Energy vs Climate: How climate is changing our energy systems

There are many takes on the big Carney-Smith energy agreement – we thought you could use one more.

The new Canada–Alberta MOU unveiled last Thursday is already generating more chatter than a pipeline hearing, and has set off a fresh round of debate about economy, emissions, and where the country is headed on energy. The hot takes have been flying. Naturally, we couldn’t resist adding our own, so we grabbed the mics the nex...

For us, delivering content about energy and climate is a labour of love – we put our time towards Energy vs Climate because we feel strongly about the public service benefit of the project. 

But there are costs for our producer, website, Ed’s manicures, and more. (OK one of those isn’t true.) That's why this show relies on the support of generous donors, like our listeners.

Please consider making a one-time or monthly donat...

David, Sara, and Ed chat with Dr. Jai Asundi, Executive Director of the Center for Study of Science, Technology and Policy (CSTEP), an independent Indian think tank. 

Dr. Asundi has been leading CSTEP since 2009, connecting data, modeling, and policy to tackle India's energy and climate challenges. They dive into India's electricity grid, the EV revolution, oil and gas dependency, and where energy meets geopolitics.

David, Sara, and Ed join Real Talk with Ryan Jespersen for a live on-air conversation.

Their decidedly non-spooky Halloween round-table discussion covered a lot of climate and energy ground, including the G7, critical minerals, carbon capture and storage, and oat milk cream liquor. (Well admittedly that last one is not a climate and energy topic, but if you listen you'll get the reference.)

It's live (or was live)...

Sara & Ed chat with Martin Olszynski about Alberta's mounting energy liability crisis.

They discuss the billions in future costs for decommissioning, remediation, and reclamation of oil and gas projects as well as the challenge in accurately quantifying government and public exposure to financial and environmental risk amid profound energy sector disruption. 

The question isn't whether these liabilities will m...

A fun, fast-paced, skeptics tour through some of the most talked-about emerging energy technologies.

From enhanced geothermal systems to thermal batteries, balcony solar, flying cars, and yes, even space-based solar power – David, Sara, and Ed dig into what’s real, what’s hype, and what might actually move the needle on decarbonization.

(00:00) - Cold open
(02:08) - Small modular nuclear reactors
(09:14)...

Sara's back for the launch of Season 7 of Energy vs Climate!

For our first episode, David, Sara, and Ed discuss whether solar will be the big energy winner. Has solar energy already won? What’s driving its rapid ascent? And what does it mean for energy production and policy here in Canada?

Show notes & references available on episode page.

About Your EvC Co-Hosts:

David Keith is Professor and Founding Faculty Di...

We're sharing another episode of Ed’s podcast Climate Book Reviews with acclaimed Canadian author Don Gillmor on his latest non-fiction work, On Oil.

Ed is joined by his regular co-host Dr. Roger Thompson, Director of Writing Programs and Professor at Arizona State University.

This episode dives into the sharply drawn and darkly funny world of On Oil, a slim and punchy examination of the most earth-altering industry of...

Ed chats with Jason Walsh, Executive Director of the BlueGreen Alliance (BGA).

Jason and his organization recently made headlines for opposing the so-called One Big Beautiful Bill Act—President Trump's sweeping piece of legislation passed this summer that rolls back many of the clean energy tax credits introduced by the Inflation Reduction Act. While a lot of the climate world focused on the emissions impacts, BGA came out...

In this latest episode of Ed’s occasional podcast Climate Book Reviews, we dive into the wildly imaginative and disturbingly plausible world of Ashley Shelby’s acclaimed story collection, Honeymoons in Temporary Locations.

Recently named one of Fresh Energy’s Favorite Climate Books of 2025 and shortlisted for the Janet Heidinger Kafka Prize, Shelby’s collection has been praised by Scientific American, Foreword, and the Post and...

David & Ed chat with renowned scientist, author and Canadian, Dr. Katharine Hayhoe who argues that hope—not doom—is what drives action. 

Dr. Hayhoe is one of the world’s most prominent climate communicators and known for crossing political, religious, and cultural lines to connect with audiences that most climate advocates can’t or won't reach. It's an engaging discussion that delves into the psychology of despair...

LIVE from the Montreal's Climate Solutions Prize Festival 2025 

Na'im Merchant, Executive Director of Carbon Removal Canada and the host of The Carbon Curve podcast, and Grégoire Baillargeon, President of BMO Quebec and Vice Chair of BMO Capital Markets join Ed Whittingham for a panel discussion exploring how Canada can become a global leader in carbon removal. 

With two podcast hosts and one Bank of Montreal president, Ed,...

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 & consumption, electricity and power grids, and the vast economic inequity that still exists between the global north & south.

About Our Guest:

Dr. Rose M. Mutiso is a Kenyan scientist, thought lead...

Ed and David chat with special guest Andreas Malm, author of How the World Surrendered to Climate Breakdown and How to Blow Up a Pipeline: Learning to Fight in a World on Fire. 

They discuss Malm’s critiques of climate inaction—how liberal democracies, fossil capital, and the Global North have collectively abandoned meaningful efforts to stop climate breakdown—and what comes next for movement strategy, the ethics and effectiveness o...

Ed Whittingham & Roger Thompson discuss Upton Sinclair's classic novel - Oil!

We're sharing another episode of Ed's occasional podcast, Climate Book Reviews, this time discussing the book that was the inspiration for the critically acclaimed 2007 movie, There Will Be Blood, starring Daniel Day-Lewis.

Ed and co-host Dr. Roger Thompson (Associate Dean and Professor of Writing and Rhetoric at Stony Brook University in...

Energy expert Amy Myers Jaffe returns to EvC to chat with Ed about Energy and Artificial Intelligence. 

Nearly every aspect of the economy seems to be impacted by the stunningly rapid development of AI. Energy is no exception. Ed and Amy have a wide-ranging discussion that covers a lot of ground and touches on several hot topics, including: 

• How AI is transforming the production, distribution, and consumption of energy; 
• The energ...

There’s something in Carbon Removal for everyone — are we building enduring relationships to advance the sector?

A bonus EvC episode - on February 27, 2025, EvC co-host Ed Whittingham hosted a panel discussion at Carbon Removal Canada's Carbon Removal Day in Ottawa. They cover a number of topics including the changing political headwinds in the US, efforts to bolster investment in Canada, and silicon valley's interest in C...

David & Ed chat with Dr. Holly Buck about Conspiratorial-Environmentalism’s connection to climate & geoengineering; the anti-vax movement; and what it tells us about mainstream environmentalism & climate politics.

(03:08) Skip Intro
(09:12) David's personal experience with Conspiratorial-Environmentalism
(27:15) Social Media and monetization
(38:58) What do we do when environmentalists turn to conspiraci...