POPULARITY
Categories
In this compelling episode of Heretics, I'm joined by the "Skeptical Environmentalist" himself, Bjorn Lomborg, to dismantle the current narrative surrounding Net Zero and climate policy. While the world is often told that the transition to green energy will be cheap and easy, Lomborg presents a starkly different reality: a plan that could cost trillions, lead to de-industrialization, and effectively demand that you become poorer to save the planet. Follow Bjorn on X: https://x.com/BjornLomborg Check out his website: https://lomborg.com Find his think tank: https://copenhagenconsensus.com We dive deep into the data they don't want you to see—from the surprising statistics on heat versus cold deaths to the hidden costs of wind and solar. Is the current panic actually leading us toward a political and economic catastrophe? And if Net Zero is physically and politically impossible, what is the real solution to our environmental challenges? If you're tired of the alarmist headlines and want a rational, data-driven look at the future of our planet, this is an episode you can't afford to miss. Chapters 0:00 The hidden cost of Net Zero 2:12 The truth about heat vs. cold deaths 5:12 Why we aren't "boiling" (and the truth about infrastructure) 7:02 Will climate change make us poorer? 10:55 Are we helping or hurting Africa? 15:00 Why a $100 Trillion plan will only change 0.1°C 17:40 The lie about "cheap" wind and solar 20:05 We aren't actually transitioning (The Wood Prop Paradox) 25:00 How innovation (not taxes) solves pollution 27:40 The battery backup fantasy 31:25 Why elites love bad climate spending 33:10 Fourth generation nuclear: The real solution? 36:55 How energy ended slavery 43:00 Why the media only reports the worst news 46:30 The 2040 "Film" is going to break 51:50 Why we must stop the panic #BjornLomborg #ClimateChange #NetZero #Economics #Sustainability #Heretics #AndrewGold #EnergyPolicy #Environmentalism #Innovation Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
One of Denmark's most internationally recognized climate researchers, Dr. Henrik Svensmark, was just sacked from his long-time position at the Technical University of Denmark. Unlike many climate scientists, Svensmark conducted actual science experiments, and his work on the effects cosmic rays and clouds have on the climate was leading edge. He was fired after years of moves that look like they were purposely trying to push him out. What happened? Is it because his work didn't support the alarmist climate narrative? We will have Dr. Svensmark on the program to get the story directly from him.On Episode 210 of The Climate Realism Show the Heartland Institute's Anthony Watts, Linnea Lueken, Sterling Burnett, Jim Lakely and Henrik Svensmark will also cover some of the Crazy Climate News of the Week. Is climate change ruining summers for kids? Can wind farms help real farms? Is the best way to fight Net Zero through comedy?Join us Friday at 1 p.m. ET on YouTube, Rumble, X, and Facebook. Participate in the show by leaving your comments and questions in the chat.Visit our sponsor, Advisor Metals: https://climaterealismshow.com/metalsSHOW NOTES:1. WHY WAS SVENSMARK FIRED?WUWT: Henrik Svensmark Fired by his Universityhttps://wattsupwiththat.com/2026/07/2...2. NO MORE SUMMER FUNNPR: Climate change is now threatening a pillar of childhood: summer breakhttps://www.npr.org/2026/07/26/nx-s1-...3. WIND FARMS HELPING REAL FARMS?THE PULSE: Farmers placed a wind turbine in a cornfield and discovered it was changing the crops by unexpectedly drying dewhttps://www.ecoportal.net/en/farmers-...4. BEATING NET ZERO WITH COMEDY X: ARTIFICIAL IDIOTShttps://x.com/MorEdge_Insight/status/... In The Tank broadcasts LIVE every Thursday at 12pm CT on on The Heartland Institute YouTube channel. Tune in to have your comments addressed live by the In The Tank Crew. Be sure to subscribe and never miss an episode. See you there!Climate Change Roundtable is LIVE every Friday at 12pm CT on The Heartland Institute YouTube channel. Have a topic you want addressed? Join the live show and leave a comment for our panelists and we'll cover it during the live show!
One of Denmark's most internationally recognized climate researchers, Dr. Henrik Svensmark, was just sacked from his long-time position at the Technical University of Denmark. Unlike many climate scientists, Svensmark conducted actual science experiments, and his work on the effects cosmic rays and clouds have on the climate was leading edge. He was fired after years of moves that look like they were purposely trying to push him out. What happened? Is it because his work didn't support the alarmist climate narrative? We will have Dr. Svensmark on the program to get the story directly from him.On Episode 210 of The Climate Realism Show the Heartland Institute's Anthony Watts, Linnea Lueken, Sterling Burnett, Jim Lakely and Henrik Svensmark will also cover some of the Crazy Climate News of the Week. Is climate change ruining summers for kids? Can wind farms help real farms? Is the best way to fight Net Zero through comedy?Join us Friday at 1 p.m. ET on YouTube, Rumble, X, and Facebook. Participate in the show by leaving your comments and questions in the chat.Visit our sponsor, Advisor Metals: https://climaterealismshow.com/metalsSHOW NOTES:1. WHY WAS SVENSMARK FIRED?WUWT: Henrik Svensmark Fired by his Universityhttps://wattsupwiththat.com/2026/07/2...2. NO MORE SUMMER FUNNPR: Climate change is now threatening a pillar of childhood: summer breakhttps://www.npr.org/2026/07/26/nx-s1-...3. WIND FARMS HELPING REAL FARMS?THE PULSE: Farmers placed a wind turbine in a cornfield and discovered it was changing the crops by unexpectedly drying dewhttps://www.ecoportal.net/en/farmers-...4. BEATING NET ZERO WITH COMEDY X: ARTIFICIAL IDIOTShttps://x.com/MorEdge_Insight/status/... In The Tank broadcasts LIVE every Thursday at 12pm CT on on The Heartland Institute YouTube channel. Tune in to have your comments addressed live by the In The Tank Crew. Be sure to subscribe and never miss an episode. See you there!Climate Change Roundtable is LIVE every Friday at 12pm CT on The Heartland Institute YouTube channel. Have a topic you want addressed? Join the live show and leave a comment for our panelists and we'll cover it during the live show!
We are now recording an audio version of written posts that we will upload to Apple, Spotify, and YouTube, which you can listen to by clicking the play button above.We conclude our month long series on Strait of Hormuz (SoH) Crisis takeaways with a look at what this conflict means for the related topics of sustainability, climate, and the environment.Three key messages this week:* Many proponents and opponents of “Net Zero” are drawing the wrong conclusions about what this war means for different energy sources and technologies. Energy's natural hierarchy of needs applied at the country level mean the optimal mix of various energy sources and technologies will vary for any given country—a reality the crisis reinforces.* The topic of Sustainability needs to be right-sized and recognized for where it fits into corporate level strategies. Companies exist to generate growth and profitability for investors. Certain sustainability objectives are core to being successful over the long run. Sustainability is not a strategy in and of itself.* We shall offer free advice on what hyperscalers can learn from the oil & gas industry.We are going to do our best to not rehash our now well-known pushbacks on the excesses of the 2020-23 “Net Zero” era. The madness of that period we don't think ever returns, no matter who wins the US presidency in 2028. But we do get the question—and we are appreciative of those of you that ask—how does sustainability, climate, and the environment factor into our outlook for the energy sector, public policy, and corporate strategy and how does the SoH Crisis change or impact the views we have been articulating?We will start with a grounding on how we think about environmental and climate considerations. Our title gives it away: increasing global prosperity is our centering point, both for countries and companies. In terms of our concern level around the need to address climate change, we would characterize our specific climate opinions as broadly consistent with US Energy Secretary Chris Wright and former University of Colorado professor and Substack author (here) Roger Pielke Jr.At the country level, energy's natural hierarchy of needs that we frequently discuss is observably all any country cares about at all times (Exhibit 1). Abundant and reliable energy is a 24/7/365 pre-requisite. It needs to be affordable the vast bulk of the time. Country leaders care about geopolitical security in order to protect reliability and affordability. Clean air and clean water are 100% correlated with societal wealth. Addressing carbon emissions goes hand-in-hand with a maximum prosperity scenario where billion person-scale economies like China and India are highly motivated to crack the code on new energy technologies that are de facto lower in carbon intensity. Pretending that society and companies can be forced onto prescriptive “Paris-aligned Net Zero by 2050 pathways” was the fatal flaw of the 2020-2023 era.For companies, the only goal is to generate competitive returns and growth for shareholders. Sustainability exists at the level of community engagement, license to operate, and as a possible alternative to government regulation. It is a component of running a company similar to many other functions; it is not a strategy in its own right (e.g., pressuring oil & gas companies to transition business models in the name of addressing climate change never made sense).With that grounding, we are going to use a Q&A styled format to address how we think the related topics of sustainability, climate, and the environment will be impacted by the Strait of Hormuz Crisis.Exhibit 1: Energy's natural hierarch of needsSource: Veriten.Subscribe to Super-Spiked to receive all content via email. Also available on https://veriten.com.Q1: Does the SoH Crisis mean that the core tenet of Net Zero by 2050—which was to switch out of crude oil, natural gas, and coal into renewables, EVs, and other new tech—was correct after all?No. It does not. Our issue with Net Zero by 2050, or any other year for that matter, is that it incorrectly treats carbon emissions as the organizing principle for economic activity. It is not nor will it ever be, irrespective of how much (or little) concern any specific leader or group of citizens has about climate. There is nothing about the Strait of Hormuz Crisis that suddenly makes Net Zero pathways more relevant.Q2: So the opponents to Net Zero are correct that renewables and other new technologies are a boondoggle that plays on climate alarmism?No. It does not mean that either. The focus on non-oil, natural gas, and coal technologies will be driven by the massive unmet energy needs of the other 7 billion people on Earth that seek their own version of the prosperous lifestyles The Lucky 1 Billion of us take for granted. A specific view on climate is largely irrelevant to technology development. Reliability, affordability, and geopolitical security are the motivations to figure out new technologies. We are seeing this in real time in places like China and other Asian countries.Q3: Are there examples of countries that are adjusting away from a prior emphasis on Net Zero pathways as a result of geopolitical turmoil?We are optimistic about Norway and Canada, as two countries that are showing signs of appropriate course corrections. In the case of Norway, as a small, wealthy country, de facto mandating 100% EVs in order to not burn gasoline for consumer transportation is a choice they are free to make. More importantly, Norway is remembering that increasing oil and natural gas supply from the Norwegian North Sea is critically important to the geopolitical security and economic health of Norway, Europe, and its allies. Norway is also the home to a vibrant community of new technology companies. More oil, more natural gas, and investing in new technologies—yes!Canada's post Trudeau pivot away from Net Zero zealotry seems as much of a reaction to unfavorable rhetoric toward the country from President Trump than necessarily a recognition of how little sense it made for Canada to pursue energy policies that sought to limit the development of its massive oil sands and natural gas resources. Still, we will accept the directional improvement under PM Carney, irrespective of the apparent motivations.Long-time Super-Spiked subscribers know how critically important we believe energy and power integration between the United States and Canada is, making the recent political schism deeply unfortunate, even as it has seemingly improved energy policy decision making in Canada. The United States is economically and geopolitically stronger thanks to our close energy integration with Canada. The same is true for Canada. We credit our friend, former colleague, and current Deputy Secretary of Commerce Paul Dabbar for the idea that US + Canada + Norway would make for an outstanding trans-Atlantic alliance of energy and technology super powers (here).Q4: What else does geopolitical turmoil reveal about where the Net Zero mindset went wrong?The practical application of Net Zero by 2050 policies in many rich-world countries, states, and provinces has been to restrict domestic oil, natural gas, and coal production, mandate the use of new technologies, all while losing competitiveness in manufacturing and business more broadly. Restricting domestic energy supply, making energy prices uncompetitive, and offshoring industrial manufacturing should not be the objective of any country, state, or province. It is without question bad for geopolitical security, bad for domestic economic growth, and bad for the environment.Rather, we recommend a play on the George Castanza (Seinfeld) line (here): Show me an energy policy strategy that does the opposite. The litmus test is which country's energy and environmental policies come with competitive energy prices and business and manufacturing growth?The United Kingdom versus China is case in point. U.K. leaders have spoken glowingly about eliminating coal from their power sector and all but ending viability of the U.K. North Sea for oil and gas exploration. Yet, the country also faces the outsourcing and offshoring of its refining, petrochemical, and broader industrial base. To be clear, the U.K.'s policy challenges are not limited solely to its energy and climate policies, but those are foundational and almost certainly a meaningful contributing factor.We contrast the U.K. with China which has dramatically increased coal-fired power generation, renewables, nuclear, natural gas, and grown its domestic oil supply while building a massive strategic petroleum reserve. China is now manufacturer to the world with improving living standards for its citizens. The U.K. being on-track, or not, for domestic Net Zero is completely irrelevant to global emissions and, if anything, has been net negative for the climate given China's higher emissions profile. It has certainly been a negative for the economic competitiveness of the U.K.Q5: What are the takeaways from the Strait of Hormuz Crisis for corporate sustainability objectives?Our biggest takeaway is that sustainability is a component of running a successful company, but not a defining objective. It has generally been overstated in importance, especially by a segment of the finance world in Europe and the United States that has pushed for these objectives to gain in prominence. Companies don't exist for “sustainability.” It never made any sense to pressure oil & gas companies, as an example, to aggressively transition to low-carbon technologies in the name of Net Zero and sustainability. Companies exist to generate competitive profitability and growth for investors. Full stop.In order to generate long-term profitability and growth, various sustainability objectives (industry and company specific) for sure need to be met. Employee health and safety is at the top of the list along with ensuring the surrounding community to a given asset is also not harmed. Community engagement is core to any company's license to operate, especially when new growth plans are being pursued. The ultimate list is longer than what is mentioned here, but the point is that this area broadly does not separately merit high profile attention any more than do other critical corporate functions like human resources, legal, cybersecurity, treasury, and so forth. They all contribute to running a successful company.Q6: What are some contemporary examples of “sustainability” objectives you believe need to be addressed?Examples of current sustainability issues that we believe should be proactively addressed (not intended to be an exhaustive list):* Water disposal in the Permian Basin and water usage by AI datacenters are hot button issues that communities understandably want answers to.* We have long supported and continue to support near zero methane flaring/venting objectives for the oil & gas industry. This is a topic we have been pleasantly surprised to see the environmental community focus on globally rather than more narrowly just in the United States, Canada, or Europe, as is often the case with activists. We were also pleased to see the progress US companies have made in recent years per the World Bank (Exhibit 1).Exhibit 2: US producers have reduced flaring intensitySource: World Bank* We believe oil & gas, power sector, and hyperscaler/data center companies all have room for improvement in proactively engaging with the public on their industries, how they contribute to jobs, taxes, and economic development. It is the rare executive that is capable of speaking in normal, human, non-corporate speak language.In contrast, we do not believe a company's carbon emissions profile is relevant to its “license to operate” in a given community—a point often pushed by those advocating most loudly for Net Zero policies. No normal human being anywhere spends any time thinking about this. Putting activists aside, no regular person is protesting an oilfield or data center due to its carbon emissions intensity. Water impacts? Yes. Noise? Yes. Particulate pollution? Yes. Traffic? Yes. Carbon emissions? Give me a break.Q7: What should companies do with previously articulated Net Zero objectives?Pragmatically speaking, we recognize the significant pressure companies around the world were under during 2020-2023 to articulate company-specific “Net Zero by 2050” objectives. That said, very few if any could possibly have met those goals, since the wider world has never been even remotely on track for Net Zero be it by 2050 or any other year. The Strait of Hormuz Crisis and general geopolitical turmoil is helping more politicians and policy makers recognize that healthy energy policy starts and stops with reliability and affordability. In the interest of being transparent and sincere, companies should be truthful about whether sticking with prior Net Zero aspirations is something they actually think is (1) in the best interest of their companies and (2) is possible on any time horizon that can be modeled today.Q8: What can hyperscalers learn from the oil & gas industry?Key lessons:* You will never appease climate activists. Focus on optimizing for growth and profitability.* Your prior Net Zero objectives never had a chance of being achieved, especially if including so-called scope 3 emissions. Net Zero does not make sense at the individual company level.* Economic development, of which the technology sector today is a huge driver, is 100% correlated with clean air and clean water. Richer societies are better equipped than poorer regions to adapt to a broad range of environmental and climate issues. Americans and the wider world is overall better off that our leading technology companies exist in a similar way that we are fortunate to have healthy, vibrant, and profitable energy and power companies.* Speak sincerely and directly to the general public and the communities where you are investing about the actual impacts of your projects. You can't outsource this function. It starts with the CEO and then filters down. Skip the corporate speak and language of appeasement.* Vocally push back on policies that weaken domestic energy development opportunities in any region in which you are investing.⚡️On A Personal Note: Gone Shootin'The last time I shot a gun was in the 4th grade in what was then called Indian Guides. That almost certainly is not the name today; I think in New Jersey it is now called “Adventure Guides” which frankly is kind of lame. I believe we appropriately remembered and honored Native Americans under the original name, but society apparently disagrees with that perspective. Credit to my wife's brother's wife, who hails from the Golden State of all places, for the brilliant idea to go clay pigeon shooting during our vacation last week to The Cotswolds, about 2 hours west of London.Boy was that fun!!! We had a great instructor, Patrick I think was his name—not a fan of London or Londoners apparently; a country guy that was local to the area. There were six in our group. My brother-in-law, his wife and son, and my two daughters. All first timers. All of us successfully hit those crazy clay pigeons popping up in the field. Great job Patrick! Great job in-laws and daughters!I definitely need to practice. I had some beginners luck on the initial six shells, I want to say with five successful strikes on the ones going straight up in the air. But the ones that were flying away from us gave me more trouble and I was consistently low-left and a bit early. It was oddly tiring. A shot gun is definitely heavier than a golf club. As a second hobby, it's a keeper. Seems safter than pickleball as a golf complement.⚖️ DisclaimerI certify that these are my personal, strongly held views at the time of this post. My views are my own and not attributable to any affiliation, past or present. This is not an investment newsletter and there is no financial advice explicitly or implicitly provided here. My views can and will change in the future as warranted by updated analyses and developments. Some of my comments are made in jest for entertainment purposes; I sincerely mean no offense to anyone that takes issue. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit arjunmurti.substack.com
C Constable reports from France on the high heat and smoke impact near Bordeaux. The discussion shifts to surging energy prices, with Brent crude rising 26% and European gas up 36%. Despite high energy costs, rising copper prices suggest potential industrial growth. (1)Simon Constable and Jim McTague continue with a quiz highlighting that typical data centers use 300,000 gallons of water daily, while larger ones can reach 5 million gallons. Currently, most centers are urban, but 67% of planned facilities are rural. In Lancaster County, a "tale of two data centers" emerges as one town embraces the revenue stream while another resists it due to misinformation and fear. (2)Cliff May argues for maximum pressure and coercive diplomacy to prevent the Islamic Republic of Iran from obtaining nuclear weapons. He advocates for a naval blockade, specifically targeting oil exports from Kharg Island to strangle the regime's revenue. May emphasizes that the Iranian leadership's ideology makes them likely to use nuclear weapons, necessitating a strategy to cripple the regime's power. (3)John Hardie and Bill Roggio cover the significant leadership change in Ukraine as General Drapatyi replaces General Syrskyi as commander-in-chief. Drapatyi is seen as a representative of a new, western-style generation of officers who embrace technological innovation and listen to subordinates. The transition aims to "desovietize" the military and maintain the momentum of successful drone offensives against Russian infrastructure. (4)Anatol Lieven examines how the Ukraine and Iran conflicts are merging into one global struggle following a Ukrainiandrone strike on an Iranian vessel. This escalation threatens global energy supplies of refined oil products, as Russianrefineries struggle with capacity. While Ukraine targets the Russian middle class to undermine support for the war, Lieven warns of a widening proxy war involving China, North Korea, and Iran. (5)Anatol Lieven turns to Britain's new political era under Prime Minister Andy Burnham, who is described as the Labour Party's "last chance" to address a discredited government. Burnham faces immense financial pressure, particularly regarding the costs of healthcare for the elderly and dementia. To succeed, he may need to pivot from "Net Zero" policies to prioritize energy needs and seek a new mandate through an election. (6)Salvatore Vitale and Kalin Plunkett of MIT explain hierarchical merging, a process where black holes merge repeatedly to create larger "monsters." By analyzing gravitational waves from 155 binary pairs, they discovered that 14% are second-generation black holes, born from previous mergers rather than stellar collapse. These second-generation black holes are characterized by rapid spin and mass asymmetry, providing clues to how supermassive black holes form in galaxies. (7)Salvatore Vitale and Kalin Plunkett continue: to uncover the origins of the Milky Way's supermassive black hole, scientists propose building larger gravitational wave detectors scaled up by a factor of ten. These advanced observatories would allow researchers to peer further back into cosmic history, potentially detecting black holes from the very early universe. Expanding the global network to four or five detectors would help pinpoint host galaxies and detect the formation of heavy elements. (8)Arthur Herman recounts the historic 1896 meeting where Henry Ford pitched his internal combustion engine to a skeptical Thomas Edison. Edison's encouragement served as the catalyst for Ford's revolution in American transportation. This industrial transformation was further enabled by John D. Rockefeller, whose ability to lower oil prices made gasoline an economically feasible fuel for mass production. The segment also highlights George Washington's vision for a professional Continental Army. (9)Arthur Herman explains the American founders were heavily influenced by the Scottish Enlightenment, particularly the ideas of David Hume and Adam Smith regarding the pursuit of happiness. This subjective right was prioritized over property to potentially allow for the future abolition of slavery. The founding spirit extended to the Northwest Ordinance, creating communities like Marietta, Ohio, that were dedicated to education, religion, and freedom. (10)Arthur Herman characterizes Abraham Lincoln as a founder for his vision of an America without slavery and his willingness to risk the Union to fulfill the Declaration of Independence. His administration's legacy includes the Homestead Act and the Transcontinental Railroad, which expanded the "empire of liberty." Additionally, the Civil War era facilitated the rise of Andrew Carnegie, who later revolutionized the global steel industry using the Bessemerprocess. (11)Arthur Herman reframes the Gilded Age not as an era of greed, but as a period of unprecedented opportunity and connectivity driven by the railroad. James J. Hill's Great Northern Railway fostered regional prosperity and negotiated fairly with Native American tribes. Meanwhile, Thomas Edison's relentless competitiveness and "restless mind" led to the electrification of the nation and the invention of the phonograph, inspiring future generations of founders like Elon Musk. (12)Arthur Herman contrasts Woodrow Wilson's attempt to centrally manage industry during World War I, which resulted in logistical chaos and failure, with FDR's embrace of the private sector for World War II, appointing GM's Bill Knudsento lead mobilization. By relying on the incentives of the marketplace, Knudsen successfully converted American manufacturing into a massive war machine, producing more war material than the world imagined in just 18 months. (13)Arthur Herman presents Martin Luther King Jr. as a founder who refounded the American experiment by taking risks to fulfill the promise of equality. The segment explores the eternal conflict between the bold "founder mindset" and the cautious "manager instinct" that emerged in the 1950s. While managers seek stability and predictability, founders drive innovation and national greatness, preventing the American dream from becoming stagnant and stale. (14)Arthur Herman credits Vannevar Bush's "The Endless Frontier" manifesto with persuading FDR to fund basic scientific research through universities, laying the groundwork for Silicon Valley. This federal support enabled discoveries in information theory and microchip development, transforming the American economy. The evolution from massive mainframes like the IBM 360 to modern microchips illustrates the imaginative leap of founders who see opportunities where others see only current technology. (15)Arthur Herman concludes that today's founders, including Elon Musk and Donald Trump, continue the tradition of taking massive risks to fulfill bold visions. Musk's goals for SpaceX and Mars are described as a step-by-step process of industrial manufacturing and innovation. Central to this enduring success is the Patent Act of 1790, a unique constitutional protection that ensures individuals own the products of their minds, fueling 250 years of American discovery. (16)Corrections applied per the log: John Hardie (transcribed as "Hardy," segment 4) and Labour Party (UK spelling, segment 6). I also dropped the phonetic "(Chopati)" after General Drapatyi in segment 4 — that's Mykhailo Drapatyi, so the first spelling stands. One to confirm for the log: Kalin Plunkett (segments 7–8) — I couldn't verify this MIT researcher's spelling; if it's from audio, it may need checking against the MIT LIGO group roster.
Anatol Lieven turns to Britain's new political era under Prime Minister Andy Burnham, who is described as the Labour Party's "last chance" to address a discredited government. Burnham faces immense financial pressure, particularly regarding the costs of healthcare for the elderly and dementia. To succeed, he may need to pivot from "Net Zero" policies to prioritize energy needs and seek a new mandate through an election. (6)
'Net zero has completely and utterly failed.'Editor of The Sunday Telegraph, Allister Heath, slams net zero policies in Britain for 'doing nothing on the global scale'. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
In this episode of Fifty Shades of Green, hosts Adam Lake and Katie Lanegran sit down with Lisa Sachs, Director of the Columbia Center on Sustainable Investment and lead of Columbia's M.S. in Climate Finance at Columbia Climate School, for a candid, wide-ranging conversation about net zero, carbon markets, and what it will actually take to decarbonize the global economy. Against a backdrop of record heat, wildfires, storms and smoky skies, the trio wrestles with a central question: has the language and practice of “net zero” helped — or distracted — the climate movement?Lisa opens by clarifying what net zero really means: an atmospheric goal to balance emissions and sinks. She argues that the way net zero has been popularized — as an entity-level target for companies, cities or countries — is misleading and often counterproductive. Rather than driving systemic decarbonization, entity-level promises too frequently rely on offsets and voluntary carbon markets, allowing emitters to claim neutrality without changing underlying systems. Lisa worries voluntary markets are largely driven by methodological flaws and middlemen profit, and that offsets cannot substitute for actual decarbonization everywhere. Adam and Katie push back and probe implications, including whether the net zero framing could be a cynical distraction — Lisa admits that while conspiracy is tempting, institutional inertia and misunderstanding of systems are more likely culprits.The conversation pivots to solutions-oriented thinking. Lisa is optimistic about the present moment: decarbonized systems for energy, transport, buildings and industry are now often cheaper, more resilient, and superior on performance — they are “better systems.” The barrier is not technology but coordination, planning, policy enablers and financing structures, especially in emerging markets. She emphasizes that while private capital can and should drive many transitions, nature and resilience must be treated as public goods requiring public finance. Rather than obsessing over terminology or expecting COP negotiations to design and implement systems, Lisa urges practical, sectoral, regionally tailored solutions developed in the year between COPs and then brought to the global stage for political validation and scale.Adam and Katie reflect on messaging and politics: why “net zero” has become a loaded phrase and how consumer-focused narratives (you must sacrifice) have undermined public support. They highlight the need to shift discourse toward the tangible, everyday benefits of better systems — cheaper energy, reliable grids, improved appliances, and jobs — drawing parallels with how LEDs and EVs moved from niche statements to mainstream, nonpartisan technologies. The hosts also discuss the role of fossil fuels in emerging economies and the unfair financing barriers that make leapfrogging to clean systems difficult; Lisa insists we should enable scalable, financeable clean infrastructure rather than concede fossil dependence.Throughout, the tone balances critique and constructive optimism: the net zero construct may be flawed, but the transition to a cleaner, fairer, more prosperous world is feasible and economically compelling. The episode closes with a call to reframe the work: focus on building the better systems we need, redesign financing and policy levers to unlock them globally — especially in fast-growing emerging markets — and use forums like COP to scale proven solutions rather than invent them.Listeners will come away with a sharper understanding of the limits of carbon offsets, a clearer picture of what “net zero” should mean, and practical hope: we know what systems to build, the barriers we must remove, and how collective, cross-disciplinary action can make a decarbonized future both attainable and beneficial for everyone. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
In this explosive episode of the Energy News Beat Daily Standup, host Stu Turley breaks down ten major stories that expose a widening chasm between what financial markets are signaling and what's actually happening on the ground in global energy infrastructure.From a $40-50 disconnect between paper oil prices and physical barrel delivery costs, to California's dramatic collapse from 38 refineries down to just seven, Turley reveals how geopolitical tensions, regulatory overreach, and decades of underinvestment are creating a perfect storm in energy security.With Russian refining capacity crippled by drone strikes, Middle Eastern facilities under attack, and the UN quietly admitting its climate doomsday scenarios were implausible, this episode challenges conventional wisdom on energy policy and makes a compelling case that energy security truly starts at home—through domestic production capacity, not wishful thinking about net-zero mandates that have cost over $10 trillion while delivering far less energy independence than nuclear investment could have provided.1. Oil Price Disconnect: Paper vs. Physical MarketsWTI futures hovering in low-to-mid $90s while physical delivery costs ~$120$40-50 premium between paper markets and actual barrel acquisitionRefinery crack spreads at historic highs (96% in US)Future traders focused on de-escalation; physical markets screaming warnings2. Two Solutions to Reduce Fuel PricesIncrease refining capacity – No new US refineries in decades; first new one coming to Brownsville, Texas (2025)Demand destruction – Governor Newsom's attempts failed; demand only slightly down as people leave CaliforniaPhysics matter; policy must align with infrastructure reality3. Global Refining CrisisRussia: Every refinery hit by drones; capacity down to 40%India: Only country with spare refining capacityQatar: Down from 77-80 MTPA to 12 MTPA due to Strait of Hormuz blockadeQatar Energy adapting: Using US carriers to maintain contracts4. Middle East Security ThreatsIraq militias attacking Saudi refineries for second consecutive daySaudi air defenses intercepting dronesEgypt also targetedBab-El-Mendeb Strait closure = $120 oil; currently at $845. LNG Market BoomSurge in Final Investment Decisions (FIDs) for new liquefaction capacity84 million tons of new capacity in 2025; 37 MTPA in first half 2026US leading project growthLNG must bypass choke points for true energy security6. Venezuela Oil Resurgence$13 billion in sales since Maduro's captureProduction rebounding: 800K barrels/day (January) → 1.2M barrels/day (March-April)Chevron and Exxon positioning for expansionPotential model for Iranian recovery (without IRGC)7. US Crude Inventory DeclineDown 7.2 million barrels to 404.5 millionCushing, Oklahoma at 18.6 million barrels (near operational bottom of 20M)Cushing lost importance to world oil pricingParadox: Empty Cushing should support prices, but doesn't8. California's Transportation Fuel Infrastructure CollapseDemands 58 million gallons daily: 37M gasoline, 11M jet fuel, 10M dieselRefinery count: 38 → 7 (6 more closing due to CARB regulations)Limited import pipes; insufficient storage capacityProduction declining sharply while demand remains highMost expensive transportation fuels in nation for residents9. Natural Gas Success StoryExpand Energy (NASDAQ: EXE) reports 27.5 MMCF/day from Hainesville wildcatNorth America's largest independent natural gas producer performing wellVectorVest rating: Buy10. Europe's Energy Crisis: Nuclear Shutdown During Heat WaveFrance shutting off GoFan2 nuclear reactor due to 40°C heat waveNuclear plants rely on river water for cooling (design flaw)Environmental regulations limit water discharge temperatureEU electricity mix: 30% wind/solar (vs. 29% fossil fuels) – but at what cost?De-industrialization and higher consumer costs11. Climate Policy ReckoningUN climate panel quietly admits doomsday scenarios were implausible$10.4 trillion spent on wind and solar globallyAlternative scenario: Same investment in nuclear = 174 additional reactors (vs. 94 current US reactors) + 1,700 worldwideNet-zero policies result in 38% higher consumer energy costs in blue statesFear-mongering and policy misalignment with physics12. Key Takeaway: Energy Security Starts at HomeDomestic production capacity is criticalEnergy dominance displayed through exportsRealistic policy must account for infrastructure constraintsNeighbor-to-neighbor preparedness (emergency power solutions like Jackery)1.Oil Prices Ignore the Warnings of the Physical Markets. Refinery Crack Spreads Grow2.Iraq Militias Attack Saudi Oil Facilities for a Second Day3.LNG Vessel Demand Soars as US Leads Project Growth, and Qatar is Offline4.QatarEnergy Adapting while Protecting its Revenue Stream5.U.S. Sale of Venezuela's Oil Hits $13 Billion Since Maduro Capture6.US Crude Oil Inventories Decreased by 7.2 mb to 404.5 mb7.The impending collapse of California's transportation fuel infrastructure8.Expand Energy's First Far Western Haynesville Wildcat IPs 27.5 MMcf/d9.France Shuts Off More Nuclear Power as Heat Builds Across Europe, Sparking an Energy Domino of FailuresStill very relevant - 10: UN Climate Panel Quietly Admits Its Doomsday Climate Scenarios Were ‘Implausible' – How much money has been spent on Net Zero because of lies?Check the articles on https://theenergynewsbeat.substack.com/A shout-out to Steve Reese and the Reese Energy Consulting group for sponsoring the Podcast https://reeseenergyconsulting.com/.Data2 if you have any business systems, can you trust A? Well, they have the patent on validation. . https://data2.zoholandingpage.com/energyAnd we have WellDatabase rolling in as a new sponsor. https://welldatabase.com/
Joseph Sternberg criticizes Prime Minister Andy Burnham's economic policy as ineffective against the cost-of-living crisis. Sternberg argues that the UK is trapped by net-zero regulations that prevent the use of vast North Sea oil and gas reserves. Burnham finds it politically difficult to cut taxes or reverse climate policies despite potential economic benefits. This paralysis makes his government a target for future replacement. (13)1521
Get in touch - leave me a messageCarbon accounting can send companies straight at the wrong problem. A visible sustainability initiative may feel productive while the real emissions hotspot sits in raw materials, product design or the supply chain.My guest is John Beath, CEO and Chief Technical Director of John Beath Environmental, whose work in lifecycle assessment helps companies test assumptions before they commit money, engineering effort or supplier changes. The stakes are practical: get the system boundary wrong, and a product carbon footprint can misdirect investment rather than improve it.We examine why Scope 3 emissions so often dwarf what happens inside the factory, why bio-based or recycled materials are not automatically the lower-carbon choice, and what leaders miss when durability, reverse logistics or avoided emissions are left out. We also unpack the solar-panel case where the presumed hotspot was silicon—but the decisive intervention was elsewhere.Listen now to understand how better lifecycle assessment can expose the carbon decisions that matter most—and stop your organisation spending heavily on fixes that barely move the needle.Sign up to Climate Confident+ for deep dive analysis of the major climate and energy stories of the day.Support the showPodcast subscribersI'd like to sincerely thank this podcast's amazing subscribers:Anita KrajncCecilia SkarupaBen GrossJerry SweeneyAndreas WernerStephen CarrollRoger ArnoldAnd 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.
Jeremy Cordeaux is in the chilly garage with Pete, Gary and Caroline the day before the Friday live stream, and there's plenty to chew over. He replays the David Speers interview in which the Prime Minister ducks, weaves and — in Jeremy's telling — visibly squirms when asked directly whether he attended a dinner at Felix Lee's Point Piper mansion, and about the alleged $1 million Labor donation that followed. Jeremy reckons there's much more to come. He also digs into the story he says isn't getting the coverage it deserves: research showing Australia's $4.5 trillion super funds invest only about 1% in renewables — because the experts have judged the risk — and his warning that the government will now be lobbied to force our retirement savings into net zero. Plus the Four Corners tomato exposé and dodgy country-of-origin labels, a real-estate "gridlock" with buyers and sellers both frozen, kids in Coober Pedy let off after attacks, the Yalata permit system Jeremy calls "apartheid", 50 years of no-fault divorce and the dark early history of the Family Court, an AI that reportedly broke out of its data centre, a $30 million bank CEO salary, the $1 million private-school bill, and Trump's new tariffs over "slave labour". Plus this day in history — the last Beetle, Henry Ford, Captain Cook and the USS Indianapolis.TOPICS DISCUSSED The Four Corners tomato exposé — country-of-origin labels, China-grown product Labor's Adelaide conference and its long-term strategy; a united front for the cameras David Speers interviewing Albanese; the Felix Lee Point Piper dinner and alleged $1m donation Real-estate "gridlock" — one of the worst auction weekends in living memory $4.5 trillion in super funds; only ~1% invested in renewables, and why The looming push to force super into net zero investments Channel Seven's Coober Pedy story — kids aged 7–12 let off after attacks Outback towns, alcohol, "pension day and royalties day" The Yalata permit system on the Nullarbor — Jeremy calls it apartheid 50 years of the Family Law Act, Lionel Murphy and no-fault divorce; Family Court death threats An AI reportedly breaking out of its data centre; the "kill switch" question Macquarie Bank CEO's ~$30 million salary; $1 million to privately educate two kids Trump's new tariffs over "slave labour" Tomorrow's live stream: Dr John Bruni, Professor Ian Plimer, Frank Sebastian, maybe Rex Leverington This day in history: last VW Beetle, Henry Ford, Captain Cook, Arnold Schwarzenegger, USS Indianapolis, Paul Anka See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
With pressure on local authorities to demonstrate meaningful progress towards net zero, today's Highways Voices moves beyond the jargon and tackles one of the biggest challenges facing highways teams: who is actually responsible for reducing carbon, and where do you start?First published a year ago, our guest, Zoe Sterling-Wall, who at the time was working with Brightly, explains how Carbon Literacy is about far more than awareness, it's about giving organisations the confidence to make informed decisions, create realistic carbon reduction plans and embed lasting behavioural change. Through practical examples, she discusses how highways authorities can work more effectively with contractors, break down silos across departments and ensure carbon reduction becomes a shared responsibility rather than a tick-box exercise.Subscribe to Highways Voices on your favourite podcast platform and never miss an episode.As when we first published this episode, you'll hear how carbon literacy training can simplify decision-making, empower action across entire highway networks and help local authorities embed sustainability into everyday operations. But listening again a year later also provides a useful reminder that while technology continues to evolve, success still depends on collaboration, leadership and giving people the knowledge to act with confidence.Highways Voices returns with brand-new episodes after our summer break.Highways Voices is brought to you with our podcast partners the Transport Technology Forum, LCRIG, ITS UK and ADEPT.
The Other Side of the Story with Tom Harris and Todd Royal – Have carbon dioxide and other so-called greenhouse gases been the primary drivers of climate change in the past? No, they have not. What about forest fires? The graph below shows that this too is a mistake. These sorts of errors crop up over and over across the climate debate...
The Other Side of the Story with Tom Harris and Todd Royal – Have carbon dioxide and other so-called greenhouse gases been the primary drivers of climate change in the past? No, they have not. What about forest fires? The graph below shows that this too is a mistake. These sorts of errors crop up over and over across the climate debate...
Extinction Rebellion's co-founder Clare Farrell and conservation scientist Dr Charlie Gardner team up once more to discuss issues and stories they feel are not getting enough airtime. They want to make sure that the latest news in science and important reports that are relevant to the climate and ecological crisis are flagged and explained in ways that are easy to understand.EPISODE 36: Net Zero boosts economy and Trump accelerates transitionIn this week's episode Clare and Charlie discuss the boost to the economy the push for Net Zero is delivering in the UK. They also discuss how the closure of the Strait of Hormuz is accelerating decarbonization around the world.REFERENCES The Race for Net Zero - CBI Economicshttps://ca1-eci.edcdn.com/The_UK_Net-Zero-Economy_in_202_June_2026.pdf?v=1780384001 ---------------------Please, share, comment, subscribe, like, mobilise, and donate!https://ko-fi.com/worldinflux
Hour Three of A&G features... Jon Stewart, the UK's new PM & rejecting Net Zero... Jack brings us Babylon Bee headlines... Talking loudly on the phone--in public places.... Lebron James announces his next team. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Hour Three of A&G features... Jon Stewart, the UK's new PM & rejecting Net Zero... Jack brings us Babylon Bee headlines... Talking loudly on the phone--in public places.... Lebron James announces his next team. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Get in touch - leave me a messageBattery storage is getting cheaper, but the data used to trade and operate it may be badly wrong. When forecasts miss, penalties stack, warranties get messy, and returns can quietly unravel.My guest is Ash Vats of 3E, who works on battery intelligence for utility-scale assets. We look at the gap between what a battery management system reports and what the hardware can actually deliver - a gap with direct consequences for grid reliability, revenue and asset life.We examine why some battery sites show faults before day one, how state-of-charge estimates can be materially wrong, and why operators - not traders alone - need to shape commercial decisions. We also unpack what changes when owners, asset managers and traders stop working from three different versions of the same asset.Listen now to understand what is really limiting battery storage returns, and how better operational intelligence can recover capacity, reduce commercial risk and improve long-term performance.Sign up to Climate Confident+ for deep dive analysis of the major climate and energy stories of the day.Support the showPodcast subscribersI'd like to sincerely thank this podcast's amazing subscribers:Anita KrajncCecilia SkarupaBen GrossJerry SweeneyAndreas WernerStephen CarrollRoger ArnoldAnd 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.
Johnny Reynolds on Jobs of the Future: Skills, Scale-Ups, Net Zero and AI This is a replayed 2023 interview with Johnny Reynolds, now returning to run the Department for Business amid major UK government reshuffles under new Prime Minister Andy Burnham, including moving AI to the Cabinet Office. Jimmy and Johnny discuss visiting businesses such as Football Manager's studio and Nissan's Sunderland plant, arguing the state should help people manage economic change, especially through net zero, automotive transition and opportunities like green steel. 00:00 UK Government Shakeup 00:32 Why Replay This Interview 01:54 Football Manager Visit 04:19 Factory Tours and Learning 05:47 North East and Change 08:38 Future Sectors and Trade 13:27 Workplace Flex and Hybrid 15:41 Manchester Boom Story 18:00 City and Listing Concerns 20:57 Scaling Up UK Startups 24:52 How Reynolds Works 28:29 What Business Wants Most 30:12 Policy Levers for Growth 30:39 Skills Shortages and Immigration 32:25 Reforming the Apprenticeship Levy 34:06 Devolution and Local Skills Planning 35:12 From Law to Parliament 38:42 How the MP Job Changed 42:24 Working-Class Roots and Values 45:36 AI Disruption and Regulation 49:18 Entrepreneurship and Risk 51:25 Dream Jobs and Capital Allocation 53:15 Books Podcasts and Wrap-Up Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Australian agriculture is chasing lower emissions, but what does that actually look like on farm?In this short episode of Humans of Agriculture, Oli Le Lievre catches up with Richard Heath, CEO of the Zero Net Emissions Agriculture CRC, ahead of the 2026 ZNE Ag CRC Conference in Perth.Richard shares what has changed since the CRC's inaugural conference, the promising research already emerging around productivity and emissions, and why there is no single silver bullet. They also unpack this year's conference theme, Rewarding Pathways to Zero, exploring how farmers can reduce emissions while building more productive and profitable businesses.From 18 to 20 August in Perth, Western Australia this is where real conversationswill happen, bringing together the people, ideas, and innovations shaping the futureof agriculture.Whether you're in the paddock, in research, or across the supply chain, this is yourchance to be part of it.Head to zneagcrc.com.au to explore the program and get your ticket today.Key insights from the conversation:Zero Net Emissions CRC's role and projectsResearch on plants, animals, and farm systemsReward pathways for emissions reductionInnovations in methane and nitrous oxide reductionConference in Perth and stakeholder engagementChapters:00:00 Introduction to the conference and its significance01:01 Richard Heath's overview of CRC's work and goals02:00 Recap of last year's Brisbane conference and progress03:01 Focus on reward pathways and economic incentives04:06 Research on plants and animals to reduce emissions05:01 The importance of incremental improvements in agriculture07:07 Understanding the theme: rewards pathways to zero net emissions08:11 Potential financial and environmental rewards for farmers08:51 Significance of Western Australia in the conference10:02 Target audience and benefits of attending the conference10:49 Final thoughts and how to learn more about the event
Send us Fan MailIn this episode Jonny Ball meets Royal Navy Veteran Andrew Bowie MP.Andrew grew up in Aberdeenshire spending the first years of his life in Alford, a village within the constituency of West Aberdeenshire and Kincardine. Andrew moved at a young age to the town of Inverurie.Upon leaving school Andrew joined the Royal Navy in which he served as an officer for 3 years, a career that took him around the world to Brazil, Bahrain, Gibraltar and The Falklands. His duties back home included work for the ceremonial events commemoration team. Following this Andrew returned to the North East, studying politics and history at the University of Aberdeen.Andrew began his political career in 2014 when he became the Conservative campaign manager for the North of Scotland, organising the 2014 European Election, the Scottish Independence Referendum and 2015 General Election. Andrew then worked for Conservative MEP Ian Duncan as his Parliamentary Assistant and Rural Affairs Policy Adviser. Andrew was recruited by Liam Kerr MSP following his election to the Scottish Parliament in 2016 where he was Head of Office based in the Scottish Parliament.In 2017 Andrew was selected as the Conservative and Unionist candidate for West Aberdeenshire and Kincardine. Andrew was elected with a total of 24,704 votes, a majority of 7,949. Andrew became the first Conservative MP for West Aberdeenshire and Kincardine since its creation in 1997.Since June 2017 Andrew has represented the people of West Aberdeenshire and Kincardine as their Member of Parliament in Westminster. In March 2018 he became the first new Scottish MP and the first of the 2017 intake, to be promoted when he was appointed as the Parliamentary Private Secretary to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport. In January 2019 Andrew was promoted to Parliamentary Private Secretary to the Prime Minister.In August 2019 Andrew was appointed Vice Chair of the Conservative Party, covering the Union and Youth within the party. Following a snap election in December 2019 Andrew was re-elected by the residents of West Aberdeenshire and Kincardine to represent them once again and was again re-elected in July 2024.Andrew was appointed Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Exports in October 2022 until February 2023. That month he was appointed Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State in the new Department for Energy Security and Net Zero. Following the election on the 4th July 2024 Andrew was appointed Shadow Minister for Veterans and Shadow Minister for Energy. Since the election of Kemi Badenoch as Leader of the Conservative Party Andrew has served as Shadow Secretary of State for Scotland and Shadow Minister for Energy.There are many way to support our show, including leaving a review or subscribing, becoming a sponsor, or you can give via the links below.This podcast is produced by The Great Campaigns Company Ltd- delivering great campaigns for great people.Support the show✅Support The Show Help Us Grow! Help us reach more veterans by donating the cost of a cup of coffee today...
What does Andy Burnham's purge of Starmer loyalists from the top of government tell us about how the new British prime minister will govern the UK? Why did Ed Miliband drop his ten-year Energy Security and Net Zero project to become Foreign Secretary? Can Burnham end rough sleeping nationally, after struggling to do so in Manchester? Join Rory and Alastair as they answer all these questions and more. __________ Enjoy Rory and Alastair's interview with Maggie Haberman and Jonathan Swan by searching ‘Leading' on Spotify, Apple, or YouTube. Go deeper into the world of The Rest Is Politics by signing up for our free newsletter HERE, featuring exclusive interviews, analysis and weekend reads from Alastair and Rory. Join The Rest Is Politics Plus. Start your free trial at therestispolitics.com to unlock exclusive bonus content – including Rory and Alastair's miniseries – plus ad-free listening, early access to episodes and live show tickets, exclusive newsletters, discounted book prices, and a private chatroom on Discord. The Rest Is Politics is powered by Fuse Energy. Stop overpaying for energy. Switch at fuseenergy.com/politics and get a free TRIP+ subscription.
It is a week of brutal purges, shifting cabinets, and dramatic resets across the London political landscape. Lesley Riddoch and Fraser Thompson deliver their analysis on a fast-moving news cycle as Prime Minister Andy Burnham takes the keys to Number 10 and Sir Keir Starmer retreats to the pub with his ousted frontbench. From cutting energy VAT and scrapping the digital ID scheme to breaking news of a desperate Thames Water bailout offer, they strip away the Westminster spin to ask if this newer Labour administration can truly 'rewire' Britain or if it's all just temporary vibes. In this episode, we discuss:The Burnham Purge & Starmer's Pub of the Damned: An breakdown of the cabinet reshuffle that saw Sir Keir Starmer replaced by Prime Minister Andy Burnham. We analyze the northern-heavy cabinet, including Ed Miliband's move to Foreign Secretary, Yvette Cooper at Health, Miata Fanabulla entering Net Zero, and Louise Haigh's return, while disgruntled Starmerites lick their wounds over pints in a London pub.Ditching the Digital ID for Energy VAT Cuts: We unpick Burnham's headline policy—saving billpayers a modest £45 a year by cutting the 5% domestic energy VAT, funded by axing the digital ID scheme. We look at the OBR's warnings that these departmental savings are completely unidentified and look to Estonia to explain why a genuine, trust-based society is required to build a real digital nation.Devolution Contradictions & Jack McConnell: Former First Minister Jack McConnell took to the airwaves to defend the new devolution agenda, but we examine how he quickly tied himself in knots over energy control. We explore Labour's deep disconnect with rural Scotland and why Burnham's plans to emulate Germany's federalised government structure ignore truly local government.The Thames Water Legal Tussle: Breaking news hits the podcast mid-record as a consortium of lenders offers a "golden share" to the UK government to prevent Thames Water from crashing into nationalisation. Lesley explains why the Burnham government should actively welcome a high-profile legal fight with foreign private equity firms to prove they mean business.Housing First in Finland and Scotland: We look at the long-term success of Helsinki's Housing First program, which dramatically cuts emergency service costs by providing stable housing and community support before tackling addiction. With 26 out of Scotland's 32 local authorities already operating Housing First, we note that Scotland is already leading the way where England struggles.Deconstructing Starmer's Wooden Exit: While the mainstream commentariat swooned over Starmer's final PMQs, we pull away the Emperor's clothes. From his absolute refusal to admit to policy U-turns to his viral primary school anecdote, we explain how his hand-picked gallery guests failed to mask his legacy of two-child benefit caps and winter fuel cuts.Summer Break & Bramble Homework: The podcast takes its summer recess for the next two weeks, returning on Tuesday, August 11th. Fraser sets your holiday homework to challenge your local MPs and MSPs on independence, while Lesley provides a far sweeter alternative: get out to pick this year's bumper crop of mega-brambles and make your own ice cream!LinksGlasgow Times River Clyde Pool Project - https://www.glasgowtimes.co.uk/news/26290574.ambitious-plans-floating-swimming-pool-river-clyde/Finland Film - https://youtu.be/J1mpytgMIBU?si=k_Gz8hmFwM7J_k3TLesley's Bramble Ice Cream Recipe - https://www.bakedbyanintrovert.com/fresh-blackberry-ice-cream-no-churn/#recipe ★ Support this podcast ★
Andy Burnham unveils his new Labour Cabinet and scraps VAT on domestic energy bills — saving the average household just 86p a week. Julia Hartley-Brewer challenges Lord Foulkes over the Prime Minister's cost-of-living offer, defence spending, benefits reform and pledge to end rough sleeping. Tom Slater delivers his verdict on Burnham's “hope and change” agenda, Net Zero and Britain's soaring energy costs. Also, the latest on the death of Ann Widdecombe as Joshua Kerry is charged with murder. Julia Hartley-Brewer broadcasts on Talk from Monday to Thursday, 10AM to 1PM.Available on YouTube and streaming platforms, along with DAB+ radio and your smart speaker. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
From Army officer to sustainability leader to Chief People Officer, unlocking human potential has been the thread running through Adam's career. Adam shares the lessons from Skanska's pioneering journey to net zero, becoming the first tier-one contractor to commit to a target. He explains why lasting change starts by understanding the audience you're trying to reach, rather than expecting people to share your passion from day one. Now leading people and culture, Adam discusses why inclusion and high performance go hand in hand, and how creating the right conditions helps people contribute at their very best. From supporting social mobility at Skanska to his work helping survivors of human trafficking to rebuild independent lives, Adam shares why creating opportunities for people to reach their potential is at the heart of leadership. Thank you to Kin&Co for sponsoring this episode What makes or breaks large-scale transformation? Rarely the strategy - almost always the culture. Kin&Co is a certified B-Corp and female-owned consultancy on a mission to make work better for 10 million people by 2030. Using cutting-edge behavioural science, they help global organisations transform cultures and drive measurable impact on strategy, people and performance. They've developed a new behavioural blueprint for transformation, drawn from their experience at some of the UK's most iconic organisations. If you're curious, read their latest thought piece on transformation and assess your cultural readiness. Ready to build a culture that measurably drives performance? Read their thought piece at The Transformation Blueprint to learn more.
Andy Burnham has become the UK’s sixth prime minister in just 10 years. When it comes to energy and climate, Labour Party’s Burnham will inherit many of the same challenges of his predecessors: high energy prices, security of supply and an increasingly polarized debate over the UK’s ambitions to reach net zero. This week on Zero, Akshat Rathi sits down with Dale Vince, founder of Ecotricity and major donor to Labour, to ask can a new UK government make energy cheap? Zero is a production of Bloomberg Green. Our producer is Oscar Boyd. Special thanks to Summer Maxwell, Sommer Saadi, Alyssa McDonald and Laura Millan. Thoughts or suggestions? Email us at zeropod@bloomberg.net. For more coverage of climate change and solutions, visit https://www.bloomberg.com/green. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Reaching carbon net zero by 2050 is one of the main objectives in the struggle against global warming. It's also part of the Green New Deal the EU agreed upon in 2019. Since the start of 2022, many figures in agriculture have been pushing for a carbon farming policy which would see farmers rewarded for their efforts in sequestering carbon. It's about using agricultural fields to store CO2 in the ground. Plants first absorb it from the air through a process called photosynthesis. Then their roots and other parts decompose, being converted into soil carbon by microbes. Soil is in fact the second largest form of carbon sink on Earth, after the oceans and ahead of forests. The aim is to sequester carbon more quickly. That leads to a greater organic content in the ground, allowing for better water retention and a reduction in the use of fertilizers. How does carbon farming work?Why is agriculture in particular concerned by the net zero target? What is expected at a European level? In under 3 minutes, we answer your questions! To listen to the latest episodes, click here: Could Mastodon replace Twitter? Why do crowd crushes happen? Is Britain the new place to get your wine? A Bababam Originals podcast, written and produced by Joseph Chance. First Broadcast: 1/12/2022 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Comments/ideas: ACFpod@outlook.comIs India's net zero push real, or just clever PR? Arun Kumar of Asia Research and Engagement joins the podcast to explain why the greenwashing era is ending and why decarbonisation now wins on cost, not sentiment. We dig into the hard-to-abate sectors, green steel and cement, alongside power, coal, renewables, carbon markets, corporate PPAs and how Indian banks are pricing climate transition risk. Essential listening for anyone in climate finance, energy transition and sustainable investment across India and the wider Asia Pacific.Ref.: Asia Research and Engagement Group, ARE's Asia Transition PlatformABOUT ARUN: Arun Kumar is a Strategic Advisor at Asia Research and Engagement (ARE), a Singapore-headquartered organisation whose collaborative platform connects institutional investors with large listed companies to accelerate the energy transition. His focus spans the highest market-cap companies in hard-to-abate sectors, Power, Cement, Steel and Automobiles, plus Banks and financial institutions. A recognised expert in India's power sector with over 30 years of experience, Arun brings deep expertise across power trading, management consulting and equity research. He has held senior positions at PTC India, HSBC, KPMG and CRISIL, advising investors, policymakers, regulators and corporates on critical aspects of the energy sector. His work spans Asia, the US, Europe and India. Arun holds a Master's in Economics from the Delhi School of Economics and an MBA from IMI Delhi, plus an advanced certification in Cloud Computing, Data Analytics and Blockchain from IIT Madras.Recommendations:Climate Capitalism by Akshat Rathi: A Bloomberg journalist's ground-level account of how clean technologies, from China's electric cars and batteries to solar, wind and green steel, are becoming commercially viable and profitable. https://www.hachette.co.uk/titles/akshat-rathi/climate-capitalism/9781529329957/ Value(s): Building a Better World for All by Mark Carney: The former Bank of England governor and current Canadian Prime Minister argues that finance and markets must be steered by human values rather than price alone. https://books.google.com/books/about/Value_s.html?id=Jz6XzQEACAAJHOST, PRODUCTION, ARTWORK: Joseph Jacobelli | MUSIC: Ep76 onward excerpts from Vivaldi's La Follia, played by Luca Jacobelli.
Marie Owens Thomsen, Chief Economist and SVP Sustainability at the International Air Transport Association (IATA), has emerged as one of the most outspoken voices in the aviation decarbonization debate. Is the European Emissions Trading System (ETS) fit for purpose? Are the EU's current sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) mandates fit for purpose? Are airlines carrying a fair share of the decarbonization cost burden? These are some of the questions Marie addresses regularly at industry conferences, and that we discuss in depth in today's episode. As a preview: while agreeing with the Net Zero 2050 goal, Marie - and IATA for that matter - believes the current regulatory framework in Europe is badly designed and fails to account for the dynamics of both the aviation and energy industries. True, IATA is not an impartial actor in this discussion, as it obviously represents the interests of its member airlines. But as the main target of these regulations, airlines are certainly entitled to have their voice heard, if only because, with an average profit margin that has never exceeded the low single digits, any poorly designed regulation can seriously damage an industry that is, after all, one of the pillars of global economic growth and an and an enabler of trade, tourism, human connection, and all sort of other opportunities.IATA has made its case with figures and studies, yet it's often Marie's sharp commentary that often drives IATA's point home. It is illustrative that this conversation was, in fact, originally planned to last around 45 minutes, but the topic has so many consequential angles that we ended up talking for considerably longer, discussing what could realistically be done to ensure the airline industry meets its environmental commitments without putting its future in jeopardy. So tune in for a fascinating conversation about sustainability, environmental regulation and what these mean for airlines with IATA's Chief Economist, Marie Owens Thomsen!
At long last it's the Rover's Return… What are the burning issues that will be taking up Andy Burnham's time when he takes over No.10 next week? OGWN listeners bombard us with questions and we do our best to answer them. What can Burnham do that Starmer couldn't? Does he need to do more than move stuff to the North? And why did Labour give Starmer a carriage clock, of all things? Plus, Climate of Fear: Kemi Badenoch chooses the hottest moments of our Hell Summer (a period which is actually killing people) to purge Tory MPs who back Net Zero. WTF is she playing at? We look at this terrifying moment and whether the summer's frightening scenes can push back the tide of climate change denialism. • Questions for But Your Emails? Thoughts? Comments? Email us at ogwn@podmasters.co.uk. ESCAPE ROUTES • Jason bought George Martin: The Scores – the collected musical works of that chap who did The Beatles. • Seth has been watching old episodes of Frasier – specifically S2 E18, The Club, with the 1896 vintage bottle of port. • Ava went to see a series of Scorsese re-runs at the cinema. • Ros has been re-reading Victor Hugo's Les Misérables. Buy through our affiliate bookshop and you'll help fund the podcast by earning us a small commission for every sale. Bookshop.org's fees help support independent bookshops too. www.patreon.com/ohgodwhatnow Presented by Ros Taylor with Jason Hazeley, Seth Thévoz and special guest Ava Santina. Audio Production by: Tom Taylor. Art direction: James Parrett. Theme tune by Tom Taylor and Simon Williams. Managing Editor: Jacob Jarvis. Group Editor: Andrew Harrison. OH GOD, WHAT NOW? is a Podmasters production. www.podmasters.co.uk Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
For most of the last two decades, the right of UK politics were all for climate action. Heck, in 2019 a Conservative Prime Minister signed us up to net zero emissions by 2050! But a few short years later both of the two major parties on the right are now very much against 'net "stupid" zero', and everything they think that means. What's going on? What are they trying to do? And - will it work? I'm joined by Becca Massey-Chase, Head of Citizen Engagement at the Institute for Public Policy Research (IPPR). Becca tells me the different attack lines that the right are using against net zero - whether they are persuasive to the average person, and what deeper stories they're tapping into. We discuss why the right has done such a reverse ferret on climate change, after decades of broad consensus - and how much of it is cynical politics vs sincerely held worldviews. And I ask: if some people's views about climate action can really shift that quickly - what does that reveal about how firmly any of us really believe what we think we believe about it? You can find Becca's brilliant report here. Let me know your thoughts on the show - hello@yourbrainonclimate.com. Please rate, review and subscribe, and share the show on socials. And do consider chucking this humble indie podcaster a few quid at www.patreon.com/yourbrainonclimate. Owl noises = references below.21:34: Political identity guides climate belief. 22:14: Motivated reasoning. 30:00. Becca's research (again). 40.04: Janan Ganesh's vibes theory of politics (paywalled alas)43.06: A brilliant piece from Climate Barometer about climate salience. Your Brain on Climate is a show about human brains vs the climate crisis. It's hosted and produced by me, Dave Powell. You can follow the show on instagram @yourbrainonclimate, and I occasionally put up a Substack. YBOC theme music and iterations thereof, by me. Thanks as always to Ruth Everett for the voices. Show logo by Arthur Stovell at https://mondial-studio.com/.
Science · Navigating Net Zero
THE RIGHT & THE RISE OF INTOLERANCENick talks about the the rise of intolerance and the suppression of debate, highlighting how both right and left-wing political movements are moving toward authoritarianism by excluding individuals who disagree with core policies. He gives specific examples including Kemi Badenoch's statements that Conservative candidates must accept Net Zero targets and European Convention on Human Rights, and Amnesty International's controversial report targeting organisations that disagree with gender ideology. Nick argues that while these movements claim to be protecting their respective ideologies, they are actually demonstrating intellectual decline by using fear and exclusion rather than debate to win arguments, and suggested that the public will ultimately reject such authoritarian approaches. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Five years ago, a 21-year-old activist stood on a TED stage next to the CEO of Shell and accused him of making ‘evil decisions' wreaking ‘devastation on communities around the world'. And then walked off. Christiana was moderating. She went into that panel believing dialogue itself could be the mechanism for change - that an honest conversation could move a company like Shell. What she didn't know is that the activist, Lauren MacDonald, had a different plan. It wasn't a quiet moment to be talking about oil and gas. A couple of weeks later, COP26 would openan hour away, in Lauren's home city of Glasgow. Five months earlier, the International Energy Agency had said something it had never said before: if the world is serious about net zero, there's no room left for a single new oil field, anywhere. Lauren was campaigning to stop Cambo, one of the biggest North Sea developments in a decade. Ben van Beurden, Shell's CEO at the time, was there to argue that oil and gas revenue was what would fund the transition away from it.Five years later, this is the first time Christiana and Lauren have spoken together publicly about that day. Cambo is paused, but it isn't dead. Its larger neighbour, Rosebank, is still waiting on a government decision - more than 80 UK MPs and MSPs signed a pledge against it this week alone. So what has actually changed - for Christiana, for Lauren, and for the fight itself?Learn More:
Host: Alex Cameron, Founder & CEO, Industrial Connect Group LtdGuest: Grant Budge, CEO, PeroCycleEurope spent somewhere between eight and ten billion euros on hydrogen and CCS projects over the last decade. Grant Budge's rough calculation is that the same capital, deployed into carbon capture and utilisation, could have been removing three to six million tonnes of CO2 per year by now. Instead, we have a handful of projects that never crossed the line and an industry still arguing about infrastructure that doesn't exist. Grant was there for CCS v1.0. He knows why it stalled, and he has a clear view on what we keep getting wrong, as well as what could help drive the right capital to the right tech. PeroCycle is CEO of a team converting CO2 into carbon monoxide on site, no pipeline, no offsite infrastructure, negative cost of carbon abatement on a DRI steel plant at current European energy prices. That's the claim. In this episode, Grant walks through how they got there, what could still break it, and why the deeper problem in industrial decarbonization isn't the technology at all.Key Takeaways1. Why large corporate balance sheets have been part of the problem, not the solution. The assumption that big companies with big balance sheets would lead deployment shaped a decade of policy. Grant explains why that logic kept failing, and what it meant for the technologies that got backed as a result.2. The real reason hydrogen and CCS absorbed so much capital for so little output. It wasn't just bad technology choices. Grant traces it back to how the direction was set in the first place, and who was driving that conversation.3. What a global database of validated decarbonization technologies would actually change. Right now, an industrial company trying to compare options has no independent source to go to. Grant makes the case for why that gap exists, who could fill it, and what it would have meant if it had existed ten years ago.4. How PeroCycle moved from a cost of plus $50-60 per tonne of CO2 abated to minus $80. The engineering decisions behind that shift, and what they tell you about where most tech developers are leaving value on the table.5. The stage gate that will make or break the business case. Scaling to the steel sector means a first-of-kind plant costing $250-300 million for a pre-revenue startup. Grant explains the strategy for getting there without that number killing the story with investors.6. Why nickel and glass might matter more to PeroCycle right now than steel. The biggest market isn't always the right first market. Grant's thinking on this is worth hearing by anyone building deep tech for heavy industry.7. What investors actually want to see from industrial tech companies at TRL 4-5. Grant has been on both sides of this conversation. His read on what separates companies that keep the conversation alive from those that get screened out early is direct and practical.Links: · Follow Alex Cameron on LinkedIn and find how to get involved with the membership and work of Decarb Connect· Connect with Grant Budge, CEO, PeroCycle· Find out more about Perocycle and its projects· Join Alex and a network of hardtech investors and series B+ tech disruptors at Decarb TechInvest in Boston (September 2025)· Sign up for our newsletter Want to learn more about Decarb Connect?We provide insights and introductions that derisk decision-making and support industrial leaders in deploying decarbonization and low carbon product strategy. Our global membership platform, events and facilitated introductions support commercial decarb planning and business models around the world. Our clients include the most energy-intensive industrials from cement, metals and mining, glass, ceramics, chemicals, O&G and many more along with technology disruptors, investors and advisors. If you enjoyed this conversation, find out about our portfolio of events in US, Canada, UK and Europe – or explore our Decarbonisation Leaders Network (DLN), and learn why more than 200 members from the energy-intensive sectors have joined to share insights, meet partners who can accelerate their plans and why it's the most valuable network of its kind.
Get in touch - leave me a messageHeavy machinery can waste three quarters of the energy fed into it. The battery may not be the real electrification bottleneck.In this episode, I speak with Hiten Sonpal, CEO of Rise Robotics, about a neglected part of the energy transition: the hydraulic systems inside construction, mining, and port machinery.You'll hear why conventional hydraulics are only around 25% efficient, how that forces manufacturers to install larger batteries, and why electric heavy equipment can become commercially unviable before it reaches the market.We dig into how Rise Robotics' beltdraulic systems replace oil and pressure with belts and pulleys - cutting battery size, charging demand, downtime, maintenance, and hydraulic leaks. Hiten also explains how drive-by-wire creates the data needed for teleoperation, digital twins, and autonomous machinery.You might be shocked to learn that better efficiency can matter more than better batteries. That shift could reduce costs across the machine, charging network, and grid, while accelerating decarbonisation, emissions reduction, and progress towards net zero.We also examine where adoption may happen first, from mining and ports to marine and food production, and why policy alone cannot solve this industrial transition.
Sixty-three percent of large companies worldwide had made a net zero commitment by 2023, up from close to none in 2018. But if the target date is 2050, that's several corporate lifetimes away, and the planet needs emission reductions today. What actually changes in the boardroom when a pledge is signed?Simon Dietz (LSE, CEPR) has tracked climate management practices and emissions at nearly 2,000 companies to find out. He tells Tim Phillips that the picture is not the one that either side of the debate might expect. A net zero pledge doesn't usually signify an immediate cut in emissions, but there is a clear and early shift in how companies plan for net zero that has often started before the announcement. What is left is something is harder to spot: firms making a strategic pivot, of which the public commitment is only one part.The research behind this episode:Dietz, Simon, and Nikolaus Hastreiter. 2026. "Corporate Net Zero Targets: Have They Achieved Anything?" CEPR Discussion Paper 21441 (gated).To cite this episode:Phillips, Tim, and Simon Dietz. 2026. "Are net zero commitments greenwash?" VoxTalks Economics (podcast).About the guestSimon Dietz is Professor of Environmental Policy at the London School of Economics and Political Science, Research Director of the Grantham Research Institute on Climate Change and the Environment, and Research Director of the LSE Transition Pathway Initiative Global Climate Transition Centre. He is a Research Fellow of the Centre for Economic Policy Research. His research spans climate change economics, corporate sustainability, decision-making under uncertainty, and climate finance.Research cited in this episodeThe Paris Agreement and the 1.5°C target. The 2015 UN Paris Agreement on Climate Change set a goal of limiting global warming to well below 2°C, with a stretch target of 1.5°C. The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change subsequently concluded that meeting the 1.5°C goal requires global emissions to reach net zero by around mid-century, giving corporate net zero pledges their scientific rationale.Science Based Targets initiative, UN Race to Zero, and the Glasgow Financial Alliance for Net Zero. These are among the organisations that encouraged corporations to adopt long-term net zero commitments following the Paris Agreement, helping drive the rapid diffusion of pledges that Dietz and Hastreiter document.Trucost and the Transition Pathway Initiative (TPI). Dietz and Hastreiter combine two emissions datasets to overcome measurement problems in this area. Trucost provides broad coverage of around 1,600 large listed firms, combining self-reported data with modelled estimates. TPI provides sector-specific, physically normalised emissions intensity data for a smaller sample of roughly 200 companies in the highest-emitting sectors; Dietz is Research Director of the TPI Global Climate Transition Centre, which is based at LSE.Difference-in-differences with matching. To separate the effect of a net zero pledge from the fact that greener firms are more likely to make one in the first place, the authors compare firms before and after adoption against similar firms that have not yet adopted, using propensity score matching to build a comparable control group.The Task Force on Climate-related Financial Disclosures framework. The paper groups management practices into four pillars from this framework: governance, strategy, risk management, and metrics and targets. It finds no significant effect of net zero pledges on governance, risk management, or metrics and targets, but a significant and positive effect on strategy, including climate scenario planning and internal carbon pricing.More VoxTalks Economics episodesA big push for climate policy, in which Rick van der Ploeg argues that gradual policy change risks backsliding, and sets out what a genuinely transformative climate push would require.Related reading on VoxEU.orgCorporate net zero targets: Neither greenwashing nor a gamechanger, in which Dietz and Hastreiter set out the findings behind this episode in their own words.Corporate climate commitments: A profit-driven strategy, not just empty promises, in which Viral Acharya, Robert Engle, and Olivier Wang model when large firms and their investors have a financial incentive to follow through on climate pledges.Business as usual: Bank net zero commitments, lending, and engagement, in which Parinitha Sastry, Emil Verner, and David Marques-Ibanez find that banks' net zero pledges predict decarbonisation of their loan portfolios, but not reduced lending to high-carbon sectors.
VOV1 - Việt Nam sẽ phát triển phần mềm kiểm kê nhà kính và theo dõi dấu chân carbon. Đây là nội dung biên bản thỏa thuận hợp tác do Công ty Khoa học Tự nhiên, Trường ĐH Khoa học Tự nhiên, ĐH Quốc gia Hà Nội và Tập đoàn Golden Gate BCE Global của Hà Lan ký kết sáng nay (15/7) tại Hà Nội.Công ty Khoa học Tự nhiên và Tập đoàn Golden Gate BCE Global dự kiến mở rộng hợp tác trong xây dựng các mô hình nông nghiệp tái sinh, kinh tế tuần hoàn, quản lý và phục hồi tài nguyên đất, nước; phát triển hệ thống quan trắc, nền tảng số, công cụ theo dõi dấu chân carbon; từng bước hình thành các dự án trình diễn, chuyển giao công nghệ, thương mại hóa sản phẩm sinh học và nhân rộng các giải pháp tại Việt Nam cũng như khu vực châu Á – Thái Bình Dương. Đây là bước đi quan trọng của Công ty để mang những giải pháp công nghệ tiên tiến nhất từ châu Âu áp dụng vào thực tiễn Việt Nam, hướng tới một nền nông nghiệp bền vững và thích ứng biến đổi khí hậu.PGS.TS Trần Ngọc Anh, Giám đốc Công ty Khoa học Tự nhiên cho rằng: "Nếu mà chúng ta làm việc được với họ, cùng với họ phát huy được những thế mạnh của cả hai bên thì chúng ta sẽ mở được một cái con đường mới, hiện đại để đi vào cộng đồng Châu Âu cho các cái sản phẩm nông nghiệp của mình".Phát biểu tại lễ ký kết, ông Ywert Visser, Giám đốc Golden Gate BCE tại Hà Nội, Phó chủ tịch ủy ban ngân hàng thực phẩm, Nông nghiệp thuộc Hiệp hội Doanh nghiệp Châu Âu tại Việt Nam cho rằng, Việt Nam đã đưa ra cam kết mạnh mẽ về việc đạt phát thải ròng bằng “0” vào năm 2050. Mục tiêu quốc gia này đang tạo ra định hướng quan trọng cho mọi ngành kinh tế, đặc biệt là ngành nông nghiệp – lĩnh vực giữ vai trò thiết yếu đối với cả phát triển kinh tế và bảo vệ môi trường bền vững. Chính vì vậy, 2 bên hoàn toàn có thể cùng nhau xây dựng những giải pháp thiết thực, giúp các doanh nghiệp và cộng đồng nông dân bắt đầu hành trình hướng tới Net Zero sớm hơn nhiều so với kế hoạch.Ông Ywert Visser tin tưởng Bản ghi nhớ hôm nay sẽ trở thành nền tảng vững chắc cho nhiều dự án thành công trong những năm tới. Bằng cách kết hợp kiến thức khoa học, năng lực nghiên cứu và sự hiểu biết về ngành nông nghiệp Việt Nam của Công ty Khoa học Tự nhiên cùng với kinh nghiệm quốc tế và công nghệ châu Âu của Golden Gate BCE, chúng ta có thể cùng phát triển các giải pháp đổi mới vừa tiên tiến về kỹ thuật vừa có tính ứng dụng thực tiễn cao.Quang HuyPGS.TS Trần Ngọc Anh, Giám đốc Công ty Khoa học Tự nhiên phát biểu tại lễ ký kếtPGS.TS Trần Ngọc Anh, Giám đốc Công ty Khoa học Tự nhiên giới thiệu dự án trồng cà phê Arabica do công ty đang thực hiện tại Sơn LaCông ty Khoa học Tự nhiên, Trường ĐH Khoa học Tự nhiên, ĐH Quốc gia Hà Nội và Tập đoàn Golden Gate BCE Global của Hà Lan ký kết biên bản thỏa thuận
Britain is getting hotter. But is the country ready?After another record-breaking heatwave, experts estimate that thousands of excess deaths may already have been linked to the extreme temperatures. From overheating homes and buckling railways to schools, hospitals and reservoirs struggling to cope, questions are growing over whether Britain's infrastructure was ever designed for the climate it's now facing.On this episode of The Fourcast, Krishnan Guru-Murthy asks why the UK remains so unprepared for extreme heat, what climate adaptation should actually look like, and whether the debate around Net Zero has become more political than practical.He's joined by Professor Rebecca Willis from the University of Manchester, environmental lawyer and Uplift Executive Director Tessa Khan, and architect Smith Mordak to discuss how Britain can prepare for a warmer future and whether the country is running out of time.
Join ASHRAE Journal Editor Drew Champlin as he interviews David Traxler, P.E., Member ASHRAE, about his award-winning article "Analysis of 50 Energy Efficient Net Zero Energy Buildings.” The conversation delves into the patterns Traxler found through studying existing net zero energy buildings and how these findings can be applied to current and future buildings.
In this episode, we speak with Claudia Huegel, Senior Director, Head of ESG Rating and Reporting, Lufthansa Group, who shares how one of the world's oldest and largest airline groups threads sustainability through its strategy, its reporting, and, increasingly, its relationship with the passenger.She discusses:The near-term levers to decarbonising by 2030: Why fleet renewal does the heaviest lifting this decade, delivering 15-25% efficiency gains per aircraft.The green fares story: How Lufthansa became the first airline group in the world to launch a dedicated sustainable fare, trialling it in the Nordics with a 20% SAF and 80% climate-project mix, and growing adoption from below 1% to around 5% over roughly three years.Making SAF visible: How the group turns fuel farms at Frankfurt into branded signage, runs SAF marketing through Lufthansa Cargo, and structures bulk SAF deals with corporate customers.Mandates versus incentives: Why the ReFuelEU 2% obligation was met in molecules in 2025 but largely with imported fuel, why she suspects incentives build supply better than mandates, and her call for ETS revenue to be reinvested in SAF infrastructure.If you LOVED this episode, you'll also love the conversation we had with Lahiru Ranasinghe, Director of Sustainability at easyJet, who shares what it takes to move a major low-cost carrier from a sustainability blueprint to real-world results. Check it out here.Learn more about the innovators who are navigating the industry's challenges to make sustainable aviation a reality, in our new book ‘Sustainability in the Air: Volume 2'. Click here to learn more.Feel free to reach out via email to podcast@simpliflying.com. For more content on sustainable aviation, visit our website green.simpliflying.com and join the movement. It's about time.Links & More:Climate and Environment - Lufthansa Group Green Fares: More sustainable air travel - Lufthansa Fly more sustainably - Lufthansa Lufthansa Group sees ‘growing demand' for sustainable fares - Business Travel News EuropeLufthansa Passengers offset 710,000 tonnes of CO2 through climate program - ESG Today
Get in touch - leave me a messageAI isn't weightless. Every model, token, and workflow sits on land, water, power, heat, and governance choices.In this episode of Climate Confident, I'm joined by Sophia Mendelsohn, who leads SAP's Global Sustainability Platform. We look at AI not as abstract software, but as physical infrastructure with real consequences for climate tech, decarbonisation, the energy transition, policy, and the businesses racing to use it.You'll hear why data centres now sit at the centre of the sustainability conversation. Treat AI as “just software” and you defer the hard questions: where the power comes from, how water is used, how communities respond, and who is accountable when emissions reduction promises meet infrastructure reality.We dig into how sustainability teams can move beyond PDFs and carbon accounting, and into procurement, supplier data, financial planning, and board-level AI decisions. Scope 3 comes up too - including the awkward truth that asking suppliers for data does not mean you'll get usable answers.You might be shocked by how AI could shift the balance of power: from waiting for disclosures to calculating baselines, testing assumptions, and making better net zero decisions before systems lock in.
Science · Navigating Net Zero
Singapore is one of the smallest countries in the world, yet plays a unique role as one of Asia's main financial and oil refining hubs. So how is it using its influence to help or hinder the transition? Ravi Menon has spent his career at the heart of Singapore's economic and financial strategy, serving as Managing Director of the Monetary Authority of Singapore (the country's central bank) before becoming the country's Ambassador for Climate Action. In this conversation with Michael Liebreich, Menon explains why Asia's energy transition will follow a different path from the West. With growing energy demand, dependence on coal and the need for affordable and reliable power, the challenge is not just building clean energy but replacing the systems already in place. They discuss Singapore's role in shaping Asia's future energy system, from cross-border electricity trade and new financing models to carbon markets, electric vehicles and the growing link between energy security and the move away from fossil fuels. Topics include: Why Asia's path to net zero will look different from the West Singapore's unique challenges with decarbonization How growing economies can move past coal How to fund Asia's enormous climate transition The future role of carbon markets in climate action The link between energy security and the shift to clean energy Singapore's role as a catalyst for regional decarbonisation Newsletter: Sign up to the Cleaning Up newsletter at cleaninguppod.substack.com, for all the latest from the show, including new episodes of our Deep Dive Australia series. Leadership Circle: Cleaning Up is proud to be supported by its Leadership Circle. The members are Actis, Alcazar Energy, Arup, Copenhagen Infrastructure Partners, Cygnum Capital, Davidson Kempner, Ecopragma Capital, EDP, Eurelectric, the Gilardini Foundation, KKR, Mitsubishi Heavy Industries, National Grid, Octopus Energy, Quadrature Climate Foundation, Schneider Electric, SDCL and Wärtsilä. For more information about the Leadership Circle, visit cleaningup.live Links: Ravi Menon's bio: https://www.impactsg.org/board/ravi-menon Fast-P Fund: https://www.fast-partnership.com/ Dr Ma Jun on Cleaning Up: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Fu6giWzTxAY Mark Carney on Cleaning Up: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HtA5ufMzKAU Pierre Wunsch on Cleaning Up: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r2xS5e5EGEg Rachel Kyte on Cleaning Up: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V1m2lm2n_EE The Asian Development Bank: https://www.adb.org/what-we-do/topics/climate-change/overview CDM - Clean Development Mechanism: https://unfccc.int/process-and-meetings/the-kyoto-protocol/mechanisms-under-the-kyoto-protocol/the-clean-development-mechanism •GFANZ - Glasgow Financial Alliance for Net Zero https://www.gfanzero.com/
Get in touch - leave me a messageWhat if electrification is no longer just a climate solution — but an energy security strategy?In this episode of Climate Confident, I'm joined by Gavin Mooney, an independent energy transition advisor working across utilities, electrification, and energy markets. We look at Australia as a live test case for the energy transition: a country rich in coal, gas, sunshine, and wind, yet still exposed through imported diesel, freight, mining, agriculture, and long-distance transport. That contradiction matters. For climate tech, decarbonisation, net zero, emissions reduction, and policy, it changes the frame from “cleaner energy” to “who controls the energy system?”You'll hear why rooftop solar has become normal in Australia, with more than one in three homes now generating power from the roof, and why home batteries are scaling faster than many expected. We dig into how storage is changing the economics of solar, why virtual power plants are running into a trust problem rather than a technology problem, and why smart tariffs may prove more effective than utilities trying to take control of assets people bought themselves.You might be shocked to learn how quickly diesel vulnerability can reshape thinking on EVs, electric trucking, and resilience. We also touch on India, Pakistan, Nigeria, Lebanon, Ethiopia, Nepal, and Vietnam — places where the energy transition is moving in ways that rarely make the headlines, but absolutely should.