This week’s episode comes from Octopus Energy HQ where Amy Rennison is joined by Phil Cohen, Patrick Matthewson, Rachel Fletcher, and Aruna Ramsamy.The conversation explores a growing tension at the heart of the UK’s industrial strategy: the push to decarbonise heavy industry is running directly into some of the highest industrial electricity prices in the OECD. Across steel, chemicals, manufacturing and energy-intensive production, the technologies for deep decarbonisation increasingly exist — but the economics, infrastructure and policy frameworks are not yet aligned to deploy them at scale.What emerges is not a simple trade-off between climate ambition and industrial survival, but a more complex systems problem: fragmented policy design, high energy system costs, and weak demand signals are all shaping investment decisions in ways that risk slowing both electrification and industrial renewal. Against this backdrop, international examples like Sweden’s H2 Green Steel highlight how low-cost power, coordinated policy and long-term offtake agreements can unlock entirely new industrial ecosystems.The central question becomes whether the UK can correct these structural issues quickly enough to prevent a gradual erosion of its industrial base while still pursuing net zero.In This Episode You'll Learn:• Why UK industrial electricity prices are among the highest in Europe and how policy costs, network investment and market design contribute to them• How energy-intensive sectors like steel, chemicals and glass are already experiencing output declines linked to the energy crisis• Why electrification is widely seen as the main route to industrial decarbonisation, despite technical limits in some high-temperature processes• How fragmented policy between energy, industrial strategy and regulation is slowing investment and creating uncertainty for manufacturers• Why compensation schemes and exemptions only partially offset high costs and fail to address structural competitiveness issues• How projects like H2 Green Steel in Sweden demonstrate the importance of low-cost electricity, carbon pricing and coordinated demand for enabling new industrial investment• Why investors and manufacturers are increasingly calling for deeper market reform, including connection reform, flexibility markets and removal of policy costs from electricity bills🎟️ Join Earth Set LiveWe host monthly live events in London featuring founders, investors and policy leaders shaping the transition to a resilient, regenerative economy.First Tuesday of every month.Grab tickets here: 👉 earthset.co⁠If you enjoyed this episodePlease take a moment to:• Leave 5 stars• Write a quick review• Share the episode with someone interested in climate technology, innovation or industrial strategyIt helps more people discover the show.Thanks for listening — see you at the next live event or in your feed soon.

This week’s episode takes a step back from individual topics to look at the bigger picture: a Q1 2026 review of the climate and energy stories that have defined the year so far — and what they mean for what comes next.Hosted by Amy Rennison, the conversation brings together three returning perspectives spanning analysis, politics and capital. Lucy Shaw, energy analyst and advisor, breaks down the system-level dynamics shaping energy markets and infrastructure. Luke Shore, from Project Tempo, explores how these shifts are landing politically, and how voters are responding. And Max Bray, partner at Kindred Capital, offers a view from the investment side, tracking where capital is flowing and where confidence is changing.Across five fast-moving topics, from AI-driven energy demand to US climate policy, capital flows, the Iran crisis, and UK energy strategy, the discussion builds a picture of a system under pressure from multiple directions at once.What emerges is a transition no longer defined by a single narrative. Instead, it’s shaped by competing forces: rapid demand growth, geopolitical instability, political backlash, and uneven progress across technologies and regions.At the centre is a familiar tension, now more visible than ever: the need to move quickly, and the growing risk that rising costs, infrastructure constraints, and political resistance could slow things down.If the transition is no longer just about decarbonisation, but about affordability, security and public consent, the question becomes: can the system adapt fast enough to hold all three together?In this episode you’ll learn:Why AI has rapidly shifted from a tech story to an energy and infrastructure storyHow Europe’s economic fundamentals are affecting its ability to scale climate technologiesWhether we are actually on track for net zero — and how that depends on how you define “on track”Why electrification — not just clean power — is now the critical missing pieceHow the Iran crisis is affecting global energy markets, supply chains and pricingHow high energy prices are affecting UK industry — from steel to ceramicsWhy delivery — not just policy — is now the key challenge for governmentsHow crises like today’s energy shock compare to historical moments like the 1970s oil crisisWhy moments of disruption can either accelerate change — or be missed entirelyResources & LinksProject Tempo – Research on public attitudes to climate and energy policyKindred Capital – Early-stage investment across deep tech and energyCornish Lithium – UK-based lithium extraction and geothermal developmentGridserve – UK EV charging and renewable energy infrastructureFuse Energy – Vertically integrated energy company model🎟️ Join Earth Set LiveWe host monthly live events in London featuring founders, investors and policy leaders shaping the transition to a resilient, regenerative economy. First Tuesday of every month.Grab tickets here:👉 earthset.coIf you enjoyed this episodePlease take a moment to:Leave 5 starsWrite a quick reviewShare the episode with someone interested in climate, energy or public policyIt helps more people discover the show. Thanks for listening — see you at the next live event or in your feed soon.

This week’s episode comes from Octopus Energy HQ, where Amy Rennison hosts a live Earth Set conversation on one of the most contested — and least clearly defined — ideas in the transition: the “just transition”.She’s joined by three perspectives spanning community, policy and capital. David Powell from the Local Storytelling Exchange brings a grounded view from communities across the UK, exploring how people actually experience change — often in ways that never show up in policy. Grace Millman, working on just transitions and community energy at Regen, looks at how fairness, participation and regional inequality shape the way net zero lands in real places. And Jordan Fletcher, investor at Future Impact Ventures, shares how capital can be deployed not just to decarbonise, but to create broader social and economic value from the start.The conversation moves beyond theory into the lived reality of the transition: rising energy bills, contested infrastructure, uneven access to new technologies, and the growing sense among many communities that change is happening to them, not with them.Together, they unpack a central tension: the need to move fast — and the risk that moving fast without fairness ultimately slows everything down.If the transition is as much about trust, perception and lived experience as it is about technology, the question becomes this: how do we design a system that people actually feel is working for them?In this episode you’ll learn:Why the “just transition” means different things to different people — and why that ambiguity mattersHow feelings of fairness, pride and dignity shape public support for climate actionWhy most people don’t talk about “climate” — but do care about their homes, bills and communitiesHow storytelling reveals the gap between policy design and lived experienceThe role of trust — and why people are more likely to act on advice from someone they know than from institutionsWhy speed vs fairness is a false trade-off — and how unfair transitions often stalHow infrastructure projects like grid expansion are creating tension in local communitiesWhy energy bills remain the dominant lens through which people experience the transitionResources & LinksLocal Storytelling Exchange – Community-led climate storytelling across the UKCheck out the video mentioned at the start of the episode from the Local Storytelling Exchange that gives the real stories of the green transitionFuture Impact Ventures – Investment in the just transition at the intersection of climate, community and capitalCommunity Energy England – Network supporting local energy projects and ownership models🎟️ Join Earth Set LiveWe host monthly live events in London featuring founders, investors and policy leaders shaping the transition to a resilient, regenerative economy.First Tuesday of every month.Grab tickets here: 👉 earthset.co⁠If you enjoyed this episodePlease take a moment to:Leave 5 starsWrite a quick reviewShare the episode with someone interested in climate, energy or public policyIt helps more people discover the show.Thanks for listening — see you at the next live event or in your feed soon.

This week’s episode comes from the Eden Project in Cornwall, where Amy Rennison and Fiona Howarth speak to two very different — but equally important — voices in the transition.First, Augusta Grand, CEO of Eden Geothermal, shares the story of bringing geothermal energy to the UK — from early resistance to wind power through to the realities of drilling, financing and scaling a new energy source. The conversation explores why geothermal has long been overlooked, how rapidly the technology is advancing, and why it could play a critical role in both electricity and heat.Then, Amy speaks with Jane Davidson, former Welsh minister and architect of the Wellbeing of Future Generations Act — one of the most ambitious pieces of sustainability legislation in the world. They discuss how the Act came to life, what it has changed, and how it is now shaping Wales’ approach to long-term decision making and net zero.Together, these conversations explore two sides of the same challenge: how we move from ambition to delivery — whether that’s building new energy infrastructure or redesigning the systems that govern it.If the transition depends on both technology and institutions, the real question becomes this: how do we align innovation, policy and people to actually deliver change at scale?In this episode you’ll learn:What geothermal energy is and why it has been underutilised in the UKHow advances in drilling technology are rapidly improving the economics of geothermalThe difference between geothermal for electricity and geothermal for heat — and why heat matters mostWhy countries like France, Germany and the Netherlands are ahead on geothermal deploymentThe role of government policy, funding and market design in unlocking new energy technologiesHow local energy systems, data centres and grid constraints are shaping future infrastructure decisionsWhat the Wellbeing of Future Generations Act is and why it is unique globallyThe shift from a “duty to promote” to a “duty to deliver” in public policyHow long-term thinking is embedded into Welsh governance across all public institutionsReal-world examples of how the Act has influenced procurement, planning and community outcomesWhy political systems struggle with long-term decision making — and how this can changeHow Wales is approaching net zero through a delivery-focused, system-wide planThe importance of making climate policy tangible, practical and accessible to the publicResources & LinksEden Geothermal – Project and research on geothermal energy in the UKWellbeing of Future Generations Act (Wales) – Framework for long-term, sustainable governance.🎟️ Join Earth Set LiveWe host monthly live events in London featuring founders, investors and policy leaders shaping the transition to a resilient, regenerative economy.First Tuesday of every month.Grab tickets here: 👉 earthset.co⁠If you enjoyed this episode please take a moment to:Leave 5 starsWrite a quick reviewShare the episode with someone interested in climate technology, innovation or industrial strategyIt helps more people discover the show.Thanks for listening — see you at the next live event or in your feed soon.

Behind every climate solution lies a human challenge.A challenge not just of technology or capital, but of people — the skills, training and pathways needed to turn ambition into reality.In this episode, Fiona Howarth sits down with Rich Tyrie, CEO of GoodPeople, to explore the growing green skills gap and what it will take to close it.From building talent pipelines to connecting local communities with meaningful work, Rich shares insights from over a decade of experience working at the intersection of employment, social impact and the energy transition.The conversation explores why millions of workers will need to be reskilled, why the current system struggles to keep up, and why solving the skills gap is as much about coordination and collaboration as it is about education.If the transition to net zero depends on people, the real question becomes this: how do we build a workforce ready to deliver it?Why the UK needs millions of workers to be reskilled for the energy transitionWhat the “green skills gap” actually means — and why it’s bigger than most people thinkHow labour market fragmentation makes it harder to match people with opportunitiesWhy many “green jobs” aren’t obvious — from scaffolders to finance rolesThe difference between “dark green” and “light green” skillsWhy education systems struggle to keep pace with changing workforce demandsThe role of employers in shaping future talent pipelinesHow social value and procurement are influencing business behaviourWhy early engagement with schools and young people is criticalHow place-based approaches can unlock more inclusive access to jobsWhat’s driving collaboration in regions like Greater ManchesterPractical ways individuals can explore and access green careers todayNet Zero Careers – Explore green jobs, training pathways and opportunities across the UK🎟️ Join Earth Set LiveWe host monthly live events in London featuring founders, investors and policy leaders shaping the transition to a resilient, regenerative economy.First Tuesday of every month.Grab tickets here: 👉 earthset.co⁠Please take a moment to:Leave 5 starsWrite a quick reviewShare the episode with someone interested in climate technology, innovation or industrial strategyIt helps more people discover the show.Thanks for listening — see you at the next live event or in your feed soon.In this episode you’ll learn:Resources & LinksIf you enjoyed this episode

Behind every breakthrough climate technology lies a quieter, more fragile moment. The point where innovation has been proven, but scaling it into the real world becomes uncertain, expensive and deeply complex.In this episode, Amy Rennison sits down with Sarah Macintosh of Cleantech for UK and Jim Totty of Virdis Capital to explore one of the most critical — and least understood — challenges in the climate transition: the “first-of-a-kind” gap, often referred to as the valley of death.Drawing on their recent research with Cleantech for UK, the conversation unpacks why so many promising climate technologies struggle to reach commercial scale, despite strong early innovation and growing global demand.From funding gaps and capability challenges to risk perception and policy design, this episode explores the systemic barriers holding back the next generation of industrial climate solutions — and what it will take to unlock them.If the technologies to decarbonise already exist, the real question becomes this: why are so few of them making it to full-scale deployment?In this episode you’ll learn:What “first-of-a-kind” projects are and why they sit at the hardest stage of climate innovationWhy the transition from pilot to commercial scale is so difficult for climate tech companiesThe funding gap between venture capital and infrastructure finance — and why it persistsHow founders must shift their narrative from “innovative and unique” to “bankable and low-risk”The critical role of offtake agreements, supply contracts and project finance structuresWhy internal capabilities — from leadership teams to technical validation — can make or break scalingHow the UK compares to the US, Europe and Asia in supporting climate technology deploymentThe impact of energy prices and market structures on where projects get builtWhat policy tools (like contracts for difference, procurement and guarantees) can unlock progressWhy ecosystem fragmentation — across investors, corporates, government and service providers — remains a major barrierThe scale of the UK’s pipeline of climate projects and where the biggest opportunities lieWhy this is not just a capital problem, but a systems and coordination challengeResources & LinksCleantech for UK – Research on first-of-a-kind climate projects and scaling challenges🎟️ Join Earth Set LiveWe host monthly live events in London featuring founders, investors and policy leaders shaping the transition to a resilient, regenerative economy.First Tuesday of every month.Grab tickets here: 👉 earthset.co⁠If you enjoyed this episodePlease take a moment to:Leave 5 starsWrite a quick reviewShare the episode with someone interested in climate technology, innovation or industrial strategyIt helps more people discover the show.Thanks for listening — see you at the next live event or in your feed soon.

Behind every electric car sits a far older and more complex story. A story about minerals, mining, geopolitics and a global race to control the materials that power the energy transition.In this episode, Fiona Howarth sits down with Henry Sanderson, Financial Times journalist and author of Volt Rush, to explore the hidden history of electric vehicles and the critical minerals that make them possible.From the early experiments of Thomas Edison and Henry Ford, to the rise of lithium-ion batteries and China’s dominance of global battery supply chains, Henry unpacks how electric vehicles became viable and why the competition for minerals like lithium, cobalt and nickel is now shaping global politics.The conversation explores how China built its battery industry, why Western countries are scrambling to catch up, and why the clean energy transition still depends heavily on mining, metals and industrial supply chains.If the world is electrifying everything, the real question becomes this: who controls the materials that make electrification possible?In this episode you’ll learn:The surprising early history of electric cars and why they nearly won the race against gasoline vehicles over a century agoHow lithium-ion batteries unlocked the modern EV revolutionWhy minerals like lithium, cobalt, nickel and graphite are essential to the clean energy transitionHow China built dominance across the global battery supply chainWhy Western countries struggle to finance new mining projectsHow geopolitics, trade policy and subsidies are reshaping the EV industryThe tension between sustainable mining and the massive demand for critical mineralsWhat the next generation of battery technology and energy storage could look likeResources & LinksHenry Sanderson – Volt Rush: The Winners and Losers in the Race to Go Green🎟️ Join Earth Set LiveWe host monthly live events in London featuring founders, investors and policy leaders shaping the transition to a resilient, regenerative economy.First Tuesday of every month.Grab tickets here:👉 earthset.coIf you enjoyed this episodePlease take a moment to:Leave 5 starsWrite a quick reviewShare the episode with someone interested in clean energy, geopolitics or the future of electric vehiclesIt helps more people discover the show.Thanks for listening — see you at the next live event or in your feed soon.

What if one of the most important industries for solving climate change barely exists today?The world is getting better at reducing emissions. Renewable energy is scaling. Electrification is accelerating. Efficiency is improving.But even in the most optimistic climate scenarios, billions of tonnes of carbon dioxide will still need to be removed from the atmosphere every year.In this Earth Set conversation, Amy brings together three experts working on the emerging carbon removal economy to unpack what that actually means.Codie Rossi, Director of Carbon Management and Markets at the Clean Air Task Force, works on the policy frameworks shaping carbon removal markets.Richard Barker, Partner at Counteract, advises investors and companies on carbon strategy and the realities of scaling climate technologies.Swarnali Mitra, Director at CUR8, builds portfolios of carbon removal projects for corporate buyers navigating the early market.Together they explore how carbon removal works, why it’s becoming central to climate strategy, and why building this industry could be one of the largest economic transitions of the coming decades.Humanity emits roughly 55–60 billion tonnes of greenhouse gases every year.Most climate pathways now suggest the world will also need 5–15 billion tonnes of carbon removal annually to stabilise global temperatures.Today, we remove only a tiny fraction of that.This conversation explores the gap between those numbers, the technologies trying to close it, and the financial and policy systems that will determine whether carbon removal becomes a defining industry of the 21st century.In this episode you’ll learnWhy cutting emissions alone won’t be enough to stabilise the climateWhat carbon removal actually is and how it differs from carbon capture and offsetsWhy the world may need billions of tonnes of removals every yearHow approaches like direct air capture, mineralisation and ocean-based removal workWhy carbon removal markets are still at a very early stageThe financing challenge of building projects before buyers existHow corporate buyers are helping to create early demandWhy measurement, verification and trust are critical to scaling the sectorHow carbon removal could become embedded across industries from agriculture to constructionWhy this conversation mattersCarbon removal sits at the intersection of climate science, finance, technology and policy.If the world is serious about stabilising atmospheric carbon levels, a whole new industrial system will need to be built to remove CO₂ and store it safely.That system is only just beginning.Understanding how it might develop is key for investors, policymakers, founders and anyone interested in the future of climate solutions.🎟️ Join Earth Set LiveEarth Set hosts monthly conversations in London with founders, investors and policymakers working on the transition to a resilient, regenerative economy.First Tuesday of every month.Grab tickets here👉 earthset.co⭐ If you enjoyed this episodePlease take a moment to:Leave a ratingWrite a short reviewShare the episode with someone interested in climate innovation, climate finance or the future of net zeroIt helps more people discover the show.Thanks for listening — see you at the next live event or in your feed soon.

If two thirds of the public believe climate change is real, support renewables, and want government action… why does it feel like net zero is suddenly on shaky ground?At February’s Earth Set Live, we took on one of the most consequential shifts in the transition right now: the rise of climate opposition inside mainstream politics.This was a serious look at what’s actually driving the backlash. Energy bills. Industrial decline. Security fears. Media narratives. Political realignment.Fiona Howarth was joined by:Luke Shore, Deputy CEO at Project TempoAlex Carr, Deputy Director at Clean Air Task Force (CATF)Sam Hall, Director of the Conservative Environment NetworkTogether, they unpacked what’s really happening beneath the headlines.In this episode you’ll learn:Why public belief in climate change remains high — but urgency has slipped behind cost of living pressuresHow energy prices became the fault line in UK climate politicsWhy “net zero” polls worse than “climate action” — and what that means for communicationWhat’s behind the growing divide between Conservative voters and Conservative leadershipWhether Clean Power 2030 is a strategic masterstroke or a political vulnerabilityThe industrial trilemma facing Europe: decarbonise, stay competitive, keep industryWhy renewables curtailment has become such a powerful symbol in the debateWhether moving levies from electricity to gas would ease the pressure or inflame itHow media framing shapes public perception more than most climate advocates admitAnd whether democracy is capable of delivering long-term climate strategy in short political cyclesKey threads that emergedAffordability now drives the politics.The debate has shifted. It is no longer primarily about whether climate change is real. It is about who pays, when, and how much.Climate is now industrial strategy.Energy security, supply chains, clean manufacturing and geopolitical competition are shaping climate policy as much as emissions targets.Market design may matter more than targets.Grid reform, storage, electrification incentives and pricing structures could determine whether the transition accelerates or stalls.Public support is not collapsing.Despite louder opposition voices, broad support for climate action remains resilient. The challenge is reconnecting the transition to tangible everyday benefit.Episode SponsorThis episode is sponsored by the Clean Air Task Force (CATF).CATF is a global nonprofit working to safeguard against the worst impacts of climate change by accelerating the development and deployment of low-carbon energy and other climate-protecting technologies. With more than 25 years of internationally recognised expertise in climate policy, CATF is known for its pragmatic, non-ideological approach, focused on what works at scale.From industrial decarbonisation and clean firm power to methane reduction and advanced technologies, CATF works across policy, innovation and markets to help deliver durable climate solutions.Learn more about their work at:https://www.catf.us/Join Earth Set liveEarth Set convenes founders, policymakers, investors and operators shaping how the green transition actually happens.We meet monthly in London. First Tuesday of every month.Tickets and details: earthset.coIf you enjoyed this episode, please...Leave a rating.Share it with someone working at the intersection of climate and policy.Join us in person next month.The transition will not be decided by technology alone. It will be shaped by politics, economics and public trust. See you at the next event.

What actually happened in UK climate tech investment last year?At our second live recording of Season Two, hosted at HSBC Innovation Banking during the Blue Earth Investment Forum in January, we brought the data to the table. No anecdotes, no gossip. Just numbers, trends and a candid look at what they mean for 2026.Amy was joined by Sarah Mackintosh, Director at Cleantech for UK, and Sammy Fry, Head of Climate Tech at Tech Nation. Between them, they track thousands of startups, billions in capital flows, and the policy frameworks shaping the sector.The headline? 2025 was not the collapse some feared. Total equity funding reached £3.9bn, debt and project finance continued to grow, and the UK remains surprisingly stable relative to its size.But beneath that surface stability, there are deeper shifts. Early stage deals are down. Hardware investment has fallen sharply. The Series A and B “valley of death” remains a structural challenge. Meanwhile, AI continues to absorb a growing share of venture capital.This conversation unpacks what is actually happening, where the pressure points are, and where opportunity may be building quietly.In this episode you’ll learn:Why 2025 was stronger than many expected, yet still worrying beneath the surfaceWhat the decline in seed and Series A funding means for the pipelineWhy hardware startups are facing a 70%+ drop in investmentHow energy and power continue to dominate climate capital flowsWhether AI is crowding out climate tech, or simply reshaping itThe role of Innovate UK, the British Business Bank and the new National Wealth Fund\Why food, agriculture and human health may be the next frontierWhat investors should actually focus on in 2026From patient capital to policy gaps, from energy prices to food security, this is a grounded look at the mechanics behind the green transition.If you work in venture, policy, startups or climate innovation, this is one to bookmark.GuestsSarah MackintoshDirector, CleanTech for UKCleanTech for UK is a policy and advocacy group representing UK clean tech investors.https://www.cleantechforuk.comSammy FryHead of Climate Tech, Tech NationTech Nation supports high growth tech founders across the UK, including climate and deep tech ventures.https://technation.ioReferenced Reports & ResourcesCleantech for UK Annual Investment Reportshttps://www.cleantechforuk.com/publicationsTech Nation Climate Tech Reporthttps://technation.io/research-news/Net Zero Insightshttps://www.netzeroinsights.comInnovate UKhttps://www.ukri.org/innovate-ukBritish Business Bankhttps://www.british-business-bank.co.ukNational Wealth Fundhttps://www.nationalwealthfund.org.ukBlue Earth Investment Forumhttps://blueearthsummit.comZinc VChttps://www.zinc.vcJoin Earth Set LiveEarth Set hosts monthly live events in London featuring founders, investors, policymakers and operators shaping the transition to a resilient, regenerative economy.First Tuesday of every month.Tickets and details: https://earthset.coIf you enjoyed this episodeLeave a ratingShare it with someone building or backing climate techJoin us in person at a live eventThanks for listening. See you at the next recording.