0:00
/
0:00
Transcript

Michael Barnard on climate solutions that are full of sh*t.

Literally. Our fave Canadian energy expert returns to the show.

Share

We Start at the End

Today’s outro track is Blame Canada, by Trey Parker, Primus, Ween and Matt Stone.

“We're not gonna hit 1.5. We're not gonna hit 2.0. We'll probably hit 2.5 to 2.7. And that’s not because I’m a pessimist — it’s because I can do math.”
— Michael Barnard

Welcome back to Wicked Problems. In this episode we talk about climate tech in the age of AI, state failure, and the occasional aircraft powered by poop. In this episode, Canadian climate futurist and returning champion Michael Barnard joins us for a globe-spanning conversation about why he’s still cautiously optimistic — and why, if you’re only paying attention to the U.S. or Europe, you’re probably looking the wrong way.

Wicked Problems is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber.

In Conversation

· Pakistan's rooftop solar revolution: how a glut of Chinese panels and uncoordinated net metering turned into 22 GW of grassroots decarbonization in a single year.

· Ports, poop, and power: what district heating, sewage sludge, and whiz-powered planes tell us about what works — and what’s quietly already scaling.

· China’s decarbonization surprise: Michael walks us through why China’s emissions have actually started to fall, why Western media missed it, and why most U.S. industrial policy is a “radically stupid” own-goal.

· The end of American credibility: on failed trade narratives, disappearing clean energy investment, and the strategic competence of the so-called Global South.

· Three technologies to watch: Geothermal heat-as-a-service, waste-based sustainable aviation fuels, and electrified ports as power utilities of the future.

Leave a comment

Timeline

02:28 Optimism in the Face of Climate Challenges

05:08 Pakistan's Energy Transformation

14:16 Leapfrogging in the Global South

21:23 China's Role in Global Emissions Reduction

27:08 The Rise of the Electro State

28:33 China's Dominance in Critical Minerals

29:37 Globalism and Neoliberalism: A Mixed Bag

30:42 The Market Economy's Failures

32:13 Technology Diffusion and Industrial Policy

34:48 The United States' Broken Industrial Policy

43:04 Geothermal Energy Innovations

46:04 Sustainable Aviation Fuel from Waste

49:35 The Future of Electrified Ports

Further Reading

Bottom Line

This is a conversation about agency, not inevitability. About systems, not saviours. Barnard’s realism isn’t about giving up on climate goals — it’s about recognising where the change is really happening, and what gets built when the narrative stops centering Brussels or Washington.

Also: if you don’t want your utility wiped out by 17 GW of solar in six months, maybe design your net metering scheme accordingly.

All the Outros

Thanks

We appreciate all the support you’ve given us in our second year. Letting people know about us, helping support our work by becoming a member, and just getting in touch means the world to us. Thank you.

Share