Energy Switch

We hear conflicting information about solar and wind energy. They’re the cheapest form of electricity. But they make electricity more expensive. They’re the fastest growing electricity. But they make only a small portion of total energy. Are they the future? Or uncompetitive without subsidy? Dan Kammen, energy scientist from Johns Hopkins, and Robert Bryce, energy author and journalist, debate.

Degrowth advocates say we’re overusing Earth’s resources, which will degrade living standards and harm the environment, so we must reduce. Ecomodernists say we’re fine: Technology, agriculture and energy will raise living standards while demanding less of nature. We discuss with Ted Nordhaus, co-founder of Breakthrough Institute, and Josh Farley, an economist from the University of Vermont.

In part 1, we learned the basics of the industry. Now we look at CO2 emissions and the UN’s goals to reduce them, alternative low-carbon fuels and challenges to adopt those. We’ll hear what effects that might have on the industry, again with expert guests Margaret Doyle, a Director of Transparensea Fuels, and Anna Silva, Manager of Cruise Ops at the Port Everglades Terminal.

Shipping brings us almost every product because it’s the lowest cost of any transport. This makes it extremely important globally, yet it faces many challenges, especially in the U.S., where the shipbuilding industry has nearly stagnated. We’ll hear insider perspectives from Anna Silva, Manager of Cruise Ops at Port Everglades Terminal, and Margaret Doyle, Director of Transparensea Fuels.

The Arctic is warming faster than the rest of the planet. Melting sea ice has opened northern shipping lanes but exposes more water to the warming sun. Melting land ice raises sea levels. Changing weather can bring cold air south to the rest of us. We’ll look at these with research scientists Nancy Fresco from the University of Alaska and Twila Moon from UC Boulder.