Ep 126: Daniel Kammen, Professor of Energy at the University of California, Berkeley
Today's guest is Daniel Kammen, Professor of Energy at the University of California, Berkeley. In addition to his professorship in the energy department, Dr. Kammen has parallel appointments in the Goldman School of Public Policy and the Department of Nuclear Engineering. He was appointed the first Environment and Climate Partnership for the Americas (ECPA) Fellow by Secretary of State Hilary R. Clinton in April 2010. He's the Founding Director of the Renewable and Appropriate Energy Laboratory, Co-Director of the Berkeley Institute of the Environment and Director of the Transportation Sustainability Research Center. He's founded or is on the board of over 10 companies and has served the state of California and the U.S. federal government in expert and advisory capacities. We have a long form discussion in this episode about Dan's background, how his perspective on the problem of climate change has evolved over the years and how he thinks about the problem today. Dan's perspective is particularly unique given the diverse background that he brings, which I find super interesting given the systems nature of the problem. Enjoy the show! You can find me on twitter @jjacobs22 or @mcjpod and email at [email protected], where I encourage you to share your feedback on episodes and suggestions for future topics or guests.
Inevitable · Jason Jacobs, Daniel Kammen
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Show Notes
Today's guest is Daniel Kammen, Professor of Energy at the University of California, Berkeley.
We have a long form discussion in this episode about Dan's background, how his perspective on the problem of climate change has evolved over the years and how he thinks about the problem today. Dan's perspective is particularly unique given the diverse background that he brings, which I find super interesting given the systems nature of the problem.
In today’s episode, we cover:
- Daniel’s background and early academic career in energy research.
- How Daniel’s research has been implemented outside of his lab.
- Origins and history of nuclear energy.
- The question of nuclear energy as a solution to climate change.
- The stigma around nuclear energy and reasons for it.
- Tension between proponents of nuclear and advocates of solar.
- The possibility and feasibility of going 100% renewable energy.
- The prospects of long-term energy storage.
- The need for more and lower-cost storage.
- The importance of moving climate from the development of science and technology into a social movement.
- Daniel’s thoughts on a price of carbon.
- The implications of switching from a “dirty” economy to a “clean” one.
- How clean energy is aligned with the objectives of social justice.
- His recommendations for the next U.S. President in addressing climate change.
- Links to topics discussed in this episode:
- Daniel’s website: http://kammen.berkeley.edu/
- Joe Biden’s Climate Plan: https://joebiden.com/environmental-justice-2/#
- Circular economy: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Circular_economy
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*Editing and post-production work for this episode was provided by The Podcast Consultant