In this episode we discussed a fact that is not widely known: the annual greenhouse gas production from making steel and concrete exceeds that of cars, truck and planes combined. Vikram explains that producing 1 ton of steel results in 1.8 tons of C02, amongst other pollutants. This emission is fundamental to the production process, and there are limited (but not zero) technological solutions to produce steel and concrete without producing greenhouse gases.   

Vikram posits that carbon capture technology, combined with "mineralification" of the captured CO2 is nearing the point where it becomes more economical than buying carbon credits. He further explains that the use of carbon credits for steel/concrete is really not viable, because it's too big a chunk of the market and carbon capture can solve the problem at the point source, whereas other polluting activities, such as air travel, have no near or medium term solutions for point-source capture.  Tune in to hear the discussion!

ExxonMobil recently announced new business in storing CO2 from Houston ship channel using a new underground storage technology: https://www.nytimes.com/2021/04/19/business/exxon-mobil-makes-a-pitch-for-capturing-emissions-and-a-carbon-price.html

BP had previously announced the use of a similar technology in the United Kingdom: https://www.nytimes.com/2021/03/08/business/carbon-capture-bp.html

In this video, Vikram explains how this technology works to take captured CO2 and store it "permanently" underground, using old oil wells and reservoirs. He explains that he believes the combination is nearing mainstream economic viability and could become the leading carbon mitigation (from previously produced CO2) technology. That being said, he still feels that changing productive process to reduce our reliance on hydrocarbons is ultimately the more impactful route, both technologically and societally.

Tune in to hear the discussion!

Utopia By DeadDNA is licensed under a  Creative Commons License

Shell, one of the "supermajor" oil and gas companies, recently announced that they expect their oil production to drop 1-2% annually over the next ten years, meaning at the high end of their projection oil production will drop 25% in 10 years.   

In this video, Vikram breaks down Shell's strategic decision here. First, he explains that while one producer projecting production declines does not necessarily mean we've reached ''peak oil,'' he believes that Shell's scenario modeling is the best in the business, and that declining oil demand is indeed likely. Declining demand would point to lower production levels, unless prices fell dramatically (demand is a curve afterall!), and Vikram explains that he actually expects prices to rise somewhat, further pointing to declining use of oil.  

An area of Shell's announcement that has gotten less attention is their commitment to ''extending leadership'' in liquified natural gas by adding 7 MM tonne LNG production each year by 2025. Vikram explains that he believes this is designed to pair strategically with expanding green energy demand. Green energy, at present, requires "load leveling'' fuel sources to produce electricity when the sun is not shining or the wind is not blowing. By investing in LNG, they will be well served to provide this fuel source to countries like India, with growing energy demand, large green energy investments and little/zero domestic natural gas production.    Tune in to hear more!

You've heard about mRNA vaccines and how it's a revolutionary new technology. mRNA vaccines were the first to be approved for use, have the highest efficacy and can be modified the most quickly for boosters. How do they have all these amazing properties and at a more fundamental level, how do they work?

In this special episode we bring you my mother, Susan Rao (Henning, if you want to Google Scholar her!), an expert in molecular biology, to explain in layman's terms how they work and why they are a huge step forward in vaccine development. She explains it's not just vaccines this technology will be used for (e.g., fighting cancer) and that she believes that if anything, they are being under-hyped. Amazingly, she explained this all so I (who last took biology in high school) could understand it!  

Please join us for this extra special episode!

General Motors just announced that they will not make internal combustion engines for consumer vehicles beyond 2035 -- they're going all electric. Electric cars have been around for a century, but were cost prohibitive until this past decade. And today we're seeing them enter more of the mainstream, with some countries Northern European countries approaching or passing 50% of new vehicles sold. But without those government subsidies, it still seems that you still either have to pay more or sacrifice functionality for the money. 

In this episode we want to discuss when we think the tipping point that, all up, it will just be the option that makes the most economic sense for people. We'll also dig into  the factors that contribute to the tipping point.   

Vikram's latest book, Particulates Matter: Impact, Measurement, and Remediation of Airborne Pollutants can be purchased here.  https://www.elsevier.com/books/particulates-matter/rao/978-0-12-816904-9