Providing access to sustainable energy for all is currently one of the top priority issues in the global sustainability agenda. The quest for a transition to a less carbon-intensive and more sustainable energy system is becoming more urgent, particularly in the face of growing concerns about the impact of climate change.

Achieving the desired transformation of the world energy system will not come cheap. In its special report on the impacts of global warming of 1.5°C above pre-industrial levels, the IPCC estimated that an annual average investment of around $2.4 trillion in clean energy system would be required between 2016 and 2035 to limit global warming to 1.5°C. The IPCC made this clarion call for such level of investment after dispelling the previous notion that keeping global warming below 2°C this century would make climate change impacts manageable. The conclusion of the special report was that going past the new "guard rail" of 1.5°C, which IPCC said could be exceeded by 2030, would be catastrophically dangerous for mankind and the planet.

We are delighted to welcome our podcast guest, Professor Michael Grubb to share some insights on how economically feasible it would be to meet this daunting energy transformation challenge. Michael is Research Director and Professor of Energy and Climate Change at the University College London (UCL). He chaired the UK Panel of Technical Experts on Electricity Market Reform from 2016 to 2019. Professor Grubb is one of the Convening Lead Authors of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) Mitigation Report.