Inevitable

By an MCJ podcastBusiness Science Technology

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Inevitable episodes

October 31, 2019Ep 50: Kelly Wanser, Executive Director at SilverLining
Today’s guest is Kelly Wanser, Executive Director of SilverLining, a mission organization driving research to ensure safe pathways for climate within a decade.
Previously, Kelly was the director of the Marine Cloud Brightening Project, a program focused on research in reflecting sunlight to reduce heat in climate. Kelly is member of the National Academy of Sciences President’s Circle. She also served as Senior Advisor to Ocean Conservancy on climate-ocean risk and to Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory on industry strategy for fusion energy. A technologist, executive and entrepreneur, she previously founded companies in IT infrastructure, analytics and security, and is the author of over 20 patents. She resides in San Francisco.
In today’s episode, we cover:
Overview of geoengineering
Challenge of predicting earth system’s response to heat stress and risk of hitting catastrophic tipping points
'The case for geoengineering
SilverLining’s work, and how it came to be
What the critics say about geoengineering, and Kelly’s responses
'Some example projects they have taken on at SilverLining'
How the org is funded, and future goals in this regard
What fossil fuel companies think of geoengineering
Potential risks, side effects, and unintended consequences
Research vs widescale deployment, the best ways to stage exploration in this area
What else can be impactful in the climate fight
Kelly’s advice to others trying to find their lane to help
Links to topics discussed in this episode:
Stephen Schneider: https://stephenschneider.stanford.edu/References/Biography.html
IPCC special report on oceans and cryosphere: https://www.ipcc.ch/srocc/home/
The Royal Society: https://royalsociety.org/
Marine cloud brightening: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marine_cloud_brightening
Strategic aerosol injection: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stratospheric_aerosol_injection
Some links provided by Kelly to learn more about her work:
TEDSummit 2019 Talk: Emergency Medicine for Our Climate Fever
Report: for U.S. Policymakers: Ensuring a Safe Climate: A National Imperative for Research in Climate Intervention and Earth System Prediction
Testimony to the U.S. House Science, Space and Technology Committee, Subcommittee on Environment and Subcommittee on Energy Hearing — Geoengineering: Innovation, Research, and Technology, Nov 8, 2017
You can find me on twitter @jjacobs22 or @mcjpod and email at [email protected], where I encourage you to share your feedback on episodes and suggestions for future topics or guests.
Enjoy the show!
Enjoyed this episode? Please leave us a review! Share feedback or suggest future topics and guests at [email protected].
Connect with MCJ:
Cody Simms on LinkedIn
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*Editing and post-production work for this episode was provided by The Podcast Consultant
1 hr 18 min
October 28, 2019Ep 49: Albert Wenger, Managing Partner at Union Square Ventures
Today’s guest is Albert Wenger, Managing Partner at Union Square Ventures, a NY-based venture capital firm.
Before joining USV, Albert was the president of del.icio.us through the company’s sale to Yahoo and an angel investor (Etsy, Tumblr). He previously founded or co-founded several companies, including a management consulting firm and an early hosted data analytics company. Albert graduated from Harvard College in economics and computer science and holds a Ph.D. in Information Technology from MIT.
In today’s episode, we cover:
Albert’s assessment of the problem of climate change and his concern level
His views on what it will take to get the problem under control in the short term and long term
The work they do at USV, their core expertise, and how that expertise can help
The roles of innovation, policy, and collective action
What types of innovation can be most impactful, and when
The upcoming election and stakes
Roles of China and India
Roles of big oil and utilities
How Albert would allocate $100B to maximize its impact in climate fight
Albert’s advice for others looking to find their lane
Links to topics discussed in this episode:
USV: https://www.usv.com/
World After Capital: http://worldaftercapital.org/
Greta Thunberg: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Greta_Thunberg
Extinction Rebellion: https://rebellion.earth/
Nori: https://nori.com/
John Maynard Keynes, Economics Policies for our Grandchildren: https://www.sloww.co/keynes-economic-possibilities/
Faye McNeill: https://cheme.columbia.edu/faculty/v-mcneill
Ecosia: https://www.ecosia.org/
Universal Basic Income: https://whatis.techtarget.com/definition/universal-basic-income-UBI
How Much is Enough?: https://www.amazon.com/How-Much-Enough-Money-Good/dp/152267795X
You can find me on twitter @jjacobs22 or @mcjpod and email at [email protected], where I encourage you to share your feedback on episodes and suggestions for future topics or guests.
Enjoy the show!
Enjoyed this episode? Please leave us a review! Share feedback or suggest future topics and guests at [email protected].
Connect with MCJ:
Cody Simms on LinkedIn
Visit mcj.vc
Subscribe to the MCJ Newsletter
*Editing and post-production work for this episode was provided by The Podcast Consultant
1 hr 1 min
October 24, 2019Ep 48: Ramya Swaminathan, CEO of Malta, Inc.
Today’s guest is Ramya Swaminathan, CEO of Malta, Inc.
Malta’s electro-thermal energy storage system is a new grid-scale technology that collects and stores energy for long durations. Energy can be stored from any power generation source in any location – be it wind, solar, or fossil fuels – enabling reliable and predictable operation of the grid.
Ramya joined Malta from Rye Development, where she was CEO, co-founder, and Member of the Board of FFP New Hydro. Under her leadership, Rye Development grew to be the leading developer of new hydropower projects in the United States and its portfolio of development projects, held at its holdco affiliate, FFP New Hydro, advanced from concept through FERC licensing and late stage development financing. She was also responsible for the expansion of Rye’s platform into energy storage, with the addition of two sizable pumped hydro storage development projects in the Pacific Northwest. At Rye Development, Ms. Swaminathan led a multi-disciplinary team, with specialists in engineering and construction, regulatory and environmental aspects, and power marketing. She also led the company through several financing rounds, both at the platform and the project levels.
Prior to her work in the hydropower space, Ms. Swaminathan was a public finance banker, most recently as a Director at UBS, where she focused on public power clients and senior managed more than $10 billion in financings. Ms. Swaminathan holds a Master’s in Public Policy from the John F. Kennedy School of Government and a BA in Anthropology from Amherst College.
In today’s episode, we cover:
Ramya’s background and what led her to Malta
Overview of the grid, storage, long duration storage, and why it matters
A look at hydro, lithium ion, and other companies and approaches gunning for long duration storage market
Malta’s approach, long vision, progress to date, and what’s coming next
How it works, which aspects are proven and which are the riskiest assumptions
Business models for storage
Regulatory risks
Importance of transmission and distribution
Unique opportunities in developing countries
The right capital sources for this type of tough tech innovation
Role of strategics as investors, partners, acquirers, etc.
Role of insurance to decrease tough tech risk to make these projects more viable to finance
One change that would bring highest impact for accelerating Malta’s progress
Ramya’s advice to others looking to find their lane in the climate fight
Links to topics discussed in this episode:
Malta, Inc.: https://www.maltainc.com/
Long duration energy storage: https://energy.stanford.edu/storagex-initiative/projects/grand-challenges-energy-storage/long-duration-energy-storage
Hydropower: https://www.eia.gov/energyexplained/hydropower/
Breakthrough Energy Ventures: http://www.b-t.energy/ventures/
Cobalt mining: https://www.raconteur.net/business-innovation/cobalt-mining-human-rights
Distribution grid: https://energyeducation.ca/encyclopedia/Distribution_grid
Electric power transmission: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Electric_power_transmission
Electrothermal storage: https://www.greentechmedia.com/articles/read/alphabet-spins-off-malta-a-long-duration-electro-thermal-storage-startup-wi#gs.1wa84f
You can find me on twitter @jjacobs22 or @mcjpod and email at [email protected], where I encourage you to share your feedback on episodes and suggestions for future topics or guests.
Enjoy the show!
Enjoyed this episode? Please leave us a review! Share feedback or suggest future topics and guests at [email protected].
Connect with MCJ:
Cody Simms on LinkedIn
Visit mcj.vc
Subscribe to the MCJ Newsletter
*Editing and post-production work for this episode was provided by The Podcast Consultant
1 hr
October 21, 2019Ep 47: Mark Reynolds, Executive Director at Citizens' Climate Lobby
Today’s guest is Mark Reynolds, Executive Director at Citizens’ Climate Lobby.
Executive Director Mark Reynolds’ tenure at Citizens’ Climate Lobby has been marked by exceptionally rapid growth, with the organization doubling or tripling in size every year.
During his years as a private sector trainer and consultant, Citizens’ Climate Education Executive Director Mark Reynolds worked to maximize personal and organizational effectiveness in a variety of fields. Today, he uses those skills to empower ordinary citizens to educate influential stakeholders about the benefits of national climate solutions. As a globally-recognized expert on helping disparate interests find common ground on energy, public policy, and the environment, Mark has appeared before the Yale Project on Climate Change Communication, AREday, and Power Shift. He oversees a training curriculum that reaches tens of thousands of supporters every year, has been a frequent guest on TV and radio shows, and has written op-eds on climate solutions for 85 print journals, including the Houston Chronicle, the Philadelphia Inquirer, the Des Moines Register, the Austin American-Statesman, and the Salt Lake Tribune. Mark also serves on multiple advisory boards including Climate Advocate Platform and Climate Cost Project.
In today’s episode, we cover:
CCL founding story and their areas of focus
The growth CCL has had under Mark’s leadership, and why Mark feels that is
Polarized government and implications for getting things done
Details of their carbon fee and dividend proposal
Where things stand today and where they need to go
Some headwind with their proposal and carbon pricing in general
The CCL playbook and plan of attack
Discussion on how bills get signed into law and what this bill would need to get signed into law
Learnings from Waxman Markey
How people can help
Parallels Mark draws to cigarette smoking
GND and price on carbon
If Mark could wave magic want to accelerate their efforts, what would he change and why
Links to topics discussed in this episode:
Citizens’ Climate Lobby: https://citizensclimatelobby.org/
Marshall Saunders: https://citizensclimatelobby.org/about-ccl/citizens-climate-lobbys-founder/
Microcredit: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Microcredit
Citizens’ Climate International conference: https://citizensclimatelobby.org/2019-conference/
Collective action: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Collective_action
David Jolly CCL interview: https://citizensclimatelobby.org/a-former-republican-congressmans-take-on-the-midterms/
Theda Skocpol: https://scholar.harvard.edu/thedaskocpol/home
Grover Norquist tax pledge: https://www.businessinsider.com/who-is-grover-norquist-pledge-signers-list-fiscal-cliff-republicans-tax-2012-11
Climate Leadership Council: https://www.clcouncil.org/
Jonathan Haidt TED talk: https://www.ted.com/talks/jonathan_haidt_on_the_moral_mind?language=en
EICDA: https://teddeutch.house.gov/news/documentsingle.aspx?DocumentID=399493
Frank Luntz: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Frank_Luntz
Frank Luntz’s call for climate action: https://grist.org/article/the-gops-most-famous-messaging-strategist-calls-for-climate-action/
You can find me on twitter @jjacobs22 or @mcjpod and email at [email protected], where I encourage you to share your feedback on episodes and suggestions for future topics or guests.
Enjoy the show!
Enjoyed this episode? Please leave us a review! Share feedback or suggest future topics and guests at [email protected].
Connect with MCJ:
Cody Simms on LinkedIn
Visit mcj.vc
Subscribe to the MCJ Newsletter
*Editing and post-production work for this episode was provided by The Podcast Consultant
55 min
October 17, 2019Ep 46: Ted Nordhaus, Founder & Executive Director at the Breakthrough Institute
Today’s guest is Ted Nordhaus, Founder & Executive Director at the Breakthrough Institute.
Ted Nordhaus is a leading global thinker on energy, environment, climate, human development, and politics. He is the founder and executive director of the Breakthrough Institute and a co-author of An Ecomodernist Manifesto.
Over the last decade, he has helped lead a paradigm shift in climate, energy, and environmental policy. He was among the first to emphasize the imperative to "make clean energy cheap" in The Harvard Law and Policy Review, explained why efforts to establish legally binding international limits on greenhouse gas emissions would fail in The Washington Post and Democracy Journal, made the case for nuclear energy as a critical global warming solution in The Wall Street Journal, has written on the limits to energy efficiency and the need to prepare for climate change in The New York Times, and has argued for the importance of intensifying agricultural production in order to spare land for forests and biodiversity in Scientific American and The Guardian.
His 2007 book Break Through, co-authored with Michael Shellenberger, was called "prescient" by Time and "the best thing to happen to environmentalism since Rachel Carson's Silent Spring" by Wired. (An excerpt in The New Republic can be read here.) Their 2004 essay, "The Death of Environmentalism," was featured on the front page of the Sunday New York Times, sparked a national debate, and inspired a generation of young environmentalists.
Over the years, Nordhaus been profiled in The New York Times, Wired, the San Francisco Chronicle, the National Review, The New Republic, and on NPR. In 2007, he received the Green Book Award and Time magazine's 2008 "Heroes of the Environment" award.
Nordhaus is executive editor of the Breakthrough Journal, which The New Republic called "among the most complete efforts to provide a fresh answer" to the question of how to modernize liberal thought, and the National Review called "The most promising effort at self-criticism by our liberal cousins in a long time."
In today’s episode, we cover:
Ted’s background and history, and what led him to care about climate change
Ted’s views on the problems with the environmental movement, which led him to founding BTI
BTI mission, vision, work
Ted’s views on the nature of climate change, and the misconceptions people have about the best ways to solve.
Ted’s views on the best path forwards, and where innovation, policy, and government fit in.
Ted’s views on how to think about the 2020 election and the stakes. Different views here than most other guests!
Links to topics discussed in this episode:
The Breakthrough Institute: https://thebreakthrough.org/
Neoliberalism: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Neoliberalism
Green New Deal: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Green_New_Deal
The Empty Radicalism of the Climate Apocalypse article: https://issues.org/the-empty-radicalism-of-the-climate-apocalypse/
Shale gas revolution: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shale_gas
Advanced nuclear: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Advanced_nuclear
Carbon capture and storage: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Carbon_capture_and_storage
Nuclear Regulatory Commission: https://www.nrc.gov/
Net Power: https://www.netpower.com/
45Q tax credit: https://www.betterenergy.org/blog/primer-section-45q-tax-credit-for-carbon-capture-projects/
Nuclear energy leadership act: https://www.energy.senate.gov/public/index.cfm/2019/3/murkowski-booker-and-13-colleagues-reintroduce
You can find me on twitter @jjacobs22 or @mcjpod and email at [email protected], where I encourage you to share your feedback on episodes and suggestions for future topics or guests.
Enjoy the show!
Enjoyed this episode? Please leave us a review! Share feedback or suggest future topics and guests at [email protected].
Connect with MCJ:
Cody Simms on LinkedIn
Visit mcj.vc
Subscribe to the MCJ Newsletter
*Editing and post-production work for this episode was provided by The Podcast Consultant
1 hr 13 min
October 14, 2019Ep 45: Deepika Nagabhushan, Program Director, Decarbonized Fossil Energy at Clean Air Task Force
Today’s guest is Deepika Nagabhushan, Program Director, Decarbonized Fossil Energy at Clean Air Task Force, which develops policy and advocacy strategies aimed at making carbon capture, utilization & storage technologies widely available, globally by mid-century.
Deepika has developed analysis and led advocacy efforts related to CCUS, including power sector modeling that studied CCS deployment in the US under various federal policy scenarios, including 45Q tax credit that the Congress passed in 2018, an assessment of the role of zero carbon technology in developing countries, and securing a CCUS protocol under the California LCFS. She works across policy, regulatory and market-based areas related to CCS.
Prior to joining CATF, Deepika spent 5 years with Schneider Electric. She led the deployment of global marketing operations across Asia-Pacific countries and managed marketing communication projects for Schneider Electric’s energy management solutions in the United States. She also helped expand the reach of Schneider Electric Access to Energy initiative “BIPBoP” by identifying partner companies and frameworks for collaboration.
Deepika graduated in 2015 from The Earth Institute at Columbia University with a Master of Science in Sustainability Management. She holds a bachelor’s degree in business management from Bangalore University in Karnataka, India. She is currently based in San Francisco.
In today’s episode, we cover:
Overview of the decarbonized fossil energy program at CATF
How CCS works, and analogy to sulfur dioxide and acid rain
What will and won’t drive people to adopt, and the role of government
Some of the cost drivers for CCS and the variables that go into it
Initial market of EOR, how it works and why it is getting so much attention
What the critics of CCS for EOR say, and Deepika’s responses
Concerns about CCS & why they are unfounded, according to Deepika
Role of big oil and gas, role of innovation, and the role of policy
Importance of R&D
Some examples of companies leading in this area
Is divesting a good idea?
How Deepika would allocate a big pot of money to maximize its impact in the climate fight
Deepika’s advice for others looking to find their lane in the climate fight
Links to topics discussed in this episode:
Clean Air Task Force: https://www.catf.us/
Enhanced Oil Recovery (EOR): https://www.investopedia.com/terms/e/enhanced-oil-recovery.asp
CCUS: https://www.aiche.org/ccusnetwork/what-ccus
Companies to watch in CCS: https://www.greenbiz.com/article/companies-watch-carbon-capture-and-storage
You can find me on twitter @jjacobs22 or @mcjpod and email at [email protected], where I encourage you to share your feedback on episodes and suggestions for future topics or guests.
Enjoy the show!
Enjoyed this episode? Please leave us a review! Share feedback or suggest future topics and guests at [email protected].
Connect with MCJ:
Cody Simms on LinkedIn
Visit mcj.vc
Subscribe to the MCJ Newsletter
*Editing and post-production work for this episode was provided by The Podcast Consultant
53 min
October 10, 2019Ep 44: Emily Reichert, CEO of Greentown Labs
Today’s guest is Emily Reichert, CEO of Greentown Labs.
Dr. Emily Reichert serves as Chief Executive Officer of Greentown Labs, the largest clean technology startup incubator in the United States. As the company’s first employee, Emily has spearheaded the rapid growth of Greentown Labs into a global center for clean technology innovation, attracting visitors and partners from around the world.
Emily started her career at Arthur D. Little as a Ph.D. scientist and progressed into R&D, business development and general management roles. Prior to Greentown Labs, she was the Director of Business Operations at the Warner Babcock Institute for Green Chemistry where she helped grow the angel-funded startup into a sustainable contract R&D business with a mission to minimize environmental impact of chemical products. Emily also served as a MIT Sloan Fellow in Innovation and Global Leadership as well as a Venture Labs Fellow at Flagship Ventures, a Boston-based Venture Capital firm.
Emily has served as a board member or as a key advisor for a number of innovation and entrepreneurship-focused organizations including the Northeast Clean Energy Council, Cleantech Open Northeast, Cyclotron Road, the Incubatenergy Network and the MIT Enterprise Forum. She has been appointed to leadership positions on innovation, economic development, entrepreneurship and clean technology commercialization at both the state and federal level including Massachusetts Governor Charlie Baker’s Economic Development Planning Council and the U.S. Secretary of Commerce’s National Advisory Council on Innovation and Entrepreneurship.
Emily has earned international recognition for her leadership in cleantech innovation and has received invitations to speak at International Conferences such as Les Rencontres Economiques d’Aix-en-Provence, France, and the Fish Family Foundation’s Japanese Women’s Leadership Initiative in Tokyo, Japan.
She holds a Ph.D. in Physical Chemistry from the University of Wisconsin-Madison and earned her MBA from MIT Sloan School of Management.
When Emily isn’t at Greentown Labs, you’ll likely find her traveling the world with her husband, Chris Nielsen. As an avid outdoorswoman, Emily has experienced adventures in many corners of the globe including, tree-climbing in the Amazon, swimming with sea turtles off the island of Fernando de Noronha, climbing Mt. Kilimanjaro, trekking the Andes of Ecuador, and cycling along the Danube River bend north of Budapest.
In today’s episode, we cover:
Overview of Greentown Labs
Origin story and what problem it is solving
Traction to date, long vision, and what is coming next
Long vision and whats coming next
How the model works - tools, resources, and benefits
Some example member success stories
How large companies can/are engaging
Role of innovation in the climate fight
Lessons from the first cleantech bubble
Barriers holding back innovation today
Encouraging signs
'Best ways to accelerate
Greentown’s role
Role of policy and how it interrelates with innovation
How startups should know if right they are a fit for Greentown
How Emily would allocate a large pool of money to maximize its impact in the climate fight
Emily’s advice for others looking to find their lane to help with this problem
Links to topics discussed in this episode:
Greentown Labs: https://www.greentownlabs.com/
Department of Energy grants: https://www.grants.gov/learn-grants/grant-making-agencies/department-of-energy.html
Ed Markey: https://www.markey.senate.gov/
You can find me on twitter @jjacobs22 or @mcjpod and email at [email protected], where I encourage you to share your feedback on episodes and suggestions for future topics or guests.
Enjoy the show!
Enjoyed this episode? Please leave us a review! Share feedback or suggest future topics and guests at [email protected].
Connect with MCJ:
Cody Simms on LinkedIn
Visit mcj.vc
Subscribe to the MCJ Newsletter
*Editing and post-production work for this episode was provided by The Podcast Consultant
53 min
October 07, 2019Ep 43: Josh Bushinsky, Co-Founder & Partner at Trajectory Energy Partners
Today’s guest is Josh Bushinsky, Co-Founder & Partner at Trajectory Energy Partners.
Trajectory Energy Partners brings together landowners, electricity users, and communities to develop solar energy projects with strong local support.
Josh was born in Illinois, and at seven moved with his family to Rochester, New York, where he grew up backpacking. He brings to Trajectory Energy Partners a comprehensive appreciation and commitment to the environment, first working in energy as a visiting researcher at the University of Cape Town. An attorney by trade he has represented the renewable sector at Wilson Sonsini Goodrich and Rosati, as well as worked with the Microgrid Investment Accelerator, the Overseas Private Investment Corporation, the White House Council on Environmental Quality, and the Natural Resources Defense Council in Beijing.
Josh is proud to develop community solar in Illinois and remains an avid hiker — now sharing that skill with his children and family.
In today’s episode, we cover:
What led Josh to care about the environment, and his path before founding Trajectory Energy Partners
The opportunity they saw with community solar, and specifically in the midwest, where it is lesser known
Trajectory Energy approach, including how they handle community involvement
Criteria that makes a land parcel a good fit
Pitch to farmers and the benefits to them
Some of the biggest recurring concerns that come up from farmers and why
Benefits to the town of community solar
Resistance from utilities and why, and how legislation is required
Sellers market - more money out there than good projects
What success looks like for Trajectory
Long vision, and what opportunities lie in store in the future
Broader discussion about climate change and some of Josh’s ideas for the most impactful ways to help
Josh’s reflections, after many years working in this problem area
Links to topics discussed in this episode:
Trajectory Energy Partners: https://trajectoryenergy.com/
Stephen Schneider: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stephen_Schneider
Waxman-Markey: https://grist.org/article/2009-06-03-waxman-markey-bill-breakdown/
Clean Air Act: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Clean_Air_Act_(United_States)
White House Council on Environmental Quality: https://www.whitehouse.gov/ceq/
Wilson, Sonsini, Goodrich & Rosati: https://www.wsgr.com/WSGR/Default.aspx
OPEC: https://www.opec.org/opec_web/en/
The Paris Agreement: https://unfccc.int/process-and-meetings/the-paris-agreement/the-paris-agreement
Jon Carson: https://obamawhitehouse.archives.gov/blog/author/jon-carson
Renewable portfolio standard: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Renewable_portfolio_standard
Green bank: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Green_bank
You can find me on twitter @jjacobs22 or @mcjpod and email at [email protected], where I encourage you to share your feedback on episodes and suggestions for future topics or guests.
Enjoy the show!
Enjoyed this episode? Please leave us a review! Share feedback or suggest future topics and guests at [email protected].
Connect with MCJ:
Cody Simms on LinkedIn
Visit mcj.vc
Subscribe to the MCJ Newsletter
*Editing and post-production work for this episode was provided by The Podcast Consultant
56 min
October 03, 2019Ep 42: Dan Lashof, Director of World Resources Institute, United States
Today’s guest is Dan Lashof, Director of World Resources Institute, United States.
He coordinates WRI’s work in the United States across climate, energy, food, forests, water and the sustainable cities programs. This includes overseeing the work of the U.S. climate team, which aims to catalyze and support climate action by states, cities, and businesses while laying the groundwork for federal action in the coming years.
Dan has been working to promote solutions to climate change for more than two decades. Before the World Resources Institute, Dan was the Chief Operating Officer of NextGen Policy Center and previously served as the Director of the Climate and Clean Air Program at the Natural Resources Defense Council.
His focus is developing federal and state regulations to place enforceable limits on carbon dioxide and other heat-trapping pollutants. He has participated in scientific assessments of global warming through the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change and has monitored international climate negotiations since their inception. He was a member of Governor McAuliffe’s Climate Change and Resiliency Update Commission, and has testified at numerous Congressional and California legislative hearings.
Dan earned his Bachelor's degree in Physics and Mathematics at Harvard and his Doctorate from the Energy and Resources Group at the University of California, Berkeley.
Dan is married to Diane Regas and has three adult children. When not working Dan enjoys bicycling, hiking, eating, and cheering for the Golden State Warriors.
In today’s episode, we cover:
WRI history and the nature of their work
The 4 pillars Dan believes are needed to solve climate change
Some examples of WRI’s current initiatives
How they measure success
How WRI is different
'Unique nature of the climate problem
Role of government
Role of policy
Role of natural gas in short and long-term
Role of big oil
Role of adaptation
Where Dan would allocate a large pool of money to maximize impact
Dan’s advice for others seeking to find their lanes to help
Links to topics discussed in this episode:
WRI website: https://www.wri.org/
NRDC: https://www.nrdc.org/
WRI renewables accelerator for cities: https://www.wri.org/events/2019/02/american-cities-climate-challenge-renewables-accelerator
NYC’s Green New Deal: https://www1.nyc.gov/office-of-the-mayor/news/209-19/action-global-warming-nyc-s-green-new-deal#/0
Science based targets: https://sciencebasedtargets.org/
You can find me on twitter @jjacobs22 or @mcjpod and email at [email protected], where I encourage you to share your feedback on episodes and suggestions for future topics or guests.
Enjoy the show!
Enjoyed this episode? Please leave us a review! Share feedback or suggest future topics and guests at [email protected].
Connect with MCJ:
Cody Simms on LinkedIn
Visit mcj.vc
Subscribe to the MCJ Newsletter
*Editing and post-production work for this episode was provided by The Podcast Consultant
56 min
September 30, 2019EP 41: Todd Allen, Chair and Professor, Nuclear Engineering and Radiological Sciences at University of Michigan
Today’s guest is Todd Allen, Chair and Professor, Nuclear Engineering and Radiological Sciences at University of Michigan.
An offer to skip history class in high school to listen to a Navy ROTC recruiter sent Todd Allen on a serendipitous journey that led to him becoming one of the top U.S. experts in nuclear energy, with focus on the material science of nuclear systems.
Todd began his professional career as a submarine officer in the U.S. Navy where he learned the practical applications of operating a nuclear power plant as well as how to take a submarine to periscope depth. Following active duty, he built on that practical Navy experience by earning a Ph.D. in nuclear engineering with specific focus on how radiation changes the physical properties of metals.
His first post-Ph.D. position was as a staff scientist at Argonne National Laboratory. While at Argonne, he joined the leadership team tasked with developing the Generation IV Roadmap, the document that framed the resurgence of the nuclear research programs early in the 21st Century.
Following Argonne, he joined the faculty at the University of Wisconsin. While there, he split his time between establishing a premier material science program at the university and supporting the Idaho National Laboratory. At INL, he led the transition of the Advanced Test Reactor into a national user facility, creating a unique distributed network of national research facilities working together to support novel research ideas brought by universities and private industry. He also ran a six-institution Energy Frontier Research Center focused on answering fundamental questions about heat transfer in nuclear fuel.
From 2013-2016, he helped lead the Idaho National Laboratory as the Deputy Laboratory Director for Science & Technology, including being an important contributor to the development of the Gateway for Accelerated Innovation in Nuclear (GAIN) initiative announced at the White House in November 2015.
He is the author of over 200 technical publications, many of which are readable.
Todd has degrees in nuclear engineering and management information systems. He is a native of Michigan and tries very hard to find ways to watch baseball. His best summer ever (2016) was 64 different stadiums across the U.S.
In today’s episode, we cover:
Todd’s history, the history of the nuclear industry, and how those have intersected over his career
Some of the opportunities of nuclear energy
Some of the misconceptions about it
Some of the risks and downsides
The impact nuclear can have in the climate fight
What else can be impactful in the climate fight
Todd’s advice for others looking to find their lane in the climate fight
Links to topics discussed in this episode:
Enriched Uranium: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Enriched_uranium
International Atomic Energy Agency: https://www.iaea.org/
Yucca Mountain nuclear waste repository: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yucca_Mountain_nuclear_waste_repository
Blue Ribbon Commission: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Blue_Ribbon_Commission_on_America%27s_Nuclear_Future
Three Mile Island: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Three_Mile_Island_accident
Chernobyl: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chernobyl_disaster
Jesse Jenkins: http://energy.mit.edu/profile/jesse-jenkins/
You can find me on twitter @jjacobs22 or @mcjpod and email at [email protected], where I encourage you to share your feedback on episodes and suggestions for future topics or guests.
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*Editing and post-production work for this episode was provided by The Podcast Consultant
1 hr 3 min

About Inevitable

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Join Cody Simms each week as he engages with experts across disciplines to explore innovations driving the transition of energy and industry. Inevitable is an MCJ podcast. This show was formerly known…