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Cleaning Up. Leadership in an age of climate change.

Business & Economics Podcasts

Once a week, Michael Liebreich and Bryony Worthington have a conversation with a leader in clean energy, mobility, climate finance or sustainable development. Informative, inspiring and fun! Cleaning Up is supported by Capricorn Investment Group.

Location:

United Kingdom

Description:

Once a week, Michael Liebreich and Bryony Worthington have a conversation with a leader in clean energy, mobility, climate finance or sustainable development. Informative, inspiring and fun! Cleaning Up is supported by Capricorn Investment Group.

Language:

English


Episodes

Absolutely Electrifying - Ep158: Saul Griffith

3/27/2024
Michael chats with Saul Griffith, Australian-born engineer, inventor, advisor, author and 2007 MacArthur "Genius". He specialises in clean and renewable energy technologies, and has founded a dozen technology companies across 20 years in Silicon Valley, as well as authoring 3 books, including `Electrify', and `The Big Switch'. He has recently turned his attention from Otherlab, his independent Research and Development lab, to policy work and writing, including founding Rewiring America and Rewiring Australia, non-partisan organisations dedicated to electrification and decarbonisation and the associated policy and regulatory implications of meeting our climate goals. Saul received his Ph.D. at MIT in the junction between materials science and information theory. Prior to MIT, he studied in Sydney, Australia and at UC Berkeley in metallurgical engineering. Links Buy Saul's 2022 book Electrify: An Optimist's Playbook for Our Clean Energy Future: https://mitpress.mit.edu/9780262545044/electrify/ Buy Saul's The Big Switch: Australia’s Electric Future: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Big-Switch-Australias-Electric-Future-ebook/dp/B09QFQHF8W Buy Saul's 2023 extended essay: https://www.quarterlyessay.com.au/essay/2023/03/the-wires-that-bind Related Episodes The Bridgetown Initiator - Ep145: Prof Avinash Persaud: https://www.cleaningup.live/the-bridgetown-initiator-ep145-prof-avinash-persaud/ Audioblog 12: The 5 Superheroes of the Transition: https://www.cleaningup.live/audioblog-12-net-zero-will-be-harder-than-you-think-and-easier-part-ii-easier/

Duration:01:13:09

The Methane Hunters - Ep157: Dr. Sebastien Biraud & Sharon Wilson

3/20/2024
Bryony speaks to two fascinating guests, both specialising in methane emissions, their causes and impacts: Dr. Sebastien Biraud and Sharon Wilson. Dr. Biraud is a biogeochemist, leading the Climate Sciences Department. Sebastien's work has taken him to the tropical rainforests of the Amazon, the great plains of the United States, and the Arctic tundra. He is currently co-leading/leading projects for the U.S. Department of Energy and the California Energy Commission. These projects involve integrating and applying high-precision greenhouse gas observations to advance research on the atmospheric carbon cycle and to enhance measurement, reporting, and verification of greenhouse gas emissions. Sharon is a 5th generation Texan who, after 12 years working for the oil and gas industry in Ft. Worth, left and bought 42 acres in Wise County. Unknown to her at the time was that George Mitchell was experimenting in Wise County to figure out how to produce oil and gas from shale. She had a ringside seat at the sneak preview called Fracking Impacts. This experience prompted her to join Earthworks’, working on their Oil & Gas Accountability Project in 2010. In 2014, she became a certified optical gas imaging thermographer and now travels across the U.S. making visible the invisible methane pollution from oil and gas facilities through her non-profit, Oilfield Witness, and giving tours to media, Members of Congress, state lawmakers, regulators, and investment bankers. Links Explore Sharon's work at Oilfield Witness here: https://oilfieldwitness.org View Oilfield Witness' award-winning documentary here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dMT2ESXlZ14 Read Sebastien's interview about his work for the Berkeley Lab News Centre here: https://newscenter.lbl.gov/2021/11/10/methanes-short-lifespan-presents-golden-opportunity-to-quickly-address-climate-change/ Read about EDF's MethaneSAT, a recently-launched satellite to track global methane emissions: https://www.ft.com/content/d3d8e7fe-4f0f-4eaf-9bc3-ae99b3fa322a Learn more about MethaneSAT here: https://www.methanesat.org Related Episodes Tackling Super Pollutants - Ep146: Jason Anderson: https://www.cleaningup.live/tackling-super-pollutants-ep146-jason-anderson/

Duration:01:08:16

Audioblog 12: The Five Superheroes of the Transition

3/13/2024
This week, Michael presents the second part of his two-parter for Bloomberg New Energy Finance, exploring the bear and bull cases for the net zero transition. This week is the bull case: the "5 superheroes" of the transition, 5 forces/trends even more powerful than last week's "5 horsemen", which can prevail in the challenge of rapidly decarbonising the global economy. The 5 superheroes are: Exponential Growth, Systems Solutions, Great Power Competition, Disappearing Demand, and the Primary Energy Fallacy. And stay tuned until the end for a 6th "bonus" superhero! This audioblog is based on Michael's Bloomberg New Energy Finance opinion piece of the same title. Links Read the original BNEF piece on which this audio blog was based: https://about.bnef.com/blog/liebreich-net-zero-will-be-harder-than-you-think-and-easier-part-ii-easier/ Read the latest IEA Renewables Report 2023: https://www.iea.org/news/massive-expansion-of-renewable-power-opens-door-to-achieving-global-tripling-goal-set-at-cop28 Read the 2017 research paper - Limits to Growth in the Renewable Energy Sector: https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1364032119305143 Read Michael's 2018 piece for BNEF - Beyond Three Thirds, The Road to Deep Decarbonisation: https://about.bnef.com/blog/liebreich-beyond-three-thirds-road-deep-decarbonization/ Read the research review by Hans Eric Melin on the reuse and recycling rates of lithium-ion batteries: https://www.energimyndigheten.se/globalassets/forskning--innovation/overgripande/state-of-the-art-in-reuse-and-recycling-of-lithium-ion-batteries-2019.pdf Read Michael Barnard's analysis of the proportion of global shipping linked to the fossil fuel industry: https://www.forbes.com/sites/michaelbarnard/2023/12/05/how-will-climate-action-change-the-face-of-global-shipping/?sh=73844bc869d0 View the Lawrence Livermore Sankey Diagram showing estimated US energy flows in 2022: https://flowcharts.llnl.gov Read the first part of this BNEF piece on the "5 horsemen" of the transition: https://about.bnef.com/blog/liebreich-net-zero-will-be-harder-than-you-think-and-easier-part-i-harder/ Related Episodes Audioblog 11: Net Zero Will Be Harder Than You Think - And Easier. Part 1: Harder: https://www.cleaningup.live/audioblog-11-net-zero-will-be-harder-than-you-think-and-easier-part-i-harder-1/ Audioblog 10: The Next Half-Trillion-Dollar Market – Electrification of Heat: https://www.cleaningup.live/cleaning-up-audioblog-episode-10-the-next-half-trillion-dollar-market-electrification-of-heat/

Duration:00:39:39

Audioblog 11: The Five Horsemen of the Transition

3/6/2024
Michael is solo this week on Cleaning Up, outlining the "5 horsemen" of the net-zero transition - the five greatest obstacles to the net zero transition. These 5 horsemen are: the economics of energy solutions, the electrical grid, the demand for critical mineral, political and social inertia, predatory delay by the powerful incumbents. This audioblog is based on Michael's Bloomberg New Energy Finance opinion piece of the same title. Links Read the original essay here: https://about.bnef.com/blog/liebreich-net-zero-will-be-harder-than-you-think-and-easier-part-i-harder/ Read Michael's 2022 essay, 'The Quest for Resilience – What Could Possibly Go Wrong?' here: https://about.bnef.com/blog/liebreich-the-quest-for-resilience-what-could-possibly-go-wrong/ Read Michael's 2023 essay, 'The Next Half-Trillion-Dollar Market – Electrification of Heat': https://about.bnef.com/blog/liebreich-the-next-half-trillion-dollar-market-electrification-of-heat/ Read Bloomberg NEF's 2022 New Energy Outlook: https://about.bnef.com/new-energy-outlook/ Read the IEA's report on the role of critical minerals in the transition: https://www.iea.org/reports/the-role-of-critical-minerals-in-clean-energy-transitions Read the IPSOS report study - 'What Worries the World'?: https://www.ipsos.com/sites/default/files/ct/news/documents/2022-06/Global-Summary_What-Worries-the-World.pdf Read Simon Michaux's report on the required quantity of critical minerals for net zero: https://www.gtk.fi/en/current/gtk-research-the-currently-known-global-mineral-reserves-will-not-be-sufficient-to-supply-enough-metals-to-manufacture-the-planned-non-fossil-fuel-industrial-systems/ Read Part 2 of this two-parter, on the "5 superheroes" of the transition: https://about.bnef.com/blog/liebreich-net-zero-will-be-harder-than-you-think-and-easier-part-ii-easier/ Related Episodes Review Ep141 with Naomi Oreskes - Lifting the Curtain on Climate Change Denial: https://www.cleaningup.live/lifting-the-curtain-on-climate-change-denial-ep-141-prof-naomi-oreskes/

Duration:00:29:40

A Magnificent Woman And Her Flying Machines - Ep156: Bonny Simi

2/28/2024
Bryony returns with Bonny Simi, President of Operations at Joby Aviation, where she's working on bringing to market a new civilian electric VTOL (eVTOL) aircraft. Prior to joining the team at Joby, Bonny held several operational and strategic roles at JetBlue Most notably, she founded and led JetBlue Technology Ventures, investing in improving the travel, hospitality, and transportation industries. As a pilot, Bonny has commanded Boeing, Airbus and Embraer aircraft at both United Airlines and JetBlue Airways. She is also an Emmy-nominated sports reporter and a 3-time Olympian in the sport of Luge. She holds a BA in Communications, a MS in Management and a MS in Engineering, all from Stanford University, as well as a MS in Human Resources from Regis University. Links Explore Joby's website here: https://www.jobyaviation.com You can watch more footage of Joby's eVTOL aircraft here: https://www.youtube.com/@JobyAviation/featured Read about Joby's partnership with the US DoD here: https://www.jobyaviation.com/news/joby-delivers-first-evtol-edwards/ Hear Bonny talk more about her lessons from competing in luge: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bj9Ey6fdnT0 Listen to the theme song from Those Magnificent Men in their Flying Machines (the title inspiration for this episode!): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UPgS26ZhqZs

Duration:00:55:36

Extreme Electrochemistry for a Sustainable Future - Ep155: Prof Donald Sadoway

2/21/2024
Michael returns to talk with legendary educator and inventor, Donald Sadoway, Professor Emeritus of Materials Chemistry at MIT. After earning his PhD in chemical metallurgy in 1977 at the University of Toronto, he joined the faculty at MIT where he spent 44 years. For 16 of those, he taught 3.091 (Introduction to Solid-State Chemistry)—and his animated lectures, peppered with references to music, art, and literature—doubtless contributed to the subject’s popularity. Among the many accolades bestowed on Professor Sadoway in his 44 years as a teacher and researcher at MIT was a compliment by Bill Gates: “best chemistry lessons anywhere. Unbelievable.” In 2012, for the invention of the liquid metal battery, he was named by Time magazine one of the “100 Most Influential People in the World.” He has founded several hard tech startups, including Ambri, Avanti Battery Company, Pure Lithium and Boston Metal. Links Review Donald's 2012 TED talk, "The Missing Link to Renewable Energy" here: https://www.ted.com/talks/donald_sadoway_the_missing_link_to_renewable_energy?language=en Explore Avanti Battery Company's tech here: https://avanti.energy Explore Ambri's tech here: https://ambri.com Explore Pure Lithium's tech here: https://www.purelithium.io Explore Boston Metal's tech here: https://www.bostonmetal.com Explore Sadoway Labs' research here: https://sadowaylabs.org Take Prof Sadoway's course, 3.091 - Introduction to Solid State Chemistry - here: https://ocw.mit.edu/courses/3-091sc-introduction-to-solid-state-chemistry-fall-2010/ Related Episodes Metals Refining - From Mining to Brining - Ep142: Alex Grant: https://www.cleaningup.live/metals-refining-from-mining-to-brining-ep-142-alex-grant/ Iron-Air Man - Ep144: Mateo Jaramillo: https://www.cleaningup.live/iron-air-man-ep144-mateo-jaramillo/

Duration:01:07:04

Green Heat (And Cooling) Under Our Feet - Ep154: Tamsin Lishman

2/14/2024
Tamsin Lishman joins Bryony this week to talk heat pumps. Tamsin is CEO of Kensa Group, a Cornwall-based manufacturer and installer of ground source heat pumps. Kensa is the UK's only manufacturer of ground source heat pumps. Both air source and ground source heat pumps are rapidly growing technologies, and Tamsin believes that Kensa's heat pumps can - and will - be deployed to electrify domestic heating in the UK. On a recent episode of Cleaning Up, Fatih Birol, Executive Director of the IEA, argued that heat pumps are "the closest thing to a silver bullet" we have in the race to net-zero. In over two decades, Kensa has saved over 1 million tonnes of carbon through ground source heat pump installations. The Kensa Group is partly owned by Legal & General Capital, part of Legal & General PLC, and Octopus Energy. Tamsin was appointed CEO of Kensa Group in July 2023. Previously, she had stints at EnergyNest and Centrica. She holds a Master of Engineering from Oxford University. Links See Kensa's website here: https://www.thekensagroup.com Read the IEA's report on the future of heat pumps: https://www.iea.org/reports/the-future-of-heat-pumps (For UK viewers) Check out the UK government's tool to see if a heat pump could be suitable for your home: https://www.gov.uk/check-heat-pump Read this Guardian piece on heat pump installations in the UK: https://www.theguardian.com/business/2024/jan/08/greener-cheaper-much-warmer-heat-pump-owners-laud-their-new-system Read about Kensa's recent fundraise of £70m from Octopus and Legal&General, with the help of EcoPragma Capital, here: https://www.kensaheatpumps.com/news-blog/pump-it-up-octopus-energy-and-legal-general-make-britains-biggest-investment-in-ground-source-heat-pumps/

Duration:00:47:54

Shedding Light on Energy's Dirty Secrets - Ep153: Lauri Myllyvirta

2/7/2024
Michael sits down this week with Lauri Myllyvirta, co-founder and lead analyst at CREA - the Centre for Research on Energy and Clean Air. After working as a campaigner and then as an analyst at Greenpeace, Lauri helped set up CREA, an NGO that produces research reports on the trends, causes, health impacts, and solutions to air pollution. Importantly, CREA makes extensive reference to local-language evidence sources - helped by Lauri's impressive knowledge of European and Asian languages. Lauri has degrees in economics from Helsinki University and in environmental science from University of Jyvaskyla. Links Read the BBC's recent articles highlighting CREA's research on the UK's Russian oil sanctions: https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-68018660 And read the original CREA report here: https://energyandcleanair.org/publication/evading-the-sanctions-uk-imports-oil-products-made-from-russian-crude/ Read CREA's report on the surge in coal power in China in 2023: https://energyandcleanair.org/publication/chinas-new-coal-power-spree-continues-as-more-provinces-jump-on-the-bandwagon/ Read CREA's report on the health impacts of delaying coal decommissioning in South Africa: https://energyandcleanair.org/publication/health-impacts-of-delaying-coal-power-plant-decommissioning-in-south-africa/ Read CREA's report on the recent spree of coal plant permitting in India: https://energyandcleanair.org/publication/india-enters-an-unnecessary-coal-plant-permitting-spree-in-2023/ Read CREA's report on the state of Indonesia's transition: https://energyandcleanair.org/publication/emerging-captive-coal-power-in-indonesia/ Explore all of CREA's reports here: https://energyandcleanair.org/publications/

Duration:01:10:24

Can We Have a Habitable Planet? - Ep152: David Wallace-Wells

1/31/2024
This week, Bryony is back, this time to talk to David Wallace-Wells. David is an American journalist and author who often writes about climate change. His 2017 article "The Uninhabitable Earth" for New York Magazine was the publication's most-read article in history. David then turned the article into a book of the same name, which was chosen as Book of the Year, 2019, by The Sunday Times, The Spectator and New Statesman. He has a BA in History from Brown University. Links Read David's original 2017 article here: https://nymag.com/intelligencer/2017/07/climate-change-earth-too-hot-for-humans.html Read the 2020 Nature Article on RCP 8.5 here: https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-020-00177-3 Read Jim Hansen's recent paper on climate sensitivity: https://academic.oup.com/oocc/article/3/1/kgad008/7335889 View Bryony's favourite Sankey diagram showing US energy inputs and outputs: https://flowcharts.llnl.gov/

Duration:01:13:26

Redesigning Mining - Ep151: Mark Cutifani

1/24/2024
This week, Michael's guest is Mark Cutifani, chairman of Vale Base Metals and formerly CEO of South African gold mining company, Ashanti, and British mining company, Anglo American. He was born and grew up in Wollongong, Australia. After leaving high school in 1976, he joined Coal Cliff colliery and enrolled in the University of Wollongong to complete a degree in Mining Engineering. He graduated in 1982, top of his class. After working for Coal Cliff, he joined Kalgoorlie Gold Mines, the Western Mining Corporation, Normandy Mining and Sons of Gwalia. In 2007, Cutifani left Inco Limited, where he held the position of chief operating officer. On 17 September 2007, he joined Ashanti, as a director of the company and was appointed CEO on 1 October that year. Shortly after joining Ashanti, Cutifani introduced a campaign called "Safety is our first value". Research into the 2007 fatalities at the company had shown that 70% of the fatalities were caused by sub-standard operations or actions. Cutifani aimed to reduce the number of fatalities by changing the company's culture and improving communication, citing legacy issues from the past as a main cause for the fatalities. During his tenure, the fatality rate was reduced by 50%. He was one of the critics of the new Australian Mining Super Tax, which was announced in 2010, stating that it could delay or endanger the company's Tropicana Gold Mine project. Links Find out more about the Development Partner Institute here: https://www.dpimining.org Find out more about the ICMM here: https://www.icmm.com Read more about the Anglo American - Thungela de-merger here: https://www.worldcoal.com/coal/07062021/anglo-american-completes-demerger-of-thungela-thermal-coal-business/ Watch Anglo American's review of Mark's time with the company here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zXaYCJOWg-4 Related Episodes Material World - Ep149: Ed Conway: https://www.cleaningup.live/material-world-ep149-ed-conway/ 650 Leagues of HVDC Under the Sea - Ep92: Simon Morrish: https://www.cleaningup.live/ep92-simon-morrish-650-leagues-of-hvdc-under-the-sea/

Duration:01:11:08

Selling Sustainability - Ep150: Solitaire Townsend

1/17/2024
Bryony returns in Season 11 this week, sitting down with her longtime friend Solitaire Townsend. Solitaire is Co-founder & Chief Solutionist at Futerra, and Trustee of the Solutions Union. She is a renowned sustainability expert and solutionist. From Google to the United Nations, Ikea to WWF, Solitaire works with the worlds’ most influential organisations to activate social justice and environmental restoration. Over two decades she has led the movement towards solutions, hope and optimism with numerous publications and keynotes at the UN, MIT, Ted and many more. She was named “Ethical Entrepreneur of the Year” in 2008 and more recently chair of the UK Green Energy Scheme, trustee of Ashden, a founder member of the United Nations Sustainable Lifestyles Taskforce and a London Leader for Sustainability. She holds master’s degrees in both Sustainable Development and Shakespeare. Links Solitaire's recent book, The Solutionists: How Businesses Can Fix the Future: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Solutionists-How-Businesses-Can-Future/dp/139860934X Watch Solitaire's 2021 Ted talk - Are Ad Agencies, PR Firms and Lobbyists Destroying the Climate?: https://www.ted.com/talks/solitaire_townsend_are_ad_agencies_pr_firms_and_lobbyists_destroying_the_climate?language=en The Game Changers Movie on Meat and Nutrition: https://gamechangersmovie.com Buy Lovebug cat food here: https://www.lovebugpetfood.com Related Episodes Lifting the Curtain on Climate Change Denial - Ep 141: Prof Naomi Oreskes: https://www.cleaningup.live/lifting-the-curtain-on-climate-change-denial-ep-141-prof-naomi-oreskes/

Duration:01:02:51

Material World - Ep149: Ed Conway

1/10/2024
Kicking-off 2024 and Season 11 is Ed Conway. Ed is the Economics editor at Sky News, covering major UK and international economics, business and political stories. He is also economics columnist for The Times, and has been one of the longest-running economics editors in UK journalism, having started covering the sector in 2003. He is the author of the book on Bretton Woods, The Summit: The Biggest Battle Of The Second World War – Fought Behind Closed Doors (Little, Brown, 2014) and an economics guidebook, 50 Economics Ideas You Really Need to Know (Quercus, 2009). Ed is a governor of the National Institute for Economic and Social Research, and has lectured on the international monetary system at the London School of Economics, the US Treasury and many other forums. His new book, Material World: A Substantial Story of Our Past and Future, explores the history, future and importance of six crucial substances: sand, salt, iron, copper, oil and lithium. Links Check out Material World here: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Material-World-Substantial-Story-Future/dp/0753559153 Check out Oliver Rackham's The History of the Countryside here: https://www.amazon.co.uk/History-Countryside-Dr-Oliver-Rackham/dp/1842124404 Read Hans Eric Meilin's research on the real rates of lithium recycling: https://www.energimyndigheten.se/globalassets/forskning--innovation/overgripande/state-of-the-art-in-reuse-and-recycling-of-lithium-ion-batteries-2019.pdf Related Episodes Episode 16 - Dr Kandeh K. Yumkella: "Sustainable Energy for All": https://www.cleaningup.live/episode-16-kandeh-yumkella/ Episode 92 - Simon Morrish: "650 Leagues of HVDC Under the Sea": https://www.cleaningup.live/ep92-simon-morrish-650-leagues-of-hvdc-under-the-sea/ Episode 142 - Alex Grant: "Metals Refining - From Mining to Brining": https://www.cleaningup.live/metals-refining-from-mining-to-brining-ep-142-alex-grant/

Duration:01:15:52

The Second Coming of the Lord Turner - Ep148: Lord Adair Turner

12/20/2023
For a second consecutive year-closer, Michael welcomes Lord Adair Turner of Ecchinswell back to Cleaning Up. Lord Turner has combined careers in business, public policy and academia. He chairs the Energy Transitions Commission, a global coalition of major power and industrial companies, investors, environmental NGOs and experts working out achievable pathways to limit global warming to well below 2˚C by 2040 while stimulating economic development and social progress. He was chairman of the Institute for New Economic Thinking until January 2019, where he remains a Senior Fellow. He is Chairman of Chubb Europe and on the Advisory Board of Envision Energy, a Shanghai-based group focussed on renewable energy, batteries and digital systems. He became a cross bench member of the House of Lords in 2006. Amongst his business roles, Lord Turner was at McKinsey&Co (1982-1995); was Vice-Chairman of Merrill Lynch Europe (2000-2006) and a Non-Executive Director of a number of companies, including Standard Chartered plc (2006-2008). He is Senior Fellow at the Centre for Financial Studies (Frankfurt) and a Visiting Fellow at the People’s Bank of China School of Finance, Tsinghua University (Beijing). He writes regularly for Project Syndicate, and has published “Between Debt and the Devil” (Princeton 2015), and Economics after the Crisis (MIT 2012). He is a Trustee Emeritus of the British Museum, honorary fellow of The Royal Society, and received an Honorary Degree from Cambridge University in 2017. Links Michael’s BNEF piece - Clean Hydrogen’s Missing Trillions: https://about.bnef.com/blog/liebreich-clean-hydrogens-missing-trillions/#:~:text=My%20estimate%20for%20the%20total,a%20shortfall%20of%20over%2090%25 Michael’s X thread on battery recycling: https://twitter.com/MLiebreich/status/1733376573875609629 An overview of the COP28 Global Stocktake: https://unfccc.int/news/cop28-agreement-signals-beginning-of-the-end-of-the-fossil-fuel-era The Guardian’s piece on Aramco’s Oil Demand Sustainability Program: https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2023/nov/27/revealed-saudi-arabia-plan-poor-countries-oil Related Episodes Lord of the Net Zero Transition – Ep 110: Lord Adair Turner: https://www.cleaningup.live/ep110-adair-turner-lord-of-the-net-zero-transition/ Investing in Climate Leadership – Ep 2: Rachel Kyte: https://www.cleaningup.live/episode-2-rachel-kyte/ Lifting the Curtain on Climate Change Denial – Ep 141: Prof Naomi Oreske: https://www.cleaningup.live/lifting-the-curtain-on-climate-change-denial-ep-141-prof-naomi-oreskes/ Is Shipping the Easiest "Hard-to-Abate" Sector? - Ep143: Johannah Christensen: https://www.cleaningup.live/is-shipping-the-easiest-hard-to-abate-sector-ep143-johannah-christensen/ The Bridgetown Initiator – Ep 145: Prof Avinash Persaud: https://www.cleaningup.live/the-bridgetown-initiator-ep145-prof-avinash-persaud/

Duration:01:07:57

Not the End of the World - Ep147: Dr Hannah Ritchie

12/13/2023
Dr Hannah Ritchie is a data scientist and science communicator. Her focus is on the largest problems that shape our world, and how to solve them. Most of her work focuses on environmental sustainability, including climate change, energy, food and agriculture, biodiversity, air pollution and deforestation. She is Deputy Editor and Lead Researcher at Our World in Data, where, during the COVID-19 pandemic, she built the Our World in Data COVID-19 information dashboard. She is also a researcher at the Oxford Martin Programme in Global Development. Her new book, Not the End of the World, is out in January 2024. Links Hannah’s TED talk – “Are We the Last Generation — or the First Sustainable One?”: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Kl3VVrggKz4 Hannah’s WIRED piece – “Stop Telling Kids They’ll Die From Climate Change”: https://www.wired.co.uk/article/climate-crisis-doom Rupert Read - How I talk with children about climate breakdown: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6Lt0jCDtYSY Roger Hallam - Advice to Young People as they face Annihilation: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=au33QX9I-Mg Roger Hallam at the Oxford Union: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pQgBMSefgkM Hannah’s new book – Not the End of the World: https://www.penguin.co.uk/books/453652/not-the-end-of-the-world-by-ritchie-hannah/9781784745004 Related Episodes "The Inconvenient Truth about Climate Science" - Ep93 with Roger Pielke : https://www.cleaningup.live/ep93-prof-roger-pielke-jr-the-inconvenient-truth-about-climate-science/ “Pushing Planetary Boundaries” – Ep49 with Johan Rockström: https://www.cleaningup.live/ep49-johan-rockstrom-pushing-planetary-boundaries/ “Poet of the Low-Carbon Transition” – Ep13 with Morgan Bazilian: https://www.cleaningup.live/episode-13-morgan-bazilian/ "Lord of the Net Zero Transition" – Ep110 with Adair Turner: https://www.cleaningup.live/ep110-adair-turner-lord-of-the-net-zero-transition/ “From Moore's Law to Moo's Law” – Ep136 Jim Mellon: https://www.cleaningup.live/ep136-jim-mellon-from-moores-law-to-moos-law/

Duration:01:02:34

Tackling Super Pollutants - Ep146: Jason Anderson

12/6/2023
This week, Bryony speaks with Jason Anderson, Senior Program Director at ClimateWorks, who oversees the Governance & Diplomacy and Super Pollutant programs. His work spans efforts ranging from implementing the Paris Agreement to cleaning up dirty shipping and preventing methane leakage. Jason has over 25 years of experience in climate and clean energy, beginning in the solar energy conversion office at the U.S. Department of Energy, which led him to promote photovoltaics for rural electrification in Central America. Jason then worked in a range of climate organizations in Brussels for 15 years, ranging from Climate Action Network Europe to the Institute for European Environmental Policy to the World Wildlife Foundation (WWF). Jason was a lead author of the IPCC special reports on ozone and climate interactions, and on carbon capture and storage; in 2007 Jason was acknowledged for his contribution to the IPCC’s Nobel Peace Prize. Jason holds a Masters in Public Policy degree and a Masters in Science in energy and resources from the University of California Berkeley, and a degree in biological anthropology from Harvard University. Links Climateworks Governance & Diplomacy Program which Jason oversees: https://www.climateworks.org/programs/governance-diplomacy/ COP 28 Website: https://www.cop28.com/en/ Read a summary of the 1987 Montreal Protocol on Substances that Deplete the Ozone Layer: https://www.unep.org/ozonaction/who-we-are/about-montreal-protocol Read the US EPA’s summary of 2016 Kigali Amendment to the Montreal Protocol: https://www.epa.gov/ozone-layer-protection/recent-international-developments-under-montreal-protocol Explore the Climate and Clean Air Coalition’s work on short-lived climate pollutants: https://www.ccacoalition.org/content/short-lived-climate-pollutants Read about the Environmental Defense Fund’s new MethaneSAT: https://business.edf.org/insights/methane-satellites-usher-in-new-era-of-emissions-visibility-and-transparency/ Explore the Global Methane Pledge: https://www.globalmethanepledge.org/ Related Episodes Episode 143: Johannah Christensen – Is Shipping the Easiest “Hard-to-Abate” Sector? - https://www.cleaningup.live/is-shipping-the-easiest-hard-to-abate-sector-ep143-johannah-christensen/

Duration:00:56:48

The Bridgetown Initiator - Ep145: Prof Avinash Persaud

11/29/2023
Professor Avinash Persaud is special envoy to the Prime Minister of Barbados Mia Mottley and emeritus professor at Gresham College in the UK. He, along with PM Mottley, helped design the Bridgetown Initiative in 2022 which laid out a path for reforming and ramping up the mobiliisation of climate finance to the developing world. The initiative has gathered vast international support and he’s heading to COP28 in Dubai to work on advancing the climate development agenda. His career spreads across finance, academia and public policy, including positions as a former senior executive of J.P. Morgan, UBS, State Street, chairman of the CARICOM Commission on the Economy, chairman of the regulatory sub-committee of the UN Commission on Financial Reform and chairman of the Warwick Commission on International Financial Reform, Visiting Scholar at the IMF and a former Governor of the London School of Economics. Related Episodes Episode 2 with Rachel Kyte: https://www.cleaningup.live/episode-2-rachel-kyte/ Links Read an initial press release of the Bridgetown Initiative: https://pmo.gov.bb/wp-content/uploads/2022/10/The-2022-Bridgetown-Initiative.pdf Read a summary of the Bridgetown Initiative’s key demands: https://www.reuters.com/business/finance/what-is-bridgetown-initiative-asking-paris-financial-summit-2023-06-20/ Review PM Mottley’s speech to COP27, outlining the need for the Bridgetown Initiatve: https://latinarepublic.com/2022/11/08/mia-mottley-prime-minister-of-barbados-speaks-at-the-opening-of-cop27/ Explore the COP28 website: https://www.cop28.com Read this report on the difficult path ahead to a new loss-and-damage fund agreement at COP28: https://www.reuters.com/sustainability/sustainable-finance-reporting/impasse-broken-climate-fund-before-cop28-tough-road-ahead-2023-11-06

Duration:01:03:59

Iron-Air Man - Ep144: Mateo Jaramillo

11/22/2023
Mateo Jaramillo is Co-Founder and Chief Executive Officer of Form Energy, a company developing, commercializing, and manufacturing breakthrough low-cost, multi-day energy storage solutions that will enable the electric system to be 100% renewably powered. Mr. Jaramillo was formerly Vice President of Products and Programs for Tesla’s stationary storage business, an effort he started. In that role, he was responsible for Tesla Energy’s product line and business model definition, as well as global policy and business development. Mr. Jaramillo joined Tesla in 2009 as the Director of Powertrain Business Development, serving as commercial lead and primary negotiator on over $100M in new development and $500M in production contracts signed for electric powertrain sales. Prior to Tesla, Mr. Jaramillo was Chief Operating Officer and part of the founding team at Gaia Power Technologies, a pioneering distributed energy storage firm. Mr. Jaramillo serves on the Board of Directors for the American Clean Power Association, the leading federation of renewable energy companies expediting the advancement of clean energy as the dominant power source in America. He earned his AB in economics from Harvard and a Masters in Theology from Yale Divinity School. Links Forbes write-up of Form: https://www.forbes.com/sites/alanohnsman/2023/08/09/iron-and-rust-could-be-the-secret-to-storing-clean-power-for-days/ PBS write-up of Form: https://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/article/iron-air-battery-renewable-grid/ Balkan Green Energy News’ critical analysis of iron-oxide battery technology: https://balkangreenenergynews.com/iron-air-batteries-are-10-times-as-cheap-as-lithium-and-will-be-produced-from-2024/ Assessment of SDES and LDES and current technologies: https://www.globalxetfs.com/short-and-long-duration-energy-storage-essential-to-the-clean-energy-transition/ Related Episodes Episode 122 with Sir Chris-Llewellyn-Smith: https://www.cleaningup.live/ep122-sir-chris-llewellyn-smith-solving-for-storage/

Duration:01:04:37

Is Shipping the Easiest "Hard-to-Abate" Sector? - Ep143: Johannah Christensen

11/15/2023
This week, Bryony’s guest is Johannah Christensen, CEO of the Global Maritime Forum. The GMF is an international not-for-profit organization, committed to shaping the future of global seaborne trade to increase sustainable long-term economic development and human wellbeing. To do so, it facilitates a wide variety of initiatives and convenes key stakeholders at the Annual Summit. Bryony met Johannah when she was working on shipping for the Environmental Defense Fund. Before becoming CEO in 2021, she was Managing Director, Head of Projects and Programmes, also at GMF. She was also previously a Programme Manager at the World Economic Forum in Davos. Johannah has a BSc in Business Administration and Modern Languages from Aarhus University and and MSc in Economics and Business Administration from Copenhagen Business School. Links The Global Maritime Forum’s Website: https://www.globalmaritimeforum.org Professor Jim Hansen’s recent paper on aerosol pollution and climate: https://academic.oup.com/oocc/article/3/1/kgad008/7335889?login=false An article from Oxford’s Smith School on CFDs for shipping: https://www.smithschool.ox.ac.uk/news/contracts-difference-can-aid-shipping-industry-decarbonisation-research Michael’s most recent version of his famous “Hydrogen Ladder”: https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/hydrogen-ladder-version-50-michael-liebreich/ The IMO’s new strategy on reducing greenhouse gas emissions in shipping: https://wwwcdn.imo.org/localresources/en/OurWork/Environment/Documents/annex/MEPC%2080/Annex%2015.pdf The announcement of the next IMO summit in Tokyo: https://www.globalmaritimeforum.org/press/global-maritime-forum-announces-tokyo-as-2024-annual-summit-host

Duration:00:50:48

Metals Refining - From Mining to Brining: Ep142 - Alex Grant

11/8/2023
This week, Michael is back in the host seat to talk to Alex Grant all about the groundbreaking work going on at Magrathea Metals. Alex is co-founder and CEO at Magrathea, developing a new generation of electrolytic technology for making magnesium metal. He was a Forbes 30 Under 30 honoree in Energy for 2021, and former Lithium Partner at Minviro where he built environmental impact models of lithium-ion battery supply chain mineral and metal conversion processes including the first embodied carbon model for Tesla's batteries. Alex co-founded Lilac Solutions, a lithium extraction technology company. Alex has an M.S. from Northwestern University in Chemical Engineering and a B.Eng. from McGill University in Chemical Engineering & Philosophy. He is based in beautiful San Francisco, California. Links: Explore Magrathea’s website: https://magratheametals.com/ Read about Magrathea’s $10mil seed round: https://www.lightmetalage.com/news/industry-news/magnesium/magrathea-raises-10m-for-new-generation-electrolytic-technology-to-make-magnesium/ Read a deep-dive into Magneisum’s characteristics, production techniques and recent developments: https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2213956721001316 Read Alex’s white paper - Magnesium as the Metal of Dematerialization: https://www.lightmetalage.com/news/industry-news/magnesium/magnesium-as-the-metal-of-dematerialization/

Duration:00:44:46

Lifting the Curtain on Climate Change Denial - Ep141: Prof Naomi Oreskes

10/25/2023
This week, Michael has invited his good friend Baroness Bryony Worthington to guest-host Cleaning Up! Bryony was the lead author of the UK’s ground-breaking 2008 Climate Change Act, and is now on sabbatical from her role in the House of Lords, where she has been scrutinising legislation. She’s now over in California. See the shownotes below for a link to her appearance on Cleaning Up (episode 25!) Bryony is interviewing Naomi Oreskes, Henry Charles Lea Professor of the History of Science and Affiliated Professor of Earth and Planetary Sciences at Harvard University. A world-renowned earth scientist, historian and public speaker, she is the author of the best-selling book, Merchants of Doubt (2010) and a leading voice on the role of science in society, the reality of anthropogenic climate change, and the role of disinformation in blocking climate action. Her new book, with Erik Conway, is The Big Myth: How American Business Taught Us to Loathe Government and Love the Free Market, published by Bloomsbury Press. Links: Read Naomi and Erik’s 2010 book Merchants of Doubt How a Handful of Scientists Obscured the Truth on Issues from Tobacco Smoke to Global Warming here: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Merchants-Doubt-Handful-Scientists-Obscured/dp/1408824833 Read Naomi’s 2013 book Plate Tectonics: An Insider's History Of The Modern Theory Of The Earth here: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Plate-Tectonics-Insiders-History-Frontiers/dp/0813341329 Read Naomi and Erik’s 2014 book The Collapse of Western Civilization: A View From the Future here: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Collapse-Western-Civilization-View-Future/dp/023116954X Read Naomi’s 2019 book Why Trust Science? here: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Trust-Science-University-Center-Values/dp/069117900X Read Naomi and Erik’s brand new book The Big Myth: How American Business Taught Us to Loathe Government and Love the Free Market here: https://www.bloomsbury.com/us/big-myth-9781635573572/ Read Naomi’s 2004 paper The Scientific Consensus on Climate Change here: https://www.science.org/doi/10.1126/science.1103618 Read the DeSmog article on heat pump disinformation here: https://www.desmog.com/2023/07/20/revealed-media-blitz-against-heat-pumps-funded-by-gas-lobby-group/ Related Episodes: Check out Bryony’s appearance on Cleaning Up here: https://www.cleaningup.live/episode-25-bryony-worthington/ Guest Bio Naomi Oreskes is Henry Charles Lea Professor of the History of Science and Affiliated Professor of Earth and Planetary Sciences at Harvard University. A world-renowned earth scientist, historian and public speaker, she is the author of the best-selling book, Merchants of Doubt (2010) and a leading voice on the role of science in society, the reality of anthropogenic climate change, and the role of disinformation in blocking climate action. Oreskes is author or co-author of 9 books, and over 150 articles, essays and opinion pieces, including Merchants of Doubt (Bloomsbury, 2010), The Collapse of Western Civilization (Columbia University Press, 2014), Discerning Experts (University Chicago Press, 2019), Why Trust Science? (Princeton University Press, 2019), and Science on a Mission: American Oceanography from the Cold War to Climate Change, (University of Chicago Press, 2021). Merchants of Doubt, co-authored with Erik Conway, was the subject of a documentary film of the same name produced by participant Media and distributed by SONY Pictures Classics, and has been translated into nine languages. A new edition of Merchants of Doubt, with an introduction by Al Gore, was published in 2020. Her new book, with Erik Conway, is The Big Myth: How American Business Taught Us to Loathe Government and Love the Free Market, published by Bloomsbury Press

Duration:01:03:33