WEBVTT - Is China the Next Green Superpower? 0:00:00.120 --> 0:00:02.520 Guess what, mango, what's that will? I'm not sure if 0:00:02.520 --> 0:00:05.000 you saw this, but earlier this year, the Chinese province 0:00:05.040 --> 0:00:08.640 of Qinghai successfully powered itself for a full week on 0:00:08.720 --> 0:00:12.080 a renewable energy I'm not sure I heard that. So 0:00:12.119 --> 0:00:14.120 I had read about this just a little bit, but 0:00:14.200 --> 0:00:16.600 I didn't remember the scale of it. So they were 0:00:16.680 --> 0:00:19.560 using solar and wind and hydro power, and they managed 0:00:19.600 --> 0:00:22.720 to provide power to five point six million residents for 0:00:22.840 --> 0:00:25.840 seven full days. I mean, that's more than the population 0:00:25.920 --> 0:00:29.000 of Los Angeles. It's more than Chicago. It's more than 0:00:29.040 --> 0:00:32.800 Phoenix and Philadelphia and San Antonio combined. It's more than 0:00:32.840 --> 0:00:38.040 San Diego, Dallas, Seattle, and Austin combined. I think we 0:00:38.159 --> 0:00:40.199 got the idea. It's a lot of people. Yeah, good, 0:00:40.240 --> 0:00:41.800 because I think I was about to run out of 0:00:41.800 --> 0:00:43.920 my Citi's there. But you know, but all of this 0:00:44.080 --> 0:00:46.479 is even more interesting when you consider the images of 0:00:46.560 --> 0:00:49.680 big cities in China covered in smog. So it got 0:00:49.720 --> 0:00:52.680 me wondering just how serious China is about moving toward 0:00:52.760 --> 0:00:55.760 renewable energy. And there's a bigger question here, you know, 0:00:55.840 --> 0:00:59.040 are they actually positioned to become the green superpower of 0:00:59.080 --> 0:01:01.760 the future. So that's what we're talking about today. Let's 0:01:01.800 --> 0:01:20.720 get started. HEIIR podcast listeners, Welcome to Part Time Genius. 0:01:20.760 --> 0:01:22.720 I'm Will Pearson and has always I'm joined by my 0:01:22.720 --> 0:01:25.040 good friend man Guesh Ticketer and on the other side 0:01:25.040 --> 0:01:28.319 of the soundproof glass, I think calculating his carbon footprint 0:01:28.640 --> 0:01:31.840 as our friend and producer Tristan McNeil. So mego. We're 0:01:31.840 --> 0:01:36.119 talking about China today and specifically asking the question will 0:01:36.160 --> 0:01:40.000 they become the world's renewable energy superpower? Yeah, and it 0:01:40.000 --> 0:01:42.120 feels a little strange to be asking that question given 0:01:42.160 --> 0:01:45.920 the reputation China has with its environmental standards. So if 0:01:45.959 --> 0:01:48.120 you've ever been to any big city there or even 0:01:48.160 --> 0:01:51.960 seen photos, China has had this major air quality problem 0:01:52.000 --> 0:01:54.640 for decades now. And if you remember back before the 0:01:54.640 --> 0:01:57.320 two Olympics, I feel like there were so many stories 0:01:57.320 --> 0:02:00.600 about the Chinese government and how they were like antically 0:02:00.760 --> 0:02:04.000 trying to plant flowers and trees and trying to pretty 0:02:04.080 --> 0:02:06.400 everything up. It was almost like they had this messy 0:02:06.480 --> 0:02:08.600 house and they were rushing to clean before the entire 0:02:08.639 --> 0:02:11.120 world was dropping in for a visit. Well, I've actually 0:02:11.160 --> 0:02:13.280 never been, but I feel like anyone I know who's 0:02:13.320 --> 0:02:16.040 gone just for work or to visit. Briefly, they've returned 0:02:16.120 --> 0:02:18.959 talking about that air quality in the big cities. Well, 0:02:19.120 --> 0:02:21.000 I actually visited once when I was in eighth grade, 0:02:21.040 --> 0:02:24.200 and I do remember being dusty. But the biggest impression 0:02:24.280 --> 0:02:25.919 China made on me was that we were in the 0:02:26.000 --> 0:02:30.560 McDonald's and it was so fancy. In fact, after we ordered, 0:02:30.560 --> 0:02:32.640 we got kicked out because they were having a wedding 0:02:32.680 --> 0:02:35.520 there away. Yeah, so that's the first thing I remember. 0:02:35.560 --> 0:02:37.520 And and that all the hotels used to give you 0:02:37.560 --> 0:02:40.280 slippers because it wasn't uncommon for businessmen to just spit 0:02:40.360 --> 0:02:42.960 on the floors, even in the rooms, and these were 0:02:43.080 --> 0:02:46.560 nice hotels. Maybe we should change the topic of today's episode. 0:02:46.560 --> 0:02:50.240 We'll just talk about McDonald's and hotels. Remember, that's right, 0:02:50.280 --> 0:02:53.079 things Mango remembers about China. But I know you did 0:02:53.080 --> 0:02:55.079 say it was pretty polluted to and you know, it's 0:02:55.080 --> 0:02:58.480 been surprising when you see reporters talking about China leading 0:02:58.480 --> 0:03:01.040 this green revolution. So so I do want to talk 0:03:01.080 --> 0:03:04.200 about that today. We'll talk about McDonald's another time. So, 0:03:04.360 --> 0:03:06.840 I know, like when you mentioned the green revolution thing 0:03:06.840 --> 0:03:09.600 to me, I was so confused. I've read this two 0:03:09.600 --> 0:03:13.960 thousand fourteen New Yorker piece about this artist Kai Goo Chang. 0:03:14.440 --> 0:03:17.000 I'm sure I'm butchering his name, but it was all 0:03:17.040 --> 0:03:19.600 about how he walks this fine line of commenting on 0:03:19.800 --> 0:03:23.320 environmental issues but doesn't expressly say it because of the government. 0:03:23.680 --> 0:03:27.080 And his pieces are totally crazy, Like he had this giant, 0:03:27.240 --> 0:03:29.720 rusted out ship that had all these pairs of sick 0:03:29.760 --> 0:03:33.520 animals on them, like these wand looking zebras and gazelles 0:03:33.560 --> 0:03:36.920 and wolves and whatever on this bizarro Noah's ark, and 0:03:36.960 --> 0:03:39.320 he flirted it down this big waterway in Shanghai and 0:03:39.360 --> 0:03:42.040 docted at this major art museum. He also made this 0:03:42.080 --> 0:03:44.600 super beautiful lake at the museum. It's this piece called 0:03:44.640 --> 0:03:48.160 Silent Ink, and he excavated down into the concrete floors. 0:03:48.320 --> 0:03:50.120 I'm not sure how he got permission, but then he 0:03:50.160 --> 0:03:53.000 filled the space with this old calligraphy inc which just 0:03:53.080 --> 0:03:55.960 feels traditional and poetic. But when you're looking at this 0:03:56.040 --> 0:03:59.120 lake in a room that's basically all black, you get 0:03:59.120 --> 0:04:02.280 the pollution reference, right. And also there was this industrial 0:04:02.320 --> 0:04:04.280 chimney in the space and he put three baby dolls 0:04:04.280 --> 0:04:06.240 on a swing there and he called an air of Heaven. 0:04:06.600 --> 0:04:09.000 I mean, none of this is very subtle. Wow, And 0:04:09.160 --> 0:04:10.920 I actually I'm curious, like, how did this guy not 0:04:10.960 --> 0:04:13.240 get arrested. Yeah, I have no idea. I mean, this 0:04:13.320 --> 0:04:15.920 is a clear critique of the environment and China's handling 0:04:15.920 --> 0:04:18.359 of it. But he was also the ardent lighting director 0:04:18.400 --> 0:04:21.920 for the Beijing Olympics, so he's really respected and now 0:04:21.960 --> 0:04:24.040 he lives in New Jersey. Anyway, Well, I want to 0:04:24.040 --> 0:04:25.640 give us a really quick overview of the state of 0:04:25.640 --> 0:04:27.680 the environment in China and what they've done in the 0:04:27.680 --> 0:04:29.760 past couple of decades, you know, just to set the 0:04:29.760 --> 0:04:32.440 stage for what they've been up to recently. Yeah, I'm 0:04:32.480 --> 0:04:34.040 happy to do that, and I think it might give 0:04:34.120 --> 0:04:36.760 us some perspective to highlight a couple numbers. First, let 0:04:36.760 --> 0:04:38.520 me let me look at these. So there are estimates 0:04:38.520 --> 0:04:41.520 that seven hundred and fifty thousand people or more die 0:04:41.520 --> 0:04:44.839 prematurely each year because of air and water pollution in China, 0:04:45.279 --> 0:04:47.000 and some of those estimates say by as much as 0:04:47.080 --> 0:04:50.120 five or six years, so it's significant. Yeah, and prepping 0:04:50.120 --> 0:04:51.919 for today's show, I saw that only about one percent 0:04:51.960 --> 0:04:54.440 of the country's city residents are breathing clean air on 0:04:54.480 --> 0:04:57.760 a daily basis. Yeah, it's really staggering and that industrial 0:04:57.800 --> 0:04:59.920 air pollution is what led to cancer becoming the lead 0:05:00.120 --> 0:05:02.839 cause of death in China. And they've dealt for years 0:05:02.880 --> 0:05:07.359 now with major issues around soil contamination, contaminated waterways, and 0:05:07.480 --> 0:05:10.360 lead poisoning, but you know, will mostly be focusing on 0:05:10.400 --> 0:05:13.560 air quality and to a lesser extent, water quality. And 0:05:13.640 --> 0:05:15.880 one other number or index that helps put things in 0:05:15.920 --> 0:05:19.440 perspective is the Air Quality Index, and the US Embassy 0:05:19.440 --> 0:05:22.200 in Beijing began posting that each day, and then that's 0:05:22.200 --> 0:05:24.760 been going on for several years now. So I've actually 0:05:24.760 --> 0:05:27.039 seen the air Quality Index before, but can you remind 0:05:27.040 --> 0:05:29.599 me what the numbers mean? Sure? And so on the index, 0:05:29.600 --> 0:05:31.760 you've got this rating of a hundred one to a 0:05:31.839 --> 0:05:34.800 hundred and fifty, which would indicate slight pollution than a 0:05:34.880 --> 0:05:37.799 hundred and fifty one, The two hundred means moderate pollution. 0:05:38.279 --> 0:05:40.520 Then you've got a range that means heavy pollution all 0:05:40.520 --> 0:05:43.080 the way up to three hundred, and then above that 0:05:43.160 --> 0:05:46.960 from three oh one to five hundred. This means hazardous 0:05:47.080 --> 0:05:50.440 levels of pollution. So it's probably in your best interest 0:05:50.480 --> 0:05:52.560 to steer clear of a rating in that range, and 0:05:52.600 --> 0:05:55.240 I'm guessing Beijing's is not that good. Well, it was 0:05:55.279 --> 0:05:57.359 interesting to see the way the US described it in 0:05:57.440 --> 0:06:00.240 their post on the first day Beijing score c coust 0:06:00.279 --> 0:06:02.120 the five hundred more. But that was the first time 0:06:02.160 --> 0:06:05.120 they actually went above five hundred. Again, this is well 0:06:05.200 --> 0:06:08.320 above the hazardous range. This was in November of two 0:06:08.320 --> 0:06:10.640 thousand ten, and the way they described it was just 0:06:11.080 --> 0:06:14.000 crazy bad. And then they decided to change it to 0:06:14.160 --> 0:06:16.880 beyond index. I mean, that's pretty bad when you're going 0:06:16.880 --> 0:06:19.520 beyond index, especially when the top two hundred points on 0:06:19.560 --> 0:06:23.160 the index already represent hazardous well, and they didn't stop there. 0:06:23.200 --> 0:06:25.159 I mean they were readings in two thousand thirteen that 0:06:25.160 --> 0:06:29.280 were as high as eight hundreds. Perfect is but not 0:06:29.440 --> 0:06:31.719 good in this case. And you know, obviously at this 0:06:31.760 --> 0:06:34.159 point the government had to take it more seriously, or 0:06:34.480 --> 0:06:37.200 at least paid lip service to taking it more seriously. 0:06:37.520 --> 0:06:39.919 So they developed this action plan which would work to 0:06:39.960 --> 0:06:43.960 reduce pollution over a several year period and invest in renewables. 0:06:44.640 --> 0:06:47.640 So that's when China began investing in renewables. Well, actually 0:06:47.640 --> 0:06:51.000 the investments began growing substantially well before this, and that 0:06:51.080 --> 0:06:54.159 growth really began in two thousand four, two thousand five, 0:06:54.240 --> 0:06:56.760 and and just to illustrate this growth, So in two 0:06:56.800 --> 0:07:00.719 thousand four, China invested about three billion dollars on renewable energy, 0:07:00.720 --> 0:07:03.640 and maybe that sounds like a big figure, but that 0:07:03.760 --> 0:07:07.080 number grew every year after that until two thousand fifteen, 0:07:07.120 --> 0:07:10.040 when it reached a hundred and three billion. So again, 0:07:10.080 --> 0:07:13.080 that's three billion to a hundred and three billings. Wow, 0:07:13.120 --> 0:07:16.120 I mean that's a massively So let's talk about China's 0:07:16.120 --> 0:07:18.960 current usage before we break down their plans for the future. 0:07:19.280 --> 0:07:21.400 All right, Well, let's start with the fact that, not surprisingly, 0:07:21.480 --> 0:07:24.480 China uses more energy than any other country. And I 0:07:24.520 --> 0:07:27.200 think we would expect that given their population. And in 0:07:27.240 --> 0:07:29.760 two thousand and fifteen, China consumed a little over twenty 0:07:30.320 --> 0:07:33.720 of what's known as the world's final total consumption of fuel. 0:07:34.080 --> 0:07:38.400 So this would be the combination of oil, natural gas, coal, electricity, biofuels, 0:07:38.400 --> 0:07:41.480 and any other sources. Yeah, so this was crazy to me. 0:07:41.680 --> 0:07:43.480 I was actually looking at a list of the largest 0:07:43.560 --> 0:07:46.200 energy uses in the world, and apparently on a per 0:07:46.280 --> 0:07:49.440 capita basis, China isn't the biggest defender, or even then 0:07:49.520 --> 0:07:53.640 the top ten for that matter, it's Iceland. And that's 0:07:53.640 --> 0:07:56.760 all misleading because it's a calculation of all sources of energy, 0:07:57.080 --> 0:08:01.360 So Iceland's primarily renewable space energy gets counted into this, 0:08:01.760 --> 0:08:05.080 and also having a small population throws off the statistic too. 0:08:05.120 --> 0:08:07.560 But what's weird is that the US also comes in 0:08:07.560 --> 0:08:11.559 ahead of China on a para capita energy usage basis. Okay, 0:08:11.560 --> 0:08:13.600 so so let's get back to China. How does their 0:08:13.760 --> 0:08:15.960 energy usage breakdown? I don't know if I'm ready to 0:08:16.000 --> 0:08:18.120 get back to China. I still want to talk about Iceland. 0:08:18.160 --> 0:08:21.240 Why are they using so much energy? I know it's renewables. 0:08:21.280 --> 0:08:22.880 We we won't get into that. So all right, Well, 0:08:22.960 --> 0:08:25.440 coal is still king in China, and while it's been 0:08:25.440 --> 0:08:28.680 declining in terms of the percentage of the country's energy production, 0:08:28.800 --> 0:08:32.160 it's still accounts for a little over sixty of this production, 0:08:32.679 --> 0:08:34.600 and that's now maybe seven or eight percent over the 0:08:34.640 --> 0:08:37.079 past few years. But you know, to say coal is 0:08:37.120 --> 0:08:40.280 big in China is a huge understatement. I think, trying 0:08:40.280 --> 0:08:42.800 to produce something like forty five percent of the world's 0:08:42.840 --> 0:08:45.720 coal in two thousand and sixteen. But in addition to that, 0:08:45.760 --> 0:08:48.480 it's also the largest importer of coal. So this is 0:08:48.520 --> 0:08:51.440 just a tremendous amount of coal there. And I know 0:08:51.480 --> 0:08:53.840 the government has been shutting down some coal mines and 0:08:53.840 --> 0:08:57.199 have talked about restrictions on building new plants. But much 0:08:57.240 --> 0:08:59.400 like we've heard discussed in the US, there are a 0:08:59.440 --> 0:09:01.800 ton of people were employed by the coal industry. I 0:09:02.000 --> 0:09:04.320 think I saw this New York Times figure that had 0:09:04.360 --> 0:09:07.600 it at about four million coal miners. Yeah, so it's 0:09:07.679 --> 0:09:10.040 it's a ton of jobs. And and actually let's keep 0:09:10.040 --> 0:09:12.160 that number in mind when we talk about the economic 0:09:12.200 --> 0:09:15.720 opportunity on the renewables front, just to see how it compares. 0:09:15.840 --> 0:09:18.040 But you know, if you've ever seen any stories or 0:09:18.040 --> 0:09:20.440 films about the lives of coal miners and several of 0:09:20.440 --> 0:09:24.040 the rural minds in China, it's an incredibly dangerous job. 0:09:24.520 --> 0:09:26.760 And we hear about the dangerous conditions for miners here 0:09:26.760 --> 0:09:28.959 in the States, but the number of deaths each year 0:09:28.960 --> 0:09:32.280 in Chinese minds are just staggering. And this is despite 0:09:32.280 --> 0:09:35.199 the regulations from the Chinese government, because you know, when 0:09:35.240 --> 0:09:39.080 there's seventeen thousand minds in a country, it's really difficult 0:09:39.080 --> 0:09:42.040 to actually crack down on the illegally operated minds. These 0:09:42.040 --> 0:09:46.720 have inadequate ventilation, poorly supported tunnels. But that could definitely 0:09:46.800 --> 0:09:48.559 be its own episode. And I know we're going to 0:09:48.679 --> 0:09:51.559 focus on the impact of the industry as a whole. 0:09:51.640 --> 0:09:54.280 But actually you were telling me earlier about a statistic 0:09:54.320 --> 0:09:57.040 on CEO two emissions there. Yeah, let me just find 0:09:57.040 --> 0:09:58.840 this because I want to get the numbers right. But 0:09:59.240 --> 0:10:01.640 one report I was looking at noted then two thousand 0:10:01.640 --> 0:10:04.480 and fifteen, China produce just shy of thirty percent of 0:10:04.520 --> 0:10:07.360 the world's total c O two emissions from fuel combustion, 0:10:07.800 --> 0:10:11.120 and that actually makes it the world's biggest polluter. However, 0:10:11.160 --> 0:10:13.920 they keep coming back to this per capital defense, which 0:10:13.920 --> 0:10:15.719 shows they're not at the top of the list when 0:10:15.760 --> 0:10:19.640 measured per capita. I mean, I remember cheering about this 0:10:19.760 --> 0:10:21.640 way back in the early OTTs, that there were all 0:10:21.679 --> 0:10:24.240 these developing countries that thought it was unfair that the 0:10:24.320 --> 0:10:28.480 US was imposing these environmental restrictions on them, especially at 0:10:28.480 --> 0:10:31.000 a time when they were having their industrial booms. Because 0:10:31.240 --> 0:10:33.720 of course, countries in the West grew without real concern 0:10:33.840 --> 0:10:37.040 for polluting in their own industrial revolutions and then tapered 0:10:37.040 --> 0:10:41.079 back once they were like these bustling economies. But I mean, 0:10:41.120 --> 0:10:44.839 it's it's really interesting to note that back in China 0:10:44.880 --> 0:10:47.360 produce less than six percent of the world's CEO two 0:10:47.360 --> 0:10:51.720 emissions and now it's thirty so it's been this massive increase, 0:10:51.760 --> 0:10:55.880 and especially since the early two thousand's when emissions really skyrocket, 0:10:55.880 --> 0:10:59.720 is so six percent to Yeah, that is that is huge. Alright, 0:10:59.760 --> 0:11:02.520 So so coal is the biggie here. Well, actually, what 0:11:02.800 --> 0:11:04.520 about oil? I mean, I know you were looking into 0:11:04.559 --> 0:11:07.840 their oil usage and are they also the biggest user 0:11:07.880 --> 0:11:10.040 there too? And I know I've seen several stories about 0:11:10.080 --> 0:11:13.000 how much the auto industry has been growing in China. Yeah, 0:11:13.040 --> 0:11:16.600 so car sales have grown tremendously, with twenty four million 0:11:16.640 --> 0:11:19.880 more people getting cars in two thousand fifteen. And here's 0:11:19.880 --> 0:11:22.880 what's crazy. So the economists noted that China is at 0:11:22.880 --> 0:11:26.280 about a hundred twenty vehicles per a thousand people, which 0:11:26.320 --> 0:11:29.040 is around the level of America and the nineteen twenties. 0:11:29.360 --> 0:11:31.600 So if you think about that figure, it's inevitable that's 0:11:31.600 --> 0:11:34.760 going to grow significantly in and with that, the demand 0:11:34.800 --> 0:11:36.920 for oil is definitely going to increase as well. But 0:11:37.679 --> 0:11:40.560 despite that, they still haven't cracked the top ten in 0:11:40.600 --> 0:11:44.760 oil usage still. I mean, oil provided about of China's 0:11:44.800 --> 0:11:47.640 energy in two thousand fifteen. All right, well, let's briefly 0:11:47.679 --> 0:11:50.560 talk about natural gas and nuclear and neither of them 0:11:50.600 --> 0:11:54.240 are currently a significant percentage of China's energy usage. And 0:11:54.440 --> 0:11:57.400 then we'll talk about China's role in the green revolution. Definitely, 0:11:57.480 --> 0:12:00.840 So China actually produces less energy from natural gas than 0:12:00.880 --> 0:12:03.680 it does from renewable sources. But we should note that 0:12:03.720 --> 0:12:06.640 the US is both the largest producer and the largest 0:12:06.720 --> 0:12:09.000 user of natural gas in the world. Okay, so what 0:12:09.080 --> 0:12:11.120 about nuclear I mean, the the US is the biggest 0:12:11.120 --> 0:12:13.599 producer there too, right, Definitely, so the US is the 0:12:13.640 --> 0:12:17.040 biggest producer by a pretty wide margin. It's nearly twice 0:12:17.080 --> 0:12:19.520 as much the next biggest, and that would be France. 0:12:19.840 --> 0:12:21.760 But it is interesting way when you look at France, 0:12:21.840 --> 0:12:25.040 like how they use it. They produce a whopping seventy 0:12:25.120 --> 0:12:28.480 eight percent of its electricity from nuclear power. Yeah, and 0:12:28.559 --> 0:12:31.240 China produces about three percent of its power from nuclear 0:12:31.440 --> 0:12:34.199 But China appears to be investing more than pretty much 0:12:34.240 --> 0:12:36.960 everyone else in the space. So just last year they 0:12:37.040 --> 0:12:39.920 brought on five new reactors, which is the most they've 0:12:40.000 --> 0:12:42.320 ever brought on in a year, and they're almost a 0:12:42.320 --> 0:12:45.240 couple dozen more being built right now. In fact, China 0:12:45.280 --> 0:12:48.000 accounted for pretty much all of the global nuclear power 0:12:48.120 --> 0:12:51.400 increase in two thousand sixteen. That's huge. All right. Well, well, 0:12:51.400 --> 0:12:52.480 I know we're going to take a break for a 0:12:52.520 --> 0:12:54.600 quiz in a minute, but before we do, I feel 0:12:54.600 --> 0:12:56.760 like I can actually hear some of our listeners screaming 0:12:56.760 --> 0:12:58.760 at their phones or speakers and saying, you know, why 0:12:58.760 --> 0:13:01.040 did you put nuclear in the no on renewable sources 0:13:01.080 --> 0:13:03.840 of energy? Because nuclear will be very good for air quality, 0:13:03.880 --> 0:13:07.480 and I feel like we need to address that really quickly. Yeah. So, 0:13:07.600 --> 0:13:10.839 there's this ongoing debate of where to classify nuclear energy, 0:13:10.880 --> 0:13:12.560 and part of the debate just has to do with 0:13:12.679 --> 0:13:16.559 how exactly you define renewable energy. Yeah, that's right. And technically, 0:13:16.600 --> 0:13:19.720 renewable energy is a form that's capable of regenerating or 0:13:19.760 --> 0:13:27.200 replenishing itself indefinitely. So we're typically talking hydro solar, wind, geothermal, biomass. 0:13:27.280 --> 0:13:29.880 But you know, nuclear energy, on the other hand, generally 0:13:29.920 --> 0:13:33.080 requires uranium for the fission process, and that's where the 0:13:33.080 --> 0:13:36.240 heat is generated. Then the nuclear plants convert this heat 0:13:36.280 --> 0:13:40.080 into the electricity using steam. So according to that definition, 0:13:40.480 --> 0:13:43.760 uranium is this finite resource. Yeah, but those in support 0:13:43.760 --> 0:13:46.440 of classifying it as a renewable resource, they point out 0:13:46.520 --> 0:13:48.800 that one of the main points of focusing on renewable 0:13:48.800 --> 0:13:52.640 resources is to create cleaner power, and that nuclear power 0:13:52.720 --> 0:13:56.559 provides this low carbon emission option, so they argue that 0:13:56.600 --> 0:13:59.600 focus shouldn't be on whether the resources technically finite so 0:13:59.679 --> 0:14:03.720 much as whether it reduces carbon emissions. But many opponents 0:14:03.720 --> 0:14:06.120 are actually not pointing to its status as of finite 0:14:06.160 --> 0:14:09.240 resources their main objection. I mean, many of them feel 0:14:09.240 --> 0:14:12.040 that the harmful nuclear waste that's produced in the process 0:14:12.080 --> 0:14:15.720 of creating nuclear energy, that's what's problematic and allowing it 0:14:15.760 --> 0:14:19.240 to be classified as renewable. But either way, it's definitely 0:14:19.280 --> 0:14:21.520 a much cleaner source than coal when it comes to 0:14:21.560 --> 0:14:24.320 carbon emissions, and this is something China appears to be 0:14:24.320 --> 0:14:27.120 taking pretty seriously. Well, now that we've got out of 0:14:27.120 --> 0:14:28.800 our system, why don't we take a quick break for 0:14:28.840 --> 0:14:41.960 a quiz. So I want to be honest about something. 0:14:41.960 --> 0:14:45.720 So our guest today, Um certainly has many international connections, 0:14:45.720 --> 0:14:48.120 and that might have been part of the excuse for 0:14:48.160 --> 0:14:50.920 bringing on the show today, but I actually want to 0:14:50.960 --> 0:14:53.720 admit that the real reason that she's on is she's 0:14:53.760 --> 0:14:57.000 the first person who's written in with the fun fact 0:14:57.040 --> 0:15:00.360 that her older brother is a competitive curler in the 0:15:00.440 --> 0:15:02.640 state of North Dakota. Have you have you ever met 0:15:02.680 --> 0:15:05.560 anyone who's a curler in the state of North Dakota Ango, No, 0:15:05.680 --> 0:15:08.720 I haven't. So that's that's that's a big bonus here. 0:15:08.720 --> 0:15:11.600 But Jordan Terry, welcome to Part Time Genius. Thanks for 0:15:11.640 --> 0:15:14.040 having me guys. So, Jordan, where are you joining us 0:15:14.040 --> 0:15:18.040 from today? I am in Denver, Colorado. Wonderful. I love Denver. Well, 0:15:18.040 --> 0:15:19.600 we'll tell us a little bit of what you do there. 0:15:20.040 --> 0:15:22.640 Um So, I'm in Denver because I'm studying to get 0:15:22.640 --> 0:15:25.760 my massive degree in global finance. Um So, we do 0:15:25.880 --> 0:15:30.240 study a lot about trade and specifically China for sure. 0:15:30.760 --> 0:15:34.680 Um But I am also working full time remotely right 0:15:34.680 --> 0:15:38.720 now UM as an academic director for an intercultural institute 0:15:39.080 --> 0:15:43.280 that has locations all over the world. Um So, I 0:15:43.320 --> 0:15:49.480 work in terms of managing teachers and supporting academic departments 0:15:49.520 --> 0:15:56.240 at UM several institutes that have academic programs for locals, 0:15:56.280 --> 0:15:58.360 and we work in a lot of areas that have 0:15:58.560 --> 0:16:02.440 like development needs so that we can receive international students 0:16:02.480 --> 0:16:05.040 who want to study abroad and also do some volunteering 0:16:05.040 --> 0:16:07.680 abroad as well. I think that's super cool, that's wonderful. 0:16:08.120 --> 0:16:10.560 I do have to ask though, when you share the 0:16:10.600 --> 0:16:13.120 fact about your brother being a competitive curler, is that 0:16:13.240 --> 0:16:15.360 true or were you really just using that to try 0:16:15.400 --> 0:16:19.240 to get on the show. It is true. He's my 0:16:19.320 --> 0:16:23.480 younger brother actually, um. And so he is a junior 0:16:23.520 --> 0:16:26.000 at North Dakota State University and he decided to go 0:16:26.080 --> 0:16:29.480 there because he'd be able to continue curling. Um. And 0:16:29.520 --> 0:16:33.360 we're actually hoping for Bago for the Winter Olympics for 0:16:33.440 --> 0:16:37.480 him and his teammates. So our fingers are crossed. That's amazing. 0:16:37.640 --> 0:16:40.280 I actually saw on TV last night, I think the 0:16:40.360 --> 0:16:43.240 US curling team was playing the Scottish curling team, which 0:16:43.320 --> 0:16:46.880 is is just amazing that that's a televised event. But uh, 0:16:47.240 --> 0:16:49.480 I also really love that you come from this family 0:16:49.480 --> 0:16:51.600 of athletes, right. Your dad was in the Junior Olympics 0:16:51.600 --> 0:16:55.560 as a skier. But but you've read Harry Potter every 0:16:55.600 --> 0:16:59.280 book at least two dozen times? Is that true? That 0:16:59.480 --> 0:17:02.920 is true. I'm not as huge a fan of the movies. 0:17:03.040 --> 0:17:05.840 I have seen them all multiple times, um, But I 0:17:05.880 --> 0:17:07.879 grew up with Harry Potter. I got the first and 0:17:07.960 --> 0:17:10.320 second books right after they came out, and so in 0:17:10.359 --> 0:17:13.320 the anticipation every year of waiting for the next book 0:17:13.359 --> 0:17:15.560 to come out. I would reread them all over and 0:17:15.600 --> 0:17:18.080 over again. I say, the first three or four I've 0:17:18.080 --> 0:17:21.000 read even more than that, and then the last few, 0:17:21.359 --> 0:17:23.880 like I do an annual reread of the whole series. 0:17:23.920 --> 0:17:27.560 And that's wonderful. It's a true athlete, just like the 0:17:27.600 --> 0:17:30.960 rest of the family. That's uh, that's amazing. Alright. Well, 0:17:31.000 --> 0:17:34.119 as you know, today's episode is asking the question about 0:17:34.119 --> 0:17:37.480 whether China will become a green superpower, and so we're 0:17:37.520 --> 0:17:41.440 focused on several alternative energies in this in this episode. 0:17:41.440 --> 0:17:43.399 But Mango, what what quiz are we putting Jordan to 0:17:43.400 --> 0:17:47.280 the test with today? It's called the Alternative Alternative Energy Quiz? 0:17:47.560 --> 0:17:50.560 All right, the Alternative Alternative Energy Quiz. We've got five 0:17:50.600 --> 0:17:53.320 true or false questions for you. Are you ready Jordan's 0:17:53.440 --> 0:17:59.160 I guess? Okay, here we go. Question number one. In Rotterdam, 0:17:59.200 --> 0:18:02.560 there's a sustained bill dance club called Club What where 0:18:02.560 --> 0:18:05.560 the electricity for the lights and speakers is generated by 0:18:05.640 --> 0:18:10.760 footsteps from ravers feet. Is this true or false? That 0:18:10.920 --> 0:18:13.640 has to be true? Yeah, it is. And the club 0:18:13.680 --> 0:18:17.040 also features a tapwater bar and toilets that are flushed 0:18:17.080 --> 0:18:21.919 with rainwater. Wow, alright, She's one for one. Question number two. 0:18:22.280 --> 0:18:24.919 In two thousand eleven, two artists designed a line of 0:18:24.960 --> 0:18:29.639 carnivorous furniture based on venus fly traps. Their digital clock 0:18:29.720 --> 0:18:32.800 catches insects and can be powered for twelve days on 0:18:33.000 --> 0:18:37.399 eight dead flies. Is this true or false? That is 0:18:37.440 --> 0:18:44.760 so ridiculous. I could imagine Mango writing that fact, but oh, 0:18:44.800 --> 0:18:47.240 it's actually true. They also have a lamp powered on 0:18:47.400 --> 0:18:50.440 insects and a table that feeds on mice and has 0:18:50.560 --> 0:18:53.159 lights on under it. It's crazy. I have to be 0:18:53.200 --> 0:18:55.119 honest with you, Jordan. I I felt for that one 0:18:55.160 --> 0:18:56.920 as well. As soon as I read that, I was like, Oh, 0:18:56.960 --> 0:18:59.640 that's a total Mango lie. That is that's too good 0:18:59.640 --> 0:19:03.960 to be through. Alright, one one out of two. The 0:19:04.040 --> 0:19:06.919 question number three, The Army has developed a line of 0:19:07.040 --> 0:19:10.240 radios and phones that run on sugar cubes instead of 0:19:10.280 --> 0:19:14.800 batteries using Splendor. However, will jam up the circuits? True? 0:19:14.840 --> 0:19:20.479 Or faults that? Yeah? You're right, all right. Question number four. 0:19:21.200 --> 0:19:24.200 Iceland runs a deep drilling project that's been drilling three 0:19:24.320 --> 0:19:28.200 miles into the ground to harness energy from super hot magma. 0:19:28.680 --> 0:19:33.240 True or faults? Um? I don't know. Iceland is a 0:19:33.240 --> 0:19:36.320 pretty I think Iceland is a pretty sustainable place and 0:19:36.760 --> 0:19:38.800 lots of drilling doesn't really line up, But that does 0:19:38.800 --> 0:19:42.640 sound like something that could be possible, so true. Yeah, 0:19:42.720 --> 0:19:45.320 you're right. I mean Iceland uses a number of these 0:19:45.359 --> 0:19:47.760 geo thermal wells, but this one should actually be able 0:19:47.800 --> 0:19:52.560 to supply fifty homes with natural energy. Alright, that's awesome. 0:19:52.640 --> 0:19:54.800 So Jordan, you're three out of four so far, the 0:19:54.880 --> 0:19:57.760 last one for the Big Prize. Here we go, question 0:19:57.840 --> 0:20:01.600 number five. In Australia, dairy armors have been tying special 0:20:01.600 --> 0:20:06.000 plastic bags two cows backsides to capture their gas, or 0:20:06.080 --> 0:20:09.520 rather their methane gas. They then sell the energy back 0:20:09.560 --> 0:20:15.360 to the state. Is this true or false? Yeah, you're right. 0:20:15.480 --> 0:20:18.119 I mean there are a few scientists working on extracting 0:20:18.160 --> 0:20:21.680 methane from cow patties, but actually bagging your cow from 0:20:21.720 --> 0:20:26.480 the behind isn't actually a practice. Let's not use that 0:20:26.520 --> 0:20:28.680 phrase anymore. I think maybe we should avoid that one. 0:20:28.720 --> 0:20:33.200 But all right, question so she Uh so Jordan has 0:20:33.240 --> 0:20:36.240 gotten four out of five? Is that right? Mango? Yeah? Absolutely, 0:20:36.520 --> 0:20:39.479 and that entitles her to our big prize, which today 0:20:39.560 --> 0:20:42.920 is will be pony expressing her an official part time 0:20:42.960 --> 0:20:45.280 Genius Certificate of Genius which you can put on her 0:20:45.280 --> 0:20:48.000 fridge or frame for her mother, and will also send 0:20:48.000 --> 0:20:50.159