Episódios
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In today's episode I have the pleasure of talking to Riccardo Mastini - Riccardo is a a PhD candidate in Political Ecology and Ecological Economics at the Institute of Environmental Science and Technology (ICTA) at the Autonomous University of Barcelona.
The topic sounded extremely interesting, particularly since Riccardo is at the forefront of academic research into degrowth - the idea that we need to transform our society to optimize the well-being of everybody and sustain the natural basis of life.
Apart from studying degrowth, Riccardo is a Member of the Green New Deal for Europe and the Wellbeing Economic Alliance. He has also consulted the United Nations Environment Programme, several environmental agencies across the world and a lot of international NGOs.
Our podcast was quite detailed and had an academic feel to it. It does require a bit of focus, but the explanations are so nuanced and in-depth that it's a worthy listen.
We discussed how his PhD intersects with climate change, we delved deeper into degrowth, we looked at why we cannot continue to grow and decarbonize at the same time (at a meaningful rate anyway) and we explored the intricacies of the Green New Deal with a focus on Europe.
Hope you enjoy this episode, let's dive right in!
RICCARDO'S RELEVANT LINKS
Riccardo’s website: https://rmastini.wixsite.com/degrowth
Riccardo’s Facebook account: https://www.facebook.com/r.mastini
Riccardo’s Twitter account: https://twitter.com/r_mastini
EPISODE TIMECODES
3:47 - Riccardo's background, PhD & how it intersects with climate change
10:50 - Defining the concept of degrowth
21:04 - Is degrowth necessary to decarbonize?
32:24 - The European Green New Deal & its challenges
50:09 - Science vs Business vs Politics vs Society
RESOURCES MENTIONED
Friends of the Earth Europe’s report ‘Sufficiency: Moving beyond the gospel of eco-efficiency’: http://www.foeeurope.org/sufficiency
Post-Growth Conference 2018 at the European Parliament: https://www.postgrowth2018.eu/
Institute of Environmental Science and Technology, Autonomous University of Barcelona: https://ictaweb.uab.cat/
Green New Deal for Europe: https://www.gndforeurope.com/campaign
Research & Degrowth: https://degrowth.org/
Wellbeing Economy Alliance: https://wellbeingeconomy.org/
Center for the Advancement of the Steady State Economy: https://steadystate.org/
Degrowth.info: https://www.degrowth.info/en/
Is Green Growth Possible?: https://static1.squarespace.com/static/59bc0e610abd04bd1e067ccc/t/5cbdc638b208fc1c56f785a7/1555940922601/Hickel+and+Kallis+-+Is+Green+Growth+Possible.pdf
Decoupling debunked: https://eeb.org/library/decoupling-debunked/
A Good Life For All Within Planetary Boundaries: https://goodlife.leeds.ac.uk/
The EU needs a stability and wellbeing pact, not more growth: https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2018/sep/16/the-eu-needs-a-stability-and-wellbeing-pact-not-more-growth
World Scientists’ Warning of a Climate Emergency: https://academic.oup.com/bioscience/article/70/1/8/5610806
IPCC Low Energy Demand scenario: https://www.nature.com/articles/s41560-018-0172-6
Tradable Energy Quotas scheme: https://www.flemingpolicycentre.org.uk/teqs/
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Today You've Been Warmed episode features Peter Kalmus - a NASA climate scientist very well-known for his activism, particularly in the way he completely changed his lifestyle to drastically reduce his individual emissions (and those of his family).
Peter is very outspoken about the need to act on climate change with urgency and I wanted to get his take on solutions both from his standpoint as a scientist, but also as a human being. It's not a coincidence that his Twitter handle is @ClimateHuman.
We approached the topic of 2 degrees warming and what that would mean for our world, particularly the way in which he frames the discussion for himself starting from the unknown unknowns when it comes to tipping points and other consequences of warming.
We spoke about individual changes and their importance, how we can remove more CO2 from the atmosphere and why climate change is the "perfect" problem for mankind.
Finally we dove into the Green New Deal, why he supports this initiative and why this election cycle is extremely important in shaping our fight to preserve the planet.
PETER'S RELEVANT LINKS
Peter's Twitter - https://twitter.com/ClimateHuman
Earth Hero App - https://www.earthhero.org/
'Being the Change: Live Well and Spark a Climate Revolution' Book - https://peterkalmus.net/books/read-by-chapter-being-the-change/
TIMECODES
3:02 - Peter's Background & Working At NASA
9:21 - What 2°C Warming Means For The Planet
13:33 - Individual Action & Climate Change
18:28 - Removing CO2 From The Atmosphere
29:49 - Electric Planes & Electricity Usage
33:40 - The Case For A Green New Deal
46:38 - A Final Message For Listeners
LINKS MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE
Jim Hansen - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/James_Hansen
Heartland Institute - https://www.heartland.org/
Ben Gerhold - https://www.linkedin.com/in/benjamingerhold/
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Today's You've Been Warmed episode features Max Boykoff - The Director of the Center For Science & Technology Policy Research at the University of Colorado Boulder.
Max also researches & teaches science-policy & society at the same University and he is the author of 'Creative (Climate) Communications' - a book that examines what mix of communication strategies can be effective in inspiring people to take action on climate change in an effort to recapture a common ground on the topic within the public arena.
Throughout the episode Max impressed me with very thoughtful and well articulated answers that give a balanced view on climate communication while not offering a silver bullet that can solve everything. Instead he advocates for a 'silver buckshot' approach where a number of strategies reach different audiences in different contexts.
We spoke at large about the role the media plays and how it covers the effects of climate change - in fact one of the projects Max leads, called the 'Media and Climate Change Observatory' analyses this quantitatively and qualitative, which uniquely positions him to give an informed observation on the topic.
We dove into why authenticity and accuracy when it comes to communicating the effects of climate change is extremely important, but why we also have to combine that with inspiring visions & stories that can get people to take action rather than make them feel lonely and hopeless. We also spoke about the role that humor plays in climate communication and how it can erase some of the partisan issues that might arise from approaching the subject.
I probably cannot do this episode justice by trying to summarise the points more here, so I invite you to have a listen to our chat!
MAX'S RELEVANT LINKS
Max's Twitter - https://twitter.com/boykoff
'Creative (Climate) Communications' Book - https://www.cambridge.org/us/academic/subjects/earth-and-environmental-science/environmental-policy-economics-and-law/creative-climate-communications-productive-pathways-science-policy-and-society?format=PB&isbn=9781316646823
TIMECODES (to be changed)
3:50 - His Background & Climate Journey
8:57 - How Is Climate Change Perceived Now?
17:10 - What Is The Balance Between Fear And Solutions
22:52 - Using Storytelling, Humor, Authenticity & More
32:10 - How Well Do Climate Activists Communicate?
38:12 - Science vs Society vs Politics vs Business
RELEVANT LINKS FROM THIS EPISODE
Katharine Hayhoe - https://twitter.com/KHayhoe
Ed Maibach - https://twitter.com/maibached
Media and Climate Change Observatory - https://sciencepolicy.colorado.edu/icecaps/research/media_coverage/index.html
'Inside The Greenhouse' at University of Colorado Boulder - https://insidethegreenhouse.org/
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This episode of You've Been Warmed features Chris Adams - one of the directors of the Green Web Foundation, an organizer for ClimateAction.Tech and founder of a small consultancy called Greening.Digital
As an avid techie, Chris is extremely knowledgeable when it comes to web technology and its implications for climate change. Because everything we use in our digital infrastructure is based on data centers - of which a lot run on energy derived from fossil fuels - it's important to understand how we can replace the source of that energy with renewables.
It's obviously an extremely complex topic to talk about, which is why Chris' pragmatic and informed approach was so educational. He took me through the various decisions that any company makes when deciding on hosting (and the inherent trade-offs that come with that), as well as what percentages of online domains currently run on renewable energy (and how that has evolved over the past year). There was an interesting discussion regarding web hosting providers and how the oligopoly formed by Microsoft, Google and Amazon is extremely difficult to tackle.
We then dove into a fascinating topic that involved how companies treat their emissions reductions for Scopes 1,2 and 3, how precisely they calculate those emissions and what kind of 'accounting' tricks they might pull to paint a different picture. We contrasted the approach that Stripe has taken vs that of Amazon and we ended up discussing greenwashing and how Corporate Social Responsibility is dealt with in various companies across the world.
Finally, Chris delivered a great summary on ClimateAction.Tech - a community I highly encourage all of my listeners to join as it has a lot of value & interesting people to connect with.
Let's dive straight in - let me know if you enjoy this one!
CHRIS' RELEVANT LINKS
Chris' Twitter - https://twitter.com/mrchrisadams
Green Web Foundation - https://www.thegreenwebfoundation.org/
ClimateAction.Tech - https://climateaction.tech/
Greening Digital - https://greening.digital/
TIMECODES
3:50 - Chris' Background & Involvement In The Climate Space
5:00 - Why Do We Need To Make The Web 'Greener'?
8:00 - How Can Companies Reduce Emissions From Their Digital Operations?
14:53 - The Google, Microsoft & Amazon Web Hosting Oligopoly
22:05 - Stripe vs Amazon + Scope 1,2 & 3 Emissions
32:00 - Greenwashing & CSR Within Companies
36:05 - The ClimateAction.Tech Community & Its Value
42:15 - Science vs Business vs Politics vs Society
LINKS MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE
The Energy Transition Show - https://xenetwork.org/ets/
Map Camp Conference - https://www.map-camp.com/
Digital Ocean -https://www.digitalocean.com/
Increment Magazine Stripe Article - https://increment.com/energy-environment/stripes-carbon-neutral-journey/
AMEE - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Avoiding_Mass_Extinctions_Engine
Tomorrow's Electricity Map - https://www.tmrow.com/
HBR Piece About CSR - https://hbr.org/2015/01/the-truth-about-csr
Ungleich - ungleich.ch
Data Center Light - https://datacenterlight.ch/
Heated.World - https://heated.world/
Creatives For Climate - https://www.linkedin.com/company/creatives-for-climate/
Climate Outreach -https://climateoutreach.org/
Climate Kic - https://www.climate-kic.org/
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Today's You've Been Warmed episode features Asim Hussain - Green Cloud Advocacy Lead at Microsoft. Asim is a developer, trainer, published author and conference speaker with almost 20 years of experience in the tech space with stints at the European Space Agency, Google and now Microsoft. He also teaches tech course on Udemy - an online course marketplace - where he has over 37,000 students.
Asim is also an organizer for Climate Action Tech - an online community of people who work in the tech sector and want to change companies from within, particularly when it comes to addressing climate change.
You might think initially - 'What does it mean to be a green cloud advocate?' - usually when we think about the cloud & the internet in general, we perceive them as intangible, not as something that would have an immediate impact on the environment. It turns out, however, that cloud computing accounts for about 3% of our total greenhouse gas emissions - which is roughly the same as the entire aviation industry.
Asim was very eloquent in explaining how we can reduce these emissions, as well as developing applications that consume less (and are more efficient). We also discussed Microsoft's recent net zero by 2030 announcement along with their Sustainability Calculator and how they identify their Scope 1,2 and 3 emissions throughout their entire supply chain and plan to address them each. Finally, we dove into Climate Action Tech, why people who feel lonely in the fight against climate change should join and how the community supports every member and organizes to create positive changes.
ASIM & CLIMATE ACTION TECH LINKS
Asim's Website - https://asim.dev/
Asim's Twitter Profile - https://twitter.com/jawache
Climate Action Tech Website - https://climateaction.tech/
TIMECODES
6:42 - His Background & How It Led To His Green Cloud Advocacy Position
11:30 - What Does It Mean To Be A Green Cloud Developer
16:47 - The Environmental Impact Of Cloud Computing
20:16 - Can You Track This Externality?
22:35 - Microsoft's Net Zero Target & Sustainability Calculator
25:30 - Scope 1,2 And 3 Emissions
32:25 - The Climate Action Tech Community (CAT)
38:50 - Science vs Business vs Politics vs Society
RELEVANT LINKS MENTIONED
Microsoft's Net Zero by 2030 announcement - https://blogs.microsoft.com/blog/2020/01/16/microsoft-will-be-carbon-negative-by-2030/
Microsoft's Sustainability Calculator - https://appsource.microsoft.com/en-us/product/power-bi/coi-sustainability.sustainability_dashboard
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Today's You've Been Warmed episode welcomes Dave Borlace - a growing YouTube star when it comes to the climate change conversation.
Dave produces videos on his YouTube Channel - Just Have A Think - where he educates his over 50,000 subscribers on various topics related to climate change. The reason his content is so valuable is because he manages to condense heavy amounts of information into medium-sized videos - about 10-15 minutes long - which are easily digestible.
Not everybody can read scientific papers and synthesize information, and not everybody has the time to research as much. I'm personally a big fan of his channel, having watched a lot of the content and found amazing insights in his videos detailing the IPCC 1.5 degree report, nuclear technology or the latest developments in battery tech.
It was a pleasure to speak to Dave about his channel and his content creation process. We also dove deep into the individual changes he made to offset his own emissions, how important social movements are to creating lasting change, the difference between the Western world and developing countries when it comes to climate change, as well as the Nuclear vs Renewables debate.
We also produced a video version of this episode which is available on Dave's YouTube channel - unfortunately I managed to only record his screen, so you won't be able to see me. Hopefully I'll learnt my lesson for the next video interview I do.
I highly recommend watching or listening to the interview and definitely consider subscribing to Dave's channel and becoming a Patron - supporting high quality content around climate change will help him dedicate more time and educate more people about this crucial topic.
DAVE'S RELEVANT LINKS
'Just Have A Think' YouTube Channel - https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCRBwLPbXGsI2cJe9W1zfSjQ
'Just Have A Think' Patreon Page - https://www.patreon.com/justhaveathink
TIMECODES
3:40 - Dave's Background, How He Learned About Climate Change & Started His YouTube Channel
10:30 Dave's Content creation process
17:40 - Individual Changes That Reduce Emissions - How Easy Are They To Implement?
27:50 - What About Systemic Change From Collective Action?
33:10 - Western Nations vs The Developing World
38:25 - The Path To Net-Zero Emissions - How Do We Get There?
44:24 - The Nuclear vs Renewables Debate
55:04 - Business vs Science vs Politics vs Society
RESOURCES MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE
Dave's DIY Videos - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O1wsfciQMOM
'A farewell to ice' by Peter Wadhams - https://www.amazon.com/Farewell-Ice-Peter-Wadhams/dp/0241009413
Zack Labe - https://twitter.com/ZLabe
Udemy - https://www.udemy.com/
Triodos Bank - https://www.triodos.com/
Impossible Foods - https://impossiblefoods.com/
Roger Hallam - https://www.rogerhallam.com/
Extinction Rebellion - https://rebellion.earth/
Fridays For Future - https://www.fridaysforfuture.org/
Sunrise Movement - https://www.sunrisemovement.org/
Michael Gove - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Michael_Gove
IPCC 1.5 Degree Report - https://www.ipcc.ch/sr15/
Kevin Anderson - https://twitter.com/KevinClimate
JHAT Negative Emissions Video - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nbbUDnk79G4
Molten-Salt Reactors - https://www.world-nuclear.org/information-library/current-and-future-generation/molten-salt-reactors.aspx
Joshua Rhodes Episode - https://www.youvebeenwarmed.com/episodes/10-improving-energy-infrastructure-and-transmission-for-better-renewables-adoption-joshua-rhodes
Mike Kirby Episode - https://www.youvebeenwarmed.com/episodes/15-the-evolution-of-residential-solar-mike-kirby-lumina-solar
Jyri Engestrom Episode - https://www.youvebeenwarmed.com/episodes/the-ww2-inspired-mobilization-to-decarbonize-our-economy-w-jyri-engestrom-co-founder-yes-vc
Zack Exley - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zack_Exley
Committed Emissions - https://www.nature.com/articles/s41586-019-1364-3
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Today on You've Been Warmed we dive deep into Aclima - a San Francisco-based company that aims to build a more environmentally intelligent society. They do this by deploying region-wide sensors at scale - both mobile and stationary - which map out air quality at previously impossible scales and with much much better precision. The result is an entire range of data that can is analysed by communities, regulators and local authorities and helps back their decision making with solid, tested data.
Joining me from Aclima was their VP of Strategy and Business Development - Robert Muphy. I was impressed by how fast and concise he could explain seemingly complex topics and really put the pieces of the puzzle together in a very easy to understand way.
We discusses his background in the energy sector and what got him to work for a company that aims to tackle climate change and its effects, we explored exactly how the technology behind Aclima works, how their data can help clients and what their plans are for scaling their operations, particularly since countries like China are already severely affected by very poor air quality.
ROBERT & ACLIMA'S LINKS
Robert's LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/rjmurphy/
Aclima Website - https://aclima.io/
Aclima Twitter - https://twitter.com/aclima
Aclima Careers Page - https://aclima.io/careers/
Mapping Air Quality and Greenhouse Gases on Every Block in the Bay Area - https://blog.aclima.io/mapping-air-quality-on-every-block-in-the-bay-area-2ad420092b30
TIMECODES
3:11 - Robert's Background & How He Started Working At Aclima
6:20 - How Air Sensing Technology Has Evolved Over The Past Decade
9:02 - What Insights Does Their Data Produce?
13:49 - How Are The Sensors Deployed?
16:03 - Their Plans To Scale Their Operations This Year & Beyond
18:28 - How Do Their Mobile Stations Work
20:14 - Competitors & Mapping Air Quality in China
24:59 - Science vs Business vs Politics vs Society
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Today's You've Been Warmed episode features Vinay Gupta - Founder & CEO of Mattereum - a blockchain startup that creates digital identities for the world's physical goods.
Vinay is also really well known for his humanitarian efforts - he created the 'hexayurt' structure which is a great option for providing refugees with shelter and scaling humanitarian response, he has worked extensively with the Rocky Mountain Institute and was also the release coordinator for the Ethereum project - the second largest cryptocurrency by market cap in the world, after Bitcoin.
I have to say Vinay is one of the most intelligent and well-spoken people you could probably meet and I have been following him closely since my early days in the crypto space.
In this episode, we addressed the main issue that Mattereum aims to address - making consumption more efficient. For those who are not aware of the specifics of blockchain, Vinay made a great summary that explains the value of the technology and why it's needed moving forward. We also discussed how the world could manage carbon emissions with blockchain technology and the current vs future emissions of blockchains.
Finally, we dove into Mattereum - how they aim to create a digital identity for the world's physical goods, what this means in practical terms, what new use-cases and consumption efficiencies this will generate and how it will ultimately lead to a world with much less waste.
Vinay is a visionary and has both an interesting past & a encouraging vision for the future. Highly recommend listening to this until the end. Let's get into it.
VINAY & MATTEREUM LINKS
Mattereum Website - https://mattereum.com/
Vinay's Twitter - https://twitter.com/leashless
MyHope For The World - http://myhopeforthe.world/
The Cutting Machinery - http://thecuttingmachinery.com/
TIMECODES
3:51 - Vinay's Background & Humanitarian Efforts
12:26 - His Work With Ethereum & The Blockchain Space
19:33 - How To Manage Carbon Emissions With Blockchain
21:21 - Current vs Future Carbon Emissions Of Blockchains
23:04 - Overconsumption And The IPCW Model
28:54 - What Is Mattereum All About?
31:56 - Why Blockchain Is Required In This Solution
33:04 - The Future & Vision Of Mattereum
38:12 - Science vs Business vs Politics vs Society
46:35 - The Role Of Meditation In The Individual Approach To Climate Change
RESOURCES MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE
E-Gold - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/E-gold
Hexayurt - http://hexayurt.com/
Consensys - https://consensys.net/
Rocky Mountain Institute - https://rmi.org/
Shift Pod - https://shiftpod.com/shiftpod/
CAP Theorem - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/CAP_theorem
Proof Of Work - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Proof_of_work
Proof Of Stake - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Proof_of_stake
Whole-Systems Framework for Sustainable Consumption and Production (IPCW Model) - http://www.files.howtolivewiki.com/A%20Whole%20Systems%20Framework%20for%20Sustainable%20Production%20and%20Consumption.pdf
Nori - https://nori.com/
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In this episode I had the pleasure to speak to Zack Labe - a PhD candidate in the Department of Earth System Science at The University of California Irvine.
Zack's research revolves around the warming of the Arctic region and the degree to which sea ice varies every year. His work is quite popular especially on Twitter particularly because he creates really interesting graphs and GIFs which showcase the science in a visually compelling way that helps drive across the findings of his research.
I wanted to chat to Zack to better understand the dynamics of warming within the Arctic, what the seasonal melting and freezing of sea ice actually means, which factors contribute to sea level rise and essentially how scientists work with climate models to analyse the present situation and try to model the future. We also looked at tipping points which is a hot topic particularly if we cross 2 degrees of warming.
We spoke quite a bit about the power behind visualizing climate science and I'll make sure to link some of Zack's work in the show notes.
To me this conversation shed a ton of light on what scientists do day-to-day, how we can interpret their work and how important it is to understanding the extent to which people are already affected by climate change.
ZACK'S RELEVANT LINKS
Twitter Profile - https://twitter.com/ZLabe
Website - https://sites.uci.edu/zlabe/
TIMECODES
3:55 - His Background & How He Became a Climate Scientist
11:54 - How The Arctic Warming & Sea Ice Variations Affect The Rest Of The World
16:01 - Tipping Points In The Arctic
22:32 - What Factors Lead To Overall Sea Level Rise?
24:32 - How Climate Models Work & His Interest In Visualizations
38:14 - How People In The Arctic Are Already Affected By Climate Change
42:26 - Science Vs Business vs Politics vs Society
RESOURCES DISCUSSED IN THIS EPISODE
Earth system science - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Earth_system_science
The impact of Arctic warming on the midlatitude jetstream: Can it? Has it? Will it? - https://core.ac.uk/download/pdf/43094399.pdf
Some of Zack's first Twitter graphs - https://twitter.com/ZLabe/status/732325142383091712
https://twitter.com/ZLabe/status/752884095210827776
Zack's most viral tweet - https://twitter.com/ZLabe/status/967838618252320768
And his hometown newspaper covering it - https://www.pennlive.com/news/2018/02/harrisburg-area_scientist_is_b.html
Multiple line graphs - https://twitter.com/ZLabe/status/1194296254240415746
Ed Hawkins' stripes - https://showyourstripes.info/
Ed Hawkins' climate spiral - https://twitter.com/ed_hawkins/status/1136208796810960897?lang=en
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Today's You've Been Warmed episode features an amazing guest - Elizabeth Wathuti - a climate activist from Kenya. She is the founder of the Green Generation Initiative which has helped plant over 30,000 trees in Kenya whilst educating children about climate change and its impacts.
She is also the recipient of the Wangari Maathai scholarship award - named after the hero she never managed to meet - for her commitment to conserving the environment.
Alongside Adenike Oladosu who was on the show before and Vanessa Nakate, she is one of the most well-known African activists, having participated and given talks at the recent COP25 conference in Madrid.
It was once again fascinating to talk to someone who is so involved in an African country - this time in Kenya - because as Westerners we feel that climate impacts are somewhere far away in time, when in reality they are far away geographically. Africa is already feeling the effects of climate change in a significant way.
We discussed how floods and droughts are affecting food crops, how kids in schools often rely on humanitarian aid to be able to eat, how they experience eco-anxiety because for them it is literally a matter of life and death and how she hopes to draw more attention to the region and get the international community to support Kenya and other African countries in adapting to the effects of climate change.
You probably know by now that I'm very passionate about giving this part of the world a significant voice, so enjoy listening to this episode and if you liked it as much as I did, do share it around and spread the word about Elizabeth's work.
ELIZABETH'S RELEVANT LINKS
Twitter - https://twitter.com/lizwathuti
Facebook Page - https://m.facebook.com/lizmazingira/
Website - http://www.lizmazingira.com/
Green Generation Initiative Website - https://greengenerationinitiative.org/
TIMECODES
3:40 - Her Background & How She Became An Activist
9:57 - The Green Generation Initiative
16:11 - The Impacts Of Climate Change In Kenya
22:32 - Why Kenyans Experience Eco-Anxiety
26:44 - Her Takeaways From COP25 In Madrid
29:38 - Her Outlook Towards COP26 In Glasgow
33:17 - Science vs Business vs Politics vs Society
35:45 - Elizabeth's Powerful Message To The World
RESOURCES MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE
Professor Wangari Maathai - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wangari_Maathai
'Unbowed: A Memoir' book by Wangari Maathai - https://www.amazon.com/Unbowed-Memoir-Wangari-Maathai/dp/0307275205
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Today's You've Been Warmed episode is one of the most impressive thus far. I had the pleasure to speak to Jyri Engeström - a Finnish serial entrepreneur and investor, currently based in Silicon Valley. He is the co-founder of YES VC - a pre-seed and seed stage fund focused on companies at the vanguard of movements.
Before becoming an investor, Jyri had an impressive career as an entrepreneur, having founded Jaiku (which was acquired by Google) and Ditto (which was acquired by GroupOn).
At Yes VC, because of their investment focus on companies that can become social movements, it's extremely apparent how climate change comes into focus and represents a large part of what they're looking for.
I must confess that I wasn't expecting the turn that the first half of the interview took - Jyri made parallels between the climate crisis and WW2 with impeccable detail and references, he showed inspiring optimism that we can mobilise to tackle climate change and he laid out a compelling case as to how businesses, government & the society at large have to come together to realise that vision.
We then explored how climate change is becoming a priority for founders in Silicon Valley and how much that has changed recently, what they look at in terms of the companies they invest in and the thought process that goes behind that, as well as the sectors that he thinks require a lot of investment. There were also some deep philosophical thoughts and quotes towards the end, but I won't spoil that for you now.
I highly recommend that you tune into this one with your full attention, I promise it will not dissapoint.
JYRI & YES VC RELEVANT LINKS
Jyri's Twitter - https://twitter.com/jyri
Jyri's LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/jyriengestrom/
Yes VC Website - https://yes.vc/
TIMECODES (to be corrected)
3:54 - His Background & Why He's a Climate Optimist
8:05 - Climate Scenarios Looking Forward & What Urgency We Need To Have
10:04 - Why We Need An Effort Comparative To The World War 2 Mobilization
17:13 - How Government & Businesses Need To Work Together
23:33 - The Rise Of Attention To Climate Change In Silicon Valley
28:28 - VC Challenges & What They Look For When Investing In Companies
35:20 - A Startup Example That Can Help Tackle Climate Change
39:43 - What Are The Areas That Require Massive Investment
52:17 - Science vs Business vs Politics vs Society
RESOURCES MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE
True Ventures - https://trueventures.com/
Caterina Fake - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Caterina_Fake
Flickr - https://www.flickr.com/
Kickstarter - https://www.kickstarter.com/
Etsy - https://www.etsy.com/
Bluebottle Coffee - https://bluebottlecoffee.com/
Saul Griffith - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Saul_Griffith
'It’s too late for a carbon tax—it’s time for a world war against climate change' by Saul Griffith - https://www.fastcompany.com/90423806/its-too-late-for-a-carbon-tax-its-time-for-a-world-war-against-climate-change
Kelly Wanser - https://twitter.com/kellywanser
Slush Conference - https://www.slush.org/
Sundance Film Festival - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sundance_Film_Festival
Gamechangers Documentary - https://gamechangersmovie.com/
Saudi Aramco - https://www.saudiaramco.com/
'The Demon-Haunted World' Book by Carl Sagan - https://www.amazon.com/Demon-Haunted-World-Science-Candle-Dark-ebook/dp/B004W0I00Q
The Manhattan Project - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Manhattan_Project
Alex Laskey (Rewiring America co-author) - https://www.ted.com/talks/alex_laskey_how_behavioral_science_can_lower_your_energy_bill?language=en
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Today's You've Been Warmed episode features Roger Hallam one of the co-founders of Extinction Rebellion - the mass civil disobedience movement that started in the UK which is credited by a lot of people for spreading awareness of our current climate crisis.
Roger was kind enough to give his time and jump on a pod with me. It's important to state that he did so in a personal capacity, so everything you will hear on this episode is his personal opinion and not the opinions expressed by Extinction Rebellion as an organization.
I knew Roger would be a fascinating guest to interview since I read his manifesto - Common Sense for The 21st Century. It was fascinating to dive into the thinking behind Extinction Rebellion - why they do what they do, how they build up a culture that can sustain their mission and stay within the peaceful protest they practice and also what concrete solutions they plan to bring forward so that people can have a say in how we make decisions in our democracies.
The entire conversation offers an interesting perspective which Roger believes constitutes a complete paradigm shift from how our society currently functions. I was pleasantly surprised at how he answered some of my follow-up questions, especially when it came to concrete solutions and forms of communication & organization which blend in-person debates with modern technology communication.
ROGER'S SOCIAL MEDIA LINKS
Roger's Website - https://www.rogerhallam.com/
Roger's Personal Twitter - https://twitter.com/RogerHallamCS21
His Book "Common Sense For The 21st Century" - https://www.amazon.com/Common-Sense-21st-Century-Nonviolent/dp/1645020002
TIMECODES
3:06 - Roger’s Background & The Research That Contributed To XR
8:20 - How They Cultivated The Culture They Wanted Within XR
12:27 - Their Expectations Before Launching XR & How They Were Met
16:02 - His Reponse To Recent Scientific Projections Of Warming By 2100
20:48 - What % Of People Do You Need For Civil Resistance To Work
26:00 - Why Citizens’ Assemblies Are The Solution After Generating Awareness
31:00 - An Example Of A Successful Citizens’ Assembly
35:38 - How Social Change Happens Through Human Emotion40:14 - Society vs Politics Vs Business vs Science
44:09 - His Message To ListenersRESOURCES MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE
Extinction Rebellion - https://rebellion.earth/
'Why Civil Resistance Works' Book - https://www.amazon.com/Why-Civil-Resistance-Works-Nonviolent/dp/0231156839
Citizens' assembly - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Citizens%27_assembly
Complexity Theory - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Complexity_theory_and_organizations
Fridays For Future - https://www.fridaysforfuture.org/
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Today's episode of You've Been Warmed features John Cook - the founder of the very well-known website skepticalscience.com - an amazing resource that debunks the various myths that climate change deniers proliferate online.
John founded Skeptical Science because he had amassed an encyclopedia's worth of climate change myths which he actively sought to debunk by using peer-reviewed scientific papers. He later studied a PhD in the cognitive psychology of misinformation in order to better understand the levers behind denial - not just in the climate space but also in areas such as vaccines or tobacco - and come up with frameworks that successfully educate people on the science of climate change.
John is currently publishing a book called "Cranky Uncle vs Climate Change" where he uses cartoons, humor and all his accumulated knowledge to create a valuable resource that anybody can turn to when debating climate change deniers. He also crowdfunded the development of a Cranky Uncle mobile app which uses gamification in conjunction with all the content to educate as many people as possible.
In this episode we spoke about his background, we approached various techniques that deniers use, explored the role that humor plays and looked at how each of us can develop critical thinking to the point where we can manage these debates successfully.
I really admire John's work and I hope you find this episode as educational as I have. Let's tune in!
CRANKY UNCLE & JOHN'S LINKS
'Cranky Uncle vs Climate Change' Book - https://www.amazon.com/Cranky-Uncle-vs-Climate-Change/dp/0806540273
Cranky Uncle Website - https://crankyuncle.com/
Cranky Uncle Twitter - https://twitter.com/crankyuncles
John's Twitter - https://twitter.com/johnfocook
Skeptical Science Website - https://skepticalscience.com/
TIMECODES
3:27 - His Background & Interest In Climate Change
6:19 - The Story Behind SkepticalScience.com
10:42 - Public Debates With Climate Change Deniers
15:11 - How He Adapted His Content Based On Feedback & Empirical Research
17:42 - What Cranky Uncle Is All About
21:29 - The Slippery Slope Fallacy & Examples In Practice
26:44 - What Role Does Humor Play As A Tool For Science Communicators?
31:44 - FLICC - The Common Elements Of Climate Change Denial
36:06 - How To Use Critical Thinking In A Debate
42:20 - Science Vs Society Vs Politics Vs BusinessRESOURCES MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE
'The Debunking Handbook' by Stephan Lewandowsky - https://skepticalscience.com/Debunking-Handbook-now-freely-available-download.html
Refutation by parallel arguments - https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s10503-008-9109-8
Slippery slope fallacy - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Slippery_slope
'If Trump were a climate communicator' cartoon - https://twitter.com/johnfocook/status/1224797841534550017
'Making Sense Of Climate Science Denial' Online Course - https://www.edx.org/course/making-sense-of-climate-science-denial
'Merchants of Doubt' Book - https://www.amazon.com/Merchants-Doubt-Handful-Scientists-Obscured/dp/1608193942
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Landon Brand is the co-founder of Project Wren - a startup which makes it easy for anybody to offset their carbon emissions, essentially negating their individual footprint. They have a simple and intuitive way of calculating your individual emissions based on the flights you take, the miles you drive, the food you consume or the way you heat your home. After that you can take a subscription that offsets these costs & contribute to projects which help with carbon removal or offsetting.
It was super interesting to see how Landon chose Wren as his first entrepreneurial project after college, sparked by the 2018 IPCC 1.5C warming report. We dove in detail on how Wren works, how they calculate individual emissions, what their business model is and why they are becoming a Public Benefit Corporation.
We also discussed what KPIs they use to measure their stated public benefit, debated carbon offsets vs carbon removal, covered how they work with businesses to help offset employees' emissions and we spoke about his vision for Wren's future down the line.
There are a lot of startups trying to educate consumers on how they can offset their emissions and fund projects which are helping us take carbon out of the atmosphere. That is what makes Project Wren extremely important and worth a close look.
TIMECODES
2:54 - Landon’s Background & How He Became Aware Of Climate Change
6:37 - The Turning Point In Realising He Wants To Get Involved In Fighting It
8:59 - How Project Wren Works & How They Calculate Individual Emissions
14:05 - Project Wren’s Business Model
17:00 - Becoming a Public Benefit Corporation & What KPIs They Measure For That
20:09 - What Types Of Projects Does Wren Fund For Carbon Offsetting & Removal
25:05 - How They Work With Businesses
29:42 - Their Targets For This Year & Their Vision For The Future
31:22 - Can We Keep Warming Below 2C?
33:47 - Science vs Business vs Politics vs SocietyLANDON & PROJECT WREN LINKS
Landon's Twitter - https://twitter.com/landonsbrand
Website - https://projectwren.com/
Twitter - https://twitter.com/project_wren
RESOURCES MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE
Project Drawdown - https://www.drawdown.org/
IPCC 1.5C Warming Report - https://www.ipcc.ch/sr15/download/
Nori - https://nori.com/
Nori You've Been Warmed Episode - https://www.youvebeenwarmed.com/episodes/05-blockchain-powered-carbon-removal-marketplaces-w-nori
Climeworks - https://www.climeworks.com/
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This episode features Mike Kirby - President & Co-Founder of Lumina Solar - a solar energy provider based in Baltimore, Maryland. Lumina Solar facilitates the installment of solar panels for residential buildings and have been in operation for nearly 2 years.
With a long career in the solar industry spanning 11 years, Mike was the perfect guest to get into the nitty gritty details of installing solar panels in homes. I was super curious and had a ton of questions such as - how easy is it to install these solutions? How much do they cost? What kind of financing options are there? What cost efficiencies and savings do customers get when going solar?
I asked all of these and more. Throughout the episode, Mike had some great insights as to what policies which started in California specifically jumpstarted the adoption of residential solar, how the industry has matured and evolved over the past 11-12 years, how batteries come into play and where they are on the adoption curve.
All in all it's a fascinating conversation, one that is more micro in structure than what I've accustomed you with so far. However, if you ever wanted to know how solar panels for homes operate and what it takes for you to get them (especially in the US), then this is going to be an interesting one!
MIKE KIRBY & LUMINA SOLAR RELEVANT LINKS
Lumina Solar Website - https://www.luminasolar.com/
Mike's LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/mike-kirby-546ab225/
TIMECODES
2:54- his background and how he got into solar
11:09 - how the solar market has shifted in the past 10 years
15:14 - Policies that were implemented around Solar
18:48 - How they communicate differently depending on political views / customer interests
23:48 - How the process of installing solar works
31:14 - What happens if you overproduce electricity
35:15 - The role that batteries play
40:18 - Solar energy systems increasing the costs of homes44:25 - Science vs Business vs Politics vs Society
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Antero is a serial entrepreneur who has been set on tackling climate change for a long time. Several years ago he joined the Finnish Green Party and was a member of Parliament for 4 years (2015-2019).
He is the founder Compensate - a non-profit which aims to bring people and companies together to stop climate change. They want to enable companies to offer their customers effective ways to offset their emissions and even overcompensate for them by removing more carbon than they've emitted.
Antero managed to synthesize his world view and offer simple analogies for the complex situation the world faces. We spoke about his background and Finland's 2035 carbon neutrality targets, we went into the inner workings of Compensate and what its overall vision for the future is and we discussed what the best methods for carbon removal are (not surprisingly he has the same conclusion as other guests on the show).
Finally, he also explained the structure behind Compensate being a non-profit and why he believes this is the best indication that it's a project for the benefit of everybody on this planet. I encourage you all to give go on their website and look up their solution.
ANTERO & COMPENSATE RELEVANT LINKS
Compensate Website - https://compensate.com/
Compensate Twitter - https://twitter.com/wecompensate
Antero's Twitter - https://twitter.com/anterovartia
TIMECODES
2:45 - His Background & Involvement With The Finnish Green Party
9:00 - The Global Shift In Awareness When It Comes To Climate Change - But Is It Enough?
14:57 - What People Need To Do To Fight This Crisis & How Compensate Helps With That
19:58 - Compensate In Detail + Overcompensating
23:56 - Their Focus On Carbon Capture via Photosynthesis
27:03 - How Market Economies Will Help Scaling Of Carbon Removal
29:44 - Other Promising Carbon Capture Solutions
33:31 - Science vs Business vs Politics vs Society
38:34 - How Compensate Works As A Non-Profit -
Iulian Circo is a former human-rights lawyer who has worked with a lot of NGOs and initiatives in both Africa and Asia, even working in conflict areas. He's more recently become a social entrepreneur as he is passionate to bring market forces into the mix to make the world more sustainable.
His company - Proof of Impact - utlilises blockchain technology to measure the positive impact of various world problems - including climate change, health, sustainability or pollution.
We went into a lot of interesting topics such as why we are creating a new economic framework for the world, how the young generation is forcing businesses to become purpose-driven, how impact can be measured within companies or how we need to create frameworks to measure the externalities of companies in a comparable way. Finally, we dove deep into Proof of Impact to better understand his project.
It might be tricky to understand what Proof of Impact does for those who are not that aware of blockchain technology, but the phrase that Iulian said that stuck with me is that they are bringing "liquidity into impact", essentially creating financial products that bring investments into measurable actions that make a change for the better (such as reducing child mortality rates, cleaning plastic off of beaches or installing solar panels on houses).
TIMECODES
3:07 - Iulian's Background & The Generational Shift We're Experiencing
6:38 - How Will Companies Of The Future Differ From The Present Ones
14:07 - How Do You Measure Impact For Purpose-Driven Businesses
17:10 - The Evolution Of Macro Trends In Business Over The Past 40 Years
19:40 - How Should Companies Measure Their Negative Externalities
21:38 - What Does Proof Of Impact Do?
28:10 - How Proof Of Impact Could Facilitate A Reduction In Child Mortality Rates (In A Measurable Way)
34:28 - Why Blockchain Should Work In The Background
40:06 - Business vs Science vs Politics vs Society
45:32 - How Society Influences Everything
IULIAN & PROOF OF IMPACT LINKS
Iulian's Twitter Profile - https://twitter.com/i_circo
Proof Of Impact Website - https://www.proofofimpact.com/
Proof Of Impact Twitter - https://twitter.com/proofofimpact
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In today's episode I spoke to Chloe Farand - a senior reporter for London-based Climate Home News - an independent news site which covers climate change. Her reporting around the UN climate talks & the recent COP25 conference in Madrid were fascinating, so I decided to get in touch.
We spoke about her involvement with climate change news reporting, how things have shifted in the past few years due to Greta Thunberg, Extinction Rebellion and the IPCC 1.5 Degree Warming report. Then we explored in depth the dynamics that unfolded at COP 25 in Madrid between the countries pushing for more ambitious climate measures and those who opposed it, the upcoming EU - China summit in 2020 and the prospects for COP 26 in Glasgow.
Finally, we discussed the specifics of the proposed 1 trillion Euro European Green New Deal Plan which is in works and we explored how politics, business, society and science all interact.
We did have some connection difficulties in the first few minutes, but we switched to a telephone line and all was good. So in case you find a difference in sound between the first few minutes and the rest of the interview, now you know why.
If you enjoy her reporting & Climate Home News' coverage, I do encourage you to become a Patreon (link below)
TIMECODES
3:38 - Her Background & How Long She's Been Covering Climate Change
6:16 - The Collective Shift from 2018
10:08 - What Happened at COP 25 in Madrid
15:38 - The EU & China Summit in 2020 in Leipzig
19:50 - EU Policies To Tackle Climate Change
24:31 - Specifics of the European Green New Deal Plan
28:26 - Society + Politics + Business + InnovationCHLOE'S SOCIAL MEDIA LINKS
Chloe's Twitter - https://twitter.com/ChloeFarand
ClimateHomeNews Website -https://www.climatechangenews.com/
Become a Patreon - https://www.patreon.com/climatehomenews
RESOURCES/LINKS MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE
COP 22 Marrakech - https://unfccc.int/process-and-meetings/conferences/past-conferences/marrakech-climate-change-conference-november-2016/cop-22
Extinction Rebellion - https://rebellion.earth/
IPCC 1.5 Warming Report - https://www.ipcc.ch/sr15/
COP 25 Madrid - https://unfccc.int/cop25
COP 26 Glasgow - https://unfccc.int/event/glasgow-climate-change-conference-november-2020
EU-China Summit 2020 - https://euobserver.com/tickers/146306
European Green New Deal - https://ec.europa.eu/info/strategy/priorities-2019-2024/european-green-deal_en
World Economic Forum in Davos - https://www.weforum.org/focus/davos-2020-collection
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Adenike Oladosu is a climate change activist from Nigeria most well-known for her activism focused on the humanitarian crisis caused by the shrinking of Lake Chad. With millions of people displaced in 2019 and tens of thousands killed, the shrinking of the lake is causing a fight for resources, whilst also depriving people of water and food.
Adenike dubs herself as the "eco-feminist" because she believes climate change is a crisis that affects women more than men, particularly in Africa. She goes in depth on the episode as to why this happens, and I have to admit, I was a bit startled to hear the conditions there.
We spoke generally about the situation in Africa and Nigeria, why the countries that are affected the most by climate change (mostly African ones) are largely ignored at international conferences, while the countries that have the most cumulative emissions historically (US & Europe) continue maintaining the status quo. She told me how dissapointing COP25 was in Madrid and how generally there is a lack of ambition with regards to climate change measures.
I believe it's immensely important to place a focus on Africa because generally in the Western World we are so disconnected from what's happening there. I hope this episode is as informative for you as it was for me and if you enjoy it, please follow Adenike on Twitter and visit her blog.
TIMECODES
02:49 - How She Became An Activist & The Depletion Of Natural Resources In Nigeria + Military Conflicts
07:31 - The General Awareness Of Climate Change & How They Try To Educate Children About It
12:45 - The Humanitarian Crisis Surrounding Lake Chad
21:53 - What COP 25 Madrid Was Like & The Disappointing Results
29:56 - Why Climate Change Affects Women More Than Men In Africa
36:57 - Science vs Business vs Politics vs Society
ADENIKE'S WEB LINKS
Adenike's Blog - http://womenandcrisis.blogspot.com/
Adenike's Twitter Profile - https://twitter.com/the_ecofeminist
RESOURCES MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE
COP 25 Madrid - https://unfccc.int/cop25
Article 6 (COP25) - https://www.carbonsink.it/en/news/article-6-paris-agreement-expectations-for-cop25
The Climate Vulnerability Index - https://cvi-heritage.org/
Lake Chad shrunk by 90% - https://www.theguardian.com/global-development/2019/oct/22/lake-chad-shrinking-story-masks-serious-failures-of-governance
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Joshua Rhodes (Ph.D.) is a Senior Energy Analyst at Vibrant Clean Energy and Research Fellow in the Webber Energy Group. His current research revolves around smart grids, energy efficiency, resource planning and distributed generation & storage. He is also interested in policy that can help us implement clean energy as fast as possible, particularly policies that utilise market forces to increase efficiencies.
Joshua also consults on a broad range of energy topics and he sits on vetting committees for companies looking to enter technology incubators in Austin, Texas.
We discussed in depth the main issues behind using renewables to a larger extent - mainly the infrastructure capabilities that need to be developed to transmit the energy from various points across regions. We also covered smart grids, how demand & supply interact when it comes to energy grids and how battery technology is evolving.
Finally, Joshua also shared technology innovations that he finds interesting in the climate change space along with his take on the Politics vs Business vs Science vs Society question.
RELEVANT LINKS
Joshua’s Twitter Profile: https://twitter.com/joshdr83
TIMECODES
2:47: Joshua’s Background. Studying Energy & Researching SmartGrids
10:18: What Are the Main Challenges Of Energy Transmission For Renewables?
15:31: What Policy Measures Can Be Implemented To Encourage Green Energy?
19:23: Do Companies See Profit Opportunities in Clean Energy?
24:02: The Key Factors Behind Making Batteries Cheap
26:59: Interesting Climate-Focused Companies He's Encountered
35:10: Science vs Politics vs Businesses vs Society
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