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Energy Switch

Energy and climate are intertwined, two of the most important topics in the world today. Yet viewers know very little about them. This show aims to change that. 'Energy Switch' brings together two renowned experts from government, NGOs, academia and industry, with differing perspectives on important energy and climate topics, such as: Could solar and wind power our future? Or could hydrogen be the dominant energy source? Should we have more or less nuclear power? How should we respond to climate change? What policies most effectively reduce emissions? How could we pay for them? These lively discussions and more are moderated by renowned energy scientist and communicator Dr. Scott Tinker. The show is produced, written and directed by Emmy-winning documentary filmmaker Harry Lynch, creator of the celebrated PBS series 'Great Performances: Now Hear This' and 'Stories of the Mind.'

Energy Switch  
  • Plastic Recycling
    Thursday, October 24
    8:00 pm on UEN-TV 9.1
    Plastic is cheap, lightweight, strong and versatile, so we use it in millions of products. But there are challenges with disposal and recycling, meaning plastic is increasingly in our oceans, our water, our food, even our bodies. We'll talk about all this, and plastic's energy and emissions footprints, with Dr. Anja Brandon from the Ocean Conservancy and Holli Alexander from Eastman Corp.
  • Plastic Recycling
    Thursday, October 31
    1:00 am on UEN-TV 9.1
    Plastic is cheap, lightweight, strong and versatile, so we use it in millions of products. But there are challenges with disposal and recycling, meaning plastic is increasingly in our oceans, our water, our food, even our bodies. We'll talk about all this, and plastic's energy and emissions footprints, with Dr. Anja Brandon from the Ocean Conservancy and Holli Alexander from Eastman Corp.
  • How to Build Powerlines
    Thursday, October 31
    8:00 pm on UEN-TV 9.1
    Everyone loves electricity ...and no one loves powerlines. But we need more of them. New lines face many challenges, in permitting, siting and eminent domain; allocating costs among stakeholders; and working with property owners and environmental groups who oppose them. We discuss with Mark Christie from the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, and Emily Fisher from the Edison Electric Institute.
  • How to Build Powerlines
    Thursday, November 7
    1:00 am on UEN-TV 9.1
    Everyone loves electricity ...and no one loves powerlines. But we need more of them. New lines face many challenges, in permitting, siting and eminent domain; allocating costs among stakeholders; and working with property owners and environmental groups who oppose them. We discuss with Mark Christie from the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, and Emily Fisher from the Edison Electric Institute.
  • Urgency of Climate Change, Part 1
    Thursday, November 7
    8:00 pm on UEN-TV 9.1
    Warming temperatures and their potential impacts are predicted to escalate in the coming decades. Dr. Andrew Dessler, a climate scientist, argues for urgent action to reduce emissions. Dr. Bjorn Lomborg, a political scientist, maintains that climate change is a smaller problem than others we face, like poverty and education. Pursuing those would allow us to better adapt to a changing climate.
  • Urgency of Climate Change, Part 1
    Thursday, November 14
    1:00 am on UEN-TV 9.1
    Warming temperatures and their potential impacts are predicted to escalate in the coming decades. Dr. Andrew Dessler, a climate scientist, argues for urgent action to reduce emissions. Dr. Bjorn Lomborg, a political scientist, maintains that climate change is a smaller problem than others we face, like poverty and education. Pursuing those would allow us to better adapt to a changing climate.
  • Urgency of Climate Change, Part 2
    Thursday, November 14
    8:00 pm on UEN-TV 9.1
    To wrap up this discussion, Dr. Bjorn Lomborg and Dr. Andrew Dessler lay out their strategies for addressing climate change. One favors adaptation, and tackling other pressing global problems that could lead to greater prosperity. The other argues for urgent action to reduce emissions to manage the risk of damage from a changing climate. They agreed on a greater focus on new energy innovation.
  • Urgency of Climate Change, Part 2
    Thursday, November 21
    1:00 am on UEN-TV 9.1
    To wrap up this discussion, Dr. Bjorn Lomborg and Dr. Andrew Dessler lay out their strategies for addressing climate change. One favors adaptation, and tackling other pressing global problems that could lead to greater prosperity. The other argues for urgent action to reduce emissions to manage the risk of damage from a changing climate. They agreed on a greater focus on new energy innovation.
  • The Future of Biofuels
    Thursday, November 21
    8:00 pm on UEN-TV 9.1
    We use a lot of biofuels in the US -- corn ethanol now makes up 10% of every gallon of gasoline. Ethanol made from cellulose, from agricultural waste or non-food crops, has been in development for years and may eventually become commercial, along with new kinds of aviation biofuels. Valerie Reed, Bioenergy Director at the DOE, and Yiying Xong from the Great Lakes National Laboratory discuss.
  • The Future of Biofuels
    Thursday, November 28
    1:00 am on UEN-TV 9.1
    We use a lot of biofuels in the US -- corn ethanol now makes up 10% of every gallon of gasoline. Ethanol made from cellulose, from agricultural waste or non-food crops, has been in development for years and may eventually become commercial, along with new kinds of aviation biofuels. Valerie Reed, Bioenergy Director at the DOE, and Yiying Xong from the Great Lakes National Laboratory discuss.
  • Jobs In Energy
    Thursday, November 28
    8:00 pm on UEN-TV 9.1
    Working in energy, particularly oil and gas, is not as popular as it once was in the US. Electricity and lower carbon energies are more readily embraced by young people. We'll talk to two young professionals, Natan Battisti from Harbour Energy and Maya Barwick from ATC, to see why they chose jobs in oil and electricity, how they've found the experience, and if they'd recommend it to their peers.

 

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  • Critical Risks to Energy Systems
    Wednesday, August 28
    11:30 am on UEN-TV 9.1
    The US energy system, particularly our electric grids and pipelines, is constantly at risk -- from extreme events, like hurricanes, winter storms, heat waves and wildfires. And increasingly from cyber attacks, from hostile foreign powers and criminal elements. Enough that the energy industry and the US government are investing billions of dollars and working together to counter these threats.
  • Sea Level Rise
    Wednesday, August 21
    11:30 am on UEN-TV 9.1
    Sea level has been rising since the end of the last Ice Age, when continental ice sheets began to melt. In island nations and low-lying coastal areas sea level rise is contributing, among other things, to high tide flooding, and saltwater encroaching into farmland and freshwater aquifers. We'll talk about what the future could bring, and ideas of how communities could adapt to sea level rise.
  • Energy for Africa
    Wednesday, August 14
    11:30 am on UEN-TV 9.1
    Six hundred million people in Sub-Saharan Africa do not have modern energy -- so African nations are working to develop their energy resources. For many, the energy they do have comes from hydro. But Africa also has huge volumes of natural gas. Some funders, concerned about emissions, don't want them to develop it. Others consider it essential to lift Africa's people out of poverty.
  • Energy and Climate Paradoxes
    Wednesday, August 7
    11:30 am on UEN-TV 9.1
    There are many paradoxes in climate and energy: people want energy for their homes and cars... but don't want new power lines or pipelines that could provide it. Nuclear is a zero-carbon energy source... yet many climate advocates oppose it. Some states impose EV mandates... but prohibit mining for battery metals. We'll look to resolve these with two experts in economics, energy and climate policy.
  • How to Decarbonize Industry, Part 2
    Wednesday, July 31
    11:30 am on UEN-TV 9.1
    In Part 1 of this discussion, we heard ideas to decarbonize cement and steel. We'll conclude with a look at fertilizer, which has made modern agriculture possible, and petrochemicals and plastic, which go into nearly every product. Solutions could include switching from oil and natural gas to hydrogen and bioproducts, but the technologies are still in development, and currently expensive.
  • How to Decarbonize Industry, Part 1
    Wednesday, July 24
    11:30 am on UEN-TV 9.1
    Cement and steel have created the modern world: they make our buildings, roads, machines and products. These two industries emit nearly as much CO2 as our entire electricity system -- but they're difficult to decarbonize. We'll talk about challenges and potential solutions to do so, including changing their production processes, replacing the coal they now require, and more efficient use.
  • Food: Energy & Emissions
    Wednesday, July 17
    11:30 am on UEN-TV 9.1
    Everything in our modern lives has energy inputs and emissions outputs -- and that's certainly the case for our food. It's not just all the energy that powers the equipment required to grow, transport and process our food. And the energy inputs for fertilizer required by global agriculture. But also the emissions from land, and livestock, and particularly from food loss and food waste.
  • Nuclear Fusion
    Wednesday, July 10
    11:30 am on UEN-TV 9.1
    Fission, the splitting of atoms, makes the heat that drives our nuclear reactors. Fusion, the fusing together of atoms, powers the stars, including our sun -- which means that fusion already powers Earth, just not in a way that we can control. If we could harness fusion, it would transform our world, producing limitless energy, safely and without emissions -- the holy grail of energy.
  • India's Energy and Climate Policies, Part 2
    Wednesday, July 3
    11:30 am on UEN-TV 9.1
    In part 1, we focused on India's electricity, and the potential to expand it using coal and/or solar. We continue with the growth of 2- and 3-wheel electric vehicles in India, the potential to manufacture their batteries domestically, the growth of air conditioning to combat heat waves, decarbonization targets, green building and the importance of efficiency.