NEW EPISODE: Energy Transition in Africa & its Climate Dilemma with Dr. Rose Mutiso
David & Ed chat with Dr. Rose Mutiso about the tension between energy, climate, and economic development in Africa and the global south.
They touch on many topics to do with sub-Saharan Africa, including energy production and consumption, electricity and power grids, and the vast economic inequity that still exists between the global north and south.
Show Notes:
(00:15) Dr. Mutiso, Energy for Growth Hub
(00:15) Office of International Climate & Clean Energy - US Department of Energy
(00:15) The Mawazo Institute
(02:17) High Energy Planet podcast co-hosted by Dr. Mutiso
(02:58) Kibao, Substack newsletter by Dr. Mutiso
(09:54) The Economist: Nigeria has more people without electricity than any other country
(15:04) D. Kammen, UC Berkeley professor, energy expert
(24:51) O. Okunbor, former Shell Nigeria country chair
(30:00) TED Talk: The energy Africa needs to develop - and fight climate change
(38:56) High Energy Planet Ep.31-Katie & Rose on the Future of Foreign Aid
(43:36) Degrees Forum (Conference on solar geoengineering)
(47:06) African Tech Futures Lab
About Our Guest:
Dr. Rose M. Mutiso is a Kenyan scientist, thought leader, and social entrepreneur. She is the Founder and Executive Director of the African Tech Futures Lab (ATFL), a new institute helping decision-makers across the continent navigate emerging science and technology in energy, climate, AI and digital systems—with clarity, agency, and long-term vision. Previously, she was Research Director at the global think tank Energy for Growth Hub, where she led work on energy transitions and emerging energy technologies in Africa and other energy-poor regions. She currently holds joint appointments as Science Advisor to the Energy for Growth Hub and Senior Fellow of the Conceptual Investigations Unit at Stanford University. Rose is also the co-founder and former CEO of the Nairobi-based nonprofit Mawazo (“Ideas”) Institute, which supports early-career African women scientists through doctoral research funding and professional development. Prior to this, she served as a Senior Fellow on energy and innovation policy in the U.S. Department of Energy and Senate.
She holds a BA and BE in Engineering Sciences from Dartmouth College and a Ph.D. in Materials Science and Engineering from the University of Pennsylvania. Her TED talks on African energy and climate futures have been viewed over 3.6 million times, and she is a regular contributor on these issues across major media platforms. She also writes Kibao, a Substack focused on energy, climate, tech, and Africa.
About Your EvC Co-Hosts:
David Keith is Professor and Founding Faculty Director, Climate Systems Engineering Initiative at the University of Chicago. He is the founder of Carbon Engineering and was formerly a professor at Harvard University and the University of Calgary. He splits his time between Canmore and Chicago.
Sara Hastings-Simon studies energy transitions at the intersection of policy, business, and technology. She’s a policy wonk, a physicist turned management consultant, and a professor at the University of Calgary and Director of the Master of Science in Sustainable Energy Development.
Ed Whittingham is a clean energy policy/finance professional specializing in renewable electricity generation and transmission, carbon capture, carbon removal and low carbon transportation. He is a Public Policy Forum fellow and formerly the executive director of the Pembina Institute, a national clean energy think tank.
Produced by Amit Tandon & Bespoke Podcasts
Energy vs Climate: How climate is changing our energy systems
www.energyvsclimate.com
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