What a second Trump presidency means for climate tech

Amy, Karthik, Mike, and Anthony discuss the recent resurgence of natural gas power demand for data centers, and get to asking the big questions, like: are we in an AI boom, can carbon capture really work, and what's AI even good for anyway?

Anthony, Mike, Alina, and Karthik convene to discuss China's recent ban on exports of gallium and germanium. They touch on the political outlook (pretty grim), the opportunity for new tech (pretty good), and the potential backlash from consumers (pretty likely).

Dr. Injy Johnstone, a Research Fellow in Net-Zero Aligned Offsetting at the University of Oxford, joins Mike, Alina, and Anthony to discuss the recent 29th Conference of Parties in Baku. They tackle the historical challenges with carbon offsetting, the nature of the long-awaited Article 6 of the Paris Accords, and what the outcomes from Baku mean for carbon offsetting going forward. 

Anthony, Alina, and Mike first hop over the pond to the UK to discuss the new mass balance laws, and what they might mean for the future of recycling in the UK, along with Cadbury's somewhat bungling attempt to explain the concept of mass balance to the broader public. Then, they turn to the ongoing negotiations for a global plastic treaty in Busan South Korea. Times have changed since the UN's efforts started - is there still hope for global agreement?

Karthik and Alina are joined by Metafuels co-founder Saurabh Kapoor to talk all things sustainable aviation fuels. Are the current challenges and shutdowns of SAF projects just a blip? Will consumers have to bear higher prices? How can airlines make this work to their advantage? And when will SAF be commercially ready?

Amy and Anthony discuss the ongoing COP29 summit in Baku: first, checking in the vibes (bad), the chances for climate finance (mid), and the possibility of oil and gas companies leading the way on sustainability (maybe not as bad as you might think). They also tackle the recent Shell case in the Netherlands, where a court overturned a decision forcing Shell to cut emissions. 

Anthony, Amy, Mike, and Karthik gather in the wake of the recent US presidential election to discuss what Trump's return to the White House means for climate tech and climate change.  They touch on funding for innovation, immigration, US global leadership, changes to the power sector, and the consumer sentiment that led to Trump's second term. 

Amy, Mike, and Anthony talk catch up on some recent news: arguments about climate change in Alberta Canada, the recent UN report on the Nationally Defined Contributions to lowering carbon emissions, and the revitalization of the SunCable project, which seeks to bring solar power from Australia to Singapore. 

Anthony, Mike, and Karthik discuss the proposed House bill "Accelerating a Circular Economy for Plastics and Recycling Innovation Act of 2024", which would create a unified framework for recycling in America but also dramatically change the definition of recycling. They discuss the impacts, the drivers, what the bill would mean for the chemicals industry, and what they hope to see in a finalized version. 

This week's discussion is all about the tech industry. Karthik, Anthony, and Amy first check in with podcast standby Elon Musk, whose recent demonstration of "AI"-powered robots and robotaxis was more flop than futurism. Next, they turn to tech's investment in nuclear power. Companies like Amazon are committing millions to nuclear, but it's going to take more than piles of money to make it work.