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Climate is reshaping the global economy. Losses from major weather events are now estimated at $1.4 trillion each year, and as the damaged assets, disrupted supply chains and declines in productivity pile up, climate risk is turning from an environmental issue into a financial one. BloombergNEF has thus developed an Adaptation Preparedness Framework to assess how major economies are preparing for this new reality. Which countries are best equipped to withstand what’s coming, and how are they getting there? On today’s show, Kobad Bhavnagri is joined by Danya Liu, a senior associate on BloombergNEF’s climate risk team, and Natasha Mawdsley, a strategy analyst, to discuss their note, “Ranking Resilience: Assessing Country Climate Adaptation.”

The 85 million medium- and heavy-duty trucks on the road last year were responsible for nearly a 10th of global emissions, and an array of technologies and business models are in trial as a way to cut these vehicles’ carbon footprint. A lack of charging infrastructure and high upfront prices remain high hurdles to clear. Yet China boasts record e-truck and e-tractor sales, Europe offers them considerable policy support, and even in the US (where sales are slow) the charging market is evolving quickly. From ports in Shanghai to freight corridors in California, could cleaner trucking prove the real test of how fast heavy industry can decarbonize? On today’s show, Dana Perkins is joined by BloombergNEF’s head of commercial transport, Nikolas Soulopoulos, and associate Maynie Yang to discuss their team’s recent notes, “Zero Emission Commercial Vehicles: Accelerating the Transition” and “Commercial Vehicle Decarbonization Monthly: E-Tractors.”

Hydrogen was once the golden child of the energy transition. Yet high costs and limited policy support proved high hurdles for the technology’s progress, and global deployment has fallen well short of expectations. Forecasts now project around 5.5 million tons of production by 2030 – half of what was expected just a few years ago and far below industry and government ambitions. Of course, as with all things energy transition, the story gets more complicated the closer you look. The US is betting on blue hydrogen even as it turns away from many clean technologies, China is driving ahead with green, and India is emerging as a low-cost producer. And around the world, hydrogen is gradually gaining a foothold in hard-to-abate sectors like shipping and aviation, where the fuel could play a transformative role. On today’s show, Kobad Bhavnagri is joined by BloombergNEF’s head of hydrogen research, Martin Tengler, to discuss some of his team’s recent work, including “Hydrogen Supply Outlook 2025: Blue Takes the Lead” and “Ammonia Supply Outlook 2025: Tenders Shape Demand.”

In a few days’ time, world leaders will gather in Brazil for the COP30 climate conference. It’s been 10 years since the Paris Agreement laid out ambitions for a net-zero future, yet momentum is waning. Fewer than a third of nations have submitted their 2035 climate pledges, and current trajectories suggest that the global warming threshold agreed in Paris will be far exceeded by the end of the century. Political shifts, economic pressures, and the US’s withdrawal from the Agreement are all casting a shadow over the upcoming negotiations. Still, there are glimmers of progress, including China unveiling its first absolute emissions target and Brazil pushing for a global carbon market. So can COP30 reignite the collective drive toward net zero? On today’s show, Kobad Bhavnagri is joined by BloombergNEF’s head of global policy, Victoria Cuming, and energy transitions associate Brynne Mary Merkley to discuss their recent note “COP30 Climate Talks to Advance Amid Geopolitical Turmoil.”

Global energy investment is entering a period of realignment. Tariffs, inflation and geopolitical tensions have disrupted financial models, while a backlash against ESG along with renewed fossil fuel demand, driven partly by AI’s power needs, are redirecting capital flows. At the same time, electricity demand continues to rise, intensifying competition between clean and conventional energy. So how can investors and banks determine where their best opportunities lie, whether in clean technologies or fossil fuels? At the BloombergNEF Summit London, Jonathan Luan, BNEF’s head of finance & investment research, moderated a panel titled “Weighing the Investment Opportunity: Conventional Versus Clean Energy.” This episode brings listeners that panel, which featured Ulrik Fugmann, Co-CIO, Environmental Strategies Group at BNPP Asset Management; Ralph Ibendahl, Managing Director, Global Head of Energy Transition for RBC Capital Markets; and Bianca Ziccarelli, Managing Director of CPPIB.

The first generation of wind turbines is now approaching retirement. Developers across Europe, the US and China thus find themselves at a crossroads: should they refurbish and extend the life of existing wind fleets, or dismantle them and build new projects from scratch? Wind technology has evolved considerably over the last 20 years, maintenance costs can be steep, and new projects generally boast bigger turbines with far greater capacity. However, the dismantling of older projects incurs significant costs, the regulatory approval process for new projects can be intricate, and the disposal of turbine components often presents an environmental and logistical challenge. On today’s show, Dana Perkins is joined by co-host Kobad Bhavnagri, BloombergNEF’s global head of strategy. Together, they speak to Oliver Metcalfe, BNEF’s head of wind research, about the research note “Wind End of Life 2025: Global Repowering Surges by 2035.”

Winter is coming, and with it a rise in demand for natural gas. With growing liquified natural gas exports from the US now crossing the Atlantic and filling European storage, the continent looks to be well prepared for the coming winter. However, BloombergNEF weather analysts are forecasting that this winter could be a cold one, with the possibility of reduced wind speeds eating into turbine generation, piling even further pressure on natural gas reserves. So just what impact could these unfavorable weather conditions have on gas commodity prices, and with the “third wave of liquefied natural gas” set to flood global markets, could we be facing an upcoming supply glut? On today’s show, Dana Perkins talks with BNEF weather analyst Jess Hicks and gas team senior associate Olympe Mattei-D’Ornano about the note “European Gas Winter Outlook 2025-26: Final Crunch?”

The US power grid is under mounting strain from aging infrastructure, slow interconnections and regional bottlenecks, while demand, complexity and variability are on the rise. Building a future-ready grid will require major investment, smarter infrastructure and policy reform. So just what can be done to expand transmission capabilities to meet oncoming energy challenges in the US? At the BloombergNEF Summit Houston, Ethan Zindler, BloombergNEF’s head of country and policy research, moderated a panel “Revolutionizing the Grid.” This episode brings listeners that panel, which featured Page Crahan, general manager of Tapestry at X, Alphabet; Michael Skelly, co-founder and chief executive officer of Grid United; Frank Kreikebaum, senior vice president and chief of engineering at Smart Wires; and Rina Harris, vice president of strategic business growth and engagement at CenterPoint Energy.

Copper is a cornerstone of the world’s infrastructure. From transportation to the energy transition to massive new data centers, demand for the metal is everywhere, and supply is feeling the crunch. Copper demand is forecast to outstrip supply by 6 million metric tons a year come 2035, but at the same time, market economics are limiting exploration and some mines are even closing up shop. So who is going to win, and who may lose out, in the global battle for a limited critical resource? On today’s show, Tom Rowlands-Rees talks with Rosemary Katz, a senior associate from BNEF’s metals and mining team, about her note “Tracking Copper in Data Centers 2025-2035: Supply Crunch.”

Despite the gloomy headlines in the US, global investment into clean energy technologies is still rising. The first half 2025 saw a record $386 billion flowing towards clean tech, a 10% rise from the same period last year. Yet despite the continuing rise in investment numbers, the devil lies in the details. For instance, solar was propelled by small-scale installations, while utility-scale investment waned. And the regional investment picture is fragmented, with declines in investment figures in the US possibly indicating capital reallocation to other markets. On today’s show, Dana Perkins talks with the BloombergNEF’s Head of Clean Energy, Meredith Annex, about her team’s note “2H 2025 Renewable Energy Investment Tracker: Record High.”

Artificial intelligence needs power, and lots of it. If all the data centers in the current US pipeline get built, they could suck up the electricity from 100 nuclear power plants and still be left wanting more. One obvious solution for supplying this massive demand is natural gas, which is plentiful and cheap in the Lower 48, and now has the enthusiastic backing of the Trump administration. But with a global shortage of turbines and lucrative liquefied natural gas contracts competing for supply, gas generation faces an obstacle course rather than a smooth road to running the country’s data centers. On today’s show, Tom Rowlands-Rees talks with BloombergNEF gas market analyst, Henry Eaton, about his recent note “Fueling the Cloud: Data Centers’ Bond With US Gas.”

The One Big Beautiful Bill Act has reshaped the US clean energy landscape. Designed to scale back major US decarbonization programs while promoting fossil fuels, the OBBBA has severely restricted the rollout of solar, wind and energy storage projects while also taking direct aim at electric vehicles. The impact of the new law has been dramatic, but could it have been worse? And what does the whiplash between presidential administrations mean for the feasibility of future investments in the US? On today’s show, Tom Rowlands-Rees talks with BloombergNEF’s head of country and policy research, Ethan Zindler, who also previously worked as climate counselor to former US Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen. Joining them is senior policy associate for North America Derrick Flakoll, and together they discuss recent BNEF notes including “One Big Bill, Many Impacts for US Energy Economy” and “New US Clean Energy Tax Rules Could Have Been Worse.”

Right now, there are technologies that can pull carbon dioxide directly out of the air. That could be a critical tool in a world where climate change is rampant. Yet to fulfill this carbon removal potential, the sky-high costs of direct air capture need to fall. Today, capturing a metric ton of carbon dioxide with DAC costs around $900 on average, presenting a huge challenge to scaling the technology when there are more affordable alternatives available. So what is the cost outlook for direct air capture, and which technology type offers the most financially viable means of growth? On today’s show, Tom Rowlands-Rees is joined by Brenna Casey, an associate on BNEF’s sustainable materials team, to discuss findings from her report “Out of Thin Air: The Cost of Scaling Direct Air Capture”.

The Trump administration’s ‘Liberation Day’ tariffs are reshaping global trade flows. With the US currently renegotiating its trade positions with traditional partners and rivals alike, the tariffs’ true impact is yet to be fully understood. Even the handful of new deals that have been struck offer little guidance, as they break from the legally binding forms that international trade deals traditionally take and their contents remain largely undisclosed. Assessing the geopolitical landscape has thus become critical for making business decisions. On today’s show, Dana Perkins is joined by Jennifer Welch, chief analyst of Bloomberg’s geoeconomics team, and Antoine Vagneur-Jones, BloombergNEF’s head of trade and supply chains, to delve into the decisions currently shaping global trade.

Cutting industrial emissions has long been one of the most intractable hurdles in the energy transition. That may finally be changing, as a new generation of smart technologies not only paves the way for abating industrial emissions but promises to do so at scale. Four companies emerged victorious in this year’s BloombergNEF Pioneers challenge dedicated to decarbonizing heavy and light industry: AtmosZero, Circ, Rondo and Everdye. On today’s show, Tom Rowlands-Rees is joined by guest host Benjamin Kafri, co-chair of BNEF Pioneers, to interview the leaders of these companies.

With air travel on the rise, the need for cleaner aviation is growing. Sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) presents the simplest means of decarbonization, but it’s expensive. Aircraft that burn less fuel, engines powered by hydrogen, and even electric air taxis are all potential means of decarbonizing air travel, but none are the silver bullet. So what will it take to green the aviation sector, and what will it cost consumers? On today’s show, Tom Rowlands-Rees is joined by Nikolas Soulopoulos and Takehiro Kawahara, BloombergNEF’s head of commercial transport and aviation specialist respectively, to discuss findings from the report “Aviation Decarbonization Outlook 1H 2025”.

Agriculture is responsible for around a third of global emissions. Yet investment in low-carbon means of growing food has stalled. Venture capital and private equity funding has declined by a massive 76% since 2021, ag-tech firms have declared bankruptcy, and large companies are backtracking on their green ambitions. So are there any “good news” stories about the food of the future? And in the current geopolitical climate, can the agriculture sector green itself while maintaining growth? On today’s show, Tom Rowlands-Rees is joined by co-host Kobad Bhavnagri to talk with Alexander Liddington, a BloombergNEF food and agriculture analyst, about findings from the inaugural “Food and Agriculture Transition Indicators” research note.

When the Iberian electrical grid blacked out earlier this year, there were real-life consequences. Widespread disruption of transportation, communication networks and essential services left Spain and Portugal temporarily paralyzed. Following the event, two separate reports were released by the Spanish government and the grid operator, Red Electrica de Espana, where both agreed that voltage fluctuations were the root cause of the outage. However, they then went on to present conflicting opinions as to why authorities were unable to bring voltage under control. So why did this voltage fluctuation occur in the first place, and what actions have been taken to protect the Iberian electricity grid from future incidents? On today’s show, Tom Rowlands-Rees is joined by Eva Gonzalez Isla, a senior associate from BNEF’s grids team, to discuss findings from her research note “Iberia Blackout: Blame Before Facts”.

Just how green are the investment portfolios of credit, equity and multi-asset funds? Building on its existing suite of banking and investment ratios, BloombergNEF has introduced the Energy Supply Fund-Enabled Capex Ratio, which assesses how much a given investment portfolio is contributing to low-carbon capital expenditures for every dollar directed to fossil fuels. Worldwide, low-carbon energy gets just 48 cents for every fossil-fuel dollar, but the regional picture when it comes to funding this new “industrial revolution” is far more complex. On today’s show, Dana Perkins is joined by BNEF finance and investment associate Ryan Loughead to discuss how investors are funding the low-carbon industrial revolution and the inaugural “Energy Supply Fund-Enabled Capex Ratio” report.

Everyone is talking about how much energy data centers and artificial intelligence will gobble up in the coming years. Yet AI is just one part of a vast, complex and constantly evolving energy landscape. So how will the AI revolution fit into a world where electric vehicles are displacing liquid road fuels, renewable-power projects are stuck in grid queues and big tech is investing in nuclear? On today’s show, Tom Rowlands-Rees is joined by Ian Berryman, BloombergNEF’s head of energy systems modeling, to discuss findings from this year’s edition of the New Energy Outlook. For the first time ever, BNEF’s flagship report has modeled the impact of data centers on the transition to a low-carbon economy. But how much of the global power supply will AI really require? And will additional clean energy sources be built to meet that added demand, or could the extra grid strain simply extend the lifespan of fossil-fuel generation?