Inevitable

In today’s episode, we cover:What is Blueprint Power and how its unique business model worksWho’s its customers and what is their needHow her early-career at Google was a springboard into a career in energyThe genesis and inspiration behind Blueprint PowerThe current state of the renewable energy sectorThe role of the energy grid and its stakeholdersHow Robyn initially validated market demand for Blueprint PowerBlueprint’s current geographic footprint and market focusHow recent regulatory developments have served as a tailwind for the businessThe perspective of executives at commercial property firms with respect to renewable energyThe current role of incumbent utility companiesBlueprint’s customer traction to dateThe contributions Blueprint is making in combatting climate changeThe challenges and evolution of raising venture capital as an energy startupSquaring both impact and profit motivesAspects of Blueprint’s business that appealed to traditional VCsHow Robyn sees a significant opportunity in clean waterHow regulatory speed remains one of the biggest bottlenecksRobyn’s thoughts on those seeking to transition their career to the climate space Enjoyed this episode? Please leave us a review! Share feedback or suggest future topics and guests at [email protected] with MCJ:Cody Simms on LinkedInVisit mcj.vcSubscribe to the MCJ Newsletter*Editing and post-production work for this episode was provided by The Podcast Consultant

In today’s episode, we cover:Her journey from Geologist to Historian of ScienceThe genesis of her climate change awakeningWhat led to her seminal book on climate change, “Merchants of Doubt”How the science showing fossil fuels impact on climate change go way backHer work inspiring the movie, "An Inconvenient Truth"The foundational work of Prof. Ben Santer, proving climate changeHow the fossil fuel industry led a disinformation campaign, intent on discrediting climate scientistsHer views on how the fossil fuel industry is not a reliable partner in combatting climate change in this dayWhy science should be trusted by the publicThe significance of consensus in scienceRemaining topics of climate change debate within the scientific communityHow public policy changes is not in the domain of scienceHow the challenges with climate change are not within the science or technology but within policy and politicsWhy nuclear is not a viable solution to climate changeLinks to topics discussed in this episode:“Merchants of Doubt”: https://www.merchantsofdoubt.org/“Why Trust Science”: https://press.princeton.edu/books/hardcover/9780691179001/why-trust-scienceRoger Revelle: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Roger_RevelleCharles David Keeling: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Charles_David_KeelingProf. Ben Santer: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Benjamin_D._SanterJames Hansen's 1988 Congressional Testimony on Climate Change: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/James_Hansen#US_Senate_committee_testimony Enjoyed this episode? Please leave us a review! Share feedback or suggest future topics and guests at [email protected] with MCJ:Cody Simms on LinkedInVisit mcj.vcSubscribe to the MCJ Newsletter*Editing and post-production work for this episode was provided by The Podcast Consultant

In today’s episode, we cover:What is Elemental ExceleratorDawn’s journey to climate changeHawaii Clean Energy InitiativeApplying the startup accelerator model to energy and clean techInvesting focus and criteriaHolistic support for portfolio companiesGeographic focus for its projectsSources of funding for Elemental ExceleratorPurpose of pilotsCoaching supportLinks to topics discussed in this episode:Elemental Excelerator: https://elementalexcelerator.com/Emerson Collective: https://www.emersoncollective.com/Hawaii Clean Energy Initiative: http://www.hawaiicleanenergyinitiative.org/CarbonCure Technologies: https://www.carboncure.com/Zero Mass Water: https://www.zeromasswater.com/Cyclotron Road: https://www.cyclotronroad.org/Trove (f.k.a. Yerdle): https://www.trove.co/ Enjoyed this episode? Please leave us a review! Share feedback or suggest future topics and guests at [email protected] with MCJ:Cody Simms on LinkedInVisit mcj.vcSubscribe to the MCJ Newsletter*Editing and post-production work for this episode was provided by The Podcast Consultant

In today’s episode, we cover:What is Carbon Tracker and what’s it role in the financial markets?How fossil fuels and carbon emissions play into the valuation of stocks, etc.How Carbon Tracker influence investors and their strategiesThe investment risk associated with not factoring in climate changeThe meaning and examples of a “stranded asset”How the energy transition to cleaner technologies can disrupt incumbent industries to the detriment of investorsHow inertia continues to drive the construction of fossil fuel infrastructureAsset reallocation as the primary lever in Carbon Tracker’s strategiesKingsmill’s prognosis of the fossil fuel industryAllocating out of the “losers” than allocating into the “winners”Kingsmill’s journey to working on energy-transition financial strategyFossil fuel incumbents, friend or foe to the climate change movement?Links to topics discussed in this episode:Carbon Tracker: https://www.carbontracker.org/Carbon bubble: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Carbon_bubbleUnburnable carbon: https://www.carbontracker.org/terms/unburnable-carbon/Stranded assets: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stranded_asset Enjoyed this episode? Please leave us a review! Share feedback or suggest future topics and guests at [email protected] with MCJ:Cody Simms on LinkedInVisit mcj.vcSubscribe to the MCJ Newsletter*Editing and post-production work for this episode was provided by The Podcast Consultant

In today’s episode, we cover:Jupiter and its missionRich’s journey from data analytics to climate changeParallels between the opportunity around cybersecurity and climate changeThe importance of physical climate riskHow Jupiter initially narrowed its focus on flood riskHow Jupiter develops a “peril model” to assess the risk of flooding and firesProfile of Jupiter’s customersHow critical infrastructure companies represent a major customerWhy insurers are not the ones who bear the financial risk of worsening climate disastersCorporate indictments as a symptom of unaddressed climate riskThe U.S.’ “armed lifeboat diplomacy”Jupiter’s nonprofit workResilience planning in the face of climate-related catastrophesThe need to restrict land use in at-risk areasLinks to topics discussed in this episode:Jupiter Intelligence: https://jupiterintel.com/PG&E bankruptcy: https://www.nytimes.com/2020/01/22/business/energy-environment/pge-bankruptcy-newsom.html Enjoyed this episode? Please leave us a review! Share feedback or suggest future topics and guests at [email protected] with MCJ:Cody Simms on LinkedInVisit mcj.vcSubscribe to the MCJ Newsletter*Editing and post-production work for this episode was provided by The Podcast Consultant

In today’s episode, we cover:What is CGC and its mission as a nonprofit?Why “green bank” is somewhat of a misnomerThe history of green banks in the U.S. both on the federal and state levelWhere the CGC adds value in the clean tech financing ecosystemCustomers served by green banksThe role green banks have played in jump starting new markets for clean techComparing green banks with for-profit investment firms (e.g. Ultra Capital, Generate Capital)Sources of funding for CGCOpportunities in the U.S. for green banksHow the U.S. Department of Energy loan program aids companies in getting through the commercialization gapJeffrey’s perspective on putting a price on carbonViews on the impact of the 2020 presidential elections and the various positions of candidatesLinks to topics discussed in this episode:Coalition for green Capital: http://coalitionforgreencapital.com/NY green bank: https://greenbank.ny.gov/Generate Capital: https://generatecapital.com/Ultra Capital: https://www.ultracapital.com/Prime Coalition: https://primecoalition.org/National Climate Bank Act: https://www.markey.senate.gov/news/press-releases/senators-markey-and-van-hollen-introduce-legislation-to-create-a-national-climate-bank Enjoyed this episode? Please leave us a review! Share feedback or suggest future topics and guests at [email protected] with MCJ:Cody Simms on LinkedInVisit mcj.vcSubscribe to the MCJ Newsletter*Editing and post-production work for this episode was provided by The Podcast Consultant

In today’s episode, we cover:Role, function and mission of IIASAThe context around SR15UN Sustainable Development GoalsDr. Huppmann’s work on the message integrated assessment model for environmental scenario planningSignificance of selecting a decade as the timeframe for actionUnpacking the meaning of publicly stated thresholdsImplications of Dr. Huppmann’s modeling on humanityHow new research affects older predictive modelsDr. Huppmann’s view on carbon storageDelivering sustainability via initiatives that improve quality of lifeThe important role of carbon taxesOpen-source climate change data movementLinks to topics discussed in this episode:IIASA:https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/International_Institute_for_Applied_Systems_AnalysisSR15:https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Special_Report_on_Global_Warming_of_1.5_%C2%B0CMessage IX: https://message.iiasa.ac.at/en/stable/UN Sustainable Development Goals: https://sustainabledevelopment.un.org/?menu=1300European Green Deal: https://ec.europa.eu/info/strategy/priorities-2019-2024/european-green-deal_enFridays For Future: https://fridaysforfuture.org/Young Summer Scientists Program: https://www.iiasa.ac.at/web/home/education/yssp/Young_Scientists_Summer_Program.htmlYou 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.Enjoy the show! Enjoyed this episode? Please leave us a review! Share feedback or suggest future topics and guests at [email protected] with MCJ:Cody Simms on LinkedInVisit mcj.vcSubscribe to the MCJ Newsletter*Editing and post-production work for this episode was provided by The Podcast Consultant

In today’s episode, we cover:Her journey to elected office and the challenges she faced in her campaignHer inspiration to run for state officeWhat she discovered about the state of Albany politicsHow the campaign for state senator felt like a street fightHer upbringing in a politically-minded familyHow the existential problem of climate change underpins all other issuesWhat other actions concerned citizens can take beyond voting to combat climate changeThe viability of bipartisan collaborationHow she would allocate $100 billion in the fight against climate changeResources for elected officials to remain informed and develop onions about climate changeThe opportunity to introduce CLCPA-inspired bills in states that don’t have climate-focused legislationLinks to topics discussed in this episode:Senator Biaggi: https://www.nysenate.gov/senators/alessandra-biaggiClimate Leadership and Community Protection Act (CLCPA): https://www.nysenate.gov/legislation/bills/2019/s6599 Enjoyed this episode? Please leave us a review! Share feedback or suggest future topics and guests at [email protected] with MCJ:Cody Simms on LinkedInVisit mcj.vcSubscribe to the MCJ Newsletter*Editing and post-production work for this episode was provided by The Podcast Consultant

In today’s episode, we cover:How Zahra landed at Buzzfeed covering climateThe Trump Administration and how its policies have affected climateHer audience and readershipThe positioning of her news room and editorsJournalism’s roleHer journey from studying geology at Brown to the world of climate journalismWhat she learned at Inside Climate NewsHow climate change has become increasingly topical and relevantEditorial decisions around what stories to coverDelivering impact vs. ad revenueJournalism’s shifting focusChallenges faced by journalism and the rise of disinformationLinks to topics discussed in this episode:Zahra Hirji at Buzzfeed: https://www.buzzfeed.com/zahrahirjiInside Climate News: https://insideclimatenews.org/George Luber, “How A Bad Boss Remade Himself As a Climate Hero”: https://www.buzzfeednews.com/article/zahrahirji/cdc-whistleblower-george-luber-investigation“New York Loses Climate Change Fraud Case Against Exxon Mobil”:https://www.nytimes.com/2019/12/10/climate/exxon-climate-lawsuit-new-york.htmlYale Program on Climate Change Communication: https://climatecommunication.yale.edu/ Enjoyed this episode? Please leave us a review! Share feedback or suggest future topics and guests at [email protected] with MCJ:Cody Simms on LinkedInVisit mcj.vcSubscribe to the MCJ Newsletter*Editing and post-production work for this episode was provided by The Podcast Consultant

In today’s episode, we cover:David’s influential career in techHis advocacy of various causesDHH’s view that, regardless of one’s background, one should become versed in climate changeHow his attention first peaked with the California droughtHow the fires near Malibu made the crisis feel personal and urgent“The Uninhabitable Earth” by David Wallace Wells helped inform him of the catastrophe brought about by a temperature rise above 2 degrees centigradeHow it’s remarkable to think that, since Seinfeld has aired, we’ve doubled GHGHis family’s carbon budget and how it showed him how much more complicated the problem is His belief that changes in consumer and voting behavior will only happen when people see the existential threat themselves (e.g. fires, floods, etc.)His pessimism that things won’t change until the situation becomes more direDo carbon offsets inhibit decisive action?The longer democracies fail to address climate change, the more society becomes ripe for the rise of dictatorsDHH’s recommended reading: “The Divide” by Jason HickelHis acceptance of the likelihood that he will live on an uninhabitable earth; that we’re not going to stay below 2 degrees CentigradeLinks to topics discussed in this episode:“The Uninhabitable Earth”: https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/586541/the-uninhabitable-earth-by-david-wallace-wells/“The Divide”: https://www.jasonhickel.org/the-divideGreen New Deal: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Green_New_DealYellow vests movement: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yellow_vests_movement Enjoyed this episode? Please leave us a review! Share feedback or suggest future topics and guests at [email protected] with MCJ:Cody Simms on LinkedInVisit mcj.vcSubscribe to the MCJ Newsletter*Editing and post-production work for this episode was provided by The Podcast Consultant

In today’s episode, we cover:• Shayle’s journey from energy transition in the market intelligence space to climate change venture capital at Energy Impact Partners (EIP)• EIP, a VC with ~$1B in AUM whose LPs are a coalition of utilities• The sectors EIP invests in• Abe’s journey from Rockport Capital Partners, a cleantech private equity firm based, to cofounding Congruent Ventures in 2016• A history of the first cleantech wave• Lessons learned• How the current interest in climate tech compares/contrasts with the first cleantech wave • What types of innovation is needed in climate tech• What types of capital are the best for for which types of innovationLinks to topics discussed in this episode:• Energy Impact Partners: https://www.energyimpactpartners.com/• Congruent Ventures: https://www.congruentvc.com/• Rockport Capital Partners: http://www.rockportcap.com/• Solyndra: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Solyndra• Thin-film solar cell: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thin-film_solar_cell• MiaSolé: http://miasole.com/• Alpha: https://www.investopedia.com/terms/a/alpha.asp• National Renewable Energy Lab: https://www.nrel.gov/• Lawrence Berkeley Lab: https://www.lbl.gov/ Enjoyed this episode? Please leave us a review! Share feedback or suggest future topics and guests at [email protected] with MCJ:Cody Simms on LinkedInVisit mcj.vcSubscribe to the MCJ Newsletter*Editing and post-production work for this episode was provided by The Podcast Consultant

In today’s episode, we cover:● The Rebound Effect and the ironic implications of improving energy efficiency● Harry’s journey into Climate Change● How Harry earned the moniker, “The Godfather of Rebound”● Contention around rebound and its Climate implications● Factoring in the welfare of those in developing countries and the plight of “energy poverty”● The integral role of nuclear in any clean energy strategy● Ecomodernism and the focus on GDP-driven solutions to Climate ChangeLinks to topics discussed in this episode:● Decision Processes Incorporated: http://www.decisionprocessesinc.com/● Khazzoom–Brookes postulate: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Khazzoom%E2%80%93Brookes_postulate● The Rebound Effect: https://blog.ucsusa.org/peter-oconnor/energy-efficiency-what-is-the-rebound-effect-946● Amory Lovins: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Amory_Lovins● Rocky Mountain Institute: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rocky_Mountain_Institute● Ecomodernist Manifesto: http://www.ecomodernism.org/● Environmental Kuznets Curve: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kuznets_curve#Environmental_Kuznets_curve Enjoyed this episode? Please leave us a review! Share feedback or suggest future topics and guests at [email protected] with MCJ:Cody Simms on LinkedInVisit mcj.vcSubscribe to the MCJ Newsletter*Editing and post-production work for this episode was provided by The Podcast Consultant

Today’s guest is Rob Hanson, Co-Founder & Chief Executive Officer of Monolith Materials, where he leads the development of next-generation technology for producing low cost, low emission hydrogen and carbon black, an important raw material used in the manufacture of rubber and plastic. Prior to Monolith, Rob served as the global director of product management for AREVA Solar, the solar division of the world’s largest nuclear company. He has a master’s degree in mechanical engineering from Stanford, and has been a guest lecturer at Stanford, UNL, Foothill College and the University of Saskatchewan on topics ranging from thermodynamics to entrepreneurship. Rob also co-founded uforia studios, a 65-employee health and fitness company with locations in San Francisco and Palo Alto.In today’s episode, we cover:Rob’s journey from solar to the chemical sectorThe dirty process of traditionally producing carbon blackHow a generalist background (e.g. blending science and finance) can be positioned to make a big impact as an entrepreneur in the climate technology spaceScaling the method of cleanly creating carbon black from natural gasThe genesis of MonolithStaggered financing modelMarkets for carbon blackImportance of establishing a market “beachhead” with product-market fitReception of the clean “story” and value proposition among prospective customersOpportunities Rob finds interesting outside Monolith’s focusThe opportunity and importance of education in addressing Climate ChangeLinks to topics discussed in this episode:Monolith Materials: https://monolithmaterials.com/Carbon Black: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Carbon_blackAreva: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ArevaImperative Science Ventures: https://imperative.vc/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.Enjoy the show! Enjoyed this episode? Please leave us a review! Share feedback or suggest future topics and guests at [email protected] with MCJ:Cody Simms on LinkedInVisit mcj.vcSubscribe to the MCJ Newsletter*Editing and post-production work for this episode was provided by The Podcast Consultant

Today's guest is Matt Eggers, Investor & Company Builder at Breakthrough Energy Ventures, a $1.1 billion, patient capital fund dedicated to building companies that will have a massive impact on greenhouse gas mitigation. He also serves on the Board of the Institute for Market Transformation.Matt is a seasoned cleantech leader, investor and advisor with 20 years of experience delivering results in diverse companies. Matt’s recent past experience includes serving as a Vice President with Yardi Energy. He has also been the Vice President of Sales, North America for Tesla and the Vice President of Operations for Sunrun, a national leader in home solar power service operating in 11 states. His earlier experience includes leading the stack operations team and serving as Director of Product Management at the fuel cell company Bloom Energy. In that role he led development of the plan to massively scale manufacturing of Bloom’s core cell technology and developed the features and specifications for the second generation “Bloom Box.” Before Bloom, Matt worked for Genentech where he led the commercial launch of Herceptin Adjuvant, a breast cancer drug with over $1 billion in sales. Matt’s early career experience includes serving as an Associate at Morgan Stanley Venture Partners where he championed investments in biotech and enterprise software companies. Matt has a BS in molecular biology from Duke University and an MBA from Stanford University.In today’s episode, we cover:Mission of Breakthrough Energy Ventures (BEV) and its high-network individual investment modelSuccess metrics anchored around half-a-gigaton carbon atmospheric reduction and financial return for investorsBEV’s long investment time horizon (20 years)BEV’s investment criteriaPivot Bio, a portfolio company, addressing carbon emissions found in fertilizer75F, a portfolio company, offering AI-driven software to drive efficiencies with HVAC systemsMatt’s climate journey from a farm in Iowa to BEVMatt’s perspective on the climate problem and its multifaceted solutionsPutting a price on carbon Inadequate funding in the climate spaceDisrupting the dairy industry’s carbon footprint via low-emission Casein The patience required with Climate Change investing (cf. traditional software venture investing)The role of corporate strategic investors and banksPolicy developments at the municipality-level that factor in Climate Change and affect homeownersLinks to topics discussed in this episode:Breakthrough Energy Ventures: https://www.b-t.energy/“Additionality” with respect to carbon markets: https://resource-solutions.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/03/RECs-and-Additionality.pdfConceptualizing a gigaton: https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/energy-environment/wp/2015/07/01/meet-the-gigaton-the-huge-unit-that-scientists-use-to-track-planetary-change/Pivot Bio: https://www.pivotbio.com/74F: https://www.75f.io/Genentech: https://www.gene.com/Casein: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/CaseinYou 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.Enjoy the show! Enjoyed this episode? Please leave us a review! Share feedback or suggest future topics and guests at [email protected] with MCJ:Cody Simms on LinkedInVisit mcj.vcSubscribe to the MCJ Newsletter*Editing and post-production work for this episode was provided by The Podcast Consultant

Today’s guest is Phil Duffy, President & Executive Director at Woodwell Climate Research Center.Expertise Climate modeling, extreme weather risk, societal impacts of climate change, domestic climate policy, international climate change negotiations, climate change adaptation and mitigation strategies.Dr. Philip Duffy is a physicist who has devoted nearly 30 years to using science to address the societal challenge of climate change. Dr. Duffy frequently engages domestic and international policy- and decision-makers, including delegates at the United Nations climate conferences, and the United States Congress. Dr. Duffy is frequently quoted in major national media outlets such as The New York Times, the Washington Post, Science, the Boston Globe, NPR, CNN, and MSNBC. He serves on committees of the National Academy of Sciences and advises state and local policymakers. Dr. Duffy is particularly interested in working with diverse groups to address climate change, including faith leaders, business leaders, and thought leaders across the political spectrum.Prior to joining WCRC, Dr. Duffy served as a Senior Policy Analyst in the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy and as a Senior Advisor in the White House National Science and Technology Council. In these roles he was involved in international climate negotiations, domestic and international climate policy, and coordination of US global change research. Before joining the White House, Dr. Duffy was Chief Scientist at Climate Central, an organization dedicated to increasing public understanding and awareness of climate change. Dr. Duffy has held senior research positions with the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, and visiting positions at the Carnegie Institution for Science and the Woods Institute for the Environment at Stanford University. He has a bachelor’s degree magna cum laude from Harvard in astrophysics and a Ph.D. in applied physics from Stanford.In today’s episode, we cover:Overview of Woods Hole Research CenterOrigin story & nature of the workRole of natural solutionsPhysical climate riskHow Phil’s views on the nature of the problem have evolved over the yearsWhat are the highest impact solutionsThe role of political willThe future of capitalism and GPD growthCarbon removal and direct air captureSolar geoengineeringNuclearHow Phil would allocate a big pot of money to maximize its impact in the climate fightPhil’s advice for others looking to find their laneLinks to topics discussed in this episode:Woods Hole Research Center: https://whrc.org/George Woodwell: http://whrc.org/staff/george-woodwell/John Holdren: https://www.hks.harvard.edu/faculty/john-holdrenSusan Natali: http://whrc.org/staff/susan-natali/Wellington and Woods Hole: https://whrc.org/wellington-management-and-woods-hole-research-center-announce-initiative/McKinsey and Woods Hole: https://www.reuters.com/article/us-investment-climate/climate-scientists-partner-with-mckinsey-to-push-companies-to-self-regulate-idUSKCN1T52CUNOAA arctic report card: https://arctic.noaa.gov/Report-CardYou 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.Enjoy the show! Enjoyed this episode? Please leave us a review! Share feedback or suggest future topics and guests at [email protected] with MCJ:Cody Simms on LinkedInVisit mcj.vcSubscribe to the MCJ Newsletter*Editing and post-production work for this episode was provided by The Podcast Consultant

Today’s guest is David Keith, Professor at Harvard School of Engineering and Applied Sciences and the Kennedy School, and Founder of Carbon Engineering.David has worked near the interface between climate science, energy technology, and public policy for twenty-five years. He took first prize in Canada's national physics prize exam, won MIT's prize for excellence in experimental physics, and was one of TIME magazine's Heroes of the Environment. David is Professor of Applied Physics at the Harvard School of Engineering and Applied Sciences and Professor of Public Policy at the Harvard Kennedy School, and founder of Carbon Engineering, a company developing technology to capture CO2 from ambient air to make carbon-neutral hydrocarbon fuels. Best known for his work on the science, technology, and public policy of solar geoengineering, David led the development of Harvard’s Solar Geoengineering Research Program, a Harvard-wide interfaculty research initiative. His work has ranged from the climatic impacts of large-scale wind power to an early critique of the prospects for hydrogen fuel. David’s hardware engineering projects include the first interferometer for atoms, a high-accuracy infrared spectrometer for NASA's ER-2, and currently, the development of pilot plants for Carbon Engineering and the development of a stratospheric propelled balloon experiment for solar geoengineering. David teaches courses on Science and Technology Policy and on Energy and Environmental Systems where he has reached students worldwide with an online edX course. He has writing for the public with A Case for Climate Engineeringfrom MIT Press. Based in Cambridge, David spends about a third of his time in Canmore, Alberta.In today’s episode, we cover:Overview of solar geoengineeringHow concentrated an area can it be deployed inSteps that go into testing it'History of solar geoengineeringPotential risks of deployment and potential risks of not doing the testingPotential for unintended consequencesHow hard it is to deployHow much research is needed (and for what) and how much it will costBridge versus longterm solutionWhere it fits into overall climate solutions portfolioWhat fossil fuel companies think of solar geoengineeringDavid’s advice for others looking to help facilitate research in this area and/or learn more about itLinks to topics discussed in this episode:David Keith: https://keith.seas.harvard.edu/people/david-keithGeoengineering: https://geoengineering.environment.harvard.edu/geoengineeringThe Planet Remade: https://www.amazon.com/Planet-Remade-Geoengineering-Could-Change-ebook/dp/B011PWUT8YCarnegie Climate Governance Initiative: https://www.c2g2.net/Vaclav Smil: http://vaclavsmil.com/Holly Buck: https://www.ioes.ucla.edu/person/holly-buck/Additional Reading:David Keith, “Let’s Talk About Geoengineering,” Project Syndicate, March 21, 2019.David Keith, “Toward a Responsible Solar Geoengineering Research Program,” Issues in Science and Technology, Spring 2017.James Temple, “What is Geoengineering—And Why Should You Care?” MIT Technology Review, August 9, 2019.Lizzie Burns, David Keith, Peter Irvine, and Joshua Horton, “Belfer Technology Factsheet Series: Solar Geoengineering,” Harvard Kennedy School Belfer Center for Science and International Affairs, Technology and Public Purpose Project, June 2019.Jon Gertner, “Is It O.K. to Tinker With the Environment to Fight Climate Change?,” The New York Times Magazine, April 18, 2017.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.Enjoy the show! Enjoyed this episode? Please leave us a review! Share feedback or suggest future topics and guests at [email protected] with MCJ:Cody Simms on LinkedInVisit mcj.vcSubscribe to the MCJ Newsletter*Editing and post-production work for this episode was provided by The Podcast Consultant

Today's guest is BJ Fogg, Founder & Director, Behavior Design Lab at Stanford, with an appearance by William Shan, one of his students who is project managing the launch of his new Behavior Design for Climate Action online training program.BJ teaches good people how behavior works so they can create products & services that benefit everyday people around the world. He is a behavior scientist, with deep experience in innovation and teaching. At Stanford University he runs the Behavior Design Lab. He also teaches his models and methods in graduate seminars with students from various majors.On the industry side, BJ trains innovators to use his work so they can create solutions that influence behavior. The focus areas include health, financial wellbeing, learning, productivity, and more.BJ wrote a seminal book, Persuasive Technology, about how computers can be designed to influence attitudes and behaviors. That book, together with his early innovations, inspired an annual global conference on the topic. His Stanford students have gone on to co-found Instagram, as well as launch a global movement focusing on “time well spent” and the Center for Humane Technology. Starting in 2010, BJ’s Stanford lab started shifting focus away from Persuasive Technology toward a new domain they named “Behavior Design,” a set of models and methods about human behavior (with nothing to do with technology.)BJ’s new book Tiny Habits will be published in over 15 languages.Fortune Magazine named BJ a “New Guru You Should Know” for his insights about mobile and social networks.In today’s episode, we cover:Overview of BJ’s workHow his work has evolved since he started doing itWho BJ’s work is meant to help, and some details on the framework/process it followsHow (and why) BJ first became interested in helping address climate changeWhat he and Will are going to do about it, and how they plan to helpHow others in similar positions might apply their skills and station to help with the climate fightBJ’s advice for others looking to find their lane.Links to topics discussed in this episode:BJ Fogg: https://www.bjfogg.com/Behavior Design for Climate Action: https://www.behaviordesign.info/climateactionTiny Habits book: https://www.tinyhabits.com/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.Enjoy the show! Enjoyed this episode? Please leave us a review! Share feedback or suggest future topics and guests at [email protected] with MCJ:Cody Simms on LinkedInVisit mcj.vcSubscribe to the MCJ Newsletter*Editing and post-production work for this episode was provided by The Podcast Consultant

This was an experiment using a new app Talkshow, which is a live discussion broadcast via twitter where listeners can text questions as we talk!Today's guest was Clay Dumas from Lowercarbon Capital, to talk about what they are up to with the fund and their newly opened roles! It is also always great to talk shop with Clay on everything climate change.Clay is a partner at Lowercarbon Capital where he invests in startups and research organizations developing technology to reduce emissions, suck carbon out of the air, and cool the planet. He is also a partner at Lowercase Capital. Previously, Clay served as an Executive in Residence at the Pramana Collective, a strategic advisory firm in San Francisco. Before that, he was the Chief of Staff for the White House Office of Digital Strategy, a team tasked by President Obama with connecting people with purpose. In 2017, he was named to the Forbes 30 Under 30 list. At the start of President Obama’s second term, he served as an aide in the Chief of Staff’s office. Before joining the White House, Clay worked on President Obama’s 2008 and 2012 campaigns. He graduated from Harvard in 2011.In today’s episode, we cover:Genesis of Lowercarbon from the team behind Lowercase CapitalHow Lowercarbon fit within the vision of Chris and Crystal SaccaClay’s journey from presidential campaigns to venture capital to Climate Change investingMajor insights and takeaways after three-years of working in the spaceAttitudes, motives and incentives across institutional investors backing Climate Change companiesHow the social impact and financial opportunity are immense in the Climate Change spaceLowercarbon’s investment focusHow Lowercarbon differs from other institutional investorsJobs and opportunities at LowercarbonTechnologies in which Clay is interestedLinks to topics discussed in this episode:Lowercarbon Capital: https://lowercarboncapital.com/Lowercase Capital: https://lowercasecapital.com/Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, 2019 report: https://www.ipcc.ch/2019/09/25/srocc-press-release/Impact Investing: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Impact_investingCarbon Engineering:https://carbonengineering.com/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.Enjoy the show! Enjoyed this episode? Please leave us a review! Share feedback or suggest future topics and guests at [email protected] with MCJ:Cody Simms on LinkedInVisit mcj.vcSubscribe to the MCJ Newsletter*Editing and post-production work for this episode was provided by The Podcast Consultant

Today's guest is Jigar Shah, President & Co-Founder at Generate Capital.Jigar was the founder and CEO of SunEdison (NASDAQ: SUNE, TERP), where he pioneered “no money down solar” and unlocked a multi-billion-dollar solar market, creating the largest solar services company worldwide. He is the author of Creating Climate Wealth: Unlocking the Impact Economy. After SunEdison, Jigar served as the founding CEO of the Carbon War Room, a global non-profit founded by Sir Richard Branson and Virgin Unite to help entrepreneurs address climate change. Generate Capital, the Carbon War Room and SunEdison all follow from Jigar’s vision that business model innovation will unlock the largest wealth creation opportunity – resource efficiency. Jigar is committed to helping entrepreneurs and large companies alike implement resource efficiency solutions using “pay as you save” project finance models. Jigar holds an MBA from The University of Maryland and BS in Mechanical Engineering from the University of Illinois, Champaign-Urbana. He sits on the boards of sPower and the Rocky Mountain Institute. Jigar lives in New York City and is trying to find the perfect cocktail.In today’s episode, we cover:Overview of Generate Capital'Generate’s business model and approachIndustries and solution types they are interested inExample projectJigar’s backround and experiences leading up to GenerateHow Generate measures success beyond returnsHow Jigar thinks about the nature of the climate problemThe role of the new blood coming into the spaceCapital types and capital gapsCapitalism, GDP growth, and climate changeWhere economists get it wrongHow optimistic is Jigar for the future?The most effective ways to address this issueHow Jigar would allocate $100B to maximize its impact on the problemHow you and I can helpLinks to topics discussed in this episode:Generate Capital: https://generatecapital.com/McKinsey’s resource revolution paper: https://www.mckinsey.com/business-functions/sustainability/our-insights/resource-revolutionScott Jacobs: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jacobsscott/Matan Friedman: https://www.linkedin.com/in/matanfriedman/WeDriveU: https://www.wedriveu.com/SunEdison: http://www.sunedison.com/NEXTracker: https://www.nextracker.com/Greenpeace: https://www.greenpeace.org/usa/Breakthrough Energy Ventures: https://www.b-t.energy/ventures/Carbon War Room: https://rmi.org/carbon-war-room/Sunil Paul: https://www.linkedin.com/in/sunilpaul/International Energy Agency: https://www.iea.org/Craig Venter: https://www.jcvi.org/about/jventerYou 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.Enjoy the show! Enjoyed this episode? Please leave us a review! Share feedback or suggest future topics and guests at [email protected] with MCJ:Cody Simms on LinkedInVisit mcj.vcSubscribe to the MCJ Newsletter*Editing and post-production work for this episode was provided by The Podcast Consultant

Today's guest is Gary Cohen, President & Co-Founder of Health Care Without Harm.Gary has been a pioneer in the environmental health movement for thirty years. Cohen is President and Co-Founder of Health Care Without Harm and Practice Greenhealth. He was also instrumental in bringing together the NGOs and hospital systems that formed the Healthier Hospitals Initiative. All three were created to transform the health care sector to be environmentally sustainable and serve as anchor institutions to support environmental health in their communities.Gary was Executive Director of the Environmental Health Fund for many years. He has helped build coalitions and networks globally to address the environmental health impacts related to toxic chemical exposure and climate change. Gary is a member of the International Advisory Board of the Sambhavna Clinic in Bhopal, India, which has been working for over 25 years to heal people affected by the Bhopal gas tragedy and to fight for environmental cleanup in Bhopal. He is also on the Boards of the American Sustainable Business Council, Health Leads and Coming Clean.He has received numerous recognitions for his achievements, including: The MacArthur Foundation’s Fellows Award (2015), the White House’s Champion of Change Award for Public Health and Climate Change (2013), the Huffington Post’s Game Changer Award for Health (2012), the Frank Hatch Award for Enlightened Public Service (2007), and the Skoll Award for Social Entrepreneurship (2006).In today’s episode, we cover:Overview of Health Care Without Harm and origin storyGary's background and path leading up to itTheir initial starting point and strategyProgress to-dateTeam compositionHow they measure successHow decarbonization fits inBiggest levers to bring about decarbonization of health careBarriers impeding progressChanges that would be most impactfulHow Gary would allocate $100B to maximize its impact on the problemHow you and I can helpLinks to topics discussed in this episode:Health Care Without Harm: https://noharm.org/Practice Greenhealth: https://practicegreenhealth.org/United Nations Development Programme: https://www.undp.org/International Monetary Fund: https://www.imf.org/external/index.htmHealth care energy impact calculator: http://www.eichealth.org/World Health Organization: https://www.who.int/ Enjoyed this episode? Please leave us a review! Share feedback or suggest future topics and guests at [email protected] with MCJ:Cody Simms on LinkedInVisit mcj.vcSubscribe to the MCJ Newsletter*Editing and post-production work for this episode was provided by The Podcast Consultant

Today's guest is Tim Freundlich, CEO of ImpactAssets.Tim is a long-time innovator in new financial instruments in the social enterprise sector, which he now applies as the head of ImpactAssets, the $1 billion boutique donor advised fund and investment note offerer for impact investments. While previously at Calvert Foundation for 12 years, he conceived of and launched the donor advised fund. He was also instrumental in building the $250mm Community Investment Note with more than $1 billion invested into 300-plus nonprofits and for profits globally.He co-founded and serves as Managing Partner for Good Capital that, in addition to its flagship Social Enterprise Expansion Fund LP, founded the 2,500-person annual Social Capital Markets (SOCAP) conferences in San Francisco and four Impact Hubs in the US; co-working, meeting and community space serving approximately 2,000 social innovators.Tim is a sought-out industry speaker and regularly featured and quoted in media such as ThinkAdvisor and WealthManagement and has appeared on TheStreet and Forbes. He received a BA from Wesleyan University and an MBA from the University of San Francisco. Tim and his wife, Julie, live in San Francisco with their sons, Milo and Gus.In today’s episode, we cover:Overview of ImpactAssetsOrigin story and how the model worksHow it is different than a typical institutional asset allocationWho the target customers areTraction and progress to dateSome example success storiesLong visionImpact, if successfulWhat comes nextBarriers holding them backWhat could change to help them move fasterAdvice for people looking to allocate their philanthropic capital to maximize its impactLinks to topics discussed in this episode:ImpactAssets: http://impactassets.org/Tim Freundlich: https://www.impactassets.org/about_us/team/timothy-freundlichUN Sustainable Development Goals: https://www.un.org/sustainabledevelopment/sustainable-development-goals/Seth Goldman: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Seth_Goldman_(businessman)Beyond Meat: https://www.beyondmeat.com/MSCI KLD 400 Social Index: https://www.investopedia.com/terms/d/domini_400.aspCalvert Impact Capital: https://www.calvertimpactcapital.org/What is a donor-advised fund? https://www.nptrust.org/what-is-a-donor-advised-fund/Toniic: https://toniic.com/CREO Syndicate: http://creosyndicate.org/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.Enjoy the show! Enjoyed this episode? Please leave us a review! Share feedback or suggest future topics and guests at [email protected] with MCJ:Cody Simms on LinkedInVisit mcj.vcSubscribe to the MCJ Newsletter*Editing and post-production work for this episode was provided by The Podcast Consultant

Today’s guest is Akshat Rathi, a London-based reporter, covering science, energy, and environment for Bloomberg News. He has a PhD in organic chemistry from the University of Oxford, and a BTech in chemical engineering from the Institute of Chemical Technology in Mumbai.He tells stories of the people and their ideas tackling the biggest problem facing humanity: climate change. And he is currently working on a book about scaling up climate solutions.Previously, Akshat was a senior reporter at Quartz and a science editor at The Conversation. He has also worked for The Economist and the Royal Society of Chemistry. His writings have also been published in Nature, The Hindu, The Guardian, Ars Technica, and Chemistry World, among others.In 2018, Akshat won Journalist of the Year at the Drum’s Online Media Awards ceremony, he was a finalist for the John B. Oakes award for distinguished environmental journalism, and he was shortlisted for British Science Writer of the Year by the Association of British Science Writers. In 2019, he was shortlisted by the British Journalism Awards for the best science journalism category.Akshat has won fellowships from Columbia University and City University of New York to enhance his reporting work. He has also served on the advisory panel of the 2019 Cairncross Review on the sustainability of high-quality journalism in the UK.In today’s episode, we cover:Akshat’s most recent role at QuartzHow and why Akshat came to be a climate journalist, and where his concern about this issue came fromHis transition from PhD to journlismThe importance of rigor in science journalism, and how Akshat defines itThe state of media business models, and the implications for climate coverageSome different paths to introduce more scientific expertise in the newsroomAkshat’s assessment of the problem of climate changeAkshat’s thoughts about market forces vs regulation, a carbon price, US role vs developing countries, carbon removal, fission & fusion, solar geoengineering, and moreRole of the fossil fuel companies in the transitionConsumer and corporate offsetsAdaptation and resiliencyHow Akshat would allocate $100B to maximize its impact towards decarbonizationAkshat’s advice for others looking to figure out how to helpA teaser for Akshat’s upcoming role with Bloomberg News (which he’s since started!)Links to topics discussed in this episode:Quartz: https://qz.com/UN Climate Change Conference - December 2019: https://unfccc.int/cop25The "would you nationalize sausages?" question: https://www.thepoke.co.uk/2019/12/10/would-you-nationalise-sausages-wins-the-weirdest-question-of-the-election-award/Bloomberg News: https://www.bloomberg.com/ProPublica: https://www.propublica.org/Climate Home: https://www.climatechangenews.com/Carbon Brief: https://www.carbonbrief.org/Heated: https://heated.world/Emily Atkin: https://twitter.com/emorweeClimate Feedback: https://climatefeedback.org/NewScientist: https://www.newscientist.com/The Economist: https://www.economist.com/AAAS Fellowship: https://www.aaas.org/programs/science-technology-policy-fellowshipsBreakthrough Energy Ventures: https://www.b-t.energy/ventures/Enjoy the show! Enjoyed this episode? Please leave us a review! Share feedback or suggest future topics and guests at [email protected] with MCJ:Cody Simms on LinkedInVisit mcj.vcSubscribe to the MCJ Newsletter*Editing and post-production work for this episode was provided by The Podcast Consultant

Today's guest is Joey Bergstein, CEO of Seventh Generation, recently acquired by Unilever. Seventh Generation’s mission is to inspire a consumer revolution that nurtures the health of the next seven generations. The company is a leader in positive business practices through the use of renewable plant-based products, industry-leading transparency with respect to ingredient disclosures, and recyclable packaging.Joey joined Seventh Generation in 2011 and, together with the Seventh Generation team, has been transforming its business, more than doubling revenue during this time, while fulfilling the company’s mission to incite a consumer revolution that nurtures the health of the next seven generations. Following the sale to Unilever, Joey was appointed CEO. Growth is accelerating, as is the company’s ability to impact millions of people around the world.A graduate of University of Western Ontario’s Richard Ivey School of Business, Bergstein began his career at Procter & Gamble where he held marketing leadership roles over the course of ten years across North America and in Europe. Since then, his career turned to beverages where Joey served as VP Global Business Development and then VP Marketing at Molson and finally at Diageo where as Senior Vice President of Global Rum, Joey led a global team that doubled the rum business to over $1 billion, transforming Captain Morgan into the fastest growing premium spirit brand in the world.In today’s episode, we cover:Seventh Generation overview and origin story'Discussion about it’s unique principles, and when/how those came to beJoey’s career arc, and what led him to Seventh GenerationWhen/how/why he became passionate about helping address climate changeHow he thinks about the problem, and the best ways to solve itSome examples of initiatives within the company to help with this issueHow they prioritize which projects to take on, and how they measure results from an impact standpointDiscussion about B corps, and their role going forward versus changes that need to come with capitalism overallWhat else matters in the climate fight, beyond the work of Seventh GenerationHow Joey would allocate a big pot of money to maximize its impact on climate changeJoey’s advice for others looking to determine how to best helpLinks to topics discussed in this episode:Seventh Generation: https://www.seventhgeneration.com/homeB corps: https://bcorporation.net/about-b-corpsGreat Law of Peace: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Great_Law_of_PeaceSierra Club: https://www.sierraclub.org/Generation IM: https://www.generationim.com/Seventh Generation: https://www.seventhgeneration.com/homeAmerican Sustainable Business Council: https://www.asbcouncil.org/Enjoy the show! Enjoyed this episode? Please leave us a review! Share feedback or suggest future topics and guests at [email protected] with MCJ:Cody Simms on LinkedInVisit mcj.vcSubscribe to the MCJ Newsletter*Editing and post-production work for this episode was provided by The Podcast Consultant

Today's guest is Senator Stephen Fenberg, a Democrat who serves as state Senator in the 18th District in Colorado where he's served since 2017. He also serves as the Senate Majority Leader.A few years after graduating from CU, Senator Fenberg founded New Era Colorado, a nonprofit organization dedicated engaging, educating, and training young people in the political process. The organization has registered hundreds of thousands of young people to vote in Colorado and successfully passed several pieces of legislation related to election reform, student debt, and climate.He has also served on the Board of Directors for ProgressNow, One Colorado Political Committee, and INVST Community Studies as well as the Boulder Housing Working Group and the city of Boulder Capital Improvement Taskforce. Senator Fenberg now serves as an Advisory Board member for the dZi Foundation, an international nonprofit providing development work in remote areas of Nepal.Senator Fenberg is part-owner of the Bread Bar, a cocktail bar in the historic town of Silver Plume. Bread Bar resides at the site of a historic bakery from the 1800's.In today’s episode, we cover:Senator Fenberg’s history prior to holding officeNew Era Colorado, a nonprofit organization founded by Senator Fenberg, dedicated to engaging, educating, and training young people in the political processHis decision to run for office and whyHis early work in office to gain Democratic majorityHis assessment of the state of the Federal government, and the role of the statesHow he thinks about the climate problemHis assessment of Republicans and the climate change problemImportance of going after coal plantsOne benefit of regulated monopoly utilityHow to not just get policy done, but durable policyWhat the oil and gas industry wantsSenator Fenberg’s advice to those that want to helpHis advice for the future incoming President in 2021How Senator Fenberg is thinking about his futureLinks to topics discussed in this episode:Senator Fenberg: https://leg.colorado.gov/legislators/stephen-fenbergNew Era Colorado: https://neweracolorado.org/Joe Neguse: https://neguse.house.gov/Leslie Herod: https://leg.colorado.gov/legislators/leslie-herodLisa Kaufmann: https://www.denverpost.com/2018/11/09/jared-polis-chief-staff-lisa-kaufmann/Xcel Energy: https://www.xcelenergy.com/Senate bill 181: https://www.americanbar.org/groups/environment_energy_resources/publications/trends/2019-2020/november-december-2019/senate-bill/Enjoy the show! Enjoyed this episode? Please leave us a review! Share feedback or suggest future topics and guests at [email protected] with MCJ:Cody Simms on LinkedInVisit mcj.vcSubscribe to the MCJ Newsletter*Editing and post-production work for this episode was provided by The Podcast Consultant

Today's guest is Shreya Dave, co-founder and CEO of Via Separations.Via Separations has pioneered a new membrane based on graphene oxide for fine liquid filtration in harsh environments, with applications in food and beverage, pharmaceuticals and bulk and specialty chemicals. They are scaling up and commercializing the material platform for use in industrial separation processes such as food ingredient production and chemical manufacturing. Shreya graduated from MIT with a PhD in Mechanical Engineering. Her PhD research focused on the design and manufacture of graphene oxide membranes for water desalination, including fundamental characterization methods of graphene oxide, membrane synthesis, and economic analysis of the role of membranes in cost constraints of desalination plants. She also holds bachelor’s and master’s degrees from MIT in mechanical engineering and technology & policy.In today’s episode, we cover:Overview and origin story of Via SeparationsDiscussion about industrial processes and their emissions footprintWhy and when sustainability became important to ShreyaHow she came to be doing the PhD research that led to the company formationThe importance of doing customer discovery, and how the I-Corps program helped themComparison between I-Corps and Cyclotron Road / ActivateSimilarities between customer discovery and fundraisingThe key phases of company building so farBusiness modelDiscussion about project finance, and how accessible it is to early stage hard tech companiesDiscussion about project insuranceDiscussion about when and how to engage strategicsDiscussion about where, as a new founder, Shreya turns for help navigating the different phases of growthWhat some of the more impactful things are that could change to accelerate progressRole model companiesAdvice for other PhDs in the lab thinking of following a similar pathLinks to topics discussed in this episode:Shreya Dave: https://www.linkedin.com/in/shdave/Via Separations: https://www.viaseparations.com/Professor Jeffrey Grossman: https://dmse.mit.edu/people/jeffrey-c-grossmanI-Corps: https://www.nsf.gov/news/special_reports/i-corps/Brent Keller: https://www.linkedin.com/in/brent-keller-88430811a/Cyclotron Road: https://www.cyclotronroad.org/The Engine: https://www.engine.xyz/Reid Hoffman: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Reid_HoffmanBlitzscaling book: https://www.blitzscaling.com/Chobani: https://www.chobani.com/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.Enjoy the show! Enjoyed this episode? Please leave us a review! Share feedback or suggest future topics and guests at [email protected] with MCJ:Cody Simms on LinkedInVisit mcj.vcSubscribe to the MCJ Newsletter*Editing and post-production work for this episode was provided by The Podcast Consultant

Today's guest is David Perry, President, CEO, and Director of Indigo Ag, Indigo Ag is harnessing nature to help farmers sustainably feed the planet. They improve grower profitability, environmental sustainability, and consumer health through the use of natural microbiology and digital technologies. Founded in 2016 Indigo Ag has raised more than $650 million in funding. The recently announced Terraton Initiative is a global effort to remove a trillion tons of carbon dioxide from the atmosphere and use it to enrich agricultural soils.David is a serial entrepreneur who has founded and built three innovative companies in the last 20 years, leading the last two through successful IPOs and to multi-billion dollar market capitalizations and raising over $1.2 billion while generating significant returns for investors. He was most recently CEO and Co-Founder of Anacor Pharmaceuticals (NASDAQ: ANAC), a biopharmaceutical company discovering and developing novel small-molecule therapeutics to treat infectious and inflammatory diseases. The company was acquired by Pfizer Inc. (NYSE: PFE) in 2016 for approximately $5.2 billion. David previously co-founded and served as CEO of Chemdex (NASDAQ: CMDX), later creating its parent company Ventro Corporation (NASDAQ: VNTR), a business-to-business marketplace focused on the life sciences industry. At its peak, Ventro was valued at $11 billion and was later sold to Nexprise. David is Founder and Chairman of the San Francisco-based digital health startup Better Therapeutics (f/k/a FareWell) and a Board Director of the human microbiome company Evelo Biosciences.In 2000, David was named Entrepreneur of the Year in Northern California by Ernst and Young. He holds an M.B.A. from Harvard Business School and a B.S. in chemical engineering from the University of Tulsa. He also attended the United States Air Force Academy, where he was a National Merit Scholar. In today’s episode, we cover:Overview and origin story of Indigo AgDavid’s career as an entrepreneur, and how he has prioritized what projects to take on along the wayThe most striking problems to David about the food and agriculture systemDavid’s consistent approach to starting from zero as he kicks off a new ventureIndigo’s vision, strategy, and progress to-dateOverview of regenerative farmingValue prop to farmersOverview of Terraton Initiative and other key Indigo projectsHow they fit into the climate fight, and what their impact can be if successfulHow David thinks about climate change in general, and what else can be impactful in the climate fight beyond Indigo’s workHow David would allocate $100B to maximize its impact in the climate fightDavid’s advice for others looking to find their laneLinks to topics discussed in this episode:Indigo Ag website: https://www.indigoag.comFlagship Pioneering: https://www.flagshippioneering.com/Cargill: https://www.cargill.com/ADM: https://www.adm.com/Bunge: https://www.bunge.com/Indigo Carbon: https://www.indigoag.com/for-growers/indigo-carbonTerraton Initiative: https://terraton.indigoag.com/Regenerative farming: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Regenerative_agriculture45Q primer: https://www.betterenergy.org/blog/primer-section-45q-tax-credit-for-carbon-capture-projects/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.Enjoy the show! Enjoyed this episode? Please leave us a review! Share feedback or suggest future topics and guests at [email protected] with MCJ:Cody Simms on LinkedInVisit mcj.vcSubscribe to the MCJ Newsletter*Editing and post-production work for this episode was provided by The Podcast Consultant

Today's guest is Dr. Jonathan Foley, Executive Director of Project Drawdown. Project Drawdown is a world-class research organization that reviews, analyzes, and identifies the most viable global climate solutions, and shares these findings with the world. Their book, Drawdown, has sold hundreds of thousands of copies and describes the hundred most substantive solutions to global warming. For each one, describes its history, its carbon impact, the relative cost and savings, path to adoption, and how it works.Dr. Foley is a world-renowned environmental scientist, sustainability expert, author, and public speaker. His work is focused on understanding our changing planet, and finding new solutions to sustain the climate, ecosystems, and natural resources we all depend on.Foley’s groundbreaking research and insights have led him to become a trusted advisor to governments, foundations, non-governmental organizations, and business leaders around the world. He and his colleagues have made major contributions to our understanding of global ecosystems, food security and the environment, climate change, and the sustainability of the world’s resources. He has published over 130 peer-reviewed scientific articles, including many highly cited works in Science, Nature, and the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. In 2014, Thomson Reuters named him a Highly Cited Researcher in ecology and environmental science, placing him among the top 1 percent most cited global scientists.A noted science communicator, his presentations have been featured at hundreds of international venues, including the Aspen Institute, the World Bank, the National Geographic Society, the Chautauqua Institution, the Commonwealth Club, the National Science March in Washington, D.C., and TED.com. He has taught at several major universities on topics ranging from climate change, global sustainability solutions, the future of the food system, and addressing the world’s “grand challenges”. He has also written many popular pieces in publications like National Geographic, the New York Times, the Guardian, and Scientific American. He is also frequently interviewed by international media outlets, and has appeared on National Public Radio, the PBS NewsHour, the BBC, CNN, and in the New York Times, the Guardian, the Washington Post, Salon, WIRED, the HBO documentary on climate change “Too Hot Not to Handle”, and the upcoming film series “Let Science Speak”.Foley has won numerous awards and honors for his work, including the Presidential Early Career Award for Scientists and Engineers, awarded by President Clinton; the J.S. McDonnell Foundation’s 21st Century Science Award; an Aldo Leopold Leadership Fellowship; the Sustainability Science Award from the Ecological Society of America; and the National Science Foundation’s Faculty Early Career Development Award. In 2014, he was also named as the winner of the prestigious Heinz Award for the Environment.Before joining Project Drawdown, Foley led a number of world-leading environmental science and sustainability organizations. From 1993 to 2008, he was based at the University of Wisconsin, where he launched the Climate, People, and Environment Program (CPEP), founded the Center for Sustainability and the Global Environment (SAGE), and served as the first Gaylord Nelson Distinguished Professor of Environmental Studies. From 2008 and 2014, he was the founding director of the Institute on the Environment(IonE) at the University of Minnesota, where he was also McKnight Presidential Chair of Global Environment and Sustainability. Then, between 2014 and 2018, he served as the Executive Director of the California Academy of Sciences, the greenest and more forward-thinking science museum on the planet.In today’s episode, we cover:Overview and origin story of Project DrawdownDr. Foley’s background and experience leading up to his time at DrawdownSome of the challenges that come with being a scientist focused on this areaThe nature of the climate problem, and what the scientists have gotten very rightWhat kind of leadership will be needed to solve itWhat are the biggest levers to solve itWhere Drawdown 2.0 fits in, and how it can helpHow Dr. Foley would allocate a big pot of money, to maximize its impact on decarbonizationHis advice for others looking to find their lane to helpLinks to topics discussed in this episode:Project Drawdown: https://www.drawdown.org/California Academy of Sciences: https://www.calacademy.org/Merchants of Doubt: https://www.merchantsofdoubt.org/Naomi Oreskes: https://histsci.fas.harvard.edu/people/naomi-oreskesKatharine Hayhoe: http://katharinehayhoe.com/wp2016/Michael Mann: https://www.michaelmann.net/Montreal Protocol: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Montreal_ProtocolCAFE Standards: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Corporate_average_fuel_economyTED talk by Katharine Wilkinson: https://www.ted.com/talks/katharine_wilkinson_how_empowering_women_and_girls_can_help_stop_global_warming?language=enTE

Today’s guest is Barney Schauble, Chairman, Nephila Climate, the world's largest asset manager dedicated to weather and catastrophe insurance risks.Barney joined Nephila Capital in 2004 as a Managing Partner and moved to San Francisco in 2010 to set up Nephila Advisors. Barney is the Chair of the Board of Nephila Climate (NCx), and also a Director of Nephila Capital Ltd. and Nephila Holdings Ltd.Barney is the Head of Nephila Labs, where his primary responsibilities include oversight of research and insurtech; he is also involved in investor relations and business development. Barney began working in re/insurance in New York in 1993 as a broker for Marsh and Guy Carpenter. He joined Goldman, Sachs & Co. in their Risk Markets group in 1996, where he helped to execute the first catastrophe bond and spent six years working on development and distribution of catastrophe andweather-linked products. Barney joined XL Capital in 2003 and was head of marketing for the weather risk management business.Barney attended Harvard College and received his BA in Economics in 1995. He wrote his senior thesis to explore investing in bonds linked to property catastrophe reinsurance risk. He served as a Director of The Climate Corporation (2007-2012), MetroMile (2009-2011), and Advisen (2014-2016). He is Chair of the Board of Ceres (a non-profit devoted to sustainable capitalism) where he has been a Director since 2011. He is also an advisor and/or board member of several insurance-related technology companies.In today’s episode, we cover:Overview of Nephila, and of reinsurance, in generalHistory of the reinsurance marketFounding story of Nephila, and Barney’s experience leading up to thatThe nature of Nephila’s work and how it has evolved over timeHow Barney thinks about climate change, and his thinking has evolved over timeBarney’s views on climate risk, and short-term/long-term considerations looking into the futureBarney’s views on the best ways to solveBarney’s work at Ceres, and why it is importantIs the reinsurance market a leading or lagging indicator of climate risk?The role of policyHow Barney would allocate a big pot of money to maximize its impact in the climate fightBarney’s advice for how you and I can helpLinks to topics discussed in this episode:Nephila Climate: https://www.nephilaclimate.com/Swiss Re: https://www.swissre.com/Munich Re: https://www.munichre.com/en.htmlSCOR: https://www.scor.com/enMarsh & McLennan: https://www.mmc.com/World Bank: https://www.worldbank.org/Ceres: https://www.ceres.org/Task Force on Climate-Related Financial Disclosures: https://www.fsb-tcfd.org/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.Enjoy the show! Enjoyed this episode? Please leave us a review! Share feedback or suggest future topics and guests at [email protected] with MCJ:Cody Simms on LinkedInVisit mcj.vcSubscribe to the MCJ Newsletter*Editing and post-production work for this episode was provided by The Podcast Consultant

Today’s guest is Marilyn Waite, Program Officer, Climate & Clean Energy Finance at William & Flora Hewlett Foundation.Marilyn manages the foundation’s grantmaking on climate and clean energy finance with the ambitious goal of addressing climate change by accelerating the transition to a climate-friendly economy. Her grantmaking mobilizes private capital investments in low-carbon and climate-friendly energy infrastructure and systems, seeking to redirect finance from high- to low-carbon activities and encourage wiser energy investments. A key component to this work includes assessing climate finance flows, identifying ways to lower the cost and risk of investment, and supporting innovations in capital markets to address investor requirements for clean energy and climate-aligned projects.Marilyn has worked across four continents in venture investment, startups, and low-carbon energy. She previously led the clean energy practice at Village Capital, where she sourced and performed due diligence for early-stage startups solving energy challenges and built a network of 1,000-plus clean tech entrepreneurs, investors, corporations, and government stakeholders. As a senior research fellow at Project Drawdown, she modeled and forecasted energy solutions to climate change. Marilyn led several operational and research and development projects at AREVA in France, including performing technical and economic studies in the energy-water nexus and the nuclear energy cycle.Author of Sustainability at Work, Marilyn serves on the board of directors for the Biomimicry Institute and lectures on sustainable business at the University of International Business and Economics in Beijing. She is an E2 1 Hotels Fellow, and as such, her work and writing highlights opportunities in women-led, green economy startups throughout the country.She holds a bachelor’s of science degree in civil and environmental engineering, magna cum laude, from Princeton University and a master’s degree with distinction in engineering for sustainable development from the University of Cambridge.In today’s episode, we cover:Overview of the Hewlett FoundationMarilyn’s professional history, leading her up to her current roleWhen she started caring about climate change, and whyHer current role, focus areas, how they determine how grants are allocated, and some example projectsHow they measure success, and how this work ties into broader climate fightWhat else can be high impact in climate fightHow Marilyn would allocate a big pot of money to maximize its impact in the climate fightMarilyn’s advice for you and I for how we can helpLinks to topics discussed in this episode:William and Flora Hewlett Foundation: https://hewlett.org/New Energy Nexus: https://www.newenergynexus.com/Project Drawdown: https://www.drawdown.org/Village Capital: https://vilcap.com/PCAF: https://carbonaccountingfinancials.com/Multilateral development banks: https://fas.org/sgp/crs/row/R41170.pdfClean Energy Federal Credit Union: https://www.cleanenergycu.org/home/homeWinners Take All book: https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/539747/winners-take-all-by-anand-giridharadas/Just Giving book: https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/just-giving-rob-reich/1128553898Decolonizing Wealth book: https://www.amazon.com/Decolonizing-Wealth-Indigenous-Divides-Restore/dp/1523097892Global Alliance for Banking on Values: http://www.gabv.org/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.Enjoy the show! Enjoyed this episode? Please leave us a review! Share feedback or suggest future topics and guests at [email protected] with MCJ:Cody Simms on LinkedInVisit mcj.vcSubscribe to the MCJ Newsletter*Editing and post-production work for this episode was provided by The Podcast Consultant

Today’s guest is Gene Berdichevsky, Co-Founder & CEO of Sila Nanotechnologies. Prior to co-founding Sila, Gene was the seventh employee at Tesla Motors where he served as Principal Engineer on the Roadster battery, leading the development of the world’s first, safe, mass-produced, automotive lithium-ion battery system.Gene holds two degrees from Stanford University; an MS in Engineering with a focus on energy and materials, and a BS in Mechanical Engineering. He has co-authored 42 patents and 4 academic publications. Gene has been named to the Forbes 30 under 30 list, the MIT Technology Review 35 Under 35, and was a recipient of the Paul and Daisy Soros Fellowship for New Americans.In today’s episode, we cover:Overview of Sila NanotechnologiesBattery industry overview, and the role of batteries in the climate fightWhere EVs are in their adoption curve, and how they will connect to the grid in the futureGene’s path to becoming a battery entrepreneur, including joining Tesla as employee #7Gene’s great story about how he got hired at Tesla!Origin story of Sila Nanotechnologies, including how it formed while he was an EIR at Sutter Hill VenturesThe importance of starting in high value markets in tough techGene’s views on the best ways for tough tech companies to get fundedThe importance of focusing on the process, not the resultSila’s progress to-date, and how the company has been capitalized along the wayThe potential impact it can have, if successfulWhat’s coming next, and what barriers and hurdles they face to adoptionThe most impactful things that could change in order to accelerate their pathWhat Gene would do with a big pot of money to maximize its impact in the climate fightHis advice for others looking to find their laneLinks to topics discussed in this episode:Sila Nanotechnologies: https://silanano.com/Tesla: https://www.tesla.com/J.B. Straubel: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/J._B._StraubelPat Brown: https://impossiblefoods.com/company/ourteam/patbrown/Mike Speiser: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mikespeiser/Sutter Hill Ventures: https://www.shv.com/Gleb Yushin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/gleb-yushin-54780618/Cyclotron Road: https://www.cyclotronroad.org/Bessemer Venture Partners: https://www.bvp.com/California Air Resources Board: https://ww2.arb.ca.gov/homepagYou 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.Enjoy the show! Enjoyed this episode? Please leave us a review! Share feedback or suggest future topics and guests at [email protected] with MCJ:Cody Simms on LinkedInVisit mcj.vcSubscribe to the MCJ Newsletter*Editing and post-production work for this episode was provided by The Podcast Consultant

Today’s guest is Shayle Kann, Managing Director for Energy Impact Partners.EIP is an investment firm that invests in companies shaping the energy landscape of the future. It's backed by a broad coalition of some of the world's largest and most innovative utilities that collectively span the globe, access millions of households, and spend more than 20 billion annually on new technologies and procurement. Shayle leads research & strategy at Energy Impact Partners.Previously, Shayle spent over eight years building and running GTM Research, the market intelligence arm of Greentech Media, where he led a 30-person team tracking and forecasting the evolution of the electricity sector. Shayle oversaw this business through and beyond GTM’s successful 2016 acquisition by Verisk Analytics.Shayle is a renowned expert on the energy transition. He has spoken at conferences around the world, testified in front of U.S. Congress, and is regularly cited in outlets including the New York Times, Wall St. Journal, Washington Post, Economist, and Bloomberg. His writing has been featured in publications such as Foreign Affairs, Nature Energy and Public Utilities Fortnightly.Shayle is also Senior Advisor to Wood Mackenzie Power & Renewables and a Non-Resident Fellow at the Columbia University Center on Global Energy Policy. Prior to GTM, Shayle was a U.S. Fulbright Scholar, researching renewable energy project finance in Australia. He also worked at Conservation Services Group (acquired by ClearResult) and the California Public Utilities Commission. He graduated cum laude, phi beta kappa from Pomona College.In today’s episode, we cover:Overview of Energy Impact PartnersAreas they invest inShayle’s role with the firmHow the utilities that are LPs engage, and what they are hoping to get out of their involvementShayle’s history, and what led him to EIPWhen and why he started caring about climate changeShayle’s throughs on the nature of the problem and the best ways to solveRole of policy vs innovationFuture of capitalismHow Shayle would allocate a big pot of money to maximize its impact in the climate fightShayle’s advice for how you and I can helpLinks to topics discussed in this episode:Energy Impact Partners: https://www.energyimpactpartners.com/Greentech Media: https://www.greentechmedia.com/The Interchange: https://www.greentechmedia.com/podcast/the-interchangeXcel Energy: https://www.xcelenergy.com/California Public Utilities Commission: https://www.cpuc.ca.gov/Lazard’s levelized cost of energy: https://www.lazard.com/perspective/levelized-cost-of-energy-and-levelized-cost-of-storage-2018/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.Enjoy the show! Enjoyed this episode? Please leave us a review! Share feedback or suggest future topics and guests at [email protected] with MCJ:Cody Simms on LinkedInVisit mcj.vcSubscribe to the MCJ Newsletter*Editing and post-production work for this episode was provided by The Podcast Consultant

Today’s guest is Jason Jacobs, host of this podcast!That's right. Enough people were asking me to do an episode where someone interviews me to summarize where I am on the journey, that I finally but the bullet and did it. And it wasn’t even planned! I was having coffee with an avid MCJ listener, Remy Evard, and he said “you should really do an episode where someone interviews you”, so, with about 5 minutes of prep, we grabbed the microphones and did an episode right on the spot!It is a brief discussion relative to the normal longform episodes, but it won’t be the last time you hear from me in this way (like it or not, haha!).Let me know your feedback, in terms of whether this kind of episode is helpful, and how I can make them more helpful going forward.Enjoy the show! Enjoyed this episode? Please leave us a review! Share feedback or suggest future topics and guests at [email protected] with MCJ:Cody Simms on LinkedInVisit mcj.vcSubscribe to the MCJ Newsletter*Editing and post-production work for this episode was provided by The Podcast Consultant

Today’s guest is Professor Sam Fankhauser, Director of the Grantham Research Institute on Climate Change and Director of the ESRC-funded Centre for Climate Change Economics and Policy, both at The London School of Economics and Political Science.He is also an Associate Director at economics consultancy Vivid Economics and a Non-Executive Director of CDC Group, the UK’s development finance institution.Previously, Sam worked at the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development, the World Bank and the Global Environment Facility. From 2008 to 2016 he was a member of the UK Committee on Climate Change.In today’s episode, we cover:Overview of Grantham Research InstituteNature of the research they do'When and why Sam came to care about the environment'How urgent Sam thinks the problem isHow settled is the science?'Some causes for optimismPublic perception in US vs EuropeCommittee on Climate Change (CCC)'Free markets vs regulation'Should we price carbon?The inequity of climate changeWhere Sam would allocate a big pot of money to maximize its impact in the climate fightSam’s advice for others looking to find their laneLinks to topics discussed in this episode:Grantham Institute: https://www.imperial.ac.uk/grantham/Committee on Climate Change: https://www.theccc.org.uk/Negative emissions technologies: https://qz.com/1416481/the-ultimate-guide-to-negative-emission-technologies/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.Enjoy the show! Enjoyed this episode? Please leave us a review! Share feedback or suggest future topics and guests at [email protected] with MCJ:Cody Simms on LinkedInVisit mcj.vcSubscribe to the MCJ Newsletter*Editing and post-production work for this episode was provided by The Podcast Consultant

Today’s guest Dr. Julio Friedmann, a Senior Research Scholar at the Center on Global Energy Policy at Columbia University.Dr. Friedmann recently served as Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary for the Office of Fossil Energy at the Department of Energy where he was responsible for DOE’s R&D program in advanced fossil energy systems, carbon capture, and storage (CCS), CO2 utilization, and clean coal deployment. His expertise includes Large-Scale Carbon Management, CO2 removal, CO2 recycling, Oil and Gas systems, international engagements in clean fossil energy, and inter-agency engagements within the US government. He has also held positions at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, including Senior Advisor for Energy Innovation and Chief Energy Technologist. He is also the CEO of Carbon Wrangler, LLC, is a Distinguished Associate at the Energy Futures Initiative, and serves as a special advisor to the Global CCS Institute. He was recently named as a Senior Fellow to the Breakthrough Institute and the Climate Leadership Council.Dr. Friedmann is one of the most widely known and authoritative experts in the U.S. on carbon removal (CO2 drawdown from the air and oceans), CO2 conversion and use (carbon-to-value), and carbon capture and sequestration. His expertise includes technology, policy, and operations. In addition to close partnerships with many private companies and NGOs, Julio has worked with the U.S. State Department, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, and the U.S. Treasury.Dr. Friedmann received his Bachelor of Science and Master of Science degrees from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), followed by a Ph.D. in Geology at the University of Southern California. He worked for five years as a senior research scientist at ExxonMobil, then as a research scientist at the University of Maryland. He serves as a formal and informal advisor to several clean energy and CarbonTech companies.In today’s episode, we cover:Julio’s current work at the Center for Global Energy Policy at Columbia University, leading an initiative called the Carbon Mitigation Research Initiative, CAMRI.Julio’s prior work, including at places like Lawrence Livermore National Lab, DOE, and ExxonMobil.When Julio started caring about climate change, how that came about, and how his thinking on the problem has evolved over the years.What culpability the fossil fuel industry has, and their role in the climate fight looking forwards.Julio’s current work in emissions-heavy industries.The role of government.The role of carbon capture, and best ways to accelerate.The importance of prioritization, based on big levers but also on what’s doable.The role of consumers.How Julio would allocate a big pot of money to maximize its impact in the climate fightJulio’s advice for the most important things you and I can do to help.Links to topics discussed in this episode:Dr. Julio Friedmann bio: https://energypolicy.columbia.edu/dr-julio-friedmannColumbia Center on Global Energy Policy: https://energypolicy.columbia.edu/Mr. Peabody and Sherman: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mr._Peabody_%26_ShermanLee Raymond: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lee_RaymondStratigraphy: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/StratigraphyLawrence Livermore National Lab: https://www.llnl.gov/DOE: https://www.energy.gov/Ernie Moniz: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ernest_MonizOffice of Fossil Energy: https://www.energy.gov/fe/office-fossil-energyJonathan Pershing: https://hewlett.org/people/jonathan-pershing/Melanie Kenderdine: https://www.energy.gov/policy/contributors/melanie-kenderdineHoward Gruenspecht: https://www.csis.org/people/howard-gruenspechtHu Jintao: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hu_JintaoXi Jinping: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Xi_JinpingVaclav Smil: http://vaclavsmil.com/Pete Buttigieg: https://peteforamerica.com/meet-pete/Climeworks: https://www.climeworks.com/Geoengineering: http://www.geoengineering.ox.ac.uk/www.geoengineering.ox.ac.uk/what-is-geoengineering/what-is-geoengineering/Chemtrails conspiracy theory: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chemtrail_conspiracy_theoryYou 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.Enjoy the show! Enjoyed this episode? Please leave us a review! Share feedback or suggest future topics and guests at [email protected] with MCJ:Cody Simms on LinkedInVisit mcj.vcSubscribe to the MCJ Newsletter*Editing and post-production work for this episode was provided by The Podcast Consultant

Today's guest is Ilan Gur, the CEO of Activate and the Founder of Cyclotron Road. Cyclotron Road is an entrepreneurial fellowship program that pairs PhD fellows working on promising scientific breakthroughs with grants that pay their salaries. Access to a bunch of expensive equipment and showers them with mentorship to try to bridge the gap between early academic research that shows great promise and actually turning the corner to become a company. Prior to founding Cyclotron Road, Ilan launched two science-based startups including Seeo, an advanced battery company that was acquired by Bosch in 2015. He was also a program director at ARPA-E. He holds a PhD in material science and engineering from the University of California at Berkeley.In today’s episode, we cover:Overview and origin story of Activate & Cyclotron RoadIlan’s time at ARPA-E and key learningsThe 3 components of Activate’s entrepreneurial fellowship programHow it works, application process, etcRelationships with corporate partners, government agencies, etcHow the organization is fundedKey learnings from initial cohortsExpansion plansWhat is missing that would help accelerate their effortsHow you and I can helpLinks to topics discussed in this episode:Activate website: https://www.activate.org/ARPA-E: https://arpa-e.energy.gov/Berkeley Lab: https://www.lbl.gov/Opus 12: https://www.opus-12.com/DARPA: https://www.darpa.mil/Nicole Systrom: https://www.linkedin.com/in/nicoleschuetz/Sanjay Wagle: https://lightsmithgp.com/team/sanjay-wagle/David Danielson: http://www.b-t.energy/ventures/team/dave-danielson/Raymond Weitekamp: https://www.linkedin.com/in/raymondweitekamp/Horst Simon: https://www.linkedin.com/in/horst-simon-6b3417/Cheryl Martin: https://arpa-e.energy.gov/?q=taxonomy/term/851/allMosaic Materials: https://mosaicmaterials.com/Bill McKibben: http://billmckibben.com/Al Gore: https://www.algore.com/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.Enjoy the show! Enjoyed this episode? Please leave us a review! Share feedback or suggest future topics and guests at [email protected] with MCJ:Cody Simms on LinkedInVisit mcj.vcSubscribe to the MCJ Newsletter*Editing and post-production work for this episode was provided by The Podcast Consultant

Today’s guest is Lara Pierpoint, Director of Technical Strategy at Exelon.Exelon is America's leading competitive energy provider with one of the cleanest and lowest cost power generation fleets. Its utility serves millions of electric and gas customers. Lara's team is tasked with enhancing Exelon's ability to capitalize on new technology and respond to disruptive innovations. Her expertise is in systems analysis, modeling and policy. And her knowledge is deep in nuclear, gas and electric interface and energy finance as well as widely across the electricity spectrum.Prior to Exelon, Lara has had a number of different roles. She was Senior Advisor for energy policy and Systems analysis at Department of Energy. She was a AAAS fellow at the US Senate Committee on Energy and Natural Resources. And she also has her PhD in Engineering Systems from MIT, as well as a Masters in Nuclear Engineering and in Technology and Policy also at MIT, and an undergrad in physics from UCLA. Suffice to say Lara's got a really interesting perspective to talk about everything energy and everything climate change.In today’s episode, we cover:Overview of Exelon and Lara’s role within the companyOverview of the utilities market, and history of deregulationLara’s career history, and what motivates her to do the work she doesDeep dive into the technical strategy team, its history within the company, the work they do, and some example projectsBroader discussion about the optimal energy mix, and the roles of nuclear, renewables, etcSome of the headwinds, and the best ways to accelerate the energy transitionHow you and I can helpLinks to topics discussed in this episode:Exelon: https://www.exeloncorp.com/AAAS fellowship program: https://www.aaas.org/programs/science-technology-policy-fellowshipsUS Senate Committee on Energy and Natural Resources: https://www.energy.senate.gov/public/Volta Energy Technologies: https://plusvolta.com/Constellation Technology Ventures: http://technologyventures.constellation.com/MIT energy club: https://www.mitenergyclub.org/Department of Energy (DOE): https://www.energy.gov/Electric Power Research Institute (EPRI): https://www.epri.com/#/?lang=en-USHydrogen electrolyzer: https://www.energy.gov/eere/fuelcells/hydrogen-production-electrolysisYou 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.Enjoy the show! Enjoyed this episode? Please leave us a review! Share feedback or suggest future topics and guests at [email protected] with MCJ:Cody Simms on LinkedInVisit mcj.vcSubscribe to the MCJ Newsletter*Editing and post-production work for this episode was provided by The Podcast Consultant

Today’s guest is Shawn Murphy, Founder & CEO of Titan Advanced Energy Solutions.Titan is an advanced battery management system technology company, which is revolutionizing the renewable space by lowering the cost of lithium ion batteries by at least 30 to 40%, and doubling their expected life.Titan's technology uses ultrasound to measure and determine the state of health, and state of charge real time and is about 100 times better than the current state of the art. This technology will eventually be implemented in electric vehicles, stationary storage and consumer electronics. Previously, Shawn was the founder and CEO of multiple successful startups, the former head of Space Science and Technology for Draper Labs, and was also the founder and former director of Shell's innovation center called Shell Tech Works.We have a wide ranging discussion in this episode, including Titan, where it fits in the broader battery landscape, how the battery landscape fits in terms of the grid, and the rise of things like solar and wind, and also how to think about all this in the context of climate change. We then come back around to have a great discussion on the proper sources of capital for this type of innovation, the role of startups versus incumbents, and of course, the underlying motivators that make Shawn get out of bed every day and give him purpose in his work.In today’s episode, we cover:Overview of Titan Advanced Energy SolutionsShawn’s background leading up to starting the company, including at Draper Labs, Shell, and several startupsTitan founding story, long vision, traction to date, and next stepsHow Titan’s product fits into broader climate fight, and what success looks like at scaleWhat else can be high impact in climate fightShawn’s advice for how you and I can helpLinks to topics discussed in this episode:Titan’s website: https://www.titanaes.com/Greentown Labs: https://www.greentownlabs.com/Shell TechWorks: https://www.shell.com/energy-and-innovation/innovating-together/shell-techworks.htmlSecond-life EV batteries: https://www.mckinsey.com/industries/automotive-and-assembly/our-insights/second-life-ev-batteries-the-newest-value-pool-in-energy-storageMassCEC: https://www.masscec.com/Energy Innovation Capital: http://energyinnovationcapital.com/Schneider Electric: https://www.se.com/us/en/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.Enjoy the show! Enjoyed this episode? Please leave us a review! Share feedback or suggest future topics and guests at [email protected] with MCJ:Cody Simms on LinkedInVisit mcj.vcSubscribe to the MCJ Newsletter*Editing and post-production work for this episode was provided by The Podcast Consultant

Today’s guest is David Burt, the CEO and Founder of DeltaTerra Capital and the lead Portfolio Manager for DeltaTerra funds. DeltaTerra provides proprietary financial models, customized portfolio analysis, and unique hedging strategies that enable highly informed climate risk management for asset owners and investors.Before founding DeltaTerra, David was a Partner and Portfolio Manager at Wellington Management Company. Prior to Wellington, he built investment processes at BlueMountain Capital, AlderTree Capital (a 2006 startup he founded to bet against the mortgage credit bubble), BlackRock Financial Management, and State Street Research and Management. He began his career as a Real Estate Economist at Property & Portfolio Research, Inc. David has spent 22 years applying his imagination, synthesis talents, and quantitative skills to help institutional investors get the most out of their real estate and structured finance investments. David has been a CFA charter holder since 2002 and received a BS in Mathematics, with a minor in Economics, from MIT in 1997.In today’s episode, we cover:Overview of DeltaTerra CapitalDave’s background, and what led him to identifying this opportunity and pursuing itDave’s role in the mortgage backed securities market and The Big Short.How Dave thinks about purpose and where hedge funds fit inThe importance of investing in the clean energy transition, and Dave’s bet for what will accelerate that transition the mostHow much exposure asset owners and investors have to climate risk, and in what formsHow DeltaTerra will help, the business model, and the types of clients it will serveWhat else will help facilitate this transition, beyond DeltaTerra’s workLinks to topics discussed in this episode:DeltaTerra Capital: https://deltaterracapital.com/aboutThe Big Short: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Big_Short_(film)mortgage backed securities: https://www.investopedia.com/terms/m/mbs.aspBlackrock: https://www.blackrock.com/Wellington Management: https://www.wellington.com/en/Fannie Mae: https://www.fanniemae.com/portal/index.html'Freddie Mac: http://www.freddiemac.com/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.Enjoy the show! Enjoyed this episode? Please leave us a review! Share feedback or suggest future topics and guests at [email protected] with MCJ:Cody Simms on LinkedInVisit mcj.vcSubscribe to the MCJ Newsletter*Editing and post-production work for this episode was provided by The Podcast Consultant

Today’s guest is Melinda Hanson, Head of Sustainability at Bird, a micromobility company based in Santa Monica, CA. Founded in September 2017, Bird operates shared electric scooters in over 100 cities in Europe, the Middle East, and North America, with 10 million rides in its first year of operation.Melinda joined Bird from the National Association of City Transportation Officials, where she served as deputy director of NACTO's international programs. Before that, Melinda was a consultant for the Asian Development Bank, helping design and implement public transit projects in Pakistan and the Philippines. Earlier in her career, she was a founding staff member of the ClimateWorks Foundation where she managed the sustainable transport portfolio.In today’s episode, we cover:An overview of BirdHow Melinda became interested in sustainability and micromobilityCar culture, and some of the challenges inhibiting cities from changingThe rise of e-scooters (and why)How Bird is different, relative to competitionMelinda’s charter as head of sustainabilityTheir progress to-date, and some examples of key learningsThe value prop Bird offers to cities, and how the cities tend to evaluate the decision'Some barriers inhibiting progress, and the most impactful things that could change to accelerate their effortsWhat success looks like at Bird, from a sustainability standpointWhat else matters in the climate fightMelinda’s advice for others trying to figure out how to helpLinks to topics discussed in this episode:Bird: https://www.bird.co/Melinda’s Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/melinda-hanson-6384912/ClimateWorks Foundation: https://www.climateworks.org/Barr Foundation: https://www.barrfoundation.org/Travis VanderZanden: https://www.linkedin.com/in/travis1/NYC’s Green Wave Plan: https://ny.curbed.com/2019/8/19/20812178/regional-planning-association-rpa-protected-bike-laneQuick Builds for Better Streets: https://b.3cdn.net/bikes/675cdae66d727f8833_kzm6ikutu.pdfYou can find me on twitter at @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.Enjoy the show! Enjoyed this episode? Please leave us a review! Share feedback or suggest future topics and guests at [email protected] with MCJ:Cody Simms on LinkedInVisit mcj.vcSubscribe to the MCJ Newsletter*Editing and post-production work for this episode was provided by The Podcast Consultant

Today’s guest is Ken Kimmell, President of Union of Concerned Scientists, a leading science-based nonprofit that combines the knowledge and influence of the scientific community with the passion of concerned citizens to build a healthy planet and a safer world.Ken has more than 30 years of experience in government, environmental policy, and advocacy. He is a national advocate for clean energy and transportation policies and a driving force behind UCS’s “Power Ahead” campaign to build a large and diverse group of clean energy leadership states. Ken served on the Commission on the Future of Transportation in the Commonwealth, which advised Massachusetts Governor Charlie Baker’s administration on future transportation needs and challenges. Ken was one of 18 members the governor appointed to the panel charged with looking at five areas anticipated to have a dramatic impact on transportation: climate and resiliency, transportation electrification, autonomous and connected vehicles, transit and mobility services, and land use and demographic trends.Prior to joining UCS in May 2014, Ken was the Commissioner of the Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection (MassDEP), an agency with a $100 million budget and 800 employees, including a large staff of scientists and engineers. As commissioner, he also served as chairman of the board of the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative, helping to prod the nine member states to reduce power plant carbon emissions by almost 50 percent through 2020, reducing emissions in the region by some 90 million tons.Ken has also served as general counsel at the Executive Office of Energy and Environmental Affairs in Massachusetts Governor Deval Patrick’s administration, and spent 17 years as the director and senior attorney at a Boston-based law firm specializing in environmental, energy, and land-use issues.Ken decided to focus his legal work on environmental issues after clerking for the U.S. District Court in San Francisco, where he assisted a judge in a case involving the health effects of Agent Orange. Originally from New York, he earned his bachelor’s degree at Wesleyan University and his law degree at the University of California, Los Angeles.Ken has been quoted widely, including by the Associated Press, the Boston Globe, Bloomberg Business, the New York Times and the Washington Post, and has appeared numerous times on E&E TV and National Public Radio.In today’s episode, we cover:Overview and origin story of Union of Concerned ScientistsScientists, and their changing views regarding political advocacyNature of UCS work, and some example projectHow UCS selects these projects, and what success looks likeDetails on tactics and executionWhat motivates Ken personally do the work he doesKen’s assessment of where we are, and what has gone right and wrong in climate fightWhat gives Ken optimism looking forwardRole of States vs Federal GovernmentKen’s thoughts on the best way to get meaningful bipartisan legislation doneKen’s thoughts on most impactful things that could happen to accelerate progress'How Ken would allocate big pot of $ to maximize it’s impact in climate fightKen’s advice for how you and I can helpLinks to topics discussed in this episode:Union of Concerned Scientists website: https://www.ucsusa.org/Housing & Economic Recovery Act of 2008: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Housing_and_Economic_Recovery_Act_of_2008Los Angeles’ pledge to ban gas-powered cars by 2030: https://www.chicagotribune.com/business/ct-mayors-emissions-free-cities-20171023-story.htmlEnvironmental Voter Project: https://www.environmentalvoter.org/U.S. Chamber of Commerce: https://www.uschamber.com/California’s goal of 100% clean energy by 2050: https://www.latimes.com/business/la-fi-100-percent-clean-energy-20190110-story.htmlLouis Brandeis: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Louis_BrandeisYou 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.Enjoy the show! Enjoyed this episode? Please leave us a review! Share feedback or suggest future topics and guests at [email protected] with MCJ:Cody Simms on LinkedInVisit mcj.vcSubscribe to the MCJ Newsletter*Editing and post-production work for this episode was provided by The Podcast Consultant

Today’s guest is Paulina Jaramillo, Professor, Engineering and Public Policy, & Co-Director, Green Design Institute at Carnegie Mellon University.Dr. Paulina Jaramillo has a bachelor’s in civil and environmental engineering from Florida International University (2003), as well as a master's and PhD in civil and environmental engineering with an emphasis in green design from Carnegie Mellon University (2004 and 2007, respectively). Her past research has focused on life cycle assessment of energy systems with an emphasis on climate change impacts and mitigation research. As a professor at Carnegie Mellon University, she is involved in key multi-disciplinary research projects to better understand the social, economic and environmental implications of energy consumption and the public policy tools that can be used to support sustainable energy development and consumption. She is now the Co-Director of the Green Design Institute and has started pursuing research about infrastructure systems for global development.In today’s episode, we cover:The nature of Dr. Jaramillo’s research, and how she came to focus in the areas she doesSome of the unique challenges of Africa, in terms of both climate change and energy povertyHow the work of her students is funded, and from what type of donorsThe criteria that make a project a good focus to take on, and some example projects that her students are currently working onHow Dr. Jaramillo measures project successThe role of academic research in broader solution developmentThe growing importance and challenges of science communicationBroader discussion about climate change, where we are, and some of the most impactful potential solution areasDr. Jaramillo’s advice for anyone looking to find their lane in the climate fightLinks to topics discussed in this episode:Dr. Jaramillo bio: https://www.cmu.edu/epp/people/faculty/paulina-jaramillo.htmlCMU Africa: https://www.africa.engineering.cmu.edu/National Science Foundation: https://www.nsf.govMini-grids: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mini-gridsDiesel generator: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Diesel_generatorFederal Energy Regulatory Commission: https://www.ferc.gov/Subsistence farming: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Subsistence_agriculture1.5C IPCC report: https://www.ipcc.ch/sr15/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.Enjoy the show! Enjoyed this episode? Please leave us a review! Share feedback or suggest future topics and guests at [email protected] with MCJ:Cody Simms on LinkedInVisit mcj.vcSubscribe to the MCJ Newsletter*Editing and post-production work for this episode was provided by The Podcast Consultant

Today’s guest is Justin Guay, Director of Global Climate Strategy at Sunrise Project, and organization that grows social movements to drive the transition from fossil fuels to renewable energy as fast as possible.Justin has a decade of experience in nonprofit advocacy and foundation strategy development, including managing grant making and strategy for global coal campaigns at ClimateWorks Foundation and the Packard Foundation. At the Packard foundation he oversaw a $40 million grant making portfolio across all climate and energy priorities in India, China, the US, the EU and South East Asia. He has also run the Sierra Club’s International Coal Campaign as the Associate Director for the International Climate Program. The program focused on global efforts to transition energy systems beyond coal to clean energy with a special focus on international finance.In today’s episode, we cover:Overview of Sunrise ProjectJustin’s history pre-Sunrise ProjectWhen he started caring about climate change, and whyHow his thinking has evolved on the problem from when he started to nowGoals of Sunrise project and nature of the coal problemWhere we are with getting off of coal and where we need to get toBiggest changes that would accelerate this pathBiggest hurdles to these coming about and how to helpRole of CCS, nuclear, etcRole of innovation, philanthropy, and policyJustin’s advice for others looking to find their lane in the climate fightLinks to topics discussed in this episode:The Sunrise Project: https://sunriseproject.org.au/ClimateWorks Foundation: https://www.climateworks.org/Sierra Club: https://www.sierraclub.org/IPCC 1.5 degree report: https://www.ipcc.ch/sr15/Global Energy Monitor: https://globalenergymonitor.org/Ohio coal and nuclear bailout: https://insideclimatenews.org/news/23072019/ohio-coal-nuclear-bailout-law-signed-cuts-renewable-energy-efficiency-programs-governor-dewineYou 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.Enjoy the show! Enjoyed this episode? Please leave us a review! Share feedback or suggest future topics and guests at [email protected] with MCJ:Cody Simms on LinkedInVisit mcj.vcSubscribe to the MCJ Newsletter*Editing and post-production work for this episode was provided by The Podcast Consultant

Today’s guest is Phil Giudice, Board Member at Ambri, FirstFuel, PRIME Coalition, Clean Air Task Force and NE Clean Energy Council. Most recently, Phil was the CEO of Ambri. Ambri, formerly Liquid Metal Battery Corporation, is a technology company creating cost effective, reliable, wide spread grid electricity storage solutions, enabling separation of power demand from power supply. Phil has more than 30 years' experience in the energy industry as a geologist, consultant, executive, and state official.Phil was appointed by US Department of Energy Secretary Steven Chu to US DOE's Energy Efficiency and Renewables Advisory Committee as well as its State Energy Advisory Board. In addition, he is a board member for the energy business leadership trade group Advanced Energy Economy as well as the efficiency start up FirstFuel. Prior to Ambri, Phil served the Commonwealth of Massachusetts as Undersecretary of Energy and as Commissioner of the Department of Energy Resources, the state agency with primary responsibility for fulfilling Governor Deval Patrick's vision for a clean energy future. Prior to his service in the Patrick-Murray Administration, Phil was senior vice president and board member at EnerNOC, a start-up providing electricity demand-management services to businesses, institutions, utilities, and grid operators that became a public company in 2007. He was previously a senior partner and leader of Mercer Management Consulting's global energy utilities practice for 20 years. He started his career as a metals exploration geologist with Freeport-McMoRan and with Chevron. Phil is also active in the nonprofit realm, having help found the Center for Effective Philanthropy and serving as Board Chair for 8 years as well as currently serving on the President's Council of ACCION. In addition, he completed full terms on the boards of the City Year Boston, First Parish Church of Wayland, and Haitian Health Foundation. He was also the founding chair of Boston Cares. Phil is a geologist (B.S. from University of New Hampshire and M.S. in Economic Geology from the University of Arizona) and a management professional (M.B.A. from Tuck School of Business at Dartmouth). In today’s episode, we cover: Phil’s fascinating career, and the different hats he has worn over the years as a strategy consultant, in oil and gas, in government, and in cleantech. The EnerNOC ride, from employee #3 to publicly traded Phil’s time as Energy Commissioner, and then as Undersecretary of Energy for the State of MA. The Ambri story. Phil’s reflections on decades of work on this area, and our seeming lack of progress. Some reasons for optimism. Phil’s rallying cry to me, and anyone else who wants to help in the climate fight. Phil’s views on carbon pricing. Some examples of how we have successfully solved some adjacent problems. Phil’s words of warning to me about my podcasting :) A substantive discussion about some of the barriers preventing more people from helping and more progress from being made. Phil’s advice and the areas he is most excited about. Links to topics discussed in this episode: Ambri: http://www.ambri.com/ Enel X (formerly EnerNOC): https://www.enelx.com/n-a/en Chevron: https://www.chevron.com/ Mercer: https://www.mercer.com/ Deval Patrick: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Deval_Patrick Ian Bowles: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ian_Bowles Dr. Donald Sadoway: https://dmse.mit.edu/people/donald-r-sadoway Total: https://www.total.com/en Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative: https://www.rggi.org/ 350.org: https://350.org/ 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. Enjoy the show! Enjoyed this episode? Please leave us a review! Share feedback or suggest future topics and guests at [email protected] with MCJ:Cody Simms on LinkedInVisit mcj.vcSubscribe to the MCJ Newsletter*Editing and post-production work for this episode was provided by The Podcast Consultant

Today’s guest is Bill Nussey, CEO & Founder at the Freeing Energy Project.Bill Nussey is the founder of the Freeing Energy Project, whose mission is to accelerate the shift to cleaner, cheaper energy. Prior to Freeing Energy, Bill spent most of his career as a tech CEO. His first company, which he co-founded in high school, provided graphics software for early, text-based personal computers. His second company, Da Vinci Systems, was started out of his college dorm room and grew to serve millions of users across 45 countries. Later, he spent several years as a venture capitalist with Greylock. In 1998, he left the firm to run a portfolio company, iXL, which went public and grew to almost $500 million in revenue. After iXL, he joined Silverpop as CEO. Silverpop grew to nearly $100 million and became a global leader in cloud-based marketing. In 2014, IBM acquired the company and made it the foundation of the IBM Marketing Cloud. Shortly after the acquisition, Bill was promoted to VP Corporate Strategy out of IBM’s world headquarters in New York. Bill’s companies have created thousands of jobs and billions of dollars in value.For the last few years, Bill has been conducting research for a 2019 book called Freeing Energy. Supported by 200 interviews across the world, the book’s mission is to help non-industry readers understand how we can accelerate the shift to clean energy. The core ideas focus on decentralized (or local) energy, novel business models, and new approaches to ownership and finance. Much of his early research was shared at Bill’s October 2017 TED talk called Accelerating the Shift to Clean Energy.In 2018, Bill co-founded Solar Inventions. Based at Georgia Tech’s ATDC incubator, the company’s mission is to commercialize a set of scientific breakthroughs for improving silicon photovoltaics.Bill received a degree in electrical engineering from North Carolina State University and an MBA from Harvard Business School. He holds several patents, has published two books and sits on several commercial and non-profit boards. Bill and his family are involved in a handful of projects providing off-grid, resilient electricity in places like East Africa and Puerto Rico.In today’s episode, we cover:Bill’s history, and what led him to get excited about energyHow Bill went about switching gears to transition into this new field (to him)Bill’s book, why he wrote it, and the process he followed to pull it togetherDigitization of energy opportunityPotential of energy innovation of appealing across both sides of the political aisleRole of venture capital in clean energy innovationLessons from last cleantech bubbleSolar and batteries, and implications when cost becomes less than purchasing electricity from the gridOne policy change that would move the needle more than any otherBill’s thoughts on politics, GND, etc.Importance of looking at carbon equivalents as well, not just carbonInevitability of putting a price on carbonRole of utilities and oil/gas companiesThoughts on upcoming election and the stakesBill’s advice to others trying to find their lane in the climate fightLinks to topics discussed in this episode:Freeing Energy: https://www.freeingenergy.com/Bill Nussey: https://www.linkedin.com/in/billnussey/Bubba McDonald: http://www.psc.state.ga.us/pscinfo/bios/mcdonald.aspAmory Lovins: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Amory_LovinsLoren McDonald: https://www.linkedin.com/in/lorenmcdonald/Solar Inventions: https://www.solarinventions.com/Henry McCance: https://skoll.org/contributor/henry-mccance/Fullstory: https://www.fullstory.com/Arcadia Power: https://www.arcadiapower.com/Drift: https://www.joindrift.com/Form Energy: https://www.formenergy.com/Ethanol: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ethanol_fuel_in_the_United_StatesYou 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.Enjoy the show! Enjoyed this episode? Please leave us a review! Share feedback or suggest future topics and guests at [email protected] with MCJ:Cody Simms on LinkedInVisit mcj.vcSubscribe to the MCJ Newsletter*Editing and post-production work for this episode was provided by The Podcast Consultant

Today’s guest is Kelly Wanser, Executive Director of SilverLining, a mission organization driving research to ensure safe pathways for climate within a decade.Previously, Kelly was the director of the Marine Cloud Brightening Project, a program focused on research in reflecting sunlight to reduce heat in climate. Kelly is member of the National Academy of Sciences President’s Circle. She also served as Senior Advisor to Ocean Conservancy on climate-ocean risk and to Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory on industry strategy for fusion energy. A technologist, executive and entrepreneur, she previously founded companies in IT infrastructure, analytics and security, and is the author of over 20 patents. She resides in San Francisco.In today’s episode, we cover:Overview of geoengineeringChallenge of predicting earth system’s response to heat stress and risk of hitting catastrophic tipping points'The case for geoengineeringSilverLining’s work, and how it came to beWhat the critics say about geoengineering, and Kelly’s responses'Some example projects they have taken on at SilverLining'How the org is funded, and future goals in this regardWhat fossil fuel companies think of geoengineeringPotential risks, side effects, and unintended consequencesResearch vs widescale deployment, the best ways to stage exploration in this areaWhat else can be impactful in the climate fightKelly’s advice to others trying to find their lane to helpLinks to topics discussed in this episode:Stephen Schneider: https://stephenschneider.stanford.edu/References/Biography.htmlIPCC special report on oceans and cryosphere: https://www.ipcc.ch/srocc/home/The Royal Society: https://royalsociety.org/Marine cloud brightening: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marine_cloud_brighteningStrategic aerosol injection: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stratospheric_aerosol_injectionSome links provided by Kelly to learn more about her work:TEDSummit 2019 Talk: Emergency Medicine for Our Climate FeverReport: for U.S. Policymakers: Ensuring a Safe Climate: A National Imperative for Research in Climate Intervention and Earth System PredictionTestimony to the U.S. House Science, Space and Technology Committee, Subcommittee on Environment and Subcommittee on Energy Hearing — Geoengineering: Innovation, Research, and Technology, Nov 8, 2017You 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.Enjoy the show! Enjoyed this episode? Please leave us a review! Share feedback or suggest future topics and guests at [email protected] with MCJ:Cody Simms on LinkedInVisit mcj.vcSubscribe to the MCJ Newsletter*Editing and post-production work for this episode was provided by The Podcast Consultant

Today’s guest is Albert Wenger, Managing Partner at Union Square Ventures, a NY-based venture capital firm.Before joining USV, Albert was the president of del.icio.us through the company’s sale to Yahoo and an angel investor (Etsy, Tumblr). He previously founded or co-founded several companies, including a management consulting firm and an early hosted data analytics company. Albert graduated from Harvard College in economics and computer science and holds a Ph.D. in Information Technology from MIT.In today’s episode, we cover:Albert’s assessment of the problem of climate change and his concern levelHis views on what it will take to get the problem under control in the short term and long termThe work they do at USV, their core expertise, and how that expertise can helpThe roles of innovation, policy, and collective actionWhat types of innovation can be most impactful, and whenThe upcoming election and stakesRoles of China and IndiaRoles of big oil and utilitiesHow Albert would allocate $100B to maximize its impact in climate fightAlbert’s advice for others looking to find their laneLinks to topics discussed in this episode:USV: https://www.usv.com/World After Capital: http://worldaftercapital.org/Greta Thunberg: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Greta_ThunbergExtinction Rebellion: https://rebellion.earth/Nori: https://nori.com/John Maynard Keynes, Economics Policies for our Grandchildren: https://www.sloww.co/keynes-economic-possibilities/Faye McNeill: https://cheme.columbia.edu/faculty/v-mcneillEcosia: https://www.ecosia.org/Universal Basic Income: https://whatis.techtarget.com/definition/universal-basic-income-UBIHow Much is Enough?: https://www.amazon.com/How-Much-Enough-Money-Good/dp/152267795XYou 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.Enjoy the show! Enjoyed this episode? Please leave us a review! Share feedback or suggest future topics and guests at [email protected] with MCJ:Cody Simms on LinkedInVisit mcj.vcSubscribe to the MCJ Newsletter*Editing and post-production work for this episode was provided by The Podcast Consultant

Today’s guest is Ramya Swaminathan, CEO of Malta, Inc. Malta’s electro-thermal energy storage system is a new grid-scale technology that collects and stores energy for long durations. Energy can be stored from any power generation source in any location – be it wind, solar, or fossil fuels – enabling reliable and predictable operation of the grid. Ramya joined Malta from Rye Development, where she was CEO, co-founder, and Member of the Board of FFP New Hydro. Under her leadership, Rye Development grew to be the leading developer of new hydropower projects in the United States and its portfolio of development projects, held at its holdco affiliate, FFP New Hydro, advanced from concept through FERC licensing and late stage development financing. She was also responsible for the expansion of Rye’s platform into energy storage, with the addition of two sizable pumped hydro storage development projects in the Pacific Northwest. At Rye Development, Ms. Swaminathan led a multi-disciplinary team, with specialists in engineering and construction, regulatory and environmental aspects, and power marketing. She also led the company through several financing rounds, both at the platform and the project levels. Prior to her work in the hydropower space, Ms. Swaminathan was a public finance banker, most recently as a Director at UBS, where she focused on public power clients and senior managed more than $10 billion in financings. Ms. Swaminathan holds a Master’s in Public Policy from the John F. Kennedy School of Government and a BA in Anthropology from Amherst College. In today’s episode, we cover: Ramya’s background and what led her to Malta Overview of the grid, storage, long duration storage, and why it matters A look at hydro, lithium ion, and other companies and approaches gunning for long duration storage market Malta’s approach, long vision, progress to date, and what’s coming next How it works, which aspects are proven and which are the riskiest assumptions Business models for storage Regulatory risks Importance of transmission and distribution Unique opportunities in developing countries The right capital sources for this type of tough tech innovation Role of strategics as investors, partners, acquirers, etc. Role of insurance to decrease tough tech risk to make these projects more viable to finance One change that would bring highest impact for accelerating Malta’s progress Ramya’s advice to others looking to find their lane in the climate fight Links to topics discussed in this episode: Malta, Inc.: https://www.maltainc.com/ Long duration energy storage: https://energy.stanford.edu/storagex-initiative/projects/grand-challenges-energy-storage/long-duration-energy-storage Hydropower: https://www.eia.gov/energyexplained/hydropower/ Breakthrough Energy Ventures: http://www.b-t.energy/ventures/ Cobalt mining: https://www.raconteur.net/business-innovation/cobalt-mining-human-rights Distribution grid: https://energyeducation.ca/encyclopedia/Distribution_grid Electric power transmission: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Electric_power_transmission Electrothermal storage: https://www.greentechmedia.com/articles/read/alphabet-spins-off-malta-a-long-duration-electro-thermal-storage-startup-wi#gs.1wa84f 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. Enjoy the show! Enjoyed this episode? Please leave us a review! Share feedback or suggest future topics and guests at [email protected] with MCJ:Cody Simms on LinkedInVisit mcj.vcSubscribe to the MCJ Newsletter*Editing and post-production work for this episode was provided by The Podcast Consultant

Today’s guest is Mark Reynolds, Executive Director at Citizens’ Climate Lobby. Executive Director Mark Reynolds’ tenure at Citizens’ Climate Lobby has been marked by exceptionally rapid growth, with the organization doubling or tripling in size every year. During his years as a private sector trainer and consultant, Citizens’ Climate Education Executive Director Mark Reynolds worked to maximize personal and organizational effectiveness in a variety of fields. Today, he uses those skills to empower ordinary citizens to educate influential stakeholders about the benefits of national climate solutions. As a globally-recognized expert on helping disparate interests find common ground on energy, public policy, and the environment, Mark has appeared before the Yale Project on Climate Change Communication, AREday, and Power Shift. He oversees a training curriculum that reaches tens of thousands of supporters every year, has been a frequent guest on TV and radio shows, and has written op-eds on climate solutions for 85 print journals, including the Houston Chronicle, the Philadelphia Inquirer, the Des Moines Register, the Austin American-Statesman, and the Salt Lake Tribune. Mark also serves on multiple advisory boards including Climate Advocate Platform and Climate Cost Project. In today’s episode, we cover: CCL founding story and their areas of focus The growth CCL has had under Mark’s leadership, and why Mark feels that is Polarized government and implications for getting things done Details of their carbon fee and dividend proposal Where things stand today and where they need to go Some headwind with their proposal and carbon pricing in general The CCL playbook and plan of attack Discussion on how bills get signed into law and what this bill would need to get signed into law Learnings from Waxman Markey How people can help Parallels Mark draws to cigarette smoking GND and price on carbon If Mark could wave magic want to accelerate their efforts, what would he change and why Links to topics discussed in this episode: Citizens’ Climate Lobby: https://citizensclimatelobby.org/ Marshall Saunders: https://citizensclimatelobby.org/about-ccl/citizens-climate-lobbys-founder/ Microcredit: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Microcredit Citizens’ Climate International conference: https://citizensclimatelobby.org/2019-conference/ Collective action: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Collective_action David Jolly CCL interview: https://citizensclimatelobby.org/a-former-republican-congressmans-take-on-the-midterms/ Theda Skocpol: https://scholar.harvard.edu/thedaskocpol/home Grover Norquist tax pledge: https://www.businessinsider.com/who-is-grover-norquist-pledge-signers-list-fiscal-cliff-republicans-tax-2012-11 Climate Leadership Council: https://www.clcouncil.org/ Jonathan Haidt TED talk: https://www.ted.com/talks/jonathan_haidt_on_the_moral_mind?language=en EICDA: https://teddeutch.house.gov/news/documentsingle.aspx?DocumentID=399493 Frank Luntz: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Frank_Luntz Frank Luntz’s call for climate action: https://grist.org/article/the-gops-most-famous-messaging-strategist-calls-for-climate-action/ 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. Enjoy the show! Enjoyed this episode? Please leave us a review! Share feedback or suggest future topics and guests at [email protected] with MCJ:Cody Simms on LinkedInVisit mcj.vcSubscribe to the MCJ Newsletter*Editing and post-production work for this episode was provided by The Podcast Consultant

Today’s guest is Ted Nordhaus, Founder & Executive Director at the Breakthrough Institute. Ted Nordhaus is a leading global thinker on energy, environment, climate, human development, and politics. He is the founder and executive director of the Breakthrough Institute and a co-author of An Ecomodernist Manifesto. Over the last decade, he has helped lead a paradigm shift in climate, energy, and environmental policy. He was among the first to emphasize the imperative to "make clean energy cheap" in The Harvard Law and Policy Review, explained why efforts to establish legally binding international limits on greenhouse gas emissions would fail in The Washington Post and Democracy Journal, made the case for nuclear energy as a critical global warming solution in The Wall Street Journal, has written on the limits to energy efficiency and the need to prepare for climate change in The New York Times, and has argued for the importance of intensifying agricultural production in order to spare land for forests and biodiversity in Scientific American and The Guardian. His 2007 book Break Through, co-authored with Michael Shellenberger, was called "prescient" by Time and "the best thing to happen to environmentalism since Rachel Carson's Silent Spring" by Wired. (An excerpt in The New Republic can be read here.) Their 2004 essay, "The Death of Environmentalism," was featured on the front page of the Sunday New York Times, sparked a national debate, and inspired a generation of young environmentalists. Over the years, Nordhaus been profiled in The New York Times, Wired, the San Francisco Chronicle, the National Review, The New Republic, and on NPR. In 2007, he received the Green Book Award and Time magazine's 2008 "Heroes of the Environment" award. Nordhaus is executive editor of the Breakthrough Journal, which The New Republic called "among the most complete efforts to provide a fresh answer" to the question of how to modernize liberal thought, and the National Review called "The most promising effort at self-criticism by our liberal cousins in a long time." In today’s episode, we cover: Ted’s background and history, and what led him to care about climate change Ted’s views on the problems with the environmental movement, which led him to founding BTI BTI mission, vision, work Ted’s views on the nature of climate change, and the misconceptions people have about the best ways to solve. Ted’s views on the best path forwards, and where innovation, policy, and government fit in. Ted’s views on how to think about the 2020 election and the stakes. Different views here than most other guests! Links to topics discussed in this episode: The Breakthrough Institute: https://thebreakthrough.org/ Neoliberalism: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Neoliberalism Green New Deal: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Green_New_Deal The Empty Radicalism of the Climate Apocalypse article: https://issues.org/the-empty-radicalism-of-the-climate-apocalypse/ Shale gas revolution: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shale_gas Advanced nuclear: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Advanced_nuclear Carbon capture and storage: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Carbon_capture_and_storage Nuclear Regulatory Commission: https://www.nrc.gov/ Net Power: https://www.netpower.com/ 45Q tax credit: https://www.betterenergy.org/blog/primer-section-45q-tax-credit-for-carbon-capture-projects/ Nuclear energy leadership act: https://www.energy.senate.gov/public/index.cfm/2019/3/murkowski-booker-and-13-colleagues-reintroduce 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. Enjoy the show! Enjoyed this episode? Please leave us a review! Share feedback or suggest future topics and guests at [email protected] with MCJ:Cody Simms on LinkedInVisit mcj.vcSubscribe to the MCJ Newsletter*Editing and post-production work for this episode was provided by The Podcast Consultant

Today’s guest is Deepika Nagabhushan, Program Director, Decarbonized Fossil Energy at Clean Air Task Force, which develops policy and advocacy strategies aimed at making carbon capture, utilization & storage technologies widely available, globally by mid-century. Deepika has developed analysis and led advocacy efforts related to CCUS, including power sector modeling that studied CCS deployment in the US under various federal policy scenarios, including 45Q tax credit that the Congress passed in 2018, an assessment of the role of zero carbon technology in developing countries, and securing a CCUS protocol under the California LCFS. She works across policy, regulatory and market-based areas related to CCS. Prior to joining CATF, Deepika spent 5 years with Schneider Electric. She led the deployment of global marketing operations across Asia-Pacific countries and managed marketing communication projects for Schneider Electric’s energy management solutions in the United States. She also helped expand the reach of Schneider Electric Access to Energy initiative “BIPBoP” by identifying partner companies and frameworks for collaboration. Deepika graduated in 2015 from The Earth Institute at Columbia University with a Master of Science in Sustainability Management. She holds a bachelor’s degree in business management from Bangalore University in Karnataka, India. She is currently based in San Francisco. In today’s episode, we cover: Overview of the decarbonized fossil energy program at CATF How CCS works, and analogy to sulfur dioxide and acid rain What will and won’t drive people to adopt, and the role of government Some of the cost drivers for CCS and the variables that go into it Initial market of EOR, how it works and why it is getting so much attention What the critics of CCS for EOR say, and Deepika’s responses Concerns about CCS & why they are unfounded, according to Deepika Role of big oil and gas, role of innovation, and the role of policy Importance of R&D Some examples of companies leading in this area Is divesting a good idea? How Deepika would allocate a big pot of money to maximize its impact in the climate fight Deepika’s advice for others looking to find their lane in the climate fight Links to topics discussed in this episode: Clean Air Task Force: https://www.catf.us/ Enhanced Oil Recovery (EOR): https://www.investopedia.com/terms/e/enhanced-oil-recovery.asp CCUS: https://www.aiche.org/ccusnetwork/what-ccus Companies to watch in CCS: https://www.greenbiz.com/article/companies-watch-carbon-capture-and-storage 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. Enjoy the show! Enjoyed this episode? Please leave us a review! Share feedback or suggest future topics and guests at [email protected] with MCJ:Cody Simms on LinkedInVisit mcj.vcSubscribe to the MCJ Newsletter*Editing and post-production work for this episode was provided by The Podcast Consultant