Energy Current: In Search of Net Zero System

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To achieve a 100% renewable energy system worldwide by 2050 affordable or not? Apart from the maturing technology, like solar PV and wind power, are we too late to develop some alternative technologies such as carbon capture and storage, direct air capture, geoengineering, and small modular nuclear reactor? With the tightening time window to control carbon emissions in order to keep the global temperature rise on average by 2100 well below 2 degree Celsius, what can policymakers from major economies do to make the most use of the available and scalable low-carbon energy technologies? One of the best scholars who are able to answer these questions is Dr. Mark Jacobson from Stanford University. Over 15 years ago, he proposed a 100% renewable energy system based on water, wind, and solar energy (WWS) and has been working and researching the relevant energy policy and planning solutions for a variety of countries, states, and cities ever since. In this episode, Professor Jacobson discusses his ideas and research findings on the WWS system. Although you may not agree with most or even some of his arguments, the discussions are definitely to expand your learning on the future energy system and some key policy issues of addressing climate change. As he mentioned at the end of the talk, educating ourselves on such complicated climate and energy policy issues could be the first action point for each one of us. 

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The intense rivalry between the U.S. and China, the ongoing brutal war between Russia and Ukraine, and the potential geopolitical conflict risk in the South China Sea remain the big challenges to addressing the climate crisis via productive international cooperation. Under the complicated domestic and international situations and uncertainties, how can we understand the climate policy and actions in both the United States and China? Where could the fragile relationship between the two countries go in the next 2-3 years? In Part 1 of the conversation, Bill McKibben discusses how the dynamic interaction between social responsibility and hyper-individualism of the American nation generates influences on its collective climate actions in the past and why the changes of American society in the 1960s-1980s matter with the global climate efforts. In Part 2, McKibben is focused on China and shares his experience of multiple visits to China. His arguments on the future of world climate governance and international collaborations between China and U.S. remind us of the complexity of reducing global carbon emissions in a short time.

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The intense rivalry between U.S. and China, the ongoing brutal war between Russia and Ukraine, and the potential geopolitical conflict risk in the South China Sea remain the big challenges to addressing the climate crisis via productive international cooperation. Under the complicated domestic and international situations and uncertainties, how can we understand the climate policy and actions in both the United States and China? Where could the fragile partnership between the two countries go in the next 2-3 years? In Part 1 of the conversation, Bill McKibben, a well-known author, and environmentalist, discusses how the dynamic interaction between social responsibility and hyper-individualism of the American nation generates influences on its collective climate actions in the past half century and why the long shift of American society matter with the global efforts on tackling climate change. In Part 2 of the conversation, Bill McKibben will focus on China and share his insights, hope, and analysis on the future world climate governance and collaboration as well as what the roles of both China and the U.S. could look like during the long journey. 

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Indian Zero Emission Vehicles (ZEV) adventure plays a significant role in both providing sustainable mobility services and materializing its long-term national carbon neutrality goal. What does the road transport decarbonization in the past ten years inform its future ambition? Under the various challenges, from the global energy crisis, and supply chain restructuring, to economic recession and big powers competition, how can India strike a balance between climate actions and energy security? By 2030, will India become a major player in the ZEV manufacturing across the world? In this episode of Energy Current, Mr. Aditya Ramji, an energy economist, at the University of California, Davis, shares his research experience. 

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Despite the high expectation in decarbonizing the fossil fuels sectors for years, Carbon Capture and Storage (CCS) has not been scaled up. In the next 5-10 years, will comprehensive technology be a game changer in global climate mitigations? Can the oil and gas giants in the Middle East countries sustain their business in the future by both producing carbon as usual and sinking carbon as a world carbon storage hub? May carbon markets, either regional or national, make CCS business cost-effective? How can the governments from the major economies provide sufficient incentives to speed up the development and deployment of CCS? Dr. Xu Yuan, an associate professor at the Chinese University of Hong Kong, discusses his perspectives and opinions on these questions. 

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Compared to Battery Electric Vehicles (BEV), Fuel Cell Electric Vehicles (FCEV) have lagged during the electrification of the road transport sector across the world in the past ten years. Under the new context related to technological competition among economic powers, the energy crisis enhanced by the Russia-Ukraine war in Europe, the global supply chain security of critical materials in BEV manufacturing, as well as the greater role of hydrogen in energy transition, its worthy of re-evaluating the potential of FCEV in accelerating the decarbonization of the transport sector. Professor Gregory Trencher from Kyoto University in Japan shares his research insights on these relevant issues in this episode of Energy Current. 

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Enacted in 2021, China’s National Carbon Market based on tradable performance standard, was promoted as a new effort to engage with international climate policy. It’s too early to assess the emissions reduction impact of the so-called biggest carbon market in the world. Despite of the essential differences of market design, contextual institutions and the mild effects of the California’s system in delivering carbon emissions reduction and environmental justice, Professor Alex Wang of UCLA School of Law explains why China may still learn from California’s Greenhouse Gas Cap-and-Trade Program. In this episode, the discussion also touches the new direction of climate policy in the context of EU Green Deal and U.S. Inflation Reduction Act. Professor Wang shares his opinion on the academic exchange challenges facing scholars from both U.S. and China.  

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Japan's Green Transformation Plan is the latest national strategy in pursuit of energy transition and carbon neutrality by 2050. As a major economy with probably the highest energy efficiency standard and greatest dependency on fossil fuels import around the world, Japan faces a range of challenges. Professor Jusen Asuka from Tohoku University in Japan discusses how the new policies on offshore wind and solar PV may play a big part and why the next generational nuclear power technology could be a double-edged sword. His argument on Japan's cautious role in China-US contest in low carbon technology and investment resulted from a series of American legislation, particularly, climate policy embedded in Inflation Reduction Act (IRA), suggests some relevant policy implications for Japan. Finally, his reading suggestion touches intergenerational justice, one of the most compelling issues on climate governance.

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Indian Zero Emission Vehicles (ZEV) adventure plays a significant role in both providing sustainable mobility services and materializing its long-term national carbon neutrality goal. What does the road transport decarbonization in the past ten years inform its future ambition? Under the various challenges, from global energy crisis, supply chain restructuring, to economic recession and big powers competition, how can India strike a balance between climate actions and energy security? By 2030, will India become a major player in the ZEV manufacturing across the world? In this episode of Energy Current, Mr. Aditya Ramji, an energy economist, at the University of California, Davis, shares his research experience. 

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The mutual benefits of economic growth between China and Australia had pushed the bilateral cooperation on science and technology, particularly the climate related technology, to a new level until a few years ago. However, the relationship has been deteriorating since the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic. 

What does the dramatic change mean to Australian international scientific collaboration in the region? Do the sea changes of geopolitical situation between the two states and beyond suggest a different landscape of international scientific collaboration in the future? Diarmuid Cooney-O'Donoghue, Assistant Lecturer in Asian Studies at Monash University in Australia, shares his ideas on the history and challenges of Australian scientific and technology collaboration on climate and energy with China and others.

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