.com/album/just-because-some-bad-wind-blows-3
Producer: Podshop Studios
Huge thanks to Siobhán Foster, a vital member of the team offering design advice, critical review and organisation that we depend upon.
Stay tuned for more insightful discussions on navigating the transition away from fossils to a sustainable future.
