Hi everyone. And welcome to episode 201 of the climate confident podcast. My name is Tom Raftery. And today I have a special episode for you. No guest. Well kind of August. What I've done is I've fed the 47 or 48 episodes of the climate confident podcast that we published in this year. Into Google's notebook. LM. It's a language model. So I fed it the 47 or so episodes. Had it examine those and pull out the best takes from the episodes, give it a kind of summary. So a review of the episodes.
Now, it's an AI, it's a language model. So it makes some missteps in pronunciations, for example, of some of the names of companies and people. But apart from that, I think it's a reasonably good effort. You know, These AI's these learning language models are getting better all the time. And so this was a pretty impressive one. So. Here it is. It's. 2024 climate convent podcast review. Done by Google's LM. It creates this in an audio format in the format of two people, having a conversation.
A male and a female AI discussing the podcast. It's actually quite impressive. So enjoy it. And also. Enjoy the break. This is the end of year. We have Christmas or whatever you celebrate. Followed by new year, new year's Eve new year, we'll be heading into 2025. This is the final episode of this podcast for 2024. I won't be publishing an episode on the 1st of January, Wednesday, the 1st of January. Not surprisingly.
But the podcast will be back again on Wednesday, the 8th of January and on the 8th of January. I'll be back speaking to Charlie Angelakos. Chief sustainability officer for McCain's the chip people. The week after that, I'll be speaking to Anders Lindberg President of Wartsilia energy. Followed by the week after that Angelo Campus, CEO of box power and so on. So. Some excellent episodes coming up. And. Pretty good episode today as well. I think it's interesting. If you want to listen in.
stay listening. Hear, what Google LM makes of 2024s Climate Confident.
Welcome back, everybody. It's been a whole year of Climate Confident. Can you believe it?
It's flown by.
I know. We've heard so many stories about emissions reductions from all over the world.
Yeah, it's been amazing to see such a huge range of solutions.
From super high tech stuff to really simple but effective changes.
Exactly.
So, in this deep dive, we're going to zoom out and look at what we've learned.
Yeah, what really makes a difference in this fight against climate change?
What gives us, well, that climate confident feeling about the future.
Right, so we're going to go back through all those amazing people and organizations we spoke to.
And pull out the best strategies across all those different sectors.
Think of it like, uh, your cheat sheet for climate action.
Okay, let's jump right in with some serious tech.
Yeah.
Remember that episode with Dragonfly Energy? Those dry electrode lithium ion batteries blew my mind.
I know, right? Making batteries cheaper, safer, better for the environment.
That could change everything.
Electric vehicles, grid storage, you name it.
Can you remind everyone what makes those dry electrodes so special?
Oh, absolutely. So, like, normal lithium ion batteries use liquid electrolytes. Which is, you know, flammable,
a bit risky.
Yeah. Dragonfly's tech gets rid of that liquid completely, making the batteries way safer and more stable. And it means they can use cheaper, more common materials, which could bring the cost of battery production way down.
And that is what will make electric vehicles and renewable energy storage accessible for everybody.
Exactly. Exactly. It's all about bringing those costs down and ramping up production so everyone can switch to clean energy faster. Sometimes it's not even about new technology, but about using what we already have in a smarter way.
Right. Like Neara, they're basically doubling grid capacity without laying any new cables.
Yeah, it's all about making the most of what we have and, you know, making the whole system smarter.
And they can even simulate extreme weather events to make the grid more resilient.
Pretty incredible, right?
It is, but it also makes me wonder, what if those systems fail? You know, aren't we creating a new vulnerability by relying so much on digital optimization?
Hmm. That's a really good point. But Neara has thought of that. Good. They've got backups and safeguards in place so the system can handle disruptions.
Makes sense.
They're even working on decentralized control systems to make it even more reliable.
So it's not just a smarter grid, but also tougher. Right.
Exactly.
Ready to face those increasing climate impacts.
Yeah. And this kind of systems thinking, it's not just for energy. We saw it in agriculture too.
Yeah, our episode with eAgrinom was so cool.
Yeah. Regenerative agriculture, it can be good for the planet and productive.
It's about working with nature, not against it.
Exactly. Like, they're agroforestry techniques. They increase yields and indeed capture carbon at the same time.
And they're even working with insurance companies to encourage more farmers to adopt these practices.
Right.
For those who haven't heard of it, what exactly is IAS agroforestry?
It's basically mixing trees and shrubs. into farmland.
Oh, interesting.
Yeah. So it could be planting trees around fields to block wind and shade the crops or even putting fruit trees in with grazing animals.
I like that.
Yeah. And it's got tons of benefits like more biodiversity, healthier soil, less erosion, and it stores carbon.
It's awesome how they're connecting all these dots, you know, healthy soil means less climate risk, and that means financial benefits for farmers.
Yeah, everybody wins.
And we saw that kind of collaborative approach throughout the year.
Oh, definitely.
Like, remember our conversation with the Dairy Methane Action Alliance. Big companies getting together to tackle emissions in a specific sector,
right? They're bringing dairy giants like Danone and Nestle together with farmers and researchers to figure out practical ways to cut down on those methane emissions from dairy.
Awesome model for working together.
Yeah. And it's not just big companies either. Grassroots movements are powerful too
true
Global Citizen, they're mobilizing millions of people to push for those big systemic changes.
They're awesome. Using their platform to amplify all those individual voices and holding world leaders accountable for their climate promises.
Absolutely.
Their work on the Fossil Fuel Non Proliferation Treaty is pretty bold.
It is.
Can you remind everyone what that treaty is all about and why it's so important?
Sure. The idea is to phase out fossil fuels in a managed, equitable way.
Okay.
Kind of like the treaty on nuclear weapons.
Interesting.
It's a big idea, but it's gaining traction as people are realizing how urgent this climate crisis is.
Yeah, makes sense.
Proponents argue that if we're serious about stopping global warming, we gotta keep those fossil fuels in the ground.
It really makes you think about what huge changes we need to make to solve this.
Yeah.
But it's inspiring to see groups like Global Citizen pushing for those changes.
Definitely.
And on a more local level, we've got organizations like Mercy Corps making sure everyone has access to energy, especially in communities that are already vulnerable.
Yes. And it's not just about access. It's about clean energy.
Right. Building resilience and giving people the power to adapt to the changing climate.
Yeah. They're showing how sustainable development and climate action, they go hand in hand.
I love that. But we got to be honest, this isn't always easy.
No, it's not.
Our chat with Michael Barnard about carbon capture and storage was a good reminder.
Oh, yeah.
We need to look at some of these technologies critically and make sure that any solutions we're using are actually sustainable, and fair.
He brought up some great points about the limits and potential risks of CCS, especially how it could keep us hooked on fossil fuels.
I remember when carbon capture sounded like THE answer.
Right.
But as we learned more, it became clear that it's not that simple, ethically and technically.
It's complicated. We've got to have these tough conversations to make sure any technology we use is actually doing good in the long run.
But even with all these challenges, it's amazing to see so many people working on solutions.
I know, it's so inspiring.
We talked to SAP about their Green Ledger project, making carbon accounting more transparent and reliable.
Yeah, so important for guiding investments in the right direction.
And it's not just companies. Individuals are stepping up too.
Absolutely.
Like Visions 2030, they're helping people turn their eco anxiety into action.
They use these immersive experiences and community engagement to show that everyone has a role to play in building a better future.
That's what we keep seeing over and over on Climate Confident, the power of individual action leading to Big change.
It's amazing, isn't it?
And it's not about those huge sweeping gestures either.
No, no.
It's about the everyday choices we make.
Right, like what we eat.
How we get around.
What companies we support.
Okay, we covered a lot, And this is just scratching the surface of what we've explored on Climate Confident this year.
Seriously, it's incredible how much work is happening all over the world.
If you want to learn more about all these amazing stories and how to reduce emissions, you're in the right place.
Yeah, stay tuned for part 2 of our deep dive. We're going even deeper into some of the most fascinating examples.
It's gonna be great.
And we're back for part 2 of our Climate Confident Year in Review. You know, we talked a lot about reducing emissions in the first half, but we gotta talk about adapting to the changes that are already happening too, right?
Oh, absolutely. That's where resilient infrastructure comes in, which reminds me of our talk with Siemens.
Yeah, Siemens, they're doing some really cool things to make buildings and cities more sustainable and resilient.
I know, it's like they're giving cities a brain upgrade.
Right, like, uh, their smart grids can react to all sorts of changing conditions, optimize energy use, and even incorporate renewables seamlessly.
Yeah, and their work on demand side management, that really fascinated me.
Yeah, me too. By coordinating energy use in buildings, they can actually help balance the whole grid and reduce how much we rely on fossil fuels. That'd be amazing. And Siemens, they're not just talking the talk, they're walking the walk too. They've committed to being carbon neutral in their own operations by 2030.
That's a huge goal for a company that big.
I know, it's super ambitious. But they've been very open about their progress, and they're making some serious strides in reducing their footprint across their entire value chain.
It's really impressive to see a big corporation like that taking real action on climate.
It is. But it's not just about the big players. We saw some amazing innovations coming from startups, too.
Oh, for sure. Like Glice. They really impressed us this year.
Yeah. They're eco friendly ice rinks. Talk about thinking outside the box.
I know, right? They use a synthetic ice surface, so no refrigeration or water needed, which eliminates those massive energy and resource demands of traditional rinks.
It's amazing. And what I really loved about Glice is, they're not just making ice skating more greener. They're making it more accessible, too.
That's so cool.
They can install these rinks in places where a normal rink just wouldn't be possible. You know, it opens up opportunities for people to experience ice skating who might never have had the chance otherwise,
That's fantastic. It shows how climate solutions can have a positive social impact, too.
Exactly. It's something we need to keep in mind as we transition to a low carbon future.
Yeah, for sure. We can't just focus on cutting emissions. We have to make sure the benefits are shared fairly and that no one gets left behind.
Right, exactly. Like, uh, our conversation with Ditla Seisgaard Vind, she really emphasized that. She talked about designing within planetary boundaries.
Oh yeah, that was a great conversation.
Basically making sure that our products and systems operate within what our planet can handle.
Yeah, it's about understanding that we're part of nature, not separate from it.
Right, and that our actions have consequences for the whole ecosystem.
It's not just about doing less harm. It's about creating a positive impact,
right? Exactly. We need to shift from just reducing our footprint to actually regenerating our ecosystems.
It's a whole new way of thinking about our relationship with the planet.
It is. And it's going to take all of us working together, individuals, businesses, and policymakers.
Speaking of policymakers, we saw some big things happening there this year, especially with the Inflation Reduction Act here in the U. S.
Oh, yeah. Yeah. That was a game changer. Our chat with Chris Larson he really highlighted its impact.
Yeah, it's been so important for driving those investments in clean energy and battery storage, creating jobs, and speeding up the transition to a more sustainable economy.
Absolutely. What really stood out to me from that conversation was how Chris Larson emphasized collaboration between utilities, policymakers, and communities.
Yeah, he said that the success of the IRA depends on everyone working together, right?
Exactly. Even the best policies won't work unless everyone's on board and working towards the same goals.
And it's not just about federal action either. We've seen awesome leadership at the local level too.
Oh yeah, tons. Like, um, our chat with Carina Gormley showed us how Cities and towns are using their power to make a difference on climate.
She was amazing.
She talked about the importance of systems thinking, using public procurement to support sustainable businesses, and engaging the community to create real change on the ground.
I love the example she gave about her city using public procurement to support local businesses that are committed to sustainability.
Me too. It's so smart. Yeah. By choosing to work with companies that are reducing their environmental impact, they're not only making their own operations greener, they're creating a ripple effect throughout the whole local economy.
It's such a brilliant strategy.
It really is. And it shows how cities can use their buying power to encourage innovation and build a more sustainable marketplace.
I'm really inspired by how local governments are trying out all these new approaches, like green infrastructure and community solar programs.
You too. It shows that progress is happening everywhere.
But we also need to be realistic about the challenges, right?
Yeah.
What could trip us up on the road to decarbonization?
Oh, absolutely. Like, uh, our conversation with Lena Federco from Climate Works, she brought up some really important things to consider about, EV supply chains and you know, making sure we're getting those minerals for batteries responsibly.
Yeah. Making sure the transition is fair. Thinking about the social and environmental impacts of mining, especially in developing countries.
Exactly. One thing that really resonated with me from that conversation was her point about transparency and traceability in those supply chains.
Oh yeah. If we want to scale up electric vehicle production in a way that's actually sustainable, we have to know where those materials are coming from, how they're being mined and processed, the whole story.
Right. Consumers want products that are ethical and sustainable, and companies are realizing they need to prove they're doing things the right way.
It's a positive trend, for sure.
It is, but it also shows how complex these challenges can be.
Yeah, for sure.
We need to find solutions that are good for the environment, fair for everyone, and make sense economically.
It's a tall order.
It is. But that's where innovation and collaboration come in. We gotta keep pushing the boundaries of what's possible and work together to overcome those obstacles in our way.
I love that. We're living in a time of massive change, and we have a chance to create a future that's better for everyone and for the planet.
It's a huge task, but it's also incredibly exciting. And welcome back to the final part of our climate confident recap for 2024.
We've seen some truly incredible things this year. Technological leaps, people working together, and policies actually changing.
Yeah, but we can't forget about the power of individual action. That's what really drives those big systemic changes, right?
Absolutely. It's easy to get overwhelmed when you think about the scale of this whole climate crisis. But all those conversations we had this year showed us that everyone can make a difference.
Exactly. Remember Lew Blaustein from EcoAthletes?
Oh yeah, he was so inspiring.
The way he's getting athletes to be climate advocates, using their platform to spread awareness and get people moving.
Yeah, and it's not just about those famous athletes either.
Right. He said it's crucial to just talk about climate change with our friends, family, everyone.
Yeah, those everyday conversations, they really can make a difference.
They totally can. You know, what really struck me about that conversation was how he talked about the power of storytelling. Oh, yeah. He said, Athletes have this unique ability to connect with people emotionally. And when they share their own stories about why climate action matters, it can break down barriers. It makes the issue more relatable.
That's so true. It's not just a science problem or a tech problem. It's a communication problem, too.
Exactly.
We need to find ways to reach people. To get them thinking, feeling.
Absolutely. And that can be through sharing our own stories or supporting artists and creatives who are using their talents to bring this issue to life.
Right. Using our wallets to support the things we believe in.
Yeah. Which reminds me of our conversation with Kedar Karkera from Karma Wallet. That was fascinating.
Oh yeah. Their debit card tracks the carbon footprint of your purchases.
Isn't that cool? It gives consumers the power to make more sustainable choices.
It's such a great example of how technology can bridge that gap between what we want to do and what we actually do.
Right. And it shows how even those little decisions we make every day, like what we buy, they can add up and have a real impact.
I like that it's not about making people feel guilty either.
Yeah, it's about giving them the information and the tools they need to make informed choices.
Exactly. Making it easier and more convenient for people to choose sustainable options.
And ultimately, it's about giving people the power to support businesses that align with their values.
Yes. And of course, we can't forget about the role of finance in all of this.
Oh yeah, finance is huge. Our conversation with Anna Neck Valovate about sovereign wealth funds was a real eye opener. I
know, right? Trillions of dollars being invested with sustainability as a core goal.
It's amazing. These funds have the power to transform whole industries, you know, to speed up the development of all those green technologies we need.
What's so encouraging is that, investors are realizing that climate risk IS financial risk.
Yeah, for sure.
They see that investing in a sustainable future isn't just the right thing to do, it's the smart thing to do.
Exactly. And then there's Toco. They're exploring this really cool concept, a currency backed by carbon mitigation.
That's pretty wild. It could change how we value climate action and incentivize individuals to lower their footprint.
Right. It's early days yet, but it's so exciting to see these creative solutions popping up.
It's not just about the money though, is it?
No, it's not. We have to change the whole conversation around climate change, move away from that doom and gloom, and focus on solutions.
Yeah, focus on what's possible.
Exactly, Elizabeth Thompson from Visions 2030, she talked about that. Their immersive experiences are helping people connect with how amazing our planet is and inspiring them to take action.
That's what they do so well.
Yeah, they prove that engaging our emotions and sparking hope is crucial if we want to get people moving.
We need to tap into that sense of possibility and believe that a climate comeback is possible.
Absolutely. And that's what Climate Confident is all about.
It really is. This whole year, we've been showcasing the incredible work happening around the world to reduce emissions, adapt to a changing climate, and build a more sustainable future.
It's been amazing. We've seen breakthroughs in tech, policy, and human ingenuity.
And while there's still a lot of work to do, we're going into 2025 with so much optimism and energy.
I know, right? The momentum is building. The solutions are out there.
So as we wrap up this look back at 2024, we want to leave you with a question.
A challenge, even.
What will you do to be part of the climate comeback?
Will you talk to a friend? Make a change in your own life? Support an organization doing great work?
Every action matter.
Every single one. And together, we can create a future where everyone thrives, both people and the planet.
Thank you so much for joining us on this incredible journey.
We can't wait to see what we can accomplish together in 2025.