Smart Prosperity: The Podcast

Are electric vehicles at a tipping point?The price of gasoline is spiking and suddenly so is demand for electric vehicles. Though Canada has been behind its peers when it comes to EV adoption, with only 5% of new vehicle purchases being electric in 2021, that could change quickly. Are we at a tipping point? This episode shares the latest data on market trends, cost comparisons, supply shortages, charging installation and equity issues. With: Joanna Kyriazis (Clean Energy Canada) & Jonatha...

How did solar get so cheap?This episode comes courtesy of the smart folks at Energy vs. Climate podcast. Solar energy is the good news story of the 21st century so far. How did a clean energy technology drop from costing 105 dollars per watt of electricity down to just 20 cents over the span of a few decades? And how can other clean technologies ride the same curve? Here the team at Energy vs. Climate – Ed Whittingham, Sara Hastings-Simon and David Keith – interview the guy who wrote the book...

Canada's conservative party is back to the drawing board to come up with a climate plan. What does a credible conservative climate agenda look like in 2022? Is carbon pricing part of the package? Conservative insider Ken Boessenkool talks about the state of his party and how to mend a climate rift spreading in the rank and file. w/ Ken Boessenkool (Conservatives for Clean Growth).For more info and links, go to: podcast.smartprosperity.ca

Despite being the world's second-biggest cause of climate change, most projections tell us that oil can be part of a climate friendly future. How so? The answer lies in a technology called Carbon Capture Utilization and Storage - or CCUS. But not everyone agrees that CCUS is a climate solution. This episode hears from both sides of the debate, and whether or not CCUS should be getting favourable treatment in Canada through a proposed investment tax credit. w/ Susannah Pierce (Shell Cana...

Phew, we did it, one more year of survival for the human race! To celebrate, we bring you the best and worst of the green economy in 2021. Four of Canada’s top journalists join host Eric Campbell for a fun retrospective on the year’s top stories: the triumphs, the failures, the surprises and the cruel ironies. And, because there’s a lot riding on the next calendar year, we also dabble in some predictions for 2022. Guests: Heather Scoffield (Toronto Star), Adam Radwanski (The Globe and Ma...

The post-covid fossil fuels boomDon’t look now but the world is in a fossil fuels boom. As the economy bounces back from covid-19, the global demand for oil, gas and coal is skyrocketing. Yet didn't international leaders just make new climate pledges that promise to cut out these fossil fuels? How do we make sense of this contradiction? How long will the fossil fuel boom last? And will it send our climate goals out of reach?Guests: Tim Gould (Chief Energy Economist, IEA), Jackie Forrest (Exec...

Are your savings fuelling climate change?Canadians are sitting on record levels of savings. These household savings are being leveraged, in turn, by banks and pension funds to make major investments. But what kinds of investments? Are your savings being used to finance major fossil fuel projects? What is your bank and your pension fund doing with your savings behind your back? w/ Barbara Zvan (President and CEO at University Pension Plan) & Toby Heaps (Publisher & Editor-in-Chief at C...

How to spend $2-trillion on climate changeA new report says it will cost $2 trillion for Canada to transition to net-zero carbon pollution by 2050. What does the money get spent on? Who's going to pay? How big is the return on investment? And what does Canada’s biggest bank plan to do about it? w/ John Stackhouse (RBC)For more info and links, go to: podcast.smartprosperity.ca

Catherine McKenna on the upcoming Glasgow climate talksCanada’s former environment minister takes us behind the scenes of the upcoming UN climate negotiations in Glasgow: what are the big issues, who are the key players, who’s doing the arm twisting, who’s getting their arms twisted, and can the international community get the job done. w/ Catherine McKenna (Canada’s second longest-serving environment minister)For more info and links, go to: podcast.smartprosperity.ca

Why the housing crisis is an environmental problem Canada’s severe housing shortage is driving up prices for wannabe renters and homeowners. Yes it’s an economic and equity problem, but is it also an environmental problem? On this episode, three experts expose the environmental angles of the housing crisis, including how it fuels urban sprawl, stifles the green workforce and shortchanges Canada’s cleantech sector. With: Tim Gray (Environmental Defence), Hannah Teicher (Pacific Institute for C...