Ahmed Badran is an assistant professor of chemistry at Scripps Research, where his lab harnesses synthetic biology to address some of biggest global problems. Listen in as we discuss reengineering plant enzymes to capture carbon, plastic-eating bacteria and new classes of antibiotics that spare our gut microbiome.

Episode transcript: https://www.scripps.edu/_files/images/2023_images/ahmed-badran-transcript.pdf

Badran lab website
https://badranlab.com/ 

Twitter
@AhmedHBadran

Scripps Research Magazine
https://magazine.scripps.edu/

Episode 43 – Ahmed Badran: Bioengineering our way out of climate change

It’s time for climate realism. The political rhetoric of low costs and ever-falling energy bills has inevitably collided with the reality of the actual costs of the transition. Renewables might be zero marginal cost, but this ignores not only the fixed and sunk costs, but also the intermittency problem and the need for subsidies and the associated back-up for a long time to come. The supply chain supporting the new electricity and transport technologies stretches to mining and refining in China, South East Asia and Russia. Very little is mined, refined or fabricated in the UK, and these supply chains are far from net zero. The consumer will need to pay the costs to fund all these investments; costs that are now higher due to the higher interest rates.

 

The narrative needs to be changed. It’s not going to be an almost free lunch. If it is, then we can stop the subsidies right now. But we can’t and we shouldn’t. Net zero realism requires honesty about the actual costs that need to be paid, and the necessity of reducing our carbon consumption and measuring our emissions properly. To really help reduce global emissions, there are three things we in the UK should focus on: offshore wind; carbon capture and storage (CCS); and scientific research to develop decarbonising technologies. Concentrating on these globally significant investments rather than trying to do everything is the best way to make the UK’s contribution. If we are not going to be honest, the risk is that the rise of AfD in Germany and the farmers’ party in the Netherlands, and the Republican march in the US will sink the whole project, with all the terrible consequences that may follow.

For more on this, read my paper: Net Zero Realism - https://dieterhelm.co.uk/natural-capital-environment/net-zero-realism/

Net zero realism

In this episode, Colin Church discusses the carbon border adjustment mechanism (CBAM) with Anushka Devaser and Gyles Scott-Hayward from WSP. They explain that CBAM is a way to put a fair price on carbon emitted during the production of carbon-intensive goods, with the aim of encouraging cleaner industrial production in non-EU exporting countries and preventing carbon leakage. The EU CBAM covers goods such as steel, aluminium, electricity, iron, cement, fertilizers, and hydrogen. The UK is planning to introduce its own CBAM from 2027 and a consultation is currently running.

Links:
CBAM
https://taxation-customs.ec.europa.eu/carbon-border-adjustment-mechanism_en

UK consultation
 https://www.gov.uk/government/consultations/consultation-on-the-introduction-of-a-uk-carbon-border-adjustment-mechanism

Contact us at
podcast@iom3.org or visit www.iom3.org

Music:
Pamgaea by Kevin MacLeod
Link: incompetech.filmmusic.io/song/4193-pamgaea
License: creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

IOM3 Investigates... CBAM

Cancer Alley lawsuit fights environmental racism & seeks LA plant moratorium.

Urgent Cancer Alley Lawsuit Fights Back

Black Memphis residents fight Elon Musk’s xAI data center for clean air, opposing unregulated methane turbines spewing NOx and formaldehyde, escalating cancer risks, and violating environmental justice in South Memphis neighborhoods.

Black Memphis Defies Elon Musk's Unlicensed Air Crisis

Climate justice in Africa necessitates legal routes like International Court of Justice (ICJ) and regional courts to address disproportionate climate impacts, secure reparations, and ensure global responsibility for environmental harm.

Unjust Climate Africa's Legal Quest for Reparations

The award-winning Science Changing Life podcast offers an inside look into how Scripps Research scientists are solving the most pressing mysteries in human health and disease. Join hosts Lauren Fish and Melissa Suran, PhD, as they speak with world-class scientists at the forefronts of immunology, infectious disease, artificial intelligence, personalized medicine, neuroscience and much more. 

Science Changing Life gives listeners a glimpse into the people behind the science, their motivations, paths to discovery, and how they’re changing the world. 

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Welcome to IOM3 Investigates, the podcast series of the Institute of Materials, Minerals and Mining - the global network for the materials cycle. 🌐

In each episode, we'll be joined by industry experts to take a deeper look into issues of relevance to professionals working in materials, minerals and mining sectors.

Helm Talks is full of short, 'pull no punches' insights into:
Energy & Climate; 
Regulation, Utilities & Infrastructure; 
Natural Capital & the Environment.

Professor Dieter Helm is Professor of Economic Policy at the University of Oxford.

New tracks tagged #emissions,