Dr. Jay Turner: Is the World Prepared for the Green Energy Revolution?

My guest today is Dr. Jay Turner, Professor of Environmental Studies at Wellesely College.

Dr. Turner is a prolific researcher on the recent history of U.S. environmental politics and policy, including climate change, the clean energy transition, and public lands management. This is very timely thanks to legislation such as the IRA.

He has taught in the Environmental Studies Program at Wellesley College since the fall of 2006 and his training is in environmental history and environmental studies. 

His most recent book, Charged: A History of Batteries and Lessons for a Clean Energy Future, unpacks the history of batteries to explore why solving the battery problem is crucial to a clean energy transition. But given the unique environmental impact of batteries—including mining, disposal, and more—does a clean energy transition risk trading one set of problems for another?  

In today’s discussion we cover both the fascinating history and future of the energy transition, historical precedents, pricing risks (environmental and geopolitical), understanding the optimal public/private investment model, Dr Turner’s EV supply chain database, and what he learned in writing this fascinating book.