Planet A - Talks on Climate Change - Helen Thompson - On the Geopolitics of Energy

Helen Thompson - On the Geopolitics of Energy

02/24/23 • 42 min

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In this 1st episode of the new 6th season of Planet A, Dan Jørgensen talks to Helen Thompson, Professor of Political Economy at Cambridge University, about the geopolitics of fossil fuels and how the green energy transition affects the world order.

Thompson ́s current research concentrates on the political economy of energy and the democratic, economic, and geopolitical disruptions of the twenty-first century.

She is also well known for co-hosting the highly acclaimed podcast Talking Politics.

Her most recent book Disorder – Hard Times in the 21st Century was published on year ago - on the 24th of February 2022 – the same day Russia invaded Ukraine.

The book which weaves together energy and geopolitics in a historic perspective couldn’t have had a more timely launch.

Thompson’s book has received glowing reviews and was shortlisted by the Financial Times for Best Business Book of the year 2022.

The book portrays an increasing instability of the global political system today and the ramifications of the current attempt to transition to clean energy worldwide.

Thompson ́s current research concentrates on the political economy of energy and the democratic, economic, and geopolitical disruptions of the twenty-first century.

She is also well known for co-hosting the highly acclaimed podcast Talking Politics.

Her most recent book Disorder – Hard Times in the 21st Century was published on year ago - on the 24th of February 2022 – the same day Russia invaded Ukraine.

The book which weaves together energy and geopolitics in a historic perspective couldn’t have had a more timely launch.

Thompson’s book has received glowing reviews and was shortlisted by the Financial Times for Best Business Book of the year 2022.

The book portrays an increasing instability of the global political system today and the ramifications of the current attempt to transition to clean energy worldwide.

Previous Episode

Kim Stanley Robinson – On Climate Fiction and “The Ministry for the Future”

The heat waves of the future could produce deadly “wet bulb temperatures” that would kill millions of people by sheer heat exhaustion. How will governments, citizens and international organizations react, if a heat wave killed 20 million people in India? That is the premise of the novel “The Ministry for the Future” – a novel that mixes science fiction and environmentalism.

The guest on the premiere episode of the fifth season of Planet A is renowned science fiction writer Kim Stanley Robinson. In “The Ministry for the Future”, he writes about a dystopian, near future where the devastating consequences of climate change are ravaging the world. The book describes how governments and philanthropists try to use geoengineering, like spraying sulphur dioxide into the atmosphere or capturing meltwater of The Greenland Ice Sheet to stem climate change.

While his book “The Ministry for the Future” invites readers into a world where nothing is unthinkable and everything is possible, the solutions he describes are not all science fiction.

And in this episode of Planet A he discusses the promise and perils of geoengineering, the COP-process, the current energy crisis and whether we need nuclear energy in the global green transition with host Minister Dan Jørgensen.

Next Episode

Simon Stiell - On UNFCCC, the COP process and the Global Stocktake

In this 2nd episode of the 6th season of Planet A Dan Jørgensen talks to the Executive Secretary of the United Nations Framework on Climate Change, better known as UNFCCC, Simon Stiell.

They discuss the unique role of the UNFCCC in the global fight against climate change. The challenges ahead on the critical work streams – mitigation, adaptation, finance as well as loss and damage - and why Simon Stiell likes to describe his own position as “Accountability Chief”.

They also talk about the importance of the Global Stocktake coming up at this year's COP28, which enables countries and other stakeholders to see where they're collectively making progress toward meeting the goals of the Paris Agreement.

UNFCCC is the United Nations entity tasked with supporting the global response to the threat of climate change and most known for organizing the yearly global climate conference, the COP. But the secretariat with a staff of roughly 450 located in Bonn works tirelessly all year to support governments and institutions building resilience to the inevitable impacts of climate change and helps scale up climate action at all levels and in all sectors of society, including cities, regions, businesses and investors.