Podcast
Why today’s energy crisis will lead to ‘profound change’
Amory Lovins on lessons learned from the last 50 years of energy security crises — and why today’s solutions are different.
On The Carbon Copy podcast this week:
In 1973, Arab countries cut off their petroleum exports to the U.S., and the price of oil quadrupled. Americans couldn’t get access to enough gasoline. The economy shrunk as a result.
The Arab oil embargo was viewed almost entirely as a supply problem. But a few years later, a 28-year-old physicist named Amory Lovins published an article in Foreign Affairs magazine that completely shifted how we frame the issue.
Nearly half a century later, we revisit Amory’s prescient essay as we grapple with another global energy security crisis. Fossil fuel prices have spiked to record highs as a result of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. Countries are now racing to stop buying Russian oil and gas as quickly as possible.
This week, Amory Lovins explains the profound changes now underway in the global energy system — and how Russia’s war will accelerate them.
Guest: Amory Lovins, co-founder and chairman emeritus at RMI. Read his latest piece on how Russia’s war could accelerate the clean energy transition. (Canary Media is an independent affiliate of RMI.)
Recommended reading
- Canary Media: Putin’s war will drive a faster shift to clean energy
- Canary Media: How fast can Europe wean itself off Russian gas?
- Canary Media: Hawaii relies on Russian oil — but clean energy could change that
We want to hear from you! Take our quick survey for a chance to win a $100 Amazon gift card. This will help us bring you more relevant content.
The Carbon Copy is a co-production of Post Script Media and Canary Media.
The Carbon Copy is supported by Nextracker. Nextracker’s technology platform has delivered more than 50 gigawatts of zero-emission solar power plants across the globe. Nextracker is developing a data-driven framework to become the most sustainable solar tracker company in the world — with a focus on a truly transparent supply chain. Visit nextracker.com/sustainability to learn more.
The Carbon Copy is supported by Scale Microgrid Solutions, your comprehensive source for all distributed energy financing. Distributed generation can be complex. Scale makes financing it easy. Visit scalecapitalsolutions.com to learn more.