How Does a Power Plant Work?
Just two types of machines have produced the overwhelming majority of electricity generated since 1890. This week, we look at the history of those devices, how they work — and how they have contribute...
9 Juli 202553min
What Is a Watt?
What is the difference between energy and power? How does the power grid work? And what’s the difference between a megawatt and a megawatt-hour? On this week’s episode, we answer those questions and m...
2 Juli 202538min
If You Care About Food, You Have to Care About Land
Food is a huge climate problem. It’s responsible for somewhere between a quarter and a third of global greenhouse gas emissions, but it concerns a much smaller share of global climate policy. And what...
25 Juni 20251h 7min
It’s Easiest to Electrify This Type of Truck
You might not think that often about medium-duty trucks, but they’re all around you: ambulances, UPS and FedEx delivery trucks, school buses. And although they make up a relatively small share of vehi...
18 Juni 20251h 3min
A New Grand Theory of Why Decarbonization Is So Hard
Why has it been so hard for the world to make progress on climate change over the past 30 years? Maybe it’s because we’ve been thinking about the problem wrong. Academics and economists have often fra...
11 Juni 20251h 15min
The Supreme Court’s Double-Edged Change to Permitting Law
Did the Supreme Court just make it easier to build things in this country — or did it give a once-in-a-lifetime gift to the fossil fuel industry? Last week, the Supreme Court ruled 8-0 against environ...
4 Juni 202556min
Shift Key Classic: The World Will Miss 1.5C. What Comes Next?
Shift Key is off this week for Memorial Day, so we’re re-running one of our favorite episodes from the past. With Republicans in the White House and Congress now halfway to effectively repealing the I...
28 Maj 202542min
How the GOP Megabill Would Reshape the U.S. Energy Economy
Republicans are preparing to tear up America’s clean energy tax credits as part of their budget reconciliation megabill. Hollowing out those policies will have sweeping implications for the country’s ...
21 Maj 20251h 7min
