When it comes to energy transition solutions, wind and solar and big battery projects regularly make headlines, but we don’t often hear much about the hard-to-decarbonize sectors, like aviation, shipping, trucking, cement manufacturing, and steelmaking. Reducing emissions from these sectors is challenging for a number of reasons, but we must find ways to do it, because they account for about a third of global carbon emissions. And fortunately, there is a great deal of effort now being focused on these sectors, through an array of partnerships between governments, non-governmental organizations, and private industry. In this episode, we speak with the CEO of the Rocky Mountain Institute, a clean energy “think and do tank” founded by energy luminary Amory Lovins which has been working on energy transition for the better part of four decades, about some of the ways that we can decarbonize these sectors.
Jules Kortenhorst is the Chief Executive Officer of Rocky Mountain Institute. He is a recognized leader on global energy issues and climate change. His background spans business, government, entrepreneurial, and nonprofit leadership. Prior to RMI, Jules was the CEO of the European Climate Foundation and of the International Operations of ClientLogic Corporation. He has served as a member of the Dutch parliament for the Christian Democratic Party, and in the early part of his career, worked at Royal Dutch/Shell and McKinsey & Co. Jules currently serves on the Energy Transition Commission, and is the co-chair of the WEF Future Council on Energy. He is also a board member for two clean tech start-ups.
On Twitter: @JulesKortenhors
On the Web: www.rmi.org
Recording date: July 9, 2020
Air date: August 5, 2020
Geek rating: 2