It seems like almost every day there is another story about new advancements in Artificial Intelligence, or AI. By now, many of us are familiar with ChatGPT, but there is a wide variety of different models and applications for the rapidly-evolving AI technology. To wrap up Season 7 of The Climate Conversation podcast, Dan and Alison are joined by Helena Fu, director of the Department of Energy (DOE) Office of Critical and Emerging Technologies. Helena discusses how AI can help modernize the power grid for a clean energy future and shares some of what DOE’s newest office has accomplished since it opened in December 2023.

Show notes:

• AI for Energy: Opportunities for a Modern Grid and Clean Energy Economy: https://www.energy.gov/sites/default/files/2024-04/AI%20EO%20Report%20Section%205.2g%28i%29_043024.pdf
• AI: Powering the New Energy Era: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UtsVXbsO1zI&t=1090s
• Innovations in Weather Forecasting for a Changing Climate: https://www.eesi.org/briefings/view/021524weather
• All Fired up for Innovation in Wildfire Risk Analysis: https://www.eesi.org/podcasts/view/7.6-all-fired-up-for-innovation-in-wildfire-risk-analysis
• Funding the Future: The Impact of Federal Clean Energy Investments: https://www.eesi.org/briefings/view/041224doe
• How the Department of Energy is Catapulting Clean Energy Innovation to Commercial Liftoff: https://www.eesi.org/podcasts/view/6.4-how-the-department-of-energy-is-catapulting-clean-energy-innovation-to-commercial-liftoff

The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has ten regional offices across the country that carry out the agency’s programs. In this episode, co-hosts Dan and Alison sit down with EPA Mid-Atlantic Regional Administrator Adam Ortiz, whose office serves Delaware, Maryland, Pennsylvania, Virginia, West Virginia, DC, and seven federally recognized tribes. Adam shares his insights on Chesapeake Bay restoration and other EPA priorities in the region, as well as the importance of environmental justice and local partnerships.

Show notes:

• EPA Mid-Atlantic Summit: https://web.cvent.com/event/a40840fe-b2dc-4848-81d6-dd2afdbe6c70/summary
• Washington D.C. RiverSmart Homes Program Helps Protect the Chesapeake Bay Watershed: https://www.eesi.org/articles/view/washington-d.c-riversmart-homes-program-helps-protect-the-chesapeake-bay-watershed
• Improving Coastal Resilience in the Northeast: https://www.eesi.org/briefings/view/102319northeast

Wildfires have already made national headlines this year, as Texans recover from the largest fire in their state's history. The impacts of climate change—rising temperatures and drought, in particular—have driven the increase in wildfire frequency and severity, which then contributes to air pollution, including carbon dioxide emissions. Additionally, changes in weather patterns have made wildfires less predictable and more difficult to contain. Co-hosts Dan and Alison are joined today by Joe Scott, founder and principal wildfire analyst at Pyrologix, for a conversation about how fire modeling and hazard assessment can help shape data-driven approaches to wildfire mitigation.

Show notes:

• Living with Climate Change: Wildfires: https://www.eesi.org/briefings/view/061322climatechange
• Rethinking Tourism in the Wake of West Maui’s Wildfires: https://www.eesi.org/articles/view/rethinking-tourism-in-the-wake-of-west-mauis-wildfires
• Hawaii Prioritizes Energy Equity So No One Gets Left Behind or Forgotten: https://www.eesi.org/podcasts/view/7.5-hawaii-prioritizes-energy-equity-so-no-one-gets-left-behind-or-forgotten
• Q&A: Learning from the Past to Chart the Future of Fire in Western Forests: https://www.eesi.org/articles/view/qa-learning-from-the-past-to-chart-the-future-of-fire-in-western-forests
• The Future of Forestry in the Farm Bill: https://www.eesi.org/briefings/view/060723farmbill