Podcast series: Energy fact check

Does nuclear power have a future? Are electric cars dirty? In a four-part series, the ETH Podcast takes a detailed look at popular theories about the future of energy.
(Graphic: ETH Zurich)

Electric vehicles are no more environmentally friendly than other cars, the energy transition is too expensive and a return to nuclear power is essential if blackouts are to be prevented. And Switzerland is too small to do anything about climate change anyway. These statements are cited repeatedly in the Swiss discourse on energy and climate.

The ETH Podcast is devoting a special series to address these claims – exceptionally in German. In four episodes, ETH experts are interviewed on various topics – including Christian Schaffner, Head of the Energy Science Center at ETH, Gabriela Hug, Professor at the Institute for Power Systems & High Voltage Technology, Sonia Seneviratne, Professor of Land-Climate Dynamics, and Marco Mazzotti, Professor at the Institute of Process Engineering.

The first episode looks at blackouts and the alleged solution – nuclear power plants. The second episode explores the question of whether electric cars are better than petrol cars. Episode three takes a close look at the costs of the energy transition, and the last episode looks at whether Switzerland is too small to avert the climate crisis.

You can listen to the podcasts on ethz.ch, Apple Podcasts, Spotify or other platforms. We would be happy to receive your feedback or if you recommend this podcast to others.

Podcast Energy fact check

To the podcast episodes