In 2021, legendary investor John Doerr outlined his plan to solve climate change in his bestseller “Speed & Scale.” The plan outlines 10 objectives, each with their own set of key results, to cut emissions to net zero. And in true John Doerr style, the results are to be measurable and trackable.

Now, five years later, Doerr and co-author Ryan Panchadsaram unveil their 2026 update, revealing where the world is winning, where it's falling behind, and what it will take to close the gap.

Guests:

John Doerr, Venture capitalist; Chair, Kleiner Perkins

Ryan Panchadsaram, Advisor to the Chairman, Kleiner Perkins

Aliya Haq, President, Clean Economy Project (CleanEcon)

Robinson Meyer, Founding Executive Editor, Heatmap News

Nancy E. Pfund, Founder and Managing Partner, DBL Partners

For show notes, transcript, and related links, visit https://www.climateone.org/podcasts

Highlights:

00:00 – Intro

01:00 – John Doerr on how his plan differs from others

05:30 – Ryan Panchadsaram: updated plan focuses on what needs to be built, rather than cut

08:30 – Bright spot: deployment of solar and wind

10:00 – Big challenges: methane leaks

15:30 – Keeping accountable with shifting deadlines

19:00 – Where government succeeds and fails in addressing climate

21:30 – Where tech industry/VC succeeds and fails in addressing climate

29:00 – Reframing the climate narrative around the good news

33:20 – Aliya Haq: load growth is an incredible opportunity for us to advance clean

37:00 – Coalition uniting to fix the grid and make policy work for clean energy

39:00 – Robinson Meyer on geopolitical energy shocks and reconsideration of fuel sources

44:15 – Race for clean tech is a “frenemy” competition

48:00 – Nancy Pfund: Clean energy remains a very “investable” area

52:00 – Cost curves for EVs, solar are inexorable – we just need to build policy to support it

54:00 – Climate One More Thing

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John Doerr and Ryan Panchadsaram: Speed & Scale’s Reality Check