Challenging Climate

Pete and Jesse must bring Challenging Climate to a close. Since starting the podcast almost three years ago, we have each taken on more professional responsibilities and no longer have the time for this volunteer effort. In this short recording, we describe what we are now up to: The Degrees Initiative The Degrees Global Forum on SRM SRM360 Climate Reflections, the SRM360 podcast - coming soon to all major podcast platforms Co-CREATE We also sincerely thank Gillian Cheong, our producer; our guests; our listeners, especially those who supported us via Patreon; and each other. Support the show Subscribe for email updates

Our guest is Maarten Albers, a journalist who reports on agriculture and food for the Volkskrant, one of the Netherlands’ leading newspapers. In today's episode, we draw our attention to the 'nitrogen crisis' in the Netherlands - a major environmental story that has reshaped politics in the Netherlands and societal views on environmental regulation, science and technology, and even international relations. Listen as we discuss why we should care about nitrogen in the environment, and what lessons we can draw from the nitrogen crisis happening in the Netherlands. Links: Maarten's articles on de Volkskrant Interview on the nitrogen crisis , with Jan Douwe van der Ploeg, emeritus professor of agricultural sociology Check out this article on 'An organic farmer can also be a peak polluter' Support the show Subscribe for email updates

Our guest is Gwynne Dyer, an author, columnist, broadcaster and lecturer on international affairs. In this episode, we discuss the key messages from his new book Intervention Earth: Life-Saving Ideas from the World’s Climate Engineers , based on extensive interviews with the world’s top climate scientists. We discuss his insights from these interviews on the state of our climate, and address controversies and concerns over carbon dioxide removal (CDR) and solar radiation management (SRM). Links: Gwynne Dyer’s profile Check out his new book, Intervention Earth: Life-Saving Ideas Check out this survey: World’s top climate scientists expect global heating to blast past 1.5C target Support the show Subscribe for email updates

Jonathan Blake is Associate Director at the Berggruen Institute, where he leads the Planetary Program. Nils Gilman is Senior Vice President at the Berggruen Institute and Deputy Editor of Noema magazine. In this episode, we discuss the ideas in their recently published book, Children of a Modest Star: Planetary Thinking for an Age of Crises . We grapple with ideas of sovereignty, planetary governance and subsidiarity. Links: Jonathan Blake’s profile Nils Gilman’s profile Check out their book, Children of a Modest Star: Planetary Thinking for an Age of Crises Support the show Subscribe for email updates

Today’s guest is Dr. Shuchi Talati, a climate technology and governance expert and the founder of The Alliance for Just Deliberation on Solar Geoengineering. In this episode, we discuss ethics and governance of solar geoengineering, the formal cancellation of Harvard’s SCoPEx experiment, and the UN Environment Assembly deliberations on Solar Radiation Modification. Links: Shuchi Talati’s profile The Alliance for Just Deliberation on Solar Geoengineering Check out this paper , Who Are the Engineers? Solar Geoengineering Research and Justice Support the show Subscribe for email updates

Today’s guest is Ulrike Lohmann, Professor of Experimental Atmospheric Physics in the Institute for Atmospheric and Climate Science at ETH Zurich. Lohmann is also the Principal Investigator of the CLOUDLAB project, a multi-year project to investigate aerosol-cloud interactions in wintertime stratus clouds over the Alps. In this episode, we discuss the role of clouds and aerosols in our climate. We dive deep into aerosol-cloud interactions to uncover the science behind solar radiation modification (SRM) techniques like marine cloud brightening, and discuss a novel proposed SRM technique - Mixed Phase Cloud Thinning. Links: Ulrike Lohmann’s profile Check out the CLOUDLAB project Support the show Subscribe for email updates

In this episode, we speak with Dr. Benjamin Sovacool and Dr. Chad Baum, about their newly published, high-impact paper, “Public Perceptions and Support of Climate Intervention Technologies across the Global North and Global South”. Join us as we discuss the key findings of their work, and how these findings can and should influence policy and governance methods. Dr. Benjamin Sovacool is a professor with affiliations at Aarhus University, the University of Sussex and Boston University. Dr. Chad Baum is Assistant Professor at the Department of Business Development and Technology of Aarhus University. Links: Ben Sovacool’s profile Chad Baum’s profile The GENIE project Their Nature paper, Public Perceptions and Support of Climate Intervention Technologies across the Global North and Global South and accessible summary Check out their paper on sentiments and emotions of climate tech on Twitter And another one on field testing radical climate interventions , And another one on co-impacts Also check out our related episode with Luke Iseman on Make Sunsets Support the show Subscribe for email updates

George Monbiot is a renowned British author, The Guardian Columnist and environmental activist. George is the author of more than a dozen books, the most recent of which is Regenesis: Feeding the World without Devouring the Planet , and he was awarded the Orwell Prize for Journalism in 2022. In this episode, we discuss topics of his insightful and provocative articles such as de-throning GDP, radical climate activism, the ‘wealth curse’ and contentious technologies such as nuclear energy, GMO and SRM. Links: George Monbiot's profile Monbiot's article, The Cruel Fantasies of Well-Fed People Monbiot's most recent book, Regenesis Related articles by Monbiot: On the extreme wealthy, Here’s a question Cop28 won’t address: why are billionaires blocking action to save the planet? On climate and politics, The hard right and climate catastrophe are intimately linked. This is how On UK climate politics On radical climate activism (and another one ) Support the show Subscribe for email updates

This episode’s guest is Janos Pasztor. He has four decades of work experience in the areas of energy, environment, climate change, and sustainable development, including roles as Executive Director of the Carnegie Climate Governance Initiative (C2G) and UN Assistant Secretary-General for Climate Change. In this episode, we explore the political lens of carbon dioxide removal (CDR) and solar radiation management (SRM), discussing the progress of CDR and SRM discourse, as well as its challenges and controversies. CORRECTION: Jesse suggested that the United Nations Environment Assembly (UNEA) had a dozen or so members, but Janos pointed out that in fact it has universal membership, i.e., every UN member state is a member. Links: Janos Pasztor’s profile Carnegie Climate Governance Initiative Janos’ article on the role of UN Secretary-General in Climate Change , in Global Policy 2016 Support the show Subscribe for email updates

David Stainforth is a Professorial Research Fellow at the London School of Economics. David has had a long career studying the climate problem and the challenges of making predictions of future climate change. His research spans the philosophy of climate science, climate economics, climate modelling, and decision-making under deep uncertainty. In this episode, we discuss David’s new book ‘ Predicting our climate future ’, exploring the challenges of making predictions about future climate change, and navigating this uncertainty to address climate problems. Links: David Stainforth’s profile David’s book, Predicting our climate future Support the show Subscribe for email updates

David Keith is a Professor in the Department of Geophysical Sciences at the University of Chicago and the Founding Faculty Director of the Climate Systems Engineering initiative. Keith previously led the development of Harvard’s Solar Geoengineering Research Program. In this episode, we discuss Keith’s Climate Systems Engineering initiatives, carbon dioxide removal (CDR) and geoengineering techniques. Drawing on David’s decades of expertise, we dive deep into topics such as CDR, solar geoengineering, ice sheet geoengineering. Links: David Keith’s profile (& old profile ) The Climate Systems Engineering initiative Support the show Subscribe for email updates

Jennifer Allan is a Strategic Adviser and Team Leader with Earth Negotiations Bulletin, and Lecturer at Cardiff University. Jen has attended roughly 40 UN conferences where states negotiate the rules of global climate governance. Her work explores how global rules are made and remade, and currently focuses on the politics of ecosystem services and green recovery. In this episode, we discuss with Jen key agenda themes in the forthcoming COP28, the social inequality of climate change and whether COPs deliver useful outcomes - or is it just fanfare? Links: Jennifer Allan’s profile COP28 Thematic Program IEA World Energy Outlook 2023 - Oil demand to peak by 2030 Support the show Subscribe for email updates

Today’s episode is brought to you in collaboration with our friends at the Energy vs Climate podcast. Energy vs Climate breaks down the trade-offs and hard truths of the energy transition in Alberta, Canada, and beyond with energy experts David Keith, Sara Hastings-Simon and Ed Whittingham. In this episode, they speak with Greg Nemet, a Professor at the University of Wisconsin–Madison’s La Follette School of Public Affairs. His research focuses on technological change in energy and the ways in which public policy can affect it. Listen as they discuss the trajectory of solar energy, coming down the cost curve and the energy supply chain. Links: Energy vs Climate Podcast Greg Nemet’s profile Check out Greg’s book, How Solar Energy Became Cheap Topic links: Nemet’s paper on Inter-technology knowledge spillovers for energy technologies (Timestamp: 07:43) Paper on Evaluating the causes of cost reduction in photovoltaic modules (Timestamp: 24:18) NREL Report on U.S. Solar Photovoltaic System and Energy Storage Cost Benchmark: Q1 2020 (Timestamp: 27:21) Originally published on The Energy vs Climate show on 24 Feb 2022. Support the show Subscribe for email updates

As we break for the summer, listen here for some highlights of our previous episodes and catch up on the ones you've missed. See you in October! Support the show Subscribe for email updates

Richard S.J. Tol is a Professor at the Department of Economics, University of Sussex and the Professor of the Economics of Climate Change, Institute for Environmental Studies and Department of Spatial Economics, Vrije Universiteit, Amsterdam, the Netherlands. He is also the author of Climate Economics: Economic Analysis of Climate, Climate Change and Climate Policy . In this episode, Tol breaks down climate economics – the economic and social costs and benefits of carbon. We also discuss the case for geoengineering and his criticisms on IPCC. Links: Richard Tol’s profile Richard’s article, The Economic Impacts of Climate Change Support the show Subscribe for email updates

Emma Marris is an environmental writer and Institute Fellow at the UCLA Institute of the Environment and Sustainability. She has also written for National Geographic, the Atlantic, the New York Times, Wired, and other publications. In this episode, we dive into the concepts introduced in her book Rambunctious Garden: Saving Nature in a Post-Wild World , such as wilderness and nature purity. We discuss the relationship between nature and humans, from assisted migration to climate change, and how we can re-envision it. Links: Emma Marris’ profile Marris’ weekly articles on The Atlantic Check out her books , Wild Souls and Rambunctious Garden As recommended by Emma, The Lost Rainforests of Britain by Guy Shrubsole Support the show Subscribe for email updates

Dr John Moore is a Research Professor at University of Lapland, Finland and Chief Scientist of GCESS at Beijing Normal University. His research focuses on geoengineering, sea level change, and ice sheet dynamics. In this episode, we take a deep dive into the cryosphere – the state and future of glaciers, sea ice and permafrost, as well as consider marine glacier geoengineering. John also shares his unique experience as a leader of a major geoengineering research program in China. Links: John Moore’s profile His paper on several cryosphere interventions His call for marine glacier geoengineering His latest study on the ocean curtain idea Support the show Subscribe for email updates

Dr Steve Smith is the Executive Director of CO2RE, as well as Executive Director of the Oxford Net Zero initiative, based at the University of Oxford’s Smith School of Enterprise and the Environment. He also previously co-led the Climate Science Team at the UK Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy. In this episode, we take a holistic deep dive into Carbon Dioxide Removal (CDR) and discuss his expertise on net zero pledges, the political and economic strategies for CDR, and technology readiness. Links: Steve’s Smith School profile and CO2RE profile The Net Zero Tracker project - supported by students! The State of Carbon Dioxide Removal report Support the show Subscribe for email updates

Dr Heleen de Coninck is a Professor of Socio-Technical Innovation and Climate Change at Eindhoven University of Technology, and Associate Professor in Innovation Studies and Sustainability at Radboud University. She is also the newly appointed deputy chair of the Dutch Scientific Climate Council. In this episode, we discuss the four Net Zero transitions set out in the 2018 IPCC 1.5ºC report, and specifically how to facilitate a just transition. Towards the end, we debate on how much focus on geoengineering technologies is healthy. Links: Heleen's profile Lecture transcript: system change, not climate change IPCC Special Report on "Carbon Dioxide Capture and Storage” IPCC Special Report on “Global Warming of 1.5 ºC” Support the show Subscribe for email updates

Dr David Fahey is the Director of the Chemical Sciences Laboratory in the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), and he also serves as a Co-Chair of its the Montreal Protocol’s Scientific Assessment Panel, which produces the quadrennial assessments of stratospheric ozone depletion. In this episode, we discuss flying planes into the stratosphere to conduct experiments on ozone depletion, the success of the Montreal Protocol, and solar radiation modification (SRM) - potential impacts, future for research and deployment regulation. Links: David Fahey ’s profile David's work with the NASA Airborne Science Program, Including this paper based on the 1987 Airborne Antarctic Ozone Experiment over the Antarctic Montreal Protocol Scientific Assessment Panel The 2022 Quadrennial report and Executive Summary One Atmosphere , the UNEP review on SRM research and deployment Episode chapter markers Support the show Subscribe for email updates