What is Energy vs Climate?
Energy vs Climate is a live, interactive webinar and podcast where energy experts David Keith, Sara Hastings-Simon and Ed Whittingham break down the trade-offs and hard truths of the energy transition in Alberta, Canada, and beyond.
Alberta is an oil and gas-rich province in a natural resource-dependent country with high environmental ambitions. It’s a “canary in the coal mine” for the collision between climate and jobs. But we hope it can serve as a model for successfully managing that disruption.
Climate politics is too-often dominated by elite happy talk around IPCC targets. Yet, year after year, emissions have crept ever upwards. Now Greta is calling out the hypocrisy of boomers, rightly demanding that action replace talk.
Energy vs. Climate is your no-nonsense discussion source for the nuanced reality we face. We’ll cover news and speak with guests from industry, government and civil society. You won’t always agree with us, but if you care about our energy future, this series is for you.
Guests include scientists, policy experts, and industry leaders discussing the forces reshaping our energy future—from breakthrough renewable technologies to the real-world impact of climate change.
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Who Are We?
David Keith David Keith has worked near the interface of climate science, energy technology, and public policy since 1990. Keith is Professor of Geophysical Sciences and founding faculty director of the Climate Systems Engineering initiative at the University of Chicago. Best known for his work on the science, technology, and public policy of solar geoengineering, Keith led the development of Harvard’s Solar Geoengineering Research Program before moving to Chicago in 2023. Keith founded Carbon Engineering, a Canadian company developing technology to capture CO2 from ambient air. He teaches science and technology policy, climate science, and solar geoengineering. Keith has written for the public through numerous opinion pieces and wrote the book A Case for Climate Engineering.
Sara Hastings-Simon is an Energy Systems scientist studying energy transitions at the intersection of policy, business, and technology. She’s a policy wonk with a love of data. With a PhD in physics from the University of Geneva she has worked at both McKinsey & Company as a management consultant, and the Pembina Institute where she founded Business Renewable Centre Canada. Dr. Hasting-Simon is now a professor at the University of Calgary where she co-leads the Electricity Centre. She has a particular interest in the dynamics of the mid-transition, a concept she co-developed.
Ed Whittingham is a Canadian climate and energy leader with more than 25 years of experience across public policy, clean technology, corporate strategy, and the non-profit sector. He is the former Executive Director of the Pembina Institute and has worked with governments, companies, universities, and civil society organizations in Canada and internationally on complex climate and energy issues. Ed is also a widely published commentator and speaker, and co-hosts Energy vs Climate, a leading Canadian podcast on the energy transition. Today, his work focuses on helping build and scale climate stabilizing solutions. He serves as Founding Director of the Advance Carbon Removal Coalition.
“This webinar/podcast series is consistently excellent: interesting, insightful and serious without being dull. I love how the discussion is always brought back to Canada in general and Alberta in particular - a great proxy for challenges and opportunities of the Energy Transition.”
-Erik Mielke, SVP, Global Head of Corporate Research, Wood Mackenzie
“I am so grateful for this new podcast series Energy vs Climate. Smart debate around the science, policy and business of various climate solutions and transition pathways that can help to shed light on the complexity of the choice we have before us. Plus, it offers Canadian context.”
-Emma Rogers, Senior Manager, Sustainable Business and Operations, RBC
“I have been a regular follower of the Energy vs. Climate series and think it’s wonderfully thought-provoking”
-Charles DeLand, Associate Director, Research, C.D. Howe Institute
“I never miss an episode."
-Safeeya Faruqui, Operations and Engagement Specialist, Canadian Institute for Climate Choices
"I like the format you’ve chosen with the pro, neutral and anti positions. It’s effective and thoughtful and probably makes each of you more considerate all round."
-John Gorman, CEO, Canadian Nuclear Association
“There's nothing else like you in Canada. You're the Canadian version of The Energy Gang that I've been looking for.”
-Jonathan Frank, Head of Clean Energy, VanCity Community Investment Bank
Energy vs Climate is produced with support from the North Family Foundation, the Consecon Foundation and our generous listeners.