Policy Dispatch: The FORESIGHT podcast on the policies underpinning the energy transition

When the United States unveiled its Inflation Reduction Act and showed off the billions of dollars in financing that it is offering for industries like renewable energy, carbon capture, clean mobility and more, the first question was: how will Europe respond? Not long after Joe Biden’s administration debuted the IRA, the European Union published its Net-Zero Industry Act, in a bid to make it easier for homegrown manufacturers and developers to compete.Lacking the pure financial firepower of the US, the EU has instead attempted to grant extra perks like streamlined regulation, permitting reform and procurement benefits.But as the act makes it way through the labyrinth of the EU legislative machine and lawmakers decide what should and what should not be given priority, it is important to remember that there is more at stake than just turbocharging European industry. A whole host of other actors, from civil society to academia, have a vested interest in seeing a well-designed net-zero act make it into EU law at the end of the process. However, their voices are not being heard.This week WWF Europe’s Camille Maury, an expert in industrial decarbonisation, joins the Policy Dispatch to explain why the EU risks missing an opportunity with the NZIA.Enjoy the dispatch!If you have any thoughts or questions about anything that has been discussed in this week’s episode, you can reach us at our Twitter accounts:Camille Maury: https://twitter.com/CamilleMaury3Sam Morgan: https://twitter.com/SamJamesMorgan@Policy Dispatch: https://twitter.com/PolicyDispatchFORESIGHT Climate & Energy: https://twitter.com/FORESIGHTdkListen and subscribe to Policy Dispatch wherever you get podcasts. Follow us on Twitter at @Policy Dispatch or email us at [email protected]. You can also find FORESIGHT Climate & Energy on LinkedIn.Show notes:See them at: https://foresightdk.com/pd-ep18.TRY FULL ACCESS TO FORESIGHT CLIMATE & ENERGY FOR €1 A DAYJoin over 100,000 policymakers, energy experts in business, finance, and academia, city leaders, and leading NGOs in having access to FORESIGHT Climate & EnergyGET YOUR 30-DAY TRIAL: www.foresightdk.com/subscribe/.

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People on average spend 90% of their time in buildings, be it at home, at work or using public services like schools and hospitals. That explains why such a large portion of energy demand is soaked up by buildings and why such a huge chunk of emissions are produced by them. To decarbonise our edifices, several policies have to work harmoniously together, including but not limited to, energy efficiency standards, building codes, renewable energy rules, construction best practices and clean mobility targets. It is not an easy challenge to face but an all-important one if the energy transition is to be realised.This week, director of the Renovate Europe campaign and former practising architect Adrian Joyce joins the Policy Dispatch to chat about how Europe is trying to clean up its building stock. Adrian discusses with Sam where the money for renovations is going to come from, what legislation is waiting in the pipeline and how politics might impede progress. There is also a round of fact-checking and disinfo-busting of some of the more outlandish claims that have been made about the sector in recent months. Enjoy the dispatch!If you have any thoughts or questions about anything that has been discussed in this week’s episode, you can reach us at our Twitter accounts:Adrian Joyce: https://twitter.com/adrian_joyceSam Morgan: https://twitter.com/SamJamesMorgan@Policy Dispatch: https://twitter.com/PolicyDispatchFORESIGHT Climate & Energy: https://twitter.com/FORESIGHTdkListen and subscribe to Policy Dispatch wherever you get podcasts. Follow us on Twitter at @Policy Dispatch or email us at [email protected]. You can also find FORESIGHT Climate & Energy on LinkedIn.Show notes:Renovate Europe campaign: https://www.renovate-europe.eu/Pezinok castle: https://www.hrady-zamky.sk/en/pezinsky-zamok/FORESIGHT Policy Section: https://foresightdk.com/category/policy/TRY FULL ACCESS TO FORESIGHT CLIMATE & ENERGY FOR €1 A DAYJoin over 100,000 policymakers, energy experts in business, finance, and academia, city leaders, and leading NGOs in having access to FORESIGHT Climate & EnergyGET YOUR 30-DAY TRIAL: www.foresightdk.com/subscribe/.

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Reducing agriculture emissions is a big part of climate action and the wider energy transition. ‘Greenhouse gases’ may well be a term straight out of the farmyard but the sector is struggling to rid itself of those polluting emissions, despite attempts to clean up farming. Unlike power generation and transport, where much of the progress will be made simply by electrifying as much as possible and making sure there is enough renewable energy to fuel everything, agriculture has many more complex issues to contend with. Replacing one pollution-generating process often means a trade-off with other environmental concerns, meaning farmers are often damned if they do and damned if they don’t. Add in factors like slim margins, inflation and cultural concerns and you realise the difficulty of the task ahead. But improvements have been made and policies are being implemented to reduce farming’s climate impact. Progress may be slow but as initiatives like Europe’s Green Deal dig ever deeper footholds in how society goes about its business, focus is gradually shifting to the farmyard.Expert journalist Gerardo Fortuna, who has spent years covering the EU’s attempts to regulate agriculture and co-hosts a weekly podcast on the farm and food sector, joins Sam for a chat about where farming fits into the energy transition puzzle. Topics include the Ukraine war, a shift in who wields political power in agriculture and how policies like the ETS and CBAM will affect farming’s future.Enjoy the dispatch!If you have any thoughts or questions about anything that has been discussed in this week’s episode, you can reach us at our Twitter accounts:Gerardo Fortuna: https://twitter.com/gerardofortunaSam Morgan: https://twitter.com/SamJamesMorgan@Policy Dispatch: https://twitter.com/PolicyDispatchFORESIGHT Climate & Energy: https://twitter.com/FORESIGHTdkListen and subscribe to Policy Dispatch wherever you get podcasts. Follow us on Twitter at @Policy Dispatch or email us at [email protected]. You can also find FORESIGHT Climate & Energy on LinkedIn.Show notes:FORESIGHT Policy Section: https://foresightdk.com/category/policy/TRY FULL ACCESS TO FORESIGHT CLIMATE & ENERGY FOR €1 A DAYJoin over 100,000 policymakers, energy experts in business, finance, and academia, city leaders, and leading NGOs in having access to FORESIGHT Climate & EnergyGET YOUR 30-DAY TRIAL: www.foresightdk.com/subscribe/.

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Think about the United States’ relationship with cars and the first thing that comes to mind is probably gas-guzzling SUVs and gigantic pickup trucks roaring down an arrow-straight freeway.However, that may soon be an anachronistic impression of US transport now that the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has tabled a new plan that would scrub billions of tonnes of greenhouse gas emissions from transport’s pollution docket.If adopted as it stands, the EPA’s standards would go some way toward putting the US on a more even footing with the likes of China and Europe when it comes to zero-emission mobility, especially when coupled with the financial firepower offered by the Biden administration’s Inflation Reduction Act and its billions of dollars in green subsidies.But what does the plan actually mean for the automobile industry? How will this coexist with other vehicle standards and regulations? And how feasible is the EPA’s proposal?To answer these questions and more, Sam is joined by special guest Stephanie Searle from the International Council on Clean Transportation. Stephanie heads the ICCT’s fuels programme and is the lead on US policies so is able to shed a lot of light on what has been hailed as one of the most ambitious climate plans ever unveiled stateside.Enjoy the dispatch!If you have any thoughts or questions about anything that has been discussed in this week’s episode, you can reach us at our Twitter accounts:Stephanie Searle: https://www.linkedin.com/in/stephanie-searle-68a76629/Sam Morgan: https://twitter.com/SamJamesMorgan@Policy Dispatch: https://twitter.com/PolicyDispatchFORESIGHT Climate & Energy: https://twitter.com/FORESIGHTdkListen and subscribe to Policy Dispatch wherever you get podcasts. Follow us on Twitter at @Policy Dispatch or email us at [email protected]. You can also find FORESIGHT Climate & Energy on LinkedIn.Show notes:FORESIGHT Policy Section: https://foresightdk.com/category/policy/TRY FULL ACCESS TO FORESIGHT CLIMATE & ENERGY FOR €1 A DAYJoin over 100,000 policymakers, energy experts in business, finance, and academia, city leaders, and leading NGOs in having access to FORESIGHT Climate & EnergyGET YOUR 30-DAY TRIAL: www.foresightdk.com/subscribe/.

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China is the latest country to get into emissions trading, launching a nationwide market in 2021 and using several regional and local pilot projects as a springboard. Many of the details still need to be hashed out, and the low price means that it is far too soon to see any actual decarbonising impact. But we have been here before: when Europe launched its emissions trading system nearly two decades ago, the early years were plagued by low prices, a glut of pollution permits and a regulatory system that did not extract the full potential from the market. Subsequent reforms have patched loopholes and dragged the price of carbon into a window where industries are now being forced to adopt greener technologies not to fall foul of the polluter pays principle. China has taken inspiration from the EU ETS and hopes to iron out the kinks in a shorter time span.Yan Qin, an expert in all things carbon market from Refinitiv, joins the Policy Dispatch this week to share her insights into China’s nascent effort, how it stacks up against the EU’s, and what the future holds for the promising policy. The discussion also dips into what China will hope to avoid as it develops its market, what other countries might be influenced by this development and to what extent Chinese efforts to price carbon are an attempt to defuse Europe’s new climate and trade superweapon, the carbon border adjustment mechanism. Enjoy the dispatch!If you have any thoughts or questions about anything that has been discussed in this week's episode, you can reach us at our Twitter accounts:Yan Qin: https://twitter.com/yanqinyqSam Morgan: https://twitter.com/SamJamesMorgan@Policy Dispatch: https://twitter.com/PolicyDispatchFORESIGHT Climate & Energy: https://twitter.com/FORESIGHTdkListen and subscribe to Policy Dispatch wherever you get podcasts. Follow us on Twitter at @Policy Dispatch or email us at [email protected]. You can also find FORESIGHT Climate & Energy on LinkedIn.Show notes:FORESIGHT Policy Section: https://foresightdk.com/category/policy/TRY FULL ACCESS TO FORESIGHT CLIMATE & ENERGY FOR €1 A DAYJoin over 100,000 policymakers, energy experts in business, finance, and academia, city leaders, and leading NGOs in having access to FORESIGHT Climate & EnergyGET YOUR 30-DAY TRIAL: www.foresightdk.com/subscribe/.

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More clean power is being added to energy mixes on a daily basis, but it does not matter how many wind turbines or solar panels are installed; the electrons still need to reach homes and businesses. Supply cannot always match demand, either in quantity or timing, so that is where storage comes in. Whether it is hydropower dams, grid batteries, molten salt or the power of gravity, storage — both conventional and innovative — is gearing up to play an absolutely fundamental role in decarbonised energy systems.The road ahead is by no means a smooth one, though, as many hurdles stand in the way of 24/7 on-demand green electricity. Developers need to establish strong business cases to support their storage ambitions, and some policies are already helping to make that a reality. More changes are needed to unlock a storage boom and also establish the technology as a safeguard against the price spike crisis that happened towards the end of 2022. Helping to turbocharge this week’s Dispatch is Thomas Lewis from the European Association for the Storage of Energy.Enjoy the dispatch!If you have any thoughts or questions about anything that has been discussed in this week’s episode, you can reach us at our Twitter accounts:Thomas Lewis: https://twitter.com/_thomaslewis?lang=enSam Morgan: https://twitter.com/SamJamesMorgan@Policy Dispatch: https://twitter.com/PolicyDispatchFORESIGHT Climate & Energy: https://twitter.com/FORESIGHTdkListen and subscribe to Policy Dispatch wherever you get podcasts. Follow us on Twitter at @Policy Dispatch or email us at [email protected]. You can also find FORESIGHT Climate & Energy on LinkedIn.Show notes:FORESIGHT Policy Section: https://foresightdk.com/category/policy/TRY FULL ACCESS TO FORESIGHT CLIMATE & ENERGY FOR €1 A DAYJoin over 100,000 policymakers, energy experts in business, finance, and academia, city leaders, and leading NGOs in having access to FORESIGHT Climate & EnergyGET YOUR 30-DAY TRIAL: www.foresightdk.com/subscribe/.

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India is poised to become the most populous country on Earth, with energy demands and climate concerns set to grow in step. Air pollution has long been a significant health concern in many of India’s cities, in particular in the capital of New Delhi, which regularly tops global pollution indexes. Given that air quality is intrinsically linked to the energy transition through sectors like transport, power generation, agriculture and more, India is a fascinating testbed for policies that can work on a broad scale. Whether that means shifting vehicles towards e-mobility, setting new industrial standards or making big investments in cleaning up the heating sector, India is slowly but surely making progress. But is it fast enough? What other policies must be taken seriously by the government to solve this problem? And what can India learn from other countries that struggle to keep air quality high?To tackle the pollution-climate issue, Sam is joined this week by Pallavi Pant from the Health Effects Institute, a US-based research group where she leads the global health programme.Enjoy the dispatch!If you have any thoughts or questions about anything that has been discussed in this week’s episode, you can reach us at our Twitter accounts:Pallavi Pant: https://twitter.com/pallavipnt?lang=enSam Morgan: https://twitter.com/SamJamesMorgan@Policy Dispatch: https://twitter.com/PolicyDispatchFORESIGHT Climate & Energy: https://twitter.com/FORESIGHTdkListen and subscribe to Policy Dispatch wherever you get podcasts. Follow us on Twitter at @Policy Dispatch or email us at [email protected]. You can also find FORESIGHT Climate & Energy on LinkedIn.Show notes:FORESIGHT Policy Section: https://foresightdk.com/category/policy/TRY FULL ACCESS TO FORESIGHT CLIMATE & ENERGY FOR €1 A DAYJoin over 100,000 policymakers, energy experts in business, finance, and academia, city leaders, and leading NGOs in having access to FORESIGHT Climate & EnergyGET YOUR 30-DAY TRIAL: www.foresightdk.com/subscribe/.

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The energy transition continues to gather pace. As data for 2022 is crunched and processed, an optimistic picture begins to be painted. Renewables are going from strength to strength and the rate of development of new energy technologies continues to make past predictions look conservative. But will this growth last? What does 2023 and beyond look like? Have we reached a tipping point of clean energy uptake that will trigger even more installations?These are the literal multi-billion dollar questions.In an attempt to try and answer them, the Policy Dispatch is this week joined by the CEO and founder of research and intelligence firm Rystad Energy, Jarand Rystad. Sam caught up with Jarand at an energy event in Brussels, for a Foresight chat about foresight.Enjoy the dispatch!If you have any thoughts or questions about anything that has been discussed in this week’s episode, you can reach us at our Twitter accounts:Jarand Rystad: https://twitter.com/RystadEnergySam Morgan: https://twitter.com/SamJamesMorgan@Policy Dispatch: https://twitter.com/PolicyDispatchFORESIGHT Climate & Energy: https://twitter.com/FORESIGHTdkListen and subscribe to Policy Dispatch wherever you get podcasts. Follow us on Twitter at @Policy Dispatch or email us at [email protected]. You can also find FORESIGHT Climate & Energy on LinkedIn.Show notes:FORESIGHT Policy Section: https://foresightdk.com/category/policy/TRY FULL ACCESS TO FORESIGHT CLIMATE & ENERGY FOR €1 A DAYJoin over 100,000 policymakers, energy experts in business, finance, and academia, city leaders, and leading NGOs in having access to FORESIGHT Climate & EnergyGET YOUR 30-DAY TRIAL: www.foresightdk.com/subscribe/.

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International trade and the global economy is reliant on ships to transport goods across the planet, but the sector is also a massive contributor to greenhouse gas emissions. The industry will have to play an integral part of the energy transition, whether it likes it or not, as climate targets loom ever nearer on the horizon. Technology will help clean up shipping’s act, as will regulation, but when will we see emission-free vessels in the water?Simon Bergulf, senior director for ESG Public & Regulatory Affairs at Maersk, one of the world’ largest shippers, is the guest on this week’s Policy Dispatch and talks to Sam about the course his company is charting. Enjoy the dispatch!If you have any thoughts or questions about anything that has been discussed in this week’s episode, you can reach us at our Twitter accounts:Simon Bergulf: https://twitter.com/BergcubeSam Morgan: https://twitter.com/SamJamesMorgan@Policy Dispatch: https://twitter.com/PolicyDispatchFORESIGHT Climate & Energy: https://twitter.com/FORESIGHTdkListen and subscribe to Policy Dispatch wherever you get podcasts. Follow us on Twitter at @Policy Dispatch or email us at [email protected]. You can also find FORESIGHT Climate & Energy on LinkedIn.Show notes:FORESIGHT Policy Section: https://foresightdk.com/category/policy/TRY FULL ACCESS TO FORESIGHT CLIMATE & ENERGY FOR €1 A DAYJoin over 100,000 policymakers, energy experts in business, finance, and academia, city leaders, and leading NGOs in having access to FORESIGHT Climate & EnergyGET YOUR 30-DAY TRIAL: www.foresightdk.com/subscribe/.

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Europe’s emissions trading system is considered to be the backbone of EU climate policies. After very nearly 20 years of service, the carbon market plays a substantial role in cutting emissions and driving demand for green technology by enforcing the polluter pays principle. Late last year, EU negotiators brokered an agreement on how to update the ETS, so that emissions are cut even further and more emitting sectors are finally introduced to the world of carbon pricing. The reform promises much but with more rules, comes more complexity.To understand more about the mammoth ETS deal, Policy Dispatch caught up with one of the negotiators that helped get the agreement over the line. Emma Wiesner, a Swedish MEP, chats with Sam live from her Parliament office in Strasbourg about what the future holds for the ETS, what aspects of the agreement disappointed her and how pricing pollution is just the start.Enjoy the dispatch!If you have any thoughts or questions about anything that has been discussed in this week’s episode, you can reach us at our Twitter accounts:Emma Wiesner: https://twitter.com/emmawiesnerSam Morgan: https://twitter.com/SamJamesMorgan@Policy Dispatch: https://twitter.com/PolicyDispatchFORESIGHT Climate & Energy: https://twitter.com/FORESIGHTdkListen and subscribe to Policy Dispatch wherever you get podcasts. Follow us on Twitter at @PolicyDispatch or email us at [email protected]. You can also find FORESIGHT Climate & Energy on LinkedIn.Show notes:FORESIGHT Policy Section: https://foresightdk.com/category/policy/TRY FULL ACCESS TO FORESIGHT CLIMATE & ENERGY FOR €1 A DAYJoin over 100,000 policymakers, energy experts in business, finance, and academia, city leaders, and leading NGOs in having access to FORESIGHT Climate & EnergyGET YOUR 30-DAY TRIAL: www.foresightdk.com/subscribe/.

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