WHAT ABOUT ENERGY? Burning fuel or moving electrons?

About this episode

James and Daisy explore the complexities of energy, comparing fossil fuels with green energy and discussing the energy transition.

Our lives are intertwined with energy. It comes in many forms and, while it can never be lost, it can be converted from one form to another to do useful work. The energy transition is the process of shifting energy production away from sources that release greenhouse gases and towards sources that emit little or none. In this episode, James and Daisy explore all things energy. What exactly is energy? What does a good energy system look like? And how do fossil fuels compare with green energy? SOME RECOMMENDATIONS: Ember (2025) – The annual slide deck from Kingsmill Bond and the Ember Futures team unpacks how electrotech is rewriting the economics and geopolitics of energy. Electrotech is around three times more efficient than fossil fuels. Around 80% of the world’s population lives in fossil-fuel-importing countries, with more than 50 countries importing over half of their primary energy as fossil fuels. In contrast, 92% of countries have renewable energy potential more than ten times their current demand. Our World in Data – Data, visualizations, and writing relating to energy. This article explains primary, secondary, final and useful energy – the four stages of the energy chain…

People in this episode

Hosts: James Cameron, Daisy Nicholls

Topics covered

• energy transition
• fossil fuels
• renewable energy
• energy systems
• green energy

Keywords

• energy
• fossil fuels
• renewable energy
• green energy
• energy systems
• energy transition
• electrotech

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: Ember, Our World in Data, BloombergNEF

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