Wicked Problems - Climate Tech Conversations

For full shownotes and ad-free listenting, sign up: wickedproblems.earth In this episode of Wicked Problems, Kristian Ruby, Secretary General of Eurelectric, shares insights from his recent visit to a Ukrainian power plant operating under war conditions. Ruby discusses the resilience and ingenuity of Ukrainian engineers maintaining energy infrastructure despite frequent bombings, the importance of...

Get ad-free listening at wickedproblems.earth! In this special edition of 'Wicked Problems,' host Richard Delevan moderates a session at the Climate and Energy Summit 2025 held by Chatham House. The session brings together prominent climate tech startups focusing on adaptation and resilience, AI, carbon capture, and geothermal energy, and more: Julia Kumari Drapkin,  CEO & founder, ISEECH...

As other companies working on the energy transition in the US fold, the Finnish energy tech giant Wärtsilä - with big footprint in energy storage and energy management systems - is doubling down. What do they know that others don't? We asked Malin Östman , the company's head of strategy. We had our conversation in person at the legendary Chatham House, during their Climate and Energy Summit 2025....

Outro Track of the Day For reasons that should become clear… https://open.spotify.com/track/5PGYWv9Xp4IraLSDs8h1bY?si=1b23870ffdad4629 Ben Cooke , Earth Editor at The Times and returning champion guest on Wicked Problems, walks us through why his news outlet just devoted a whole series to climate adaptation. Over the past 18 months, a big thesis of this project is that a certain amount of climate...

It’s late. Stupid late. Despite remaining in recovery from 3 broken ribs and a part-collapsed lung that have sidelined me for 10 days, here’s a bit of catching up with some hope - some chaps in America who did what they could in this moment: sensing that climate data and analytics (along with other funded science) was about to go under the wheels of the Tump Train, we caught up with some guys orga...

In this episode of Wicked Problems , host Richard Delevan delves into the latest developments in the UK's carbon budget and examines the prospects for clean industrial transitions in Europe. With highlights from the UK's Climate Change Committee's seventh carbon budget and insights from Emma Pinchbeck on future household energy savings, the discussion emphasizes the urgent need to reduce electrici...

For full show notes and ad-free listening come to wickedproblems.earth. In this episode, host Richard Delevan discusses the failures and frustrations of traditional climate activism with sustainability strategist Joseph Gelfer. They explore Gelfer's call for ' climate populism '—a revolutionary, rather than reformist, approach to climate change that involves mobilizing public dissatisfaction with...

This edition is supported by our friends at the Climate Majority Project . If you’re in the UK, and have decided it’s time to do something more than doomscrolling and more useful than throwing paint…on 15-16 March at Limehouse in London. Get more info and tickets here . Fires in Los Angeles at last count had $35 billion plus of insured losses and probably $300 billion plus of economic losses. Who...

Last week, to a lot of online reaction, not all of it good, we spoke to Kelly Wanser from Silver Lining , a non profit that advocates for research in this area. Not everyone was happy we talked about the subject. Understandably people are concerned, with good reason. Humanity doesn't have a great track record of avoiding being reckless or selfish and making decisions here in the so called global n...

Get all our episodes and show notes ad-free at wickedproblems.earth. Professor  Dana R. Fisher  of American University is one of the most astute analysts of two things going through a huge stress test right now in the US - climate science, and democracy. Wicked Problems is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscribe...

Get full show notes and our newsletter at wickedproblems.earth - and you can also get these episodes ad-free. Wicked Problems: Energy Transition and Decarbonization Insights In this episode of Wicked Problems, host Richard Delevan delves into key issues and recent developments in the energy transition and decarbonization efforts. . Special guest Freya Pratty from SIFTED.eu ( get her climate tech n...

Late last year we started interviewing folk in the business of solar radiation management (SRM) - aka one flavour of “geoengineering”. It’s a taboo subject. It’s sci-fi gold. It’s also something we’re going to be talking about. Particularly after famed climate scientist James Hansen and a platoon of other climate scientists published a new paper declaring not just the Paris Agreement goal of limit...

Come to wickedproblems.earth for full show notes. Sophie Hall of ETH Zürich joins Richard Delevan to discuss her research into using game theory to embed more fairness into the algorithms that increasingly control the services we rely upon for our everyday lives. 00:00 Introduction to Wicked Problems 00:04 The Role of AI in Critical Infrastructure 01:01 AI's Impact on Society and Ethics 03:19 Trus...

Get more at wickedproblems.earth So much is happening that it’s hard to drink from the firehose of US executive orders on energy and crazy chaos orangutang screeches on presidential letterhead, UK debates about growth versus climate, and parsing the statements of tech broligarchs to the only people left who can hold them accountable – their investors during earnings calls this week. And that’s bef...

Imagine living in Los Angeles. Imagine that you actually wrote something nearly 10 years ago that pretty much nailed the fire we’re seeing this month. Imagine you put 10 years of your life into writing a novel that cut no corners and tried to make real the stakes and the conflicts those disasters would bring up – as a warning to act sooner. Now imagine the worst person in the world taking credit f...

In this episode of Wicked Problems, host Richard Delevan interviews Laurent Segalen, co-host of Redefining Energy, about his North Atlantic Transmission One - Link project. The discussion covers the project's ambitious goal of connecting the energy grids of North America and Europe via a 6 GW undersea cable to increase energy security and resilience, especially in a world increasingly dependent on...

For full show notes, ad-free listening, and our newsletter, check out wickedproblems.earth . In this episode of Wicked Problems, Richard Delevan talks with Laurie Laybourn of the Strategic Climate Risks Initiative and James Dyke from the University of Exeter. They tackle the stark reality that the preemptive climate strategies have largely failed and emphasize the need to leverage state capacities...

The last few days we’ve been tracking some of the nominees for Donald Trump’s Insane Clown Posse Cabinet. Starting with Chris Wright at Energy (better than expected!) and then Lee Zeldin at EPA (and NGL was fun to watch him get stuffed into a locker by Bernie Sanders, Ed Markey, and Sheldon Whitehouse). But after 9 hours of hearings watched for you, here’s the final Trump energy boss - Interior Se...

Get full coverage and ad-free content at wickedproblems.earth In this episode of Wicked Problems, host Richard Delevan delves into the intense political landscape following Donald Trump's return to the White House and the subsequent Senate confirmation hearings for key nominees responsible for climate and energy policy. This detailed episode features in-depth discussions on climate and energy, exa...

Get our full coverage at WickedProblems.earth . In this episode of  Wicked Problems - Climate Tech Conversations , host Richard Delevan takes a closer look at the political theater surrounding the Senate confirmation hearings of Chris Wright, the Trump administration’s 2025 nominee for U.S. Energy Secretary. Wright, a vocal advocate for fossil fuels and CEO of Liberty Energy, has sparked cont...

German political scientist, author and climate activist  Tadzio Müller  is pretty dark. But even he’s having trouble coping with the news. So he’s reading dystopian climate fiction, because it’s less depressing. Most recently, friend-of-the-show Stephen Markley’s  The Deluge. Given the week that’s in it we of course had to talk about the wildfires but also the rise of Alice Weidel a...

In this episode, host Richard Delevan dives into the transformative legal battles shaping the future of climate accountability. From Vermont’s trailblazing Climate Superfund law to New York’s bold move to hold oil and gas companies financially liable for adaptation costs, we explore the "pincer movement" of legislation and litigation forcing polluters to pay. Joining the conversation is Dana Drugm...

In this episode of Wicked Problems, host Richard Delavan talks with energy expert Alexina Jackson about the digital transformation of the energy grid. They discuss the impact of grid-enhancing technologies, the significance of dynamic line ratings, and the role of storage and AI in optimizing the energy system. Alekshina shares her journey into the energy sector, emphasizing the importance of sust...

Welcome to a special milestone episode of  Wicked Problems - Climate Tech Conversations ! In this 100th episode, hosts Richard Delevan and Peter Schwartzstein reflect on a tumultuous yet transformative 2024, joined by a host of friends and contributors from the climate tech and advocacy world. Together, they share personal highlights, challenges, and their hopes for 2025. Here's what to expec...

Welcome to another episode of 'Wicked Problems: Climate Tech Conversations.' In this episode, host Richard Delevan is joined by Yehuda Borenstein , a serial climate tech venture builder and Chairman & Co-founder of the Direct Air Capture (DAC) startup RepAir . Yehuda discusses his journey and the innovations his team is working on to solve one of the most pressing issues of our time: climate c...