The Earth Set Podcast

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 ago
How lithium-ion batteries unlocked the modern EV revolution
Why minerals like lithium, cobalt, nickel and graphite are essential to the clean energy transition
How China built dominance across the global battery supply chain
Why Western countries struggle to finance new mining projects
How geopolitics, trade policy and subsidies are reshaping the EV industry
The tension between sustainable mining and the massive demand for critical minerals
What the next generation of battery technology and energy storage could look like
Resources & Links
Henry Sanderson – Volt Rush: The Winners and Losers in the Race to Go Green
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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 learn
Why cutting emissions alone won’t be enough to stabilise the climate
What carbon removal actually is and how it differs from carbon capture and offsets
Why the world may need billions of tonnes of removals every year
How approaches like direct air capture, mineralisation and ocean-based removal work
Why carbon removal markets are still at a very early stage
The financing challenge of building projects before buyers exist
How corporate buyers are helping to create early demand
Why measurement, verification and trust are critical to scaling the sector
How carbon removal could become embedded across industries from agriculture to construction
Why this conversation matters
Carbon 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 Live
Earth 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 episode
Please take a moment to:
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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 Tempo
Alex Carr, Deputy Director at Clean Air Task Force (CATF)
Sam Hall, Director of the Conservative Environment Network
Together, 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 pressures
How energy prices became the fault line in UK climate politics
Why “net zero” polls worse than “climate action” — and what that means for communication
What’s behind the growing divide between Conservative voters and Conservative leadership
Whether Clean Power 2030 is a strategic masterstroke or a political vulnerability
The industrial trilemma facing Europe: decarbonise, stay competitive, keep industry
Why renewables curtailment has become such a powerful symbol in the debate
Whether moving levies from electricity to gas would ease the pressure or inflame it
How media framing shapes public perception more than most climate advocates admit
And whether democracy is capable of delivering long-term climate strategy in short political cycles
Key threads that emerged
Affordability 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 Sponsor
This 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 live
Earth 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.co
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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 surface
What the decline in seed and Series A funding means for the pipeline
Why hardware startups are facing a 70%+ drop in investment
How energy and power continue to dominate climate capital flows
Whether AI is crowding out climate tech, or simply reshaping it
The role of Innovate UK, the British Business Bank and the new National Wealth Fund\
Why food, agriculture and human health may be the next frontier
What investors should actually focus on in 2026
From 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.
Guests
Sarah Mackintosh
Director, CleanTech for UK
CleanTech for UK is a policy and advocacy group representing UK clean tech investors.
https://www.cleantechforuk.com
Sammy Fry
Head of Climate Tech, Tech Nation
Tech Nation supports high growth tech founders across the UK, including climate and deep tech ventures.
https://technation.io
Referenced Reports & Resources
Cleantech for UK Annual Investment Reports
https://www.cleantechforuk.com/publications
Tech Nation Climate Tech Report
https://technation.io/research-news/
Net Zero Insights
https://www.netzeroinsights.com
Innovate UK
https://www.ukri.org/innovate-uk
British Business Bank
https://www.british-business-bank.co.uk
National Wealth Fund
https://www.nationalwealthfund.org.uk
Blue Earth Investment Forum
https://blueearthsummit.com
Zinc VC
https://www.zinc.vc
Join Earth Set Live
Earth 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.co
If you enjoyed this episode
Leave a rating
Share it with someone building or backing climate tech
Join us in person at a live event
Thanks for listening. See you at the next recording.

Coal feels like history. Steam engines. Sooty faces. Museums and memorial plaques.
And yet it still generates around a third of the world’s electricity and accounts for roughly 37 percent of global carbon emissions. Every year, we burn close to one tonne of coal per person on Earth.
In this live recording from Octopus Energy & Octopus EV HQ, Fiona Howarth unpacks why coal refuses to fade quietly into the past.
Joining them are two exceptional guests:
Lucy Shaw
Energy investor and advisor. Founder of an energy and climate investment consultancy. Former infrastructure investor at Blackstone, Actis, Vena Energy and the IFC (World Bank Group). Former BCG consultant and ExxonMobil engineer. Fulbright Scholar with an MBA from Harvard Business School and an MPA from the Harvard Kennedy School. Lucy is currently writing a book titled Slow Burn on the global persistence of coal.
Dr Sam Geall
Associate Fellow at Chatham House and Senior Visiting Research Fellow at the Oxford Institute for Energy Studies. Former CEO of Dialogue Earth (formerly China Dialogue). Specialist in China’s climate and energy transition, with a PhD in Social Anthropology and deep expertise on how energy, politics and industrial policy intersect in China.
Together, they explore a question that sounds simple and turns out to be anything but:
If coal is dirty, deadly and increasingly uneconomic, why are we still using so much of it?
Why coal still supplies around one third of global electricity

Why absolute coal use keeps rising, even as its share of the mix falls

How coal contributes an estimated 37% of global carbon emissions

Why China is simultaneously building record amounts of renewables and new coal capacity

How energy security, industrial policy and political legitimacy shape China’s coal strategy

What’s driving India’s continued expansion of coal

Why coal has become a culture war issue in the US

The role of jobs, identity and community in coal regions

Whether the UK really has “moved on” from coal, or simply offshored it

Why carbon capture is unlikely to rescue coal at scale

What a just transition actually looks like, and why most countries are still struggling to deliver one

Coal is declining in some regions. It is expanding in others. In many places, it is both shrinking and growing at the same time.
One thread ran through the entire conversation: coal is not just an energy source. It is a social system.
The question is not simply how to shut coal down. It is how to do so without hollowing out the places that built their lives around it.
Lucy Shaw
Follow Lucy on Substack
Dr Sam Geall
Chatham House – Environment & Society Centre

Oxford Institute for Energy Studies
https://www.oxfordenergy.org
Dialogue Earth
https://dialogue.earth
Further reading on China’s energy transition
Dialogue Earth – China energy coverage
https://dialogue.earth/en/tag/china-in-the-world/
Earth Set is a growing community of founders, investors, policymakers and operators shaping the business of climate.
We host monthly live events in London featuring people building the transition in real time.
First Tuesday of every month.
Find upcoming events and tickets at:
👉 https://earthset.co
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