Pipelines and Turbines: Recent Episodes
Jason Switzer, Leor Rotchild and Dan Zilnik
Following the 2023 federal budget release, Jason Switzer and Janet Annesley sat down with Michael Bernstein (Executive Director, Clean Prosperity) to share their reactions and recommendations and reflect on the cleantech investment landscape in Canada vs. the US.
Links Referenced
- Clean Prosperity's Reaction to the 2023 Federal Budget
- Clean Prosperity's 2023 Budget Recommendations
- CleanProsperity.ca
- Robert Downey Jr. joins the dept of energy’s clean energy corp
This week, Jason and Leor chat with guest Andrew Robinson (Principal, Sustainability Strategy and Engagement, Green Spark Group) about the ongoing local and global efforts to advance the environmental sustainability of film & TV production, and the event industry.
Websites referenced:
Wearealbert.com
greensparkgroup.com
This week the P&T crew discuss how the war in eastern Europe has shifted the global energy market, what this means for LNG markets and the Canadian energy industry, cracking the nut that is CCUS, and whether O&G companies were ever really serious about their renewable energy investments.
CBSR's Executive Director, Leor Rotchild, was joined by Dominic Waughray, Executive Vice President, Imperatives, from the World Business Council for Sustainable Development, Geoff Pegg, Head of Sustainability & Environment from TELUS, and Andrea Harris, Vice President, Impact Strategy from Vancity, who shared key sustainability trends, insights, and actionable takeaways for Canadian companies.
This week P&T is excited to introduce new host Janet Annesley, Chief Sustainability Officer at Kiwetinohk Energy and former chief of staff to Canada’s Minister of Natural Resources. In this episode, Jason, Janet and Leor break down Just Transition, discuss the upcoming federal budget and explore the impact that both will have on Alberta's economy.
P & T welcomes guest Janet Annesley to review some of the most important moments of 2022 and share their predictions and things to watch for the new year.
Join our host Leor Rotchild with special guest Apala Mukherjee, President of BASF Canada, as they discuss BASF Canada’s diverse sustainability projects in the fight for Net-Zero.
Leor, Jason and Dan try to untangle Russia's invasion of Ukraine. What is the current situation, how do we understand it, and what might it mean for energy markets? Is this the beginning of the breakdown of the global rules based order?
Bioenergy power generation increased 8% in 2020, exceeding modelled Net Zero growth of 7% through 2030. Nevertheless, deployment has been inconsistent in the past, with average annual generation growth in the last five years being below the necessary level. Learn more from the International Energy Agency's Jeremy Moorhouse.
https://www.iea.org/reports/bioenergy-power-generation https://www.linkedin.com/in/jeremy-moorhouse-41280715/?originalSubdomain=ca
What are the opportunities and challenges for a circular economy in Canada? There is probably nobody better on the planet to answer that seemingly simply question than Dr. Tima Bansal. Dr. Bansal is a Professor of Sustainability and Strategy at the Ivey Business School. She also founded and continues to direct Ivey’s Centre on Building Sustainable Value and the Network for Business Sustainability, a growing network of more than 8,000 researchers and managers from nations around the world committed to advancing sustainable business. She is the Panel Chair for the Council of Canadian Academies' Expert Panel on the Circular Economy. Learn more about "Turning Point" the CCA's final report on circularity in Canada.
Executive Summary: https://cca-reports.ca/wp-content/uploads/2021/11/Turning-Point-CE-1P-ENG-FINAL.pdf Complete Report: https://cca-reports.ca/wp-content/uploads/2021/11/Turning-Point_digital.pdf
Kris Frederickson shares Keyera’s new carbon targets to “by 2025 reduce emissions intensity by 25% from 2019 levels and by 2035, reducing emissions intensity will be 50”. Kris discuses collaboration, innovative thinking, and a willingness to challenge the status quo while supporting the core business.
Link: https://www.keyera.com/assets/Attachments/ESG/Climate-Report-2021.pdf
Have you ever wondered what's in store for the future of fossil fuels as we continue into the energy transition to a more sustainable future? Join our host Leor Rotchild with special guest Tyler Bryant as they discuss the future of natural gas and what's new in renewable energy sources.
In this episode, join our host Leor with special guest Kirk Zembal as they discuss Blindman Brewing's newest reuse technology. Blindman Brewing is the first brewery in Canada to develop carbon capture and reuse technology for its brewing process.
What does the future look like for Canadian oil and gas? And how can decision-makers take action today to position Alberta, Newfoundland and other fossil-resource dependent provincial economies to prosper as the world moves towards deep decarbonization? Join Jason on a deep dive with economist Aaron Cosbey, one of Canada’s thought leaders on trade, environment and competitiveness, and co-author of a new report with IISD which explores this question in detail.
https://www.iisd.org/publications/search-prosperity-oil-alberta-canada
Join our hosts Leor, Dan and Jason as they discuss the latest news in the oil sands and gas sector and the importance of transitioning to a net-zero future.
Join our host Leor Rotchild and special guest Caroline Saunders, British Consulate General as they engage in an exciting discussion about the road to COP26.
As part of the Canada Cleantech Week on the Hill (https://www.canadaclean.tech/canadacleantechalliance), Maike Althaus (https://www.linkedin.com/in/maikealthaus/?originalSubdomain=ca) talks with Stewart Elgie (https://www.linkedin.com/in/stewart-elgie-b538bb137/), one of Canada’s most insightful policy shapers, about how Canada can level up our attractiveness to global investors to support the deployment and growth of our cleantech sector.
Join our hosts Leor, Dan and Jason as they engage in an exciting discussion about the latest in climate action initiatives including Canada’s new federal budget, the $20M carbon Xprize and the conservative climate plan.
Our hosts Leor and Dan are joined by the Head of Sustainable Impact for HP Canada, Frances Edmonds to talk about the circular economy and the importance of procurement as a tool to reach sustainability goals in Canada.
Our hosts Leor and Dan are joined by special guest Elizabeth Shirt, the new Managing Director at GLOBE, who shares her experience planning GLOBE Capital 2021 amidst a global pandemic. She shares what’s in store at GLOBE Capital this year and how it will focus on the financing and investment components needed to push towards a more sustainable, prosperous and socially just future.
What does it take for someone to break with social norms and become an outspoken advocate? Join us in conversation with Dr. Joe Vipond, Emergency Physician, a founder of Masks for Canada and President of the Canadian Association of Physicians for the Environment. His commitment to saving lives has taken him to the frontlines of the coal campaign, made him an early and outspoken proponent of mask wearing in Canada, and along the way forged unlikely friendships including with our Greta Thunberg.
With Leor back in the saddle and in fighting form, the boys do a brisk walk through the biggest stories of 2020, drop some tasty factoids and make some wild predictions for 2021.
Links mentioned during episode:
https://www.ipieca.org/media/2386/stakeholder_dialogue_report-final_4march02.pdf
https://www.abcleantechsummit.ca/
www.cbsr.ca
Dan talks with Mark Plamondon (Alberta's Industrial Heartland Association) about the important role existing industrial clusters could play in the clean energy transition and the plastics circular economy. Learn more about Alberta's Industrial Heartland Hydrogen Task Force here: https://transitionaccelerator.ca/our-work/hydrogen/alberta-industrial-heartland-hydrogen-task-force/
Jason and Dan are joined by Sophie Purdom (C6 Solutions, Climate Tech VC) and Alex Mitchell (LACI) to discuss the upcoming US federal election. What's at stake for the green economy under either a Republican or Democratic win? And what are the opportunities?
Books, Reports and other References: 1. Climate Tech VC https://climatetechvc.substack.com/ 2. Energizing America: A Roadmap to Launch a National Energy Innovation Mission. https://spark.adobe.com/page/Azf8uWSlPJOo9/ 3. Dancer from the Dance https://www.amazon.ca/Dancer-Dance-Novel-Andrew-Holleran/dp/0688033571/ref=tmm_hrd_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&qid=&sr= 4. ChargerHelp! https://www.chargerhelp.com/ 5. LACI Zero Emissions 2028 Roadmap https://laincubator.org/wp-content/uploads/LA_Roadmap2.0_Final2.2.pdf
Dan and Jason cover the latest on the federal ban of single-use plastics and Alberta's new natural gas(es) strategy.
Our hosts are joined by special guest Tom Rand, Co Founder and Managing Partner at ArcTern Ventures. Tom shares his experience in clean tech venture capital and discusses his new book, The Case for Climate Capitalism: Economic Solutions for a Planet in Crisis. Check out the book on Amazon (https://www.amazon.ca/Case-Climate-Capitalism-Economic-Solutions/dp/1770415238) or at Indigo (https://www.chapters.indigo.ca/en-ca/books/the-case-for-climate-capitalism/9781770415232-item.html).
Jason, Dan, and Leor talk about carbon pricing, net neutral targets, energy innovation, oilsands write-offs, and federal politics.
This week, Dan talks with Ian Sanchez (BowMont Capital) and David Berrade (Higher Ground Consulting) about early investment in renewable energy and how these kinds of projects get approved and funded.
Jason and Leor discuss Greenpeace's damning new article entitled "Oil in the Cloud", plus Joe Biden’s $2 trillion green new deal.
We met with Phil De Luna, Director, National Research Council of Canada to get the scoop on the NRC’s $57 million program to create a cleaner, more sustainable energy and chemical industry through materials innovation.
We spoke to Capital Power’s Sr. VP, Chief Legal & Sustainability Officer, Kate Chisholm, about the company’s recent low-carbon power announcements. We asked what does net zero mean when it comes to power and what does a path to these targets look like? Is there still a role for fossil fuels in the future?
Dan and Leor catch up as plans take shape across all levels of government for a post-Covid economic recovery. What will Canada's recovery look like and what are some possible solutions for a green recovery?
With the foreign market for recyclable waste now significantly reduced, what does Canada have in store to deal with disposable plastics? Can we create a local circular plastics economy? Leor meets virtually with Magali Depras (TC Transcontinental), Cynthia Shanks (Keurig Dr. Pepper Canada), and Johanna Vanhove (Dyne-a-Pak) to talk about the cooperative circular plastics task force launching in Quebec, with a vision for the whole country.
In 2010, Canadian Petroleum Hall of Fame CEO Suzanne West (R.I.P) set out a bold path for her oil and gas company that was AI and blockchain enabled, zero emissions and sustainability-certified. At the time, it seemed crazy. Today, it’s mainstream. We convene an unprecedented collection of Imaginea alumni to discuss Suzanne’s bets and how they can inform strategy today. View the Imaginea roadmap discussed in the episode here: https://www.cbsr.ca/what-suzanne-got-right-on-pipelines-turbines
This week Jason, Leor and Dan talk about the winners and losers of the #COVID19 pandemic. Someone won? Who won? Also the guys discuss how the #oil price dropped below zero and what it means, and why are we shipping oil by tanker from the east coast of Canada to the west coast?
Our hosts are joined by Philippe Lanthier (Énergir), Marie Jurcevic (Seven Generations Energy), Soledad Mills (Equitable Origin) and Benjamin Israel (Pembina Institute) to discuss the EO100™ standard for certified responsible energy. What's involved in this certification and who can benefit? Or is it just green-washing?
Leor, Dan, and Jason practice physical distancing and meet virtually to dissect the environmental, economic, and social impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic.
The trio is back to review the top energy and sustainability news, including Coastal GasLink Blockades, Teck's Frontier Project Pull Out #prematuretermination, and Bezos's $10B (with a B) Giveaway. Speaking of giveaways, listen for the new Pipelines & Turbines Comment Competition and your chance to win some rare, old school swag.
Leor and Jason come to us live from GLOBE 2020 in Vancouver. Joined by Barbara Zvan, they discuss the conference, the role of finance in the low carbon transition, and Minister McKenna's sustainable finance panel.
Dan, Jason, and Leor talk about the current political climate and the effect it has (or doesn't have) on the energy market. Should corporations and brands take public stands on social and political issues? And why are so many oil companies suddenly setting emissions targets?
Leor, Jason and Dan bring in the new year by making predictions for 2020 on global and domestic climate change policy, carbon neutrality, the energy sector, and sustainable finance.
Floating wind turbines, Heliogen's super solar milestone, shale gas, Bill Gates, The Paris Agreement, carbon innovation, the US-China trade war. Dan, Jason and Leor review the top energy and environment stories from 2019 to decide which ones were overrated and which ones were underrated.
Leor and Jason talk with Dr. Sara Hastings-Simon, Research Fellow at the University of Calgary, about her recent paper on the history of industrial policy in Alberta. What was AOSTRA and what learnings can we apply to today's energy innovation policy?
Download Sara's paper referenced in the episode, "Industrial Policy in Alberta: Lessons from AOSTRA and the Oil Sands": https://www.policyschool.ca/publications/industrial-policy-in-alberta-lessons-from-aostra-and-the-oil-sands/
Leor and Jason sit down with John Elkington, Co-Founder and Chief Pollinator at Volans. What is carbon productivity and how does it fit into the world economy and governing policies of the future?
Dan and Leor are joined by guest Jonathan Moser, Head of Environment & Public Affairs Canada at LafargeHolcim. The concrete industry is one of the highest emitters of carbon, and LafargeHolcim isn't shying away from doing their part to improve their carbon footprint. Learn about promising new technologies that not only reduce carbon emissions during concrete production, but potentially create a use for them.
Leor sits down with Tim Faveri, VP of Sustainability & Shared Value at Maple Leaf Foods, for an in-depth discussion on their recent announcement: Maple Leaf Foods is carbon neutral now. What prompted this trailblazing decision and how did ideas turn into action on reducing carbon emissions?
Leor and Jason are joined by guest Zain Velji (Northweather, The Strategists) for a look back at the federal election. What are the implications of a Liberal minority government when it comes to a national price on carbon and completing the Trans Mountain Expansion? Why is separatism gaining speed in the prairies and does it matter to the rest of Canada?
When asked to list the three most important issues facing the world today, 1,599 Canadians polled respondents noted that their top choices were “climate change,” “rising cost of food and energy” and “the environment or pollution.” Climate is on everyone's mind, including Justin Trudeau, Andrew Scheer, Elizabeth May and Jagmeet Singh. So Jay, Dan and Leor tackle the question of where does each political party stand on climate change.
Remember to get out and vote in October!
Leor talks with Gary Holden, CEO of Pulse Energy, about his career in regulated energy and distribution in both Canada and New Zealand. What is the best way to transition our power grid to increase solar and renewable energy?
Download the recently published white paper referenced in the episode, "The Optimal Distribution Pricing Regime to Lower Future Network Costs and Reduced Carbon Intensity Without Subsidization", by G. R. Holden: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1CMt5uMbqWtFnBN1C4pFhgLugKBlhvU2r/view?usp=sharing
Recently, the CEOs of three of Canada's biggest oilsands companies posted an open letter encouraging all Canadians to consider energy policy when voting in this year's federal election. They note that the energy industry "can contribute to solving the global climate change challenge and play a significant role in creating future energy solutions by developing our resources in the cleanest most responsible way possible today." Leor, Dan and Jason discuss the purpose of this letter and how the political climate surrounding the energy industry in Canada could play a part in the upcoming election.
Jason sits down with Dr. Sweta Chakraborty, cognitive behavioural scientist and Founder & Principal of Adapt to Thrive. Sweta shares insights on the human pysche as it relates to action (or lack thereof) on climate change. Why are views on climate change linked to political affiliation and why aren't science and facts enough to settle the debate?
Ed Whittingham, former Executive Director of the Pembina Institute and former board member of the #AER, joins Leor, Jason, and Dan for this episode. Ed shares his experience of being targeted by now Premier Jason Kenney - how he coped, what he learned, and what he's looking forward to in the future. The group also discusses what will happen with GHG emissions as #Alberta's new UCP government moves toward a new approach on climate regulations.
Dan and Jason talk about the biggest moments in energy and environment during 2018 and share their hopes and fears for 2019. How will the upcoming federal election impact carbon and climate policy? Will #CCUS finally take off? What does the upcoming Clean Fuel Standard mean for investment in Canada's oil industry? Most important - how did Jason come to own a #CanOfChicken?
Leor and Jason are joined by special guest Matthew Klippenstein of Plug In BC. The Canadian electric vehicle market is growing, but are EVs really viable for rural settings and our road trip culture? What is the future of zero emission vehicles and is there a market opportunity for Canada?
Leor, Dan, and Jason take a deeper dive into the oil price #differential and how it's affecting the Canadian oil industry. What's driving the differential and which strategies are actually viable for getting back on track? Spoiler: Cutting the carbon tax isn't one of them.
Leor, Dan, Jason, and special guest Julia Pyper (Greentech Media) record from the Alberta Climate Summit in Calgary, AB. As a Canadian who now lives and works in California, Julia shares observations on the evolving energy and climate policies of the US compared to those of Canada. What's the one way she hopes Canada doesn't follow in America's footsteps? #Polarization
Leor and Dan talk with special guest Jackie Forrest, Senior Director with ARC Energy Research Institute. What is the outlook for investment in Canada's energy sector amidst the latest TMX ruling, NAFTA hurdles, and Pan-Canadian Climate Framework division? Also - Jackie crushes the lightning round!
Its been a while!
Jason, Leor and Dan are fresh off the Calgary Stampede and share some thoughts (and some of the economics) of the Trans Mountain Pipeline. Was TMX a good purchase? We also break down Ontario's scrapping of the cap and trade regulation in Ontario, and Canadian Federal cabinet shuffle.
Also there is such a thing as a "one armed economist", spoiler: he lost his arm in a hay bailer.
Jason, Leor and Dan get very drunk while recording the podcast, on behalf of our listeners. We discuss carbon utilization and the NRG COSIA Carbon #XPRIZE, what to do about plastic waste, the circular economy and energy disruption versus transition #EDU2018.
HopeIsNotAStrategy
aprojectpasthope - Unpacking major energy and pipeline project decision making in Canada with Lesley Matthews, Principal at Polaris Solutions Inc. and author of the CD Howe report "How to Restore Public Trust and Credibility at the National Energy Board".
https://cdhowe.org/public-policy-research/how-restore-public-trust-and-credibility-national-energy-board
Jason, Dan and Leor discuss Kinder Morgan's decision to freeze spending on the Trans Mountain Expansion, a C$7.4bn plan to triple the capacity of an existing pipeline carrying fuel from Alberta to a port near Vancouver. We also discuss Shell's Sky Scenario which illustrates a technically possible, but challenging, pathway for society to achieve the goals of the Paris Agreement. Lastly, we touch on fuel efficiency standards which look likely to be rolled back in the USA.
SinkingBallsOfBitumen
http://www.rff.org/files/document/file/RFF-Rpt-Bordoff-Linn-Losz.pdf https://www.theicct.org/sites/default/files/Figure2_8.png https://www.shell.com/energy-and-innovation/the-energy-future/scenarios/shell-scenario-sky.html http://www.scienceadvice.ca/uploads/ENG/AssessmentsPublicationsNewsReleases/OilSands/OilSandsFullReportEn.pdf
This week we interview Sandra Odendahl for a wide ranging conversation on banking, energy and environment. Sandra shares why industrial emissions matter so much to Canada and the world, and what we can (and should) be doing to tackle this challenge.
Live from Globe 2018 (w Elizabeth Sheehan, Meg O'Shea and Michelle Gartland)
We join you live from the #GlobeForum, North America’s premier sustainability gathering. We interview some of the finest minds in the field of sustainability, Elizabeth Sheehan, Meg O'Shea and Michelle Gartland and take questions from the audience.
THANK YOU: Trade Commissioner Services for the use of the theatre space at Globe, and for organizing the recording of this episode.
ConfederationConstipation
We go “deep down the nerd hole” and share our thoughts on how the BC/AB diluted bitumen spat might be a block to Canada’s confederation and the entire pan-Canadian climate framework. Jason and Dan also discuss the proposed reforms to the National Energy Board and the Alberta “blue ribbon report” on Energy Diversification.
Jason, Leor and Dan look back on 2017 and tell the untold sustainability you might have missed last year (hint: what do you know about sustainability investing and the circular economy?). We also make a few predictions for the year ahead and talk about the BLOCK CHAIN!
Jason, Leor and Dan take a deeper dive on the 2018 Pan-Canadian carbon price and the Federal and Provincial policies that are being built around the new levy on carbon. Will the carbon price lower emissions in Canada, and if so how and when? What about the politics of this; is the price politically durable if Canada swings Conservative again? We talk about this and more on December’s episode of Pipelines and Turbines.
Dan and special guest Christina Copeland from CDP, formerly the Carbon Disclosure Project, discuss sustainability reporting. We focus on one of the newer areas for sustainability disclosure – water. Do corporations use this data to improve their performance, manage risk, or is sustainability reporting something else altogether? Things get interesting as we explore the critiques and criticisms of sustainability reporting. If you have ever had to disclose your organization’s data, this episode is for you. #CDP #sustainablewater
RIPEnergyEast. Leor, Jason and Dan break down the now shelved Energy East pipeline. Was this a political decision or a reflection of the uneconomic reality? There is strong case for conservative action on climate change / clean energy and the guys share what they have learned about the conservative case for climate action.
This is ABSOLUTELY the time to talk about climate! Leor, Jason and Dan discuss the hurricanes and tropical and what this means for climate policy and climate change adaptation. We also explore the issues surrounding methane emission reduction from the oil and gas sector; do we even know our starting point?
This month we discuss what impacts the violence in Charlottesville means for climate and energy in North America - there is a connection. We also take a deeper dive on NAFTA and what it might mean for the Canada, US, Mexico energy relationship. Leor, Dan and Jason also impress us all by doing the slowest lightning round ever recorded. The hidden side of North America’s energy.
Jason Switzer and Dan Zilnik discuss the future of Canada's oil industry, and battle it out over climate targets versus renewables targets and discuss what First Nations reconciliation may mean for in the context of North America's energy industry and for our environment.
Its been 6 months since our last podcast, did we miss anything? The energy and environment debate has gotten even hotter and more divisive since Trump took office. Leor, Jason and Dan explore this, reforming the NEB and trade deals.
In our first episode of 2017, we explore the future issues of 2017, and ask if oil is back.
Jason, Leor and Dan discuss the energy and environment issues that shaped 2016 in Canada.
Pipelines and Turbines - Pre-P&T - Episode 1 - #Globe2016 by Jason Switzer, Leor Rotchild and Dan Zilnik