“This webinar/podcast series is consistently excellent: interesting, insightful and serious without being dull. I love how the discussion is always brought back to Canada in general and Alberta in particular - a great proxy for challenges and opportunities of the Energy Transition.”

Erik Mielke, SVP, Global Head of Corporate Research, Wood Mackenzie

“I am so grateful for this new podcast series Energy vs Climate. Smart debate around the science, policy and business of various climate solutions and transition pathways that can help to shed light on the complexity of the choice we have before us. Plus, it offers Canadian context.”

Emma Rogers, Senior Manager, Sustainable Business and Operations, RBC

“I have been a regular follower of the Energy vs. Climate series and think it’s wonderfully thought-provoking”

Charles DeLand, Associate Director, Research, C.D. Howe Institute

“I never miss an episode."

Safeeya Faruqui, Operations and Engagement Specialist, Canadian Institute for Climate Choices

"I like the format you’ve chosen with the pro, neutral and anti positions. It’s effective and thoughtful and probably makes each of you more considerate all round."

John Gorman, CEO, Canadian Nuclear Association

“There's nothing else like you in Canada. You're the Canadian version of The Energy Gang that I've been looking for.”

Jonathan Frank, Head of Clean Energy, VanCity Community Investment Bank

Energy vs Climate is a live, interactive webinar, a podcast, and occasional newsletter where energy experts David Keith, Sara Hastings-Simon and Ed Whittingham break down the trade-offs and hard truths of the energy transition in Alberta, Canada, and beyond.

Alberta is an oil and gas-rich province in a natural resource-dependent country with high environmental ambitions. It’s a “canary in the coal mine” for the collision between climate and jobs. But we hope it can serve as a model for successfully managing that disruption.

Climate politics is too-often dominated by elite happy talk around IPCC targets. Yet, year after year, emissions have crept ever upwards. Now Greta is calling out the hypocrisy of boomers, rightly demanding that action replace talk.

Energy vs. Climate is your no-nonsense discussion source for the nuanced reality we face. We’ll cover news and speak with guests from industry, government and civil society. You won’t always agree with us, but if you care about our energy future, this series is for you.

Subscribe to get full access to the series and website. Never miss an update.

Who are we?

David Keith has worked on energy and climate since 1990, when he switched out of physics. Now, he’s a prof at the University of Chicago, and, in a detour from academia, he founded Carbon Engineering, a cleantech startup.

Sara Hastings-Simon studies energy transitions at the intersection of policy, business, and technology. She’s a policy wonk, a physicist turned management consultant, and a professor at the University of Calgary and Director of the Master of Science in Sustainable Energy Development.

Ed Whittingham isn’t a physicist but he has worked on climate and energy for the past 20 years, first as head of the Pembina Institute, a Canadian clean energy think tank, and now as a consultant helping to develop and finance clean energy projects. He is also a mentor with the Creative Destruction Lab and a co-founder of the Academy for Sustainable Innovation Canada.

Energy vs Climate is produced with support from the University of Calgary’s Office of the Vice-President Research, and the university’s Global Research Initiative. Further support comes from the Trottier Family Foundation, the North Family Foundation, the Palmer Family Foundation, and our generous listeners.

Energy vs Climate is a project of the Academy for Sustainable Innovation Canada.