Climate Swings

Jonathan Tan took the long way to the front lines of the energy transition: UC-Berkeley chemical engineer turned field-hand in the cold of Edmonton and the deserts of Australia, installing wastewater and waste-gas recyclers—then co-founding Coreshell in 2017 after bootstrapping “the world’s cheapest battery lab” from auctioned equipment in a Richmond, California garage. Jonathan straddles business and deep tech, and he’s betting on a deceptively simple idea with huge stakes: swap today’s graphite anodes—mostly sourced from China—for a low-cost, abundant silicon alternative made with assets already operating in North America. If he’s right, EV batteries get cheaper, supply chains get sturdier, and decarbonization speeds up—not only as a moral imperative, but because the product is better for people’s lives. From rock-climbing calmly under pressure to building a team that’s stuck with him for eight years, Jonathan’s story is equal parts grit, chemistry, and clear-eyed pragmatism.

Notes and resources

* Jonathan Tan's LinkedIn

* Coreshell

* Climate Swings Substack

Astrid Atkinson has a story that should inspire even the most jaded climate hawk. Growing up in rural Australia, she first got online when an internet-enabled train arrived in her village. She then decamped to the United States, dropped out of college to work for Google, and swung through a variety of high-impact roles at the search giant before founding her own company when the itch to do something about climate change got too strong to ignore. Now as the head of Camus, which provides digital solutions for the energy grid, she serves as a model of what it means to leave everything on the field when it comes to pursuing a climate career that can truly make a difference.

Notes and resources

* Astrid Atkinson's LinkedIn

* Camus website

* Climate Swings Substack

David Tze has crafted a unique career at the intersection of oceans, food, technology, investment, and climate. As the former CEO of NovoNutrients, he was, essentially, killing three birds with one stone: extracting carbon dioxide from the atmosphere, growing synthetic protein that could feed the world, and finding new and more sustainable ways to harvest fish. This multi-pronged mission emerged out of a professional journey that saw him swing through a variety of crucible moments, including optimizing the online sale of baseball hats and founding an aquaculture investment firm alongside Jared Polis, the current governor of Colorado. Although NovoNutrients has closed up shop since this episode was recorded in March 2025—as all too often happens in the wild world of climate-tech startups—David’s story is a vivid reminder that climate careers can emerge from the most unexpected detours.

Notes and resources

* David Tze's LinkedIn

* News item announcing the closure of NovoNutrients

* Climate Swings Substack

Climate change and racial inequality are problems that demand system change on a massive scale. Kory Murphy is working at the intersection of both. As program officer at The Lemelson Foundation, he empowers Black entrepreneurs in climate who are righting historical wrongs and creating a more liveable planet for all. His story starts in college, where his time on the football team helped him think strategically and holistically about how to maneuver and make change. Having swung through various roles managing critical infrastructure and child welfare services in Portland, Oregon, before landing at Lemelson, Kory has a sharp vision for how to move the needle on big, intractable problems in climate and racial justice.

Notes and resources

* Kory Murphy’s LinkedIn

* The Lemelson Foundation

* Climate Swings Substack

Michael Liebreich is a household name in the energy world. As founder of Bloomberg New Energy Finance, he has unlocked vast amounts of data about the energy transition and provided invaluable insights for stakeholders up and down the value chain. His opinionated style and trademark wit has earned him a major audience as an analyst, writer, and podcaster on all things energy. On this episode of Climate Swings, we dive into his early years fixing his mother’s car, crunching numbers on the UK’s nuclear industry over 14-hour night shifts as a McKinsey consultant, and later founding New Energy Finance while he was unemployed and “unemployable”, in his telling. He also provides his current thoughts on the energy transition, including some opinions that will certainly, in trademark Michael Liebreich fashion, ruffle a few feathers.

Notes and resources

* Michael Liebreich’s website

* Michael Liebreich’s Substack

* Michael Liebreich’s LinkedIn

* BloombergNEF

* Cleaning Up

We all spend time in nature, but there is something truly unique about how John Muir Laws approaches his work (yes, that is his given name). John—who goes by the nickname Jack—is a naturalist, illustrator, and educator whose depictions of the great outdoors bring a fresh perspective to many places and spaces that we all take for granted. A few steps removed from your typical climate warrior, Jack works across vast political and socio-cultural divides to bring the joy of nature journaling to audiences around the world. In his journey, which took him from roaming the Sierra Nevadas to sparking an artistic movement, he demonstrates that the best way to succeed in difficult climate discussions is to find common ground with the simple things, like the birds and bees in our own backyards, that connect us. In this episode, Jack takes us through a lesson in nature art that could very well change how you see the world around you—and maybe inspire you to slow down and pay a bit more attention than you would otherwise. You’ll definitely want to WATCH this one!

Notes and resources

* John Muir Laws’s website

* Americans’ partisan identities are stronger than race and ethnicity, Stanford scholar finds

* Climate Swings Substack

* Climate Swings YouTube

* Climate Swings Spotify

Join me on another special episode of Climate Swings, where I’m providing an update on the second leg of our Europe Summer travels. This time, I’m reporting from Madrid, which beats out Barcelona in terms of liveliness and being an undeniable seat of Spanish culture—but doesn’t quite measure up to Barcelona in other ways (including celebrity encounters 💃). Which city has the edge as the next place my husband and I might want to call home?

Notes and resources

LinkedIn Post: Barcelona Diaries Part II: Good Luck, Babe! 🇪🇸

From small-town Pennsylvania to the halls of Stanford Law, from EPA environmental attorney to mayor of Sausalito, Janelle Kellman’s career has put her at the heart of the climate-community nexus—and could even see her become the next Lieutenant Governor of California. Join Janelle as she takes us through her "intellectual buffet" of roles—law firm partner, EPA Region 9 attorney, renewable energy consultant, planning commissioner, nonprofit founder, e-commerce entrepreneur, and elected official. Her secret sauce? An unshakeable belief that resilience beats sustainability every time, and that communities know best how to solve their own problems. Whether she’s securing $2 million in grants to flood-proof her waterfront town or hiking California’s watersheds to understand dam removal impacts, Janelle proves that the most effective climate leaders are those who listen first, act second, and never stop building coalitions. Her mantra is "community leader who took action" and she’s living it at every level from city hall to state politics.

Notes and resources

* Janelle Kellman’s LinkedIn

* Center for Sea Rise Solutions

* Janelle Kellman’s campaign website

What happens when you combine NASA research experience, an abandoned PhD, and a passion for getting game-changing climate-tech out of labs and into the real world? Meet Anku Madan, principal at Obvious Ventures, whose career has swung from engineering metallic alloys to co-founding a startup that created date rape drug detection technology, before finally finding his sweet spot funding climate solutions that could help save our planet. Today, Anku hunts for breakthrough innovations in carbon removal, synthetic biology, and geothermal energy—backing founders who are tackling trillion-dollar problems with deep-tech solutions. His story shows how technical chops paired with business savvy can accelerate the climate tech revolution we desperately need.

Notes and resources

* Anku Madan’s LinkedIn

* Obvious Ventures

In this special episode of Climate Swings, I'm breaking from my usual interview format to share a personal update from Barcelona, Spain—where I've been completely won over after just two weeks. Join me as I take you through the captivating blend of old-world charm and modern innovation that defines this Mediterranean gem, from its vibrant street life and exceptional public transit to its surprisingly robust climate action community. What started as the first stop on a three-city European tour has quickly evolved into something more significant: a potential future home. Listen in to discover why my husband and I have already changed our travel plans, how Barcelona compares to American urban life, and what this means for the future of Climate Swings as I explore the intersection of sustainable cities and climate careers from across the Atlantic.