Earthlings 2.0 Podcast

Latest Episodes:

#3: Coming Down From the Oil High with Gregor Macdonald Jan 18, 2022

Show notes

The oil and gas industry is powerful but not invulnerable, and faces an existential threat. In this episode, we talk with a leading energy writer about the future of global oil markets, and what this means for all of us.

Welcome to the Earthlings podcast, where we talk about the big issues facing humanity in the early 21st century. In today’s episode, hosts Lisa Ann Pinkerton and Christian Roselund interview Gregor Macdonald, the author of Oil Fall. Gregor cuts through the noise of short-term market fluctuations to talk about the big trends that are shaping global demand for oil, what the coming plateau of demand means, and what we can do to cut fossil fuel use now.

About Our Guest:

Gregor Macdonald is a freelance journalist who covers cities, climate, and energy—as well as a former oil trader. His work has appeared in Nature, The Economist Intelligence Unit, The Harvard Business Review, Next City, Atlantic Media’s Route Fifty, The Petroleum Economist, PV Magazine, and Talking Points Memo.

Talking Points:

The factors underlying the future of global oil demand
What it means for both the climate and the oil industry oil demand to “plateau” versus falling
How electric vehicles make a long-term fall in oil demand inevitable
What cities can do now to reduce oil demand and prevent the worst effects of climate change
What the oil industry does and does not control around policy
Why plastics and other non-fuel applications will not save the oil industry
Why the United States and other developed countries can and should invest in infrastructure

Resources/Links:

Oil Fall

The Gregor Letter

#2: Your Next Car Will Be an EV with Kamaele Terry, John Fitzgerald Weaver, and Charles Morris Jan 04, 2022

Show notes

EVs are taking over the car market. And in this show, we look at what this means for you as a driver or passenger. We speak with an editor who has been covering EVs for decades, an entrepreneur working in EV charging, and a new Tesla owner to get the ins, outs, and rapid acceleration of driving an EV.

Welcome to the Earthlings podcast, where we’ll talk about all of the decisions that we’ll have to make to ensure that the future we have is one we want to live in. In today’s episode, hosts Lisa Ann Pinkerton (former award-winning NPR and PBS environmental science reporter) and Christian Roselund (founding editor of PV Magazine USA) dive into the EV world. They’re talking about charging issues, the history and future of motor vehicles, and the current status of EVs. What is it like owning an EV right now? What does the future hold?

These questions and more are answered by charging industry expert Kamaele Terry, current EV owner John FItzgeral Weaver, and EV industry expert Charles Morris. They’ll help clear the air–the air pollution–around the transportation industry right now by defining some of those EV buzzwords, talking about the issues around EV charging stations, and what it’s going to take in order to make EVs more attainable for everyone.

Kamaele Terry is the founder and CEO of ChargerHelp!, and she's also a board member who leads the LA chapter for Women in CleanTech and Sustainability. Charles Morris is the senior editor at Charged Electric Vehicles Magazine. He's also the author of the book, Tesla: How Elon Musk and Company Made Electric Cars Cool, and Remade the Automotive and Energy Industries. John Fitzgerald Weaver is a solar developer who is known online as “The Commercial Solar Guy.”

Talking Points:

The expiration date of internal combustion engines (ICE) vehicles
What is considered an electric vehicle (EV)?
Battery Electric Vehicles (BEV) versus other types of EVs
Who will be buying EVs in the near future?
Countries who have banned ICE vehicles
What is holding back the EV push in the US
What it is like to own an EV
Regenerative braking and why it’s better than the brake pedal
Autopilot and full self-driving (FSD) in a Tesla
Charging issues with EVs and how they are being resolved

Resources/Links:

ChargerHelp!

Women in CleanTech and Sustainability

EV Magazine

Charged Electric Vehicles Magazine

Tesla: How Elon Musk and Company Made Electric Cars Cool, and Remade the Automotive and Energy Industries by Charles Morris

#1: Energy Predictions Are Hard with Jenny Chase, Rick O’Connell, and Anna Ebers Broughel Dec 14, 2021

Show notes

What we can know, what we can't, and what is possible in the future of energy.

Welcome to the first episode of the Earthlings podcast, where we’ll talk about all of the decisions that we’ll have to make to ensure that the future we have is one we want to live in. Hosts Lisa Ann Pinkerton (former award-winning NPR and PBS environmental science reporter) and Christian Roseland (founding editor of PV Magazine USA) take a close look at our relationships with technology, science, the planet, and each other. Today’s focus is an in depth look at our relationships with energy. What do we know? What can’t we know? What can we do to have a stable, livable climate so we can all have a prosperous future?

The inaugural guests on today’s episode are Jenny Chase, Rick O’Connell, and Anna Ebers Broughel. Jenny is head of solar analysis at Bloomberg New Energy Finance. She is also the author of the book, Solar Finance Without the Jargon. Rick is the executive director of GridLab. Rick and GridLab did a report with the Goldman School of Public Policy at UC Berkeley. Anna works for the US Department of Energy as a statistician and as an energy economist at Terra Tech. All three of our guests bring their unique perspectives on the different aspects of energy predictions.

Talking Points:

IPCC Report and what it means for us
How short-term forecasting influences the growth of renewable energy
The difference between forecasting a prediction and a model
Jenny’s outlook for climate change versus the IPCC models and forecasts
Why analysts are so conservative and what they have to deal with
Why GridLab chose 90% by 2035 instead of 100% by 2050
Rick’s thoughts on how high penetrations like the 70% modeled are going to work on nation-sized grids
Can the market push for 90% by 2035 or will it need to be aided by policy as well?
Scenario planning for Anna’s report for the Government of Estonia
Different regions of the world will have different scenarios
Change isn’t linear
What we can do as individuals

Resources/Links:

Solar Finance Without the Jargon, by Jenny Chase

IPCC Report

GridLab

Technica Communications

Women in Cleantech & Sustainability