Podcast appearances and mentions of Michael E Webber

There is plenty of blame to go around for the Texas power outages this past winter. But what role, if any, did deregulation have? In this episode of Power Plays, CoBank's Teri Viswanath and Tamra Reynolds visit with two leading policy experts for their insights: Dr. Michael E. Webber, chief science and technology officer at ENGIE and Josey Centennial Professor of Energy Resources at The University of Texas, and Paul Griffin, executive director of Energy Fairness and former senior government affairs advisor for Tri-State Generation & Transmission Association

Earth911 talks with Roger Duncan and Dr. Michael E. Webber of the University of Texas at Austin. They are the authors of The Future of Buildings, Transportation, and Power. We discuss the profound changes in the ways we travel and the places we work or live that will occur as we build a sustainable economy. Listen in to hear the political, social, and economic opportunities and challenges that will emerge as electricity displaces internal-combustion engines and fossil fuel power generation.Duncan and Webber describe a world in which cars and buildings are “sentient-appearing” systems that learn and adapt to their users. How should the U.S. prepare for a smart, networked environment? We talk about their advice for President-elect Joe Biden and his administration about the transformation of education and policy necessary to provide widespread prosperity in the sustainable era. They are techno-optimists who believe technology can wring immense efficiencies out of the current, wasteful economic system, which will fund new green jobs and companies capable of supporting everyone’s basic needs. We also explore how information technology can continue to grow in importance without creating more new CO2 emissions than its saves.We also talk through the sudden changes in behavior caused by the COVID-19 outbreak, which has accelerated the adoption by companies of sustainable practices. After three decades, the digital transformation of society has leaped forward because of the pandemic as people stay home and work remotely, organize and manage services, such as home grocery delivery and new retail experiences, and rethink their relationship to work.Check out The Future of Buildings, Transportation, and Power to learn more about what we can expect in the future of sustainability and the ways we live. You can also find them at webberenergygroup.com.

As the administration continues to push hard against immigration, esteemed professor Dr. Michael E. Webber of the University of Texas at Austin recounts his experience with immigrants in academia and why he believes that continuing to welcome immigrant students, researchers, and professors is key to American prosperity.

This week, host Daniel Raimi talks with Todd Moss, executive director of the Energy for Growth Hub and a nonresident fellow at Rice University's Baker Institute. Moss has years of experience expanding access to energy around the world, particularly in Africa. Here, Raimi and Moss discuss the current strategies that countries, companies, and international organizations are implementing to expand access in Africa; how COVID-19 is affecting these efforts; and the intersection between expanding energy access and mitigating climate change. References and recommendations: "Power Trip: The Story of Energy" show on PBS; https://powertripshow.com/ "Power Trip: The Story of Energy" book by Michael E. Webber; https://www.basicbooks.com/titles/michael-e-webber/power-trip/9781541644380/ "Between the World and Me" by Ta-Nehisi Coates; https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/220290/between-the-world-and-me-by-ta-nehisi-coates/

A global tour of energy – the builder of human civilization and also its greatest threat. Energy is humanity's single most important resource. In fact, as energy expert Dr. Michael E. Webber argues in Power Trip, the story of how societies rise can be told largely as the story of how they manage energy sources through time. In 2019, as we face down growing demand for and accumulating environmental impacts from energy, we are at a crossroads and the stakes are high. But history shows us that energy's great value is that it allows societies to reinvent themselves. Power Trip explores how energy has transformed societies of the past and offers wisdom for today's looming energy crisis. There is no magic bullet; energy advances always come with costs. Scientific innovation needs public support. Energy initiatives need to be tailored to individual societies. We must look for long-term solutions. Our current energy crisis is real, but it is solvable. We have the power. Michael is based in Paris, France where he serves as the Chief Science and Technology Officer at ENGIE, a global energy & infrastructure services company. Michael is also the Josey Centennial Professor in Energy Resources at the University of Texas at Austin. His expertise spans research and education at the convergence of engineering, policy, and commercialization on topics related to innovation, energy, and the environment. His latest book Power Trip: the Story of Energy was published May 7, 2019 by Basic Books with a 6-part companion series in development for PBS. His first book, Thirst for Power: Energy, Water and Human Survival, addressed the connection between earth's most valuable resources and offers a hopeful approach toward a sustainable future. Recorded 11 February 2020

In his book “Power Trip: The Story of Energy,” professor of mechanical engineering at the University of Texas at Austin, Dr. Michael E. Webber describes how the rise of the world’s most successful societies can be told largely through the story of how they managed the energy sources to them. “Power Trip” explores how energy has transformed societies of the past and offers wisdom for today's looming energy crisis. We examine how the history of one kind of power is intrinsically linked with another, in this edition of “Leonard Lopate at Large” on WBAI.