In this episode, we explore the controversial topic of carbon capture and storage (CCS) with insights from various experts and activists. We begin with excerpts from Taylor Brobrey’s keynote at the 2024 Bioneers Conference, where he shares his personal experiences growing up in North Dakota amidst the coal and oil industries. Next, we hear from climate thinker Gabrielle Walker, who discusses the necessity of carbon removals in her TED talk. Finally, energy expert and environmental activist Morey Wolfson joins Jack Eidt to debunk the myths surrounding CCS and discuss the reality of its implementation and cost. Tune in to gain a comprehensive understanding of the challenges and false promises of carbon capture and storage.

Most of us understand we are in a global climate emergency. Data confirmed last month was the hottest May on record, putting the Earth on a 12-month streak of record-breaking temperatures. What we need is to immediately transition away from the burning of fossil fuels toward renewable power sources, but also a focus on more efficient energy use, and most importantly, a comprehensive plan for massive conservation and rethinking the way we do business. But global corporations want to continue with their present business model focused on coal, oil, fossil gas, ethanol, and industrial agro-fueled biodiesel. And the way they do it is advancing “solutions” like Carbon Capture, Utilization, and Storage.

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Clip Taylor Brobry from Bioneers: https://youtu.be/17NNiLXQoaM?si=SC4qROI6KlpuAO8v

What You Need to Know About Carbon Removal | Gabrielle Walker | TED

Clip from TED Talk Gabrielle Walker: https://youtu.be/60e6u_1TEIs?si=Rm7HXkPPn1S51p9m

Resources/Articles:

Info on Project Tundra in North Dakota: https://www.projecttundrand.com/

“The carbon capture crux: Lessons learned,” Institute for Energy Economics and Financial Analysis

https://ieefa.org/resources/carbon-capture-crux-lessons-learned

Taylor Brorby [https://taylorbrorby.com/] grew in the dynamic shortgrass prairie of western North Dakota, a youth that coincided with the brutal physical and psychic scarring of his surroundings by the coal and oil industry, a fate not made any easier by being a young gay boy enthralled by classical music, art, fishing, and poetry. From here, Taylor became a poet, writer and dedicated activist, an eloquent critic of the fossil fuel industry, penning, among other works, the memoir: Boys and Oil: Growing Up Gay in a Fractured Land, the essays in Civil Disobedience, and co-editing: Fracture: Essays, Poems, and Stories on Fracking in America.

Morey Wolfson has spent his career in energy and environmental policy. He is a Former Colorado Public Utilities Commission (PUC) regulator, National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) employee, and governors’ energy policy advisor.

Jack Eidt is an urban planner, environmental journalist, and climate organizer, as well as award-winning fiction writer. He is Co-Founder of SoCal 350 Climate Action and Executive Producer of EcoJustice Radio. He is also Founder and Publisher of WilderUtopia [https://wilderutopia.com], a website dedicated to the question of Earth sustainability, finding society-level solutions to environmental, community, economic, transportation and energy needs.

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Executive Producer and Host: Jack Eidt

Engineer and Original Music: Blake Quake Beats

Episode 224

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