Wicked Problems - Climate Tech Conversations

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“More clean energy. More affordable energy. That dual mandate is the real challenge.” 

In this episode, Richard Delevan talks to Cat Clifford, senior reporter at Cipher News, about what happens when data center demand collides with outdated policy, broken infrastructure, and an AI arms race nobody can afford to lose.

We go deep into Cat’s reporting on:

AI’s Ballooning Electricity Appetite

– Why AI is driving the biggest spike in electricity demand in a generation

– The paradox of AI as a climate solution—if it’s powered cleanly

– The unknowables: how big, how fast, and how chaotic?

The Nuclear-Tech Bromance

– Why big tech is cozying up to small modular reactors (SMRs)

– Who’s bankrolling the nuclear revival—and who might get burned

– The role of always-on baseload in the age of AI factories

Geothermal’s Promised Land

– Advanced geothermal’s bipartisan political appeal

– Why it’s ideal for U.S. energy dominance—but underfunded

– Will Congress rewrite the tax credit rules in time to matter?

Texas, Tariffs, and Transmission

– What just happened in the Texas Legislature—and why it matters beyond Texas

– How tariffs whiplashed investor confidence in solar and AI supply chains

– Why permitting reform—and grid expansion—are stuck

Politics, 2026, and the Price of Power

– What voters will care about: the cost of energy

– Who pays to keep the lights on in the AI age?

– What the fight over IRA tax credits tells us about the Senate’s climate future

Quote of the Episode:

“If the U.S. is serious about the AI race, solar and storage are the only near-term way to meet demand. Everyone’s going to have to compromise.”

Further Reading:

• Cat Clifford at Cipher
• Cat Clifford on LinkedIn
• Cat Clifford on BlueSky

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In this episode we talk about climate tech in the age of AI, state failure, and the occasional aircraft powered by poop. In this episode, Canadian climate futurist and returning champion Michael Barnard joins us for a globe-spanning conversation about why he’s still cautiously optimistic — and why, if you’re only paying attention to the U.S. or Europe, you’re probably looking the wrong way.

In Conversation

· Pakistan's rooftop solar revolution: how a glut of Chinese panels and uncoordinated net metering turned into 22 GW of grassroots decarbonization in a single year.

· Ports, poop, and power: what district heating, sewage sludge, and whiz-powered planes tell us about what works — and what’s quietly already scaling.

· China’s decarbonization surprise: Michael walks us through why China’s emissions have actually started to fall, why Western media missed it, and why most U.S. industrial policy is a “radically stupid” own-goal.

· The end of American credibility: on failed trade narratives, disappearing clean energy investment, and the strategic competence of the so-called Global South.

· Three technologies to watch: Geothermal heat-as-a-service, waste-based sustainable aviation fuels, and electrified ports as power utilities of the future.

Timeline

02:28 Optimism in the Face of Climate Challenges

05:08 Pakistan's Energy Transformation

14:16 Leapfrogging in the Global South

21:23 China's Role in Global Emissions Reduction

27:08 The Rise of the Electro State

28:33 China's Dominance in Critical Minerals

29:37 Globalism and Neoliberalism: A Mixed Bag

30:42 The Market Economy's Failures

32:13 Technology Diffusion and Industrial Policy

34:48 The United States' Broken Industrial Policy

43:04 Geothermal Energy Innovations

46:04 Sustainable Aviation Fuel from Waste

49:35 The Future of Electrified Ports

Further Reading

* CarbonBrief on China's emissions drop

* Jenny Chase (BNEF) on Pakistan’s rooftop solar boom

* Barnard on ports and maritime decarbonisation

* Sustainable Aviation Fuels from Human Waste

* The Dawn of Everything by Graeber & Wengrow

* Trifecta Ireland – new NGO for clean, secure, affordable energy

* Kingsmill Bond (Ember) on the rise of the Electrostate v Petrostate

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Mic Wright is the madman media survivor behind one of this show’s second-favourite newsletter, Conquest of the Useless . So when we heard he has a new book out in a couple of weeks we were delighted he could give us a few minutes to talk meeja matters in the age of AI and climate consequences.

Breaking: How the Media Works, When it Doesn’t and Why that Matters - despite my inability to stop obsessing about whether it is missing an Oxford comma in the title - is the magnum opus of Britain’s best observer of all things media since Christopher Hitchens went from Trot to Neocon.

Two years before the Brexit referendum, a year long inquiry by a UK parliamentary select committee concluded that BBC news teams consistently engaged in false balance when reporting on climate change stories. So for a senior news journalist to suggest that they weren't familiar with the concept felt like a very stark confession.

Head back even further to the misty, almost unimaginable, past of 2006, and you find Rob Corddry on the Daily Show, parodying journalists who bent over backwards to establish balance where there is none:

“How does one report the facts? When the facts themselves are biased from the names of our fallen soldiers to the gradual withdrawal of our allies to the growing insurgency, it's become all too clear that the facts in Iraq have an anti-Bush agenda.”

Meatless speech was rightly praised for highlighting the influence of Conservative Party appointees on the BBC, but it also contained a series of confessions about missing the elephant in the room. Even as the stench of dung must have been stifling.

In Conversation

00:35 Introducing Mic Wright

01:31 Technical Challenges and Interview Preview

03:13 Mic Wright's Dramatic Reading

04:16 Discussion on False Balance in Journalism

13:07 The Rise of Churnalism

15:14 Media Ownership and Influence

19:39 Tech Enthusiasm and AI in Journalism

32:14 Conclusion and Final Thoughts

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As we talked about with folk from Carbon Technology Research Foundation and Robert Höglund last week, Carbon Dioxide Removal (CDR) is going through some things. The Trump administration is slashing funding for Direct Air Capture (DAC) hubs, poster child CDR firm Climeworks is laying off 20% of staff and stands accused of overpromising an underdelivering on removals.

But in a week when a Swiss village was wiped off the map by a collapsing glacier, and the World Meteorological Organisation predicted we’re likely facing years of staying at 1.5°C above pre-industrial levels - the existential threshold for small island states they demanded be included in the Paris Agreement - the need to find ways to take greenhouse gases out of the air (while electrifying and decarbonising) has not gone away.

Cara Maesano has one of the most comprehensive views of the state of CDR technologies as the head of CDR research at RMI. Recent reports she helped craft point out pragmatic opportunities for joined-up thinking by integrating carbon removals in industry and agriculture - and even using captured carbon in building materials.

In Conversation

01:30 Challenges in the Direct Air Capture Sector

07:54 Exploring Different Carbon Removal Technologies

12:06 Industrial Carbon Removal Opportunities

23:40 Industry Partnerships for Carbon Removal

24:03 Economic Benefits of Carbon Removal

25:41 Momentum in Climate Action

27:50 Innovative Building Materials for Carbon Storage

32:44 Engaging Stakeholders in Carbon Removal

33:28 Highlighting Successful Carbon Removal Projects

35:13 Challenges and Opportunities in Policy and Regulation

37:25 The Ongoing Climate Conversation

38:52 Connecting Climate Solutions Across Sectors

42:20 Conclusion and Final Thoughts

Further Reading

RMI: Seizing the Industrial Carbon Removal Opportunity

RMI: Harnessing Carbon Removal Opportunities in Biomass Residue Building Products

The CO280 project Cara mentioned at a pulp and paper mill

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Why is it, every time the lights go out, anywhere in the world, there are ten influencers with pre-written posts about how it’s the fault of wind and solar on the grid? 

Whether it’s Spain in 2025 or Texas in 2021 or the UK in 2019 or South Australia in 2016 - before the lights are even back on, never mind an investigation, there is a lightning-fast squad of people who pop up on social media, in TV interviews, in newspaper columns, who claim with absolutely certainty that it was renewables. It was too much wind. Or too little wind. Or not enough sun. Or too much sun. Or all of the above - often in the same interview. 

It doesn’t need to make logical sense. It just needs to tickle your cortisol and dopamine receptors. 

Even if it affects the public debate - does it prevent steel going into the ground to build out more solar and wind in these places? And if it hasn’t to date, is that what's about to happen in Texas?

Legendary climate and energy analyst Ketan Joshi returns to the show to hash out the whys and wherefores of it all. And what we might do about taking some of that pollution out of our information environment.

Plus an unscheduled special guest appearance from our dogs.

01:22 The 2016 Australian Blackout 

02:17 Media's Role in Renewable Energy Perception 

04:37 Technical Details of the Blackout 

07:02 Public Reaction and Misunderstandings 

11:24 Comparing Global Blackouts 

13:27 The Role of Disinformation 

18:16 Future of Renewable Energy and Grid Management 

37:02 Meet the Dogs 

37:59 Discussing Pre-Bunking 

40:05 Wind Turbine Health Fears 

45:03 Texas Renewable Energy Growth 

52:23 Bluesky's Future 

His analysis in RenewEconomy. 

Windfall

Quote by Akshat Rathi in Bloomberg

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Join host Richard Delevan on this episode of Wicked Problems - Climate Tech Conversations as he explores the future of carbon removal technology during Carbon Removals Week. Featuring Philippa Amina and Luke Williams from the Carbon Technology Research Foundation (CTRF), the discussion delves into the challenges and opportunities in the field of carbon dioxide removal (CDR). Topics include the role of diversified approaches, including nature-based solutions and marine carbon sequestration, the importance of transparency and trust, and the funding conundrum in current climate research. Tune in for a thought-provoking conversation on scalable solutions for a sustainable future.

00:00 Introduction and Welcome

00:46 Guest Introductions and Background

02:21 Discussion on Carbon Removals

03:58 Challenges and Perspectives in Carbon Removal

07:37 CTRF's Approach and Projects

16:13 Funding and Future of Carbon Removal Research

29:13 Conclusion and Contact Information

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“It’ll be between a scalpel and a sledgehammer,” said Speaker Mike Johnson, describing how Republicans might gut clean energy in the Inflation Reduction Act. After last night’s vote, it looks more like a wrecking ball.

In this episode, we talk to Maeve Allsup of Latitude Media about the damage now unfolding in Washington. From the brain drain at the Department of Energy to chaos around clean energy tax credits, Maeve has been tracking the story from inside the industry.

We also dig into the turmoil in carbon removal. Climeworks, the biggest name in the sector, is laying off staff and scaling back its US expansion. Critics are calling it the “Theranos” of climate. Is it? We speak with Robert Höglund of CDR.fyi and Milkywire, who says this is just the next phase of the hype cycle—and points to a Carbon Gap paper that helps separate signal from noise.

Cuts to clean energy. Turmoil in tech. A moment of clarity—or collapse?

And a farewell to Norm.

01:26 Tribute to George Wendt 

02:14 Elon Musk at the Qatar Economic Forum 

04:53 Interview with Robert Höglund on Carbon Removals 

05:31 Challenges in the Carbon Removal Industry 

13:19 The Gartner Hype Cycle and Carbon Removal 1

7:08 Policy and Market Dynamics 

21:49 Global Perspectives on Carbon Removal 

28:59 Interview with Maeve Alsup on Washington Developments 

30:49 Clean Tech Investments and Uncertainties 

36:00 Geographical Distribution of IRA Investments 

37:02 Surprising Early Drafts and Nuclear Concerns 

38:19 Geothermal and Tax Credit Challenges 

40:23 Uncertainty in Clean Energy Projects 

45:01 Department of Energy and Staff Resignations 

52:43 Loan Programs Office Under Scrutiny

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Exploring Climate Geoengineering: An Urgent Discussion with Kelly Wanser

In this episode of Wicked Problems, host Richard Delevan sits down with Kelly Wanser, CEO of SilverLining, to delve into the critical topic of solar radiation modification (SRM) and geoengineering aka "climate interventions". Amidst a backdrop of growing climate risk and global warming, the conversation emphasizes the importance of robust scientific data and the various efforts to advance research in the atmospheric sciences. They discuss the evolving landscape of climate interventions, recent policy developments, and the vital role of both public and private sectors. The dialogue also touches on historical context, international cooperation, and the potential implications of stratospheric changes on our planet's future climate stability.

00:00 Introduction: The Need for More Data

00:41 Welcome to Wicked Problems

00:44 Recent Developments in Climate Interventions

02:21 The Importance of Measuring Atmospheric Changes

03:17 Historical Context: The Value of Knowing

04:16 Current Challenges in Atmospheric Research

06:15 Interview with Kelly Wanser

08:05 The State of Atmospheric Research Infrastructure

10:29 The Role of Policy and International Cooperation

14:40 The Future of Climate Research and Security

23:30 Balancing Public and Private Sector Roles

28:37 The Bull Case for Global Involvement

30:46 The Bear Case: Risks and Concerns

34:40 The Role of Open Science and Collaboration

40:13 Private Sector Involvement in Climate Research

46:06 Complexities of Atmospheric Interventions

52:08 Concluding Thoughts and Future Outlook

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In this episode of 'Wicked Problems,' host Richard Delevan discusses the shift from climate optimism to defeatism with Jeremy Wallace, a China and climate policy expert at Johns Hopkins University's School of Advanced International Studies (SAIS). The discussion covers various factors influencing this shift, including the influence of political figures like Donald Trump and Tony Blair, and initiatives such as the Council on Foreign Relations' Climate Realism Initiative. Wallace critiques the initiative's approach, examining its reliance on lifeboat ethics and the fallacies it presents. The episode also touches on the historical context of climate debates, the role of China in clean technology, and the political complexities surrounding climate action. Additionally, the episode features a new intro track from the awesome up and coming UK band Suncharmer.

00:00 Introduction and Welcome

00:24 The Shift from Optimism to Defeatism

02:22 Council on Foreign Relations' Climate Realism Initiative

03:31 Interview with Jeremy Wallace

22:13 The Lifeboat Ethics Debate

26:35 Debating Consumption and Population Growth

27:07 The Vision of Clean Abundance

28:04 Scarcity vs. Sustainable Abundance

29:41 Climate Realism and Technological Beliefs

31:07 Challenges and Politics of Climate Action

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We Start at the End

Today’s outro track is the COVID-era reboot of a classic Peter Gabriel track, featuring Yo-Yo Ma, Angelique Kidjo, and many more. The reason will become clear.

In this episode of Wicked Problems, we sat down with Charles Perry, director of Sustainable Future for All, at the Conduit Club in London.

A veteran in the climate and sustainability space, Charles has changed his views from evolution to revolution - a climate revolution akin to the Industrial Revolution. He reflects on his experiences spearheading renewable initiatives at BP, working with Al Gore, and advocating for justice-integrated environmental concerns.

What set him on the path? A realisation once he left apartheid South Africa for university that the things he was taught were not necessarily how the world really was. That moment took him to anti-apartheid activism in South Africa and its democratic transition to climate advocacy and the need for a different paradigm on energy.

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His direction of travel has been clear for a while - in that climate isn’t (just) a tech issue, but one as inextricably tied up with justice as the move was from slavery to fossil fuels.

That kind of talk has gotten Charles into some bother before. Like his 2012 BBC interview with Jon Sopel that we clip in the ep.

The conversation also explores Perry’s views on the moral imperatives of climate action, the obstacles posed by current political and economic systems, and the roles of influential leaders like Nelson Mandela and Al Gore in shaping his philosophy on sustainability.

00:00 The Need for a New Revolution

00:43 Introduction to Charles Perry

01:02 Challenges in Climate Tech and Sustainability

01:15 Charles Perry's Journey and Career

01:52 Reflections on Working with BP and Al Gore

10:58 The Intersection of Justice and Environmental Concerns

18:47 The Unstoppable Sustainability Movement

21:46 The Future of Energy and Sustainability

25:19 Final Thoughts and Inspirations

29:54 Conclusion and Call to Action

All the Outros

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