Shift Key with Robinson Meyer

Latest Episodes:

The Next Big Climate Tool: Little Chunks of Rock Feb 28, 2024

Show notes

When we talk about carbon removal, we often focus on “direct air capture” facilities — big factories that suck carbon dioxide out of the ambient air.

But a simpler and easier way to remove carbon from the atmosphere may exist. It’s called “enhanced rock weathering” — grinding up rocks, spreading them out, and exposing them to the ambient air — and it works, essentially, by speeding up the Earth’s carbon cycle. Enhanced rock weathering recently got a major vote of confidence from Frontier, a consortium of tech and finance companies who have teamed up to support new and experimental carbon removal technologies. In this episode, we speak with Jane Flegal, a former Biden White House climate adviser and now the market development and policy lead at Frontier, about the promise of enhanced rock weathering and why Frontier just spent $57 million to do it.

Mentioned:

Why Big Tech is pouring $925 million into carbon removal.

More about Frontier’s commitment to Lithos.

Enhanced weathering in the US Corn Belt delivers carbon removal with agronomic benefits.

Rob’s downshift, Rob’s upshift.

Jesse’s downshift, Jesse’s upshift.

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This episode of Shift Key is sponsored by…

Advanced Energy United educates, engages, and advocates for policies that allow our member companies to compete to power our economy with 100% clean energy, working with decision makers and energy market regulators to achieve this goal. Together, we are united in our mission to accelerate the transition to 100% clean energy in America. Learn more at advancedenergyunited.org/heatmap

KORE Power provides the commercial, industrial, and utility markets with functional solutions that advance the clean energy transition worldwide. KORE Power's technology and manufacturing capabilities provide direct access to next generation battery cells, energy storage systems that scale to grid+, EV power & infrastructure, and intuitive asset management to unlock energy strategies across a myriad of applications. Explore more at korepower.com.

Build your skills in policy, finance, and clean technology at Yale. Yale’s Financing and Deploying Clean Energy certificate program is a 10-month online certificate program that trains and connects clean energy professionals to catalyze an equitable transition to a clean economy. Connect with Yale’s expertise, grow your professional network, and deepen your impact. Learn more at cbey.yale.edu/certificate.

Music for Shift Key is by Adam Kromelow.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Is Biden’s Climate Law Actually Working? Feb 21, 2024

Show notes

A year and a half ago, President Biden signed the Inflation Reduction Act, the biggest climate law in American history — and arguably in world history. But is it actually working? A new report from a coalition of major energy analysts — including our cohost Jesse Jenkins’ lab at Princeton — looks at data from the power and transportation sectors and concludes that yes, the law is starting to decarbonize the American economy.

But it isn’t working in the way many people might expect. Robinson Meyer, the executive editor of Heatmap News, and Jesse Jenkins, an energy systems expert and professor at Princeton University, talk about how and why.

Mentioned:

The new report: Clean Investment in 2023: Assessing Progress in Electricity and Transport

Jesse’s story on the EV bad vibes.

American carbon emissions fell last year for the first time since the pandemic.

Jesse’s downshift, Jesse’s upshift.

Rob’s upshift, Rob’s downshift.

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This episode of Shift Key is sponsored by…

Music for Shift Key is by Adam Kromelow.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Has Offshore Wind Finally Hit Rock Bottom? Feb 14, 2024

Show notes

It has been a catastrophic 12 months for offshore wind in the U.S. Large projects have been canceled, and Orsted, the world’s biggest offshore wind developer, has laid off hundreds of employees. Is the industry dying?

Maybe it’s actually about to turn a corner. In this episode, Robinson Meyer, the executive editor of Heatmap News, and Jesse Jenkins, an energy systems expert and professor at Princeton University, discuss the future of the sector.

Mentioned:

Orsted’s troubles: FT

A wind farm powers up: Heatmap.

New offshore contracts and auctions: NYTimes & Reuters

Global Wind Atlas

Lease areas in the U.S.

Jesse’s downshift, Rob’s downshift.

Rob’s upshift, Jesse’s upshift.

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This episode of Shift Key is sponsored by…

Music for Shift Key is by Adam Kromelow.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The Messy Truth of America’s Natural Gas Exports Feb 07, 2024

Show notes

Last month, President Biden announced the federal government would temporarily stop approving new export terminals for liquified natural gas. The move was hailed as a victory by climate activists and lamented by fossil-fuel companies. But what will the pause mean for the climate — really? Will it stop exports from rising in the near-term, and can we say with any certainty whether it will make carbon emissions go up or down?

In this inaugural episode of Shift Key, Robinson Meyer, the executive editor of Heatmap News, and Jesse Jenkins, an energy systems expert and professor at Princeton University, unpack the president’s decision and try to figure out what — if anything — it means for the climate.

Mentioned:

Research by Shuting Yang, et al.

Robert Howarth’s unpublished paper on natural gas’s effect on the climate

Bill McKibben’s reaction to news of the pause

The People on the Front Lines of the LNG Fight, by Jeva Lange

The Biden administration’s fact sheet on the approval pause

Jesse’s upshift, Jesse’s downshift.

Rob’s upshift, Rob’s downshift.

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This episode of Shift Key is sponsored by KORE Power and Advanced Energy United…

KORE Power provides functional solutions that push the front line of the transition to clean energy and form the backbone of the decarbonized future worldwide. KORE Power’s manufacturing capabilities and robust portfolio of products provide the commercial, industrial, utility and defense markets with next-generation battery cells, advanced energy storage systems that scale to grid+, intuitive asset management, and EV power and charging infrastructure support. Learn more at Korepower.com

Advanced Energy United educates, engages, and advocates for policies that allow our member companies to compete to power our economy with 100% clean energy. We work with decision makers at every level of government as well as regulators of energy markets to achieve this goal. The businesses we represent are lowering consumer costs, creating thousands of new jobs every year, and providing the full range of clean, efficient, and reliable energy and transportation solutions. Learn more at info.advancedenergyunited.org/heatmap

Music for Shift Key is by Adam Kromelow.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Welcome to Shift Key, a new climate podcast from Heatmap News Feb 05, 2024

Show notes

Every week, Heatmap News Executive Editor Robinson Meyer and Princeton University Professor and energy systems expert Jesse Jenkins, make sense of the biggest shift of our time -- navigating the energy transition away from fossil fuels. Drawing on their years of experience reporting on and researching climate change and decarbonization, Meyer and Jenkins unpack the most important issues of the week and how the impacts of climate change and efforts to address it are transforming our economy, politics, and society at large.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.