Inevitable

Latest Episodes:

Ep 111: Maggie Thomas, Political Director at Evergreen Action Jul 06, 2020

Show notes

Today's guest is Maggie Thomas, Political Director of Evergreen Action.

I was very excited for this discussion, as Maggie is deep in climate policy and has done so on behalf of campaigns that have arguably the best climate policy around. We cover a lot of ground in this episode, including the key tenants of the Inslee policy plan, what it was like to be a part of the Inslee campaign and the Warren campaign, and where we find ourselves in this pivotal moment of the clean energy transition. In addition to dissecting the merits of various policy positions, we also discuss what other levers can be most impactful to bringing about the change that we so desperately need. I thoroughly enjoyed this one and I suspect you will as well. Enjoy the show!

You can find me on twitter @jjacobs22 or @mcjpod and email at info@myclimatejourney.co, where I encourage you to share your feedback on episodes and suggestions for future topics or guests.

In today’s episode, we cover:

Maggie’s interest in and passion for climate policy
How Maggie found herself in politics, policy and climate
Her time and experience as Climate Deputy Director on Washington Governor Jay Inslee’s presidential campaign
What she learned during the campaign
What she observed of the landscape of climate stances among the Democratic presidential candidates
Her transition to the role of Climate Policy Director in Massachusetts Senator Elizabeth Warren’s campaign
The founding, mission and work of Evergreen Action
The need for clear timelines for specific sectors to abandon fossil fuels
Why clean energy standards are critical for addressing climate change
Examples of meaningful market incentives
The importance of climate justice and its part in addressing climate change
Putting a price on carbon, thoughts on its effectiveness and political feasibility
The role of the private sector
The role of nuclear power as a solution
Why Maggie feels natural gas has no role in a clean energy future
Whether bipartisan support is needed to make progress on climate change
What she recommends a potential Biden Administration do to address climate change

Links to topics discussed in this episode:

Evergreen Action: https://evergreenaction.com/
NextGen America: https://nextgenamerica.org/
“The US can reach 90 percent clean electricity by 2035, dependably and without increasing consumer bills”: https://gspp.berkeley.edu/news/news-center/the-us-can-reach-90-percent-clean-electricity-by-2035-dependably-and-without-increasing-consumer-bills
“A Clean Jumpstart for America”: https://www.dataforprogress.org/clean-jumpstart

Enjoyed this episode? Please leave us a review! Share feedback or suggest future topics and guests at info@ovr.vc.

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*Editing and post-production work for this episode was provided by The Podcast Consultant

Ep 110: Mindy Lubber, CEO and President of Ceres Jun 29, 2020

Show notes

Today's guest is Mindy Lubber, CEO and President of Ceres.

She's been at Ceres’ helm since 2003 and, under her leadership, the organization and its powerful network have grown significantly in size and influence. I've had a couple of other Ceres people on the show: Alicia Seiger, who's on the board, and Barney Schauble, the Chair of the board. Both of them have raved to me about the work that Mindy and the organization does. I was also excited for this episode because Mindy is very plugged in with the sustainability movement as well as with what is on the minds of the companies and institutional investors, who are instrumental in this transition. Enjoy the show!

You can find me on twitter @jjacobs22 or @mcjpod and email at info@myclimatejourney.co, where I encourage you to share your feedback on episodes and suggestions for future topics or guests.

In today’s episode, we cover:

What is Ceres and its mission
How it works with capital markets and companies to integrate climate risks into their planning
The role of Ceres as an advocacy organization and relationship with companies
The genesis of Ceres and how it came into being
Ceres’ 30-year history since the Exxon Valdez oil spill
Mindy’s multi-disciplinary legacy working in climate change advocacy
The necessity to re-align major corporations toward the goals of the Paris Accord
How change and impact requires a multi-faceted strategy and effort
How the problem of climate change has evolved since Mindy first started her career
Why changing the public policy framework around setting climate rules is critical
Important political levers for enacting change
What motivates companies to address climate change and sustainability
How Ceres selects companies to engage with
The types of changes and policies Ceres strives to implement with its corporate partners
The distinction between “sustainability” and “climate”
The role of a sustainable leader within a corporation
What are the biggest barriers to change for companies to date
How companies report and measure their sustainability initiatives
Mindy’s perspective on the long-term implications of COVID-19 on climate change
The need for more attention on climate change as it relates to the developing world
Opportunities for individuals who want to take action on climate change

Links to topics discussed in this episode:

Ceres: https://www.ceres.org/
Exxon Valdez Oil Spill: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Exxon_Valdez_oil_spill
Global Reporting Initiative: https://www.globalreporting.org/Pages/default.aspx
Sustainability Accounting Standards Board (SASB): https://www.sasb.org/
We Mean Business: https://www.wemeanbusinesscoalition.org/

Enjoyed this episode? Please leave us a review! Share feedback or suggest future topics and guests at info@ovr.vc.

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*Editing and post-production work for this episode was provided by The Podcast Consultant

Ep 109: Danny Kennedy, CEO of New Energy Nexus Jun 22, 2020

Show notes

Today's guest is Danny Kennedy, CEO of New Energy Nexus.

We have a great discussion in this episode, covering a wide range of topics including Danny's background and experience, what led him to become an activist, his interest in climate change and how that interest has manifested over the years. In addition, we touch on how his views on the problem have evolved and also where he's spending his portfolio of time today. Enjoy the show!

You can find me on twitter @jjacobs22 or @mcjpod and email at info@myclimatejourney.co, where I encourage you to share your feedback on episodes and suggestions for future topics or guests.

In today’s episode, we cover:

How Oakland, CA has become the clean tech capital of the Bay Area
Danny’s work as an activist and entrepreneur to address climate change
How addressing climate change requires a war effort
How renewable energy presents not only a climate opportunity but also a much-needed employment opportunity
How Danny got into climate work and his underlying motivation
Danny’s journey into solar and founding his first startup
How the problem of climate change has evolved since Danny began his work
How clean tech and U.S. leadership in the movement represents a huge economic opportunity
How grassroots entrepreneurship is making up for an absence of government action
What government leadership to address climate change would need to look like
How the government-command of industry priorities to respond to COVID-19 is emblematic for what is required to address climate change
What the viable renewable energy mix for the future looks like
How Danny would address the main contributing sectors to GHG emissions
How effort needs to be focused on Africa and Asia, which will be the long-term contributors to carbon
How financial and software engineering are ripe areas of innovation
What is New Energy Nexus (NEN) and its mission
How NEN’s Clean Energy Fund invested in Tesla and other clean tech companies
How the “puck” of opportunity and innovation is headed to Asia
NEN’s clean energy accelerator in Indonesia
How Danny thought about incorporating NEN as a non-profit vs. for-profit model
Danny’s role in co-founding Oakland-based incubator, Powerhouse

Links to topics discussed in this episode:

New Energy Nexus: https://www.newenergynexus.com/about/
California Carbon-Free By 2045 Goal: https://www.nytimes.com/2018/08/28/business/energy-environment/california-clean-energy.html
kWh Analytics: https://www.kwhanalytics.com/
California Clean Energy Fund: http://www.calcef.org/
Bridge Lux: https://www.bridgelux.com/
Powerhouse: https://www.powerhouse.fund/

Enjoyed this episode? Please leave us a review! Share feedback or suggest future topics and guests at info@ovr.vc.

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*Editing and post-production work for this episode was provided by The Podcast Consultant

Ep 108: Tobi Lütke, CEO & Founder of Shopify Jun 15, 2020

Show notes

In today’s episode, we cover:

What is Shopify
What are its values
Tobi’s thoughts on consumerism
Tobi’s view that companies need to think of the world holistically
Shopify’s journey and what it discovered purchasing carbon credits
The misaligned incentives caused by poor quality carbon credits
Tobi’s personal journey in learning about climate change and taking action on it
The need to reform capitalism and the mechanisms to do so
Where Shopify is currently on its climate journey
Tobi’s reasons for optimism and what he sees as the key solutions
The need to reframe solutions beyond carbon sequestration and offsets
Why companies need to take responsibility for climate externalities

Links to topics discussed in this episode:

“We Need To Talk About Carbon”: https://tobi.lutke.com/blogs/news/we-need-to-talk-about-carbon
The Shopify Sustainability Website: https://www.shopify.com/about/environment
Shopify’s 2019 Sustainability Report: https://cdn.shopify.com/static/sustainability-report/2019%20Shopify%20Sustainability%20Report.pdf
CarbonCure: https://www.carboncure.com/
Externality: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Externality

Enjoyed this episode? Please leave us a review! Share feedback or suggest future topics and guests at info@ovr.vc.

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*Editing and post-production work for this episode was provided by The Podcast Consultant

Ep 107: Sonia Aggarwal, Vice President at Energy Innovation Jun 08, 2020

Show notes

Today's guest is Sonia Aggarwal, Vice President at Energy Innovation.

I was excited for this episode because so many guests on My Climate Journey have said that policy is the biggest lever we've got, but we haven’t really double clicked on that and dug into what that means and how to bring it about. It just so happens that filling in those gaps and educating lawmakers on what needs to happen is what Sonya does for a living! We cover a lot in this episode, including a deep dive into the clean energy policy landscape, what the different levers are, and for whom. We also discuss the role of federal vs state governments here in the US, and the impact a price on carbon may have. I learned a lot in this one, and I bet you will too. Enjoy the show!

You can find me on twitter @jjacobs22 or @mcjpod and email at info@myclimatejourney.co, where I encourage you to share your feedback on episodes and suggestions for future topics or guests.

Topics discussed:

What is Energy Innovation (EI) and what it does
Genesis of EI
How Sonia’s love of nature influenced her journey into energy policy
The multidisciplinary talent of experts comprising EI’s team
How EI launched a opensource energy diagnostic model for policymakers globally
EI’s broad work in energy systems from utility regulations to work in carbon pricing in China
EI’s role as a resource for policymakers and regulatory decision-makers
How tonnage of GHG removal is EI’s success metric
Gamut of services EI offers its clients
How a range of societal benefits are also success metrics for EI
The role of carbon pricing and some of the perceived shortcomings
How policies that focus on power plants, factories, buildings and cars represent the lion share of impact
How EI weighs environmental impact vs. what’s politically feasible
How opportunities of bipartisanship on the state-level compare with those on the federal-level
How jobs, economic development and public health are important considerations in EI’s work
How EI projects that renewables can get the world to 90% carbon reduction, while keeping the costs stable
How leadership on the federal-level is critically needed in order to address climate change

Correction: Energy Innovation started at the end of 2011 - beginning of 2012, not in 2013 - 2014.

Enjoyed this episode? Please leave us a review! Share feedback or suggest future topics and guests at info@ovr.vc.

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*Editing and post-production work for this episode was provided by The Podcast Consultant

Ep 106: Davida Herzl, Co-Founder and CEO at Aclima Jun 01, 2020

Show notes

Today's guest is Davida Herzl, Co-Founder & CEO of Aclima Inc.

This is the first episode that we're putting pollution front and center. It's an important topic and Aclima is one of the leaders in helping provide more visibility. Through Aclima’s data and reporting, we can better understand, measure and become more aware of the harm that pollution is having in our local communities and the world at large. Enjoy the show!

You can find me on twitter @jjacobs22 or @mcjpod and email at info@myclimatejourney.co, where I encourage you to share your feedback on episodes and suggestions for future topics or guests.

In today’s episode, we cover:

What is Aclima and its mission
Davida’s journey to working on pollution
The notion of “ubiquitous measurement” as a way to assess the impact of climate change
How climate change and pollution are interconnected and impact human health
The lack of discussion of climate change being a public health challenge
Davida’s search for experts in the field of pollution and climate change
Davida’s early-focus on making traditional measurement technology cheaper and scalable
Aclima’s focus on empowering officials in government, regulators, and big companies with credible data
Aclima’s technology and deployment to measure hyper-local pollution
The hyperlocal variability of pollution in a community
Who are Aclima’s customers and the applications of its data
Partnership with Google Street View
The type of pollutants Aclima is measuring
How data extrapolations enable Aclima to “fingerprint” the source of a pollutant
How regulation can aid action to curb pollution
How pollution represents a global health issue and the leading cause of death
How climate change is fundamentally an economic problem
How the transportation and energy used by it represents a major opportunity to address climate change

Enjoyed this episode? Please leave us a review! Share feedback or suggest future topics and guests at info@ovr.vc.

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*Editing and post-production work for this episode was provided by The Podcast Consultant

Ep 105: Varun Sivaram, Senior Visiting Fellow at Columbia University's Center for Global Energy Policy May 25, 2020

Show notes

In today’s episode, we cover:

Varun’s wide-ranging background in academia, startups and public policy
His career as a technologist beginning with Cleantech 1.0
How he moved from science to public policy
How cooperation across sectors is critical to solve climate change.
The need for aggressive increases in federal funding for energy innovation
The lessons of Cleantech 1.0
How the missteps of VC cleantech investing offers insight into future funding models for climate companies
How the complexities of climate change make it different from the Manhattan Project and the Apollo Program
Varun’s three-prong prescription for addressing climate change
How climate change in the U.S. should be couched and framed in terms of global competitiveness
How funding needs to be robust enough to demonstrate new technologies
How coordination between R&D and deployment needs to be the cornerstone of energy innovation policy
Varun’s view that VC is not the right model for the new wave of climate innovation technologies
How climate change priorities and challenges are distributed and regional
How the influx of Silicon Valley talent into climate tech can be challenged by lack of domain knowledge
How a “sector-switching” fellowship could help cross-pollinate talent across industries to address climate change
The importance of India’s energy transition

Links to topics discussed in this episode:

Bio at Center on Global Energy Policy at Columbia University SIPA: https://energypolicy.columbia.edu/dr-varun-sivaram
“Taming The Sun”: https://mitpress.mit.edu/books/taming-sun
Nano Solar: http://www.nanosolar.com/
Perovskite Solar Cells: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Perovskite_solar_cell
AAAS Fellowship: https://www.aaas.org/fellowships

Enjoyed this episode? Please leave us a review! Share feedback or suggest future topics and guests at info@ovr.vc.

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*Editing and post-production work for this episode was provided by The Podcast Consultant

Ep 104: Mark Lewis, Global Head of Sustainability Research at BNP Paribas Asset Management May 18, 2020

Show notes

In today’s episode, we cover:

The focus and work of BNP Paribas Asset Management
Mark’s role in sustainability research
Sectors of focus for Mark’s team
How ESG is used as a lens to analyze different sectors
BNP Paribas Asset Management’s track record of Social Responsibility Investing
Asset management industry’s shifting focus into more SRI and ESG investments
The thesis that ESG investing will yield a greater return over the long term
How his firm has applied ESG into how the firm and fund managers operate
His firm’s ESG asset rating assigned to companies
How his firm balances return objectives, values, and sustainability considerations
The stigma around ESG
Reasons why ESG leads to better performing companies
Mark’s journey to sustainability-focused asset management
How clients are a major driver behind sustainability investing
Mark’s view on engaging with non-sustainable companies vs. divesting
Comparing the global economic toll brought on by COVID-19 with climate change threats
The need to make the world more resilient and adaptable to climate change
The opportunity around energy storage
How individuals should think of their own habits and behavior as it relates to climate change

Links to topics discussed in this episode:

BNP Paribas Sustainable Development: https://cib.bnpparibas.com/topics/sustainable+development
ESG: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Environmental,_social_and_corporate_governance
SRI: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Socially_responsible_investing
Sustainalytics: https://www.sustainalytics.com/
MSCI: https://www.msci.com/
True Cost Initiative: https://truecostsinitiative.org/
Wells, Wires and Wheels: https://docfinder.bnpparibas-am.com/api/files/1094E5B9-2FAA-47A3-805D-EF65EAD09A7F

Enjoyed this episode? Please leave us a review! Share feedback or suggest future topics and guests at info@ovr.vc.

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*Editing and post-production work for this episode was provided by The Podcast Consultant

Ep 103: Timothy Hade, Co-Founder & COO of Scale Microgrid Solutions May 11, 2020

Show notes

In today’s episode, we cover:

Origins of Scale Microgrid Solutions (SMS)
What’s a “microgrid?”
“Front of the meter” vs. “Behind the meter” microgrids
The way utilities are setup in the U.S.
How Tim found his way into the energy sector
The value proposition of the microgrid
How the company’s management software controls the grid components
SMS’ modular solution
SMS’ Energy-as-a-Service model
The motives for customer adoption
Microgrid’s role in contributing to a resilient energy infrastructure
The barriers inherent in the U.S. regulatory system
Similarities and differences between COVID-19 and the climate crisis
Why one should join the climate fight

Links to topics discussed in this episode:

Scale Microgrid Solutions: https://scalemicrogridsolutions.com/
Microgrid: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Microgrid

Enjoyed this episode? Please leave us a review! Share feedback or suggest future topics and guests at info@ovr.vc.

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*Editing and post-production work for this episode was provided by The Podcast Consultant

Ep 102: Alex Dewar, Sr. Manager at BCG's Center for Energy Impact May 04, 2020

Show notes

In today’s episode, we cover:

Early learnings and thoughts on COVID-19 pandemic and parallels with climate change
Alex’s role at BCG and his work in the energy industry
His work with oil and gas companies in responding to climate change
How oil and gas companies’ climate change strategies have evolved
Oil and gas companies’ attitudinal change to accepting climate change as an existential issue
Impact of the IPCC report on the oil and gas industry
How stakeholders are demanding action on climate change
Reconciling the fossil fuel industry’s legacy of climate denial
Who should be accountable for the fossil fuel industry’s contribution to the climate crisis?
The argument that fossil fuel companies have assets needed to address climate change
Why should the public trust the fossil fuel industry?
Carbon pricing as a policy tool
Applying targeted regulation to ensure best behavior by the industry
Shift in lobbying focus from denying the science to focusing on the socio-economic considerations
Impact of divestment vs. ESG investing
Reasons why oil and gas industry has lagged in “total shareholder return” over the past decade
The increasing cost of capital for the industry and reasons for it
BCG’s ethical policies as it relates to climate change
“Deep de-carbonization technologies”