Episodes
Ep21: Claude Turmes ‘Clean Energy Coalition-builder'
What happens behind the scenes of the EU Parliament? One of the leading figures in European politics, Claude Turmes, the Minister for Energy and Minister for Spatial Planning in Luxembourg, joins Michael Liebreich for episode 21. As a member of the European Green Party and a former Member of the Eu…
Ep20: Richenda Van Leeuwen 'A Life of Energy Access and Inclusion'
As a 10 year old girl, Richenda Van Leeuwen saw a solar panel at the Centre of Alternative Technology on a rainy day in Wales. This would serve as her first point of inspiration for the career ahead of her. Now, she is the Executive Director of Aspen Network of Development Entrepreneurs. In the 20t…
Ep19: Mike Bennetts 'Leadership from the Heart of the Problem'
From CEO of Z Energy to founding the Climate Leaders Coalition, Mike Bennetts has had an immense impact on New Zealand’s position in reducing emissions in the country. Mike and Michael sit down from other sides of the world for the 19th episode of Cleaning Up. Mike Bennetts is presently the foundi…
Ep18: Nancy Pfund 'Women backing Winners'
How can venture capital be used to promote social change and environmental improvement? As a leading venture capitalist of her time and one of the early investors in Tesla, find out the drive behind Nancy Pfund’s incredible career, this week, on Cleaning Up. Nancy E. Pfund is Founder and Managin…
Ep17: Prof. Ernest J. Moniz 'Innovation and Power'
What would Professor Ernest Moniz, 13th United States Secretary of Energy, say to the 16th Secretary who will be appointed in the coming months? Would he, as the architect of the JCPOA (known better as the Iran nuclear deal) agree with Donald Trump that it was “the worst deal ever negotiated? (Sp…
Ep16: Dr Kandeh K. Yumkella 'Sustainable Energy for All'
How did Kandeh Kolleh Yumkella impact the Sustainable Development Goals? How has he influenced energy's position in development? Dr Kandeh Kolleh Yumkella – known as KKY in his native Sierra Leone - is a senior academic and politician. He joins Michael Liebreich this week to talk about his journey…
Ep15: Auke Hoekstra 'The Debunker-in-Chief'
How can we use data modelling to predict the future of zero-emission energy? This week, Auke Hoekstra discusses the SparkCity model, dealing with, adoption of electric vehicles, charging infrastructure, and the effects the switch to EVs is going to have on the grid. Auke joins Michael for this wee…
Ep14: Jonathan Maxwell 'Cheaper, Cleaner, More Reliable'
How much energy are data centres using worldwide? Why have lamps been a massive infrastructure revolution? From food waste in olive production in Spain to air pollution, Michael welcomes Jonathan Maxwell into his home for Cleaning Up’s 14th episode! Jonathan Maxwell is the CEO of Sustainable Devel…
Ep13: Morgan Bazilian 'Poet of the Low-Carbon Transition'
How to estimate amount of oil produced in Syria by Daesh using satellite photos of night time lights? How, using the same technique, can we measure reliability of access to energy? How to provide reliable and affordable energy for all? And when will we be digging cobalt on Mars? Our Episode 13 gue…
Ep12: Ramez Naam 'Seeing the Future'
How did Ramez Naam spot the exponential cost trends in renewables? How should we tailor our messaging to convince different audiences we need to act on climate change? Why are forecasters so often wrong? Ramez Naam, our Ep12 guest talks about all of the above and much more! Not many people manage …
Ep11: Jon Dee 'From Celebrity to Action'
How to get members of bands such as Queen, Pink Floyd, Rush, Black Sabbath, Deep Purple together to help a country devastated by an earthquake? How helpful can celebrities be in the clean energy transition? Do we fully recognize the role business plays in solving environmental problems? Jon Dee, le…
Ep10: Angela Francis 'A Green Deal without the Yellow Vests'
What does Brexit mean for the climate transition? What will COPs 30 to 50 be about (and why is it trade?) What should environmentalists do instead of giving somebody who's got a pile of problems another one to deal with? Do we need a revolution to save the planet or will reform do? Angela Francis …
Ep9: Jigar Shah 'Creating Climate Wealth'
How does one come up with a brand new clean energy business model? Why if energy transition is the 'biggest wealth creation opportunity of our lifetimes' many have been slow to get on board? What went wrong in California with rolling blackouts and why Jigar Shah believes it has to do with the sunny…
Ep8: Roger Dennis 'The Price of Resilience'
What does a futurist do? Does it include dealing with jetpacks? Or is it more about helping organisations to become more resilient? Cool as jetpacks might be, our Episode 8 guest, Roger Dennis covers no less interesting topics: how he helped to prepare New Zealand’s businesses and health care syste…
Ep7: Bertrand Piccard 'A Good and Exciting Life'
According to Wikipedia, Bertrand Piccard is a Swiss psychiatrist and balloonist. This is something of an understatement. Bertrand did indeed qualify as a psychiatrist from the University of Lausanne. But he is best-known as an explorer, aviator and communicator. Bertrand comes from a family of ex…
To Paris and Beyond - Ep6: Christiana Figueres
What does it take to turn a demoralised organisation around? How to convince 195 states to sign up to the Paris agreement? What does Christiana Figueres have to say about RCP8.5 and those still believing there will be no energy transition? Find out in Episode 6 of Cleaning Up. Christiana Figuer…
Ep5: Kirsty Gogan 'Fighting for Nuclear'
What role (if any) should nuclear play in a low carbon future? Should we build more large-scale light-water reactors despite high costs? Is nuclear safe? Kirsty Gogan, a leading voice on nuclear power answers all of the above. In addition to being an authority on nuclear, Kirsty is an award-winn…
Ep4: Barbara Buchner 'Counting the Climate Cash'
How much is being invested in climate action around the world? Where and in which sectors are the investments concentrated? How much is needed to get us on track for net zero? If it wasn’t for our Episode 4 guest, Barbara Buchner, it would be impossible to answer these questions. Barbara Buchner …
Ep3: Antony Slumbers 'Real Estate in the Crosshairs'
Why human skills matter in an intensely more technological world? Are we going to return to our offices when the pandemic is over, or is remote work the new normal? Will office space become a service? In Episode 3 of Cleaning Up Antony Slumbers, software technology strategist, commercial real estat…
Ep2: Rachel Kyte "Investing in climate leadership "
What is stopping us from providing affordable and reliable energy for all? What is the role of graduate education in addressing the racial inequalities still so manifest in the US? What does leadershi... Rachel Kyte CMG is the 14th Dean of The Fletcher School at Tufts University, and the first wom…
Ep1: Prof. Cameron Hepburn "Building back better"
What makes a green stimulus? What might a better metric for economic performance than GDP look like? Who is the faster cyclist, Michael Liebreich or Cameron Hepburn, Dean of the Smith School at Oxford? Don’t miss the very first episode of Cleaning Up!