Energy 360°: Recent Episodes
CSIS | Center for Strategic and International Studies
Energy 360 examines the energy landscape from the intersection of policy, markets, technologies, and geopolitics. With commentary from leading energy and CSIS experts, we provide context and perspective on the most critical issues shaping energy today. Hosted by the CSIS Energy and National Security Program.
This week, CSIS experts Joseph Majkut, Ben Cahill, and Gracelin Baskaran cover recent developments in global oil markets, BRICS expansion, critical minerals, and the geopolitics of energy. Further Reading from the CSIS Energy Security and Climate Change Program Oil Market Tightens but China Looms Large Six New BRICS: Implications for Energy Trade Prospects for U.S. Minerals Engagement with Africa
This week, Adi Imsirovic (Surrey Clean Energy) joins Ben Cahill (CSIS) to discuss developments in global oil markets, demand and supply outlooks for the rest of 2023, and the OPEC+ - Russia relationship. Adi is the Director at Surrey Clean Energy and former Global Head of Oil Trading at Gazprom Marketing and Trading, and was a Senior Research Fellow at the Oxford Institute for Energy Studies. He is also the author of: ‘Trading and Price Discovery for Crude Oil’ and editor of ‘Brent Crude Oil, Genesis and Development of the World's Most Important Oil Benchmark’.
This week, Simone Tagliapietra, a Senior Fellow with Bruegel, joins CSIS program director Joseph Majkut to discuss how Europe is managing the ongoing energy crisis and moving away from Russian energy supplies while advancing decarbonization efforts, also look at the future of energy security in Europe, and the state of U.S.-EU energy policy cooperation. Further Reading After the great energy crisis: Europe’s new landscape, Testimony before the U.S. Senate Climate Change Task Force
Rebooting the Net Zero Industry Act: Testimony before the European Economic and Social Committee
In this week’s episode, Steven Burns, Chief Director of Energy and Infrastructure for Europe and Eurasia, USAID, joins Ben Cahill with the CSIS Energy Security and Climate Change Program, for an update on Ukraine’s energy sector. Steve describes the current state of Ukraine’s energy sector and the extensive damage done by Russian attacks this past winter, especially to the electricity sector. Steve outlines the role that USAID is playing in the reconstruction, with the help of its partners and Ukrainian counterparts, to fix the existing energy infrastructure, restore capacity, and build for a more resilient and lower-emission energy future.
This week, David Fishman, a Senior Manager at The Lantau Group, joins Cy McGeady to look at the Chinese electric power sector. China is leading in renewable energy deployment but at the same time is building and using coal-fired power plants. David and Cy look at the Chinese sector to understand how both these things can be true and what it means for China’s energy future.
This week, Rick Rossow, Chair in U.S.-India Policy Studies here at CSIS, joins Joseph Majkut to discuss India’s ambitious renewable energy targets, where it is exceeding or failing to meet those targets, subnational collaboration with counterparts in U.S. states, and India’s position on the world stage over the next decade. Further Reading: Accelerate: 175: A Plan for Targeted Renewable Energy Cooperation with Key Indian States
This week, Laszlo Varro (Shell) joins Joseph Majkut (CSIS) to discuss the latest Shell Scenarios, called Sky and Archipelago, and how they relate to the world’s present geopolitical, energy, and climate developments. Laszlo Varro is Vice-President, Global Business Environment at Shell, where he leads their analyses of energy scenarios, macroeconomics, climate policy, and geopolitics. Varro joined Shell in 2021, after ten years at the International Energy Agency. For more, check out the Shell Scenarios.
Did energy and climate play a role in the US midterm elections? David Goldwyn and Joseph Majkut look at how the energy and climate agendas may have factored into specific elections and what the outcome means now for the U.S. domestic and international energy and climate agendas. David Goldwyn is president of Goldwyn Global Strategies, LLC, an international energy advisory consultancy and chairman of the Atlantic Council Global Energy Center’s Energy Advisory Group. Mr. Goldwyn served as the U.S. Department of State’s special envoy and coordinator for international energy affairs from 2009 to 2011 and assistant secretary of energy for international affairs (1999-2001). Mr. Goldwyn is a member of the U.S. National Petroleum Council and the Council on Foreign Relations. Mr. Goldwyn holds a B.A. in Government from Georgetown University, an M.A. in Public Affairs from Princeton University Woodrow Wilson School of Public and International Affairs and a J.D. from New York University.
This week Joseph Majkut talks with David Victor, professor with the School of Global Policy and Strategy at UC San Diego and author, with Charles Sabel, of Fixing the Climate: Strategies for an Uncertain World. David and Joseph look at how the process of global climate governance has shaped the climate community, providing examples for where leaders in government, civil society and the private sector can craft practices to move faster on global climate action. David Victor is a professor of innovation and public policy at the School of Global Policy and Strategy at UC San Diego. Victor is the co-director of the campus-wide Deep Decarbonization Initiative, which focuses on real world strategies for bringing the world to nearly zero emissions of warming gases. He is also an adjunct professor in Climate, Atmospheric Science & Physical Oceanography at the Scripps Institution of Oceanography. Learn More: Fixing the Climate: Strategies for an Uncertain World A Cleaner Future for Flight — aviation needs a radical redesign
This week, Joseph Majkut (CSIS) talks with Mike Catanzaro (CGCN) and Marcela Mulholland (Data for Progress) about the need for permitting reform to allow for new energy infrastructure to be built in the United States. Without significant reforms to the permitting process, energy security and the climate agenda in the U.S. could be at risk as new energy projects will see continued delays and struggle to be built. Michael Catanzaro is President and Chief Policy Officer at the CGCN Group. Before joining CGCN, Catanzaro served as Special Assistant to President Trump for Domestic Energy and Environmental Policy at the White House National Economic Council. He previously served on the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee and on the Bush-Cheney re-election campaign as a top adviser on energy and environmental policy. Catanzaro was Associate Director for Policy in the White House Council on Environmental Quality and Associate Deputy Administrator of the EPA under former President George W. Bush. He also served as a senior adviser to then-Speaker John Boehner on energy and environmental policy.
Marcela Mulholland is the Political Director at Data for Progress and a member of its senior leadership team. She represents Data for Progress’s work in progressive policy to the media, policymakers, and key partners in the environmental justice and labor movements. Previously, she worked as a Policy Entrepreneur at Next100 developing policy related to the Green New Deal and public housing. Prior to that, Marcela interned with the NAACP’s Environmental and Climate Justice Program and served as an organizer and national spokesperson for the Sunrise Movement. Marcela is a South Florida native and holds a B.A. in political science and sustainability studies from the University of Florida.
Gerassimos Thomas, the Director-General at the European Commission in charge of Taxation and Customs Union, spoke with Joseph Majkut about the energy challenges in Europe this winter, the future of energy security and climate measures, and the state of U.S.-EU cooperation.
Last month, climate and clean energy experts convened in New York for Climate Week 2022 and then Pittsburgh for the Global Clean Energy Action Forum. With ambitious agendas set out for each, we asked 3 people who participated in the formal and informal events which discussions caught their attention: Kartikeya Singh (Climate Imperative Foundation and a CSIS non-resident associate), Sandeep Pai (CSIS Global Just Transition Network), and Morgan Higman (CSIS Energy Security and Climate Change Program). They discussed state-level and federal climate agendas, clean energy technologies and just transitions, with an eye toward COP27 this fall and the G20 meetings next year.
Learn More: New York Climate Week 2022 Global Clean Energy Action Forum GCEAF Side Event: Repurposing coal infrastructure and diversifying local economies to enable a just transition in coal regions
Jesse Burton (University of Cape Town) and Joey James (Downstream Strategies) join Sandeep Pai (CSIS) to discuss progress and challenges in creating and implementing Just Transition policies in Coal communities in the United States, South Africa and India. They look at local remediation efforts, and state policies and frameworks, look forward to how these countries may further integrate just Transition Planning into broader, global climate policies. Joey James is Principal at Downstream Strategies, an environmental and economic development consulting firm based in West Virginia. Jesse Burton is a senior associate at E3G in London, and a researcher in the Energy Systems research group at the University of Cape Town. Read more: GOT FIVE ON IT: Economic Impacts and Observations of the Abandoned Mine Land Economic Revitalization Program Five Years In Moving forward at warp speed: Abandoned mine reclamation over the coming years A Framework for a Just Transition in South Africa: A Presidential Climate Commission Report Understanding Just Transitions in Coal Dependent Communities: Case Studies from Mpumalanga, South Africa, and Jharkhand, India Just Transition Finance Roadmap
This week, Paul Farnan, Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary of the Army Installations, Energy and Environment, and Allison Riley, Assistant Professor in the School of Engineering at the University of Maryland, join Morgan Higman, Fellow in the Energy Security and Climate Change program, to discuss climate preparedness strategies of the U.S. Army and state and local governments. Guests Paul W. Farnan is Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary of the Army for Installations, Energy and Environment. In this role, he is the principal deputy advisor to the Secretary of the Army and Chief of Staff of the Army on all matters related to Installation policy and oversight and the coordination of energy security and management. He is also responsible for policy and oversight of sustainability and environmental initiatives and resource management. Dr. Allison Coffey Reilly is a civil engineer specializing in risk and resilience of infrastructure systems. She is Assistant Professor at the University of Maryland A. James Clark School of Engineering. Her work focuses on characterizing the interplay between the resilience of infrastructure and individual decision-making. Her recent projects include examination of investment decisions by managers of interdependent infrastructure systems and the Evolution of vulnerability of communities facing repeated hazards.
This week, Dr. Sarah Burch (University of Waterloo, Canada) talks with Joseph Majkut (CSIS Energy Security and Climate Change Program Director) about key findings from the latest report from the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) - Climate Change 2022: Mitigation of Climate Change, which provided an updated assessment of global climate change mitigation progress and pledges. Dr. Sarah Burch holds a Canada Research Chair in Sustainability Governance and Innovation and is an Associate Professor in the Department of Geography and Environmental Management, University of Waterloo, Canada. She is an expert in transformative responses to climate change at the community scale, innovative strategies for making progress on sustainability, and the unique contributions that small businesses can make to this solving this complex challenge. She is currently a Lead Author of the Sixth Assessment Report of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change. Listen to our previous episodes: Making Sense of the IPCC Report with Dr. Robert Kopp, October 11, 2021 Making Sense of the IPCC Report, Climate Change 2022 Impacts, Adaptation and Vulnerability with Dr. Maarten van Aalst, March 21, 2022
This week, Kevin Book (ClearView Energy Partners and CSIS) joins Joseph Majkut (CSIS) to discuss how energy issues are at play in the upcoming U.S. midterm elections and what it may mean for the future of the U.S. energy and climate agenda.
In this special episode, Joseph Majkut (CSIS) talks with Kyle Danish (Van Ness Feldman) and John Larsen (Rhodium Group) about the future of U.S. climate policy following the news that Senator Joe Manchin rejected the proposed energy and climate investments that were part of the budget reconciliation package and the recent Supreme Court decision limiting the Environmental Protection Agency’s ability to regulate carbon emissions at existing power plants. Further Reading The Climate Change Agenda can Survive the Supreme Court’s EPA ruling U.S. Supreme Court Constrains EPA’s Climate Authorities Taking Stock 2022: US Greenhouse Gas Emissions Outlook in an Uncertain World
This week, Raad Alkadiri, Managing Director for Energy, Climate & Resources at the Eurasia Group and an CSIS affiliate and Ben Cahill, CSIS Energy Security and Climate Change Program talk about President’s upcoming trip to the Middle East. Ben and Raad talk about why the President is going now and expectations for the trip’s success. They look at the energy issues likely to be addressed, especially as global oil prices are easing off their recent highs, and the role that Saudi Arabia and OPEC+ play in managing the oil markets. Further Reading CSIS Press Briefing: Previewing President Biden’s Trip to the Middle East, July 6, 2022 To Boost Energy Security, Keep It Simple: Add Supply, Cut Demand by Ben Cahill, July 7, 2022
This week, Laszlo Varro, Vice President for Global Business Environment at Shell, joins Joseph Majkut (CSIS) to discuss the Shell Scenarios, and how these different scenarios can help us navigate the energy security, geopolitical, and climate concerns of our present-day energy landscape. For more, check out the Shell Scenarios. Got it, thanks! This is great, thank you! Perfect, thank you!
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This week Kay Harrison, New Zealand’s Climate Ambassador joins Joseph Majkut (CSIS) to discuss how New Zealand is advancing its national and regional climate actions. Kay was appointed to her position in 2019 and participated in COP26 where New Zealand updated its Nationally Determined Contribution (NDC) and announced increased climate finance, signalling further commitment to its climate change action. They talk about New Zealand’s national net zero commitment and how it is being integrated across the country. Lastly, Kay and Joseph look back to if there has been progress on the COP26 commitments look at ahead to COP27 in Egypt and what needs to happen there to keep up the momentum on global climate action.
This bonus episode is from the recent event with U.S. Secretary of Energy Jennifer Granholm and Canadian Minister of Natural Resources Jonathan Wilkinson. They joined Joseph Majkut, director of the CSIS Energy Security & Climate Change Program, for a conversation on areas of U.S.-Canada energy cooperation, including efforts to decarbonize, actions to address the current global energy crisis, and joint efforts to enhance North American energy security.
This week on Energy 360, Peter Irvine (University College London) and Jesse Reynolds (Paris Peace Forum) talk with Joseph Makjut (CSIS) about the future of combatting climate change and how human interventions, including the potential of technologies like solar geoengineering, could play a role. Guests: Dr. Peter Irvine, Lecturer in Climate Change & Solar Geoengineering, University College London (UCL) Earth Sciences. Dr. Jesse Reynolds, Senior Policy Officer, the Global Commission on Governing Risks from Climate Overshoot, Paris Peace Forum For more, check out their podcast, Challenging Climate
On May 11th, the U.S. Department of Interior’s Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM) will hold its first offshore wind energy lease sale of the Carolinas. Ahead of this sale, Morgan Higman (CSIS) talks with officials from North Carolina, Massachusetts, and New York, about how their states are working to secure economic benefits for their states from the development of the offshore wind sector.
Guests: Jennifer R.F. Mundt, Assistant Secretary of Clean Energy Economic Development, North Carolina Department of Commerce, where she leads the state’s efforts to secure economic development and workforce opportunities in the clean energy sector. Bruce Carlisle, Managing Director, Offshore Wind, Massachusetts Clean Energy Center, where he leads efforts to advance the successful and responsible development of the offshore wind sector in Massachusetts. Georges Sassine, Vice President, Large Scale Renewables, New York State Energy Research & Development Authority (NYSERDA), where he works to advance land-based renewable energy and offshore wind resources in New York. Further Reading from the CSIS Clean Resilient States Initiative: State Strategies for Expanding Economic Opportunity in Clean Energy
This week Dr. Martin Skiba, chairman of the World Forum Offshore Wind and a board member of the Offshore Wind Power Foundation, spoke with Joseph Majkut, director of the CSIS Energy Security and Climate Change Program about offshore wind developments. Dr. Skiba walks us through how Germany was able to grow its domestic offshore wind industry and how the industry is moving into global markets.
This week Ed Crooks (WoodMac) joins Joseph Majkut (CSIS) to focus on energy security in light of the ongoing Russian invasion in Ukraine. Ed and Joseph discuss the sanctions on Russia, how the U.S. and Europe are rethinking energy security, and what policy options are available to alleviate the short term supply side challenges without upsetting long term climate goals.
This week, Mzila Mthenjane with Exxaro Resources in South Africa and Dr. Raju Evr with the Indian Ministry of Environment, Forests & Climate Change, join Sandeep Pai of the Just Transition Initiative to look at the role of environmental remediation plays in the just transition agenda. For more, read Understanding Just Transitions in Coal Dependent Communities: Case Studies from Mpumalanga, South Africa, and Jharkhand, India
This week, climate risk expert Maarten van Aalst talks with Joseph Majkut, CSIS Energy Security and Climate Change Program Director, about key findings from the latest report from the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) - Climate Change 2022: Impacts, Adaptation and Vulnerability, released last month. Dr. van Aalst, Director, Red Cross Red Crescent Climate Centre and Chair in Climate and Disaster Resilience at ITC, University of Twente, is the Coordinating Lead Author in Working Group II chapter on key risks and impacts.
Methane is a potent greenhouse gas and reducing methane emissions across the oil and natural gas supply chain is an important part of meeting global climate goals. This week, Fiji George and Arvind Ravikumar joined my colleague Ben Cahill to help us understand why this is so important and what needs to be done to speed up emissions reductions. Fiji George is Senior Director for Climate & Sustainability at Cheniere Energy, Inc., and Dr. Arvind Ravikumar is Research Associate Professor in the Petroleum Engineering department at the University of Texas at Austin and a fellow at the Payne Institute for Public Policy at the Colorado School of Mines. Further Reading from the CSIS Project on Engaging Global Gas Players on Methane Emissions: Methane Emissions and the Gas Ecosystem: Buyers, Sellers, and Banks Disclosure: Dr. Ravikumar’s research group at UT Austin is supported in part through funding provided by Cheniere. CSIS also receives general funding from Cheniere.
In the United States, states are often leaders in advancing climate and energy objectives. The state regulatory utility commissioners who oversee electricity and gas services can be especially influential in guiding the development of new, clean energy infrastructure. This week on Energy 360, Morgan Higman (Clean Resilient States Initiative, CSIS) spoke with commissioners from Arizona, Colorado, and Washington to understand their roles and learn their perspectives and agendas for climate and energy policies. Guests: Chairman Eric Blank, Colorado Public Utilities Commission Chairwoman Lea Márquez Peterson, Arizona Corporation Commission Commissioner Ann Rehndal, Washington Utilities and Transportation Commission
Further Reading from the CSIS Clean Resilient States Initiative: State Strategies for Expanding Economic Opportunity in Clean Energy
This week, the CSIS Energy Security and Climate Change Program looks at some of the energy implications from growing tensions between Ukraine and Russia. Joseph Majkut, Nikos Tsafos, and Ben Cahill look at recent developments to understand what a possible invasion of Russia into the Ukraine would mean for EU energy security and international energy markets. They also discuss the policy and market levers that the United States and the EU have available to counter any interruptions to the energy supply or to punish potential actions by Russia. For more, please see recent CSIS analysis: Ben Cahill: Oil Market Cannot Afford to Lose Russian Supplies https://www.csis.org/analysis/oil-market-cannot-afford-lose-russian-supplies Nikos Tsafos: Can European Energy Cope with a Conflict in Ukraine? https://www.csis.org/analysis/can-european-energy-cope-conflict-ukraine Nikos Tsafos: To Deter Russia, Threaten its Role in the Green Economy https://www.euractiv.com/section/energy/opinion/to-deter-russia-threaten-its-role-in-the-green-economy/ CSIS: Press Briefing: The Russian Threat to Ukraine https://www.csis.org/events/press-briefing-russian-threat-ukraine CSIS: Crisis Crossroads: Ukraine https://www.csis.org/programs/crisis-crossroads-ukraine
This week on Energy 360, Dr. Joshua Rhodes, an energy expert at the University of Texas at Austin, joins Morgan Higman (CSIS Energy) to look back at the February 2021 electric power crisis in Texas. Last year, a major winter storm caused devastating power outages across Texas. Joshua and Morgan look at some of the underlying reasons that Texas was not able to manage the electric grid during that storm, what preventative and resilience measures or changes to the grid have been put into place since the storm, and whether these would be enough to prevent something similar from happening again.
This week, John Larsen (Rhodium Group) joins Joseph Majkut (CSIS) to look at how the United States could create a policy action plan to meet the Biden administration’s target to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 50-52 percent by 2030. John and his colleagues provided an in-depth look at the federal and state level steps needed to meet this target in their report, Pathways to Paris: A Policy Assessment of the 2030 US Climate Target. https://rhg.com/research/us-climate-policy-2030
This week, Sarah Ladislaw (RMI) and Liam Denning (Bloomberg) join Nikos Tsafos (CSIS) to look back at what happened in energy and climate over the last year. 2021 saw the world’s climate leaders focused on the November U.N. Climate meetings in Glasgow and the Biden Administration come in with a sweeping new agenda. Where was real progress made or lost? How could it impact energy and climate policy developments as we move into 2022? (Recorded on December 14, 2021).
This week, Artem Abramov (Rystad Energy) and Casey Merriman (Energy Intelligence) join Ben Cahill (CSIS) for a discussion about what’s next for U.S. shale production. They look at recent production trends and investor pressure in U.S. oil and gas sector and what that might indicate for the coming year. They also consider possible impacts from recent policy actions coming from the Biden administration, especially those concerning drilling on public lands.
This week, David Terry, Executive Director of the National Association of State Energy Officials (NASEO) joins Morgan Higman (Clean Resilient States Project, CSIS) to look at how states are working together and with the federal government to craft workable and innovative solutions to implement energy policies. They cover the recent fall NASEO meeting and issues important to the agenda, including transportation, grid resiliency, energy efficiency, equity, and workforce development. They also discuss how states engaged with the international agendas at the recent COP meeting in Glasgow. For more, please read The Role of U.S. States in Addressing Climate Action.
This week, Gaylor Montmasson-Clair with Trade & Industrial Policy Strategies (TIPS) and Srestha Banerjee with iForest join Sandeep Pai (CSIS) to explore the opportunities and challenges for coal dependent regions in India and South Africa to create just and sustainable pathways to diversify their economies. For more, read Understanding Just Transitions in Coal Dependent Communities: Case Studies from Mpumalanga, South Africa, and Jharkhand, India
This week, Chandra Bhushan with iFOREST and Jesse Burton with the University of Cape Town join Sandeep Pai (CSIS) to look at how key themes of just transitions are important in the context of CoP26 meetings. They then discuss the key priorities on the ground for a just transition away from coal in the major economies of South Africa and India. For more, read Understanding Just Transitions in Coal Dependent Communities: Case Studies from Mpumalanga, South Africa, and Jharkhand, India
This week, Jonathan Pershing, Deputy Special Envoy for Climate at the U.S. Department of State, joins Joseph Majkut (CSIS) to look at what to expect from the upcoming COP26 meetings in Glasgow. Dr. Pershing discusses what is at stake for these international negotiations, which countries are stepping up their efforts to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, and which are lagging on their national commitments. They also discuss what the Biden Administration brings to this year’s meetings, whether Congress will have climate legislation in place before the meetings begin, and how the U.S. has been coordinating with other countries to raise ambitions, and hopefully ensure a successful agreement coming out of COP26.
This week, Alice Hill, climate risk and resilient expert with the Council on Foreign Relations, joins CSIS Energy Security and Climate Change Program Director Joseph Majkut and discusses her recent book, The Fight for Climate After COVID-19. The two explore lessons from the response to covid-19 to inform building resilience in the face of climate risks, how states can better prepare for climate impacts, and if adaptation might have a role at COP26.
This week, CSIS Energy Security and Climate Change Program Director Joseph Majkut talks with Dr. Robert Kopp, a climate scientist, and professor at Rutgers University, about the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change’s Sixth Assessment Report. The contribution of Working Group 1, which reports the physical science of climate change, was released this past August. Dr. Kopp was the lead author of that report's chapter on sea-level rise. They dive into some of the climate science and modeling that supports the IPCC report and discuss the challenge of communicating the findings of a report of this size and scale.
This week, Dr. Cecilia Han Springer with the Global China Initiative at Boston University’s Global Development Policy Center joins Nikos Tsafos and Jane Nakano (CSIS Energy) to talk about announcements from China at last week’s U.S. General Assembly meetings. Chinese President Xi Jinping said that the country would stop supporting (or building) new coal-fired power projects overseas and would move towards clean energy projects. Dr. Springer walks us through what this important announcement does and doesn’t include, what it says about China’s broader climate ambitions, implications for the Belt and Road Initiative, and how China will need to continue domestic efforts to reduce coal plants and lower emissions. for more on China's overseas coal finance, please check this: https://www.csis.org/analysis/chinas-commitment-stop-overseas-financing-new-coal-plants-perspective.
In today’s special release, Joseph Majkut and Nikos Tsafos (CSIS) talk with Jesse Jenkins (Princeton University) about the new draft legislation in the Congress designed to lower U.S carbon emissions from the electric power sector over the next ten years.
This week, Ira Joseph (S&P Global Platts) joins Nikos Tsafos (CSIS) to discuss natural gas markets. They dive into what’s behind recent gas price upheavals, then turn to European supply concerns, LNG exports, and U.S. production levels. They also look at the longer-term future of global gas as it competes not only with coal, especially in parts of Asia, but increasingly with renewables.
This week, Kevin Book (Clear View Energy Partners) and Sarah Ladislaw (RMI) join Nikos Tsafos (CSIS) for a look at climate and energy policies under the new Biden administration. The Administration came in with some ambitious climate and energy policies. Kevin, Sarah, and Nikos assess how much progress the Administration has made so far in moving those policies forward, both at home and internationally. They look at its broad emissions reduction plans, the development of climate-leaning industrial policy, and how the Administration is incorporating environmental justice into their policies. For more, read how Biden plans to decarbonize transportation.
This week, Partha Bhattacharyya (former chairman, Coal India Limited) joins Sandeep Pai (CSIS/JTI) to discuss how Coal India Limited is preparing for a clean energy future. Mr. Bhattacharyya was chairman of Coal India from 2006-2011. Coal India Limited (CIL) is the largest coal producer in the world and how it manages the energy transition has major implications for the coal industry in India. They look at the strategies Coal India can use to diversify its portfolio, challenges to Coal India and the coal sector in navigating this energy transition, and how companies can ensure a just transition for the workers and communities most at risk.
This week Christi Tezak (Clear View Energy Partners) joins Ben Cahill (CSIS) to discuss oil pipelines in the United States. Christi and Ben look at how the Biden Administration is approaching pipeline issues, new actions from state-level governments, recent court rulings, and how these decisions may impact future pipeline projects.
This week, Ben Cahill (CSIS) is joined by Brian O’Callaghan and Jesse Burton to discuss how Covid-19 recovery can be more just, equitable and green. Brian is Lead Researcher and Project Manager of the Oxford University Economic Recovery Project, and Jesse is with the University of Cape Town and a Senior Associate with E3G, where she provides analysis and policy advice on coal transitions in South Africa and globally. Together, they look at how governments can ensure that their economic spending packages can accelerate a green recovery while also being inclusive and fair for all communities.
For more, read: A Just Green Recovery from Covid-19 / https://justtransitioninitiative.org/a-just-green-recovery-from-covid-19/
This week, Michael Greenstone (University of Chicago) joins Nikos Tsafos (CSIS) to discuss the recently published roadmap for energy and climate policy published by the Energy Policy Institute at the University of Chicago (EPIC). This roadmap brings to the U.S. climate debate a host of practical recommendations to lead the transition to a decarbonized economy. Nikos and Michael look at key issues including carbon pricing, transportation, and efficiency while also looking at how to apply lessons learned from previous strategies.
Read the Report: U.S. Energy and Climate Roadmap: Evidence-based Policies for Effective Action (https://epic.uchicago.edu/us-energy-and-climate-roadmap/)
This week, Neelima Jain (CSIS Wadhwani Chair in U.S.-India Policy Studies) is joined by Saurabh Kumar (Energy Efficiency Services Limited or EESL) and Rahul Walawalkar (India Energy Storage Alliance) to discuss the role that energy storage can play in helping India meet its clean energy goals. Together, they examine the policy, regulatory, and economic opportunities and challenges facing both energy storage and Indian electricity sector.
This week, Ben Cahill (CSIS) is joined by Daniel Raimi and Wes Look (Resources for the Future) to discuss the latest report in their series focused on ensuring fairness for workers and communities in transition. They talk about the opportunities and challenges facing fossil fuel communities in the United States as well as policy strategies that should be adopted to help workers transition into the clean energy economy. For more read, https://www.rff.org/publications/reports/enabling-fairness-for-energy-workers-and-communities-in-transition/
This week we look at whether the Department of Energy is set up to meet the new climate and energy goals set out by the Biden Administration. Our guests, Tim Lieuwen (Georgia Tech), Adam Cohen (AUI and CSIS), and Leland Cogliani (Lewis Burke Associates) talk with Jane Nakano (CSIS Energy) about why modifying DoE’s current organization could help to meet some of the new mission objectives and the challenges and opportunities that come with any federal reorganization plan. Read the white paper: https://research.gatech.edu/sites/default/files/inline-files/energy-ecosystem_lieuwencohen_021821_final-v2.pdf
This week, Jane Nakano (CSIS) talks with Representative Elaine Luria about energy and climate priorities for Representative Luria’s district. Representative Luria was first elected to represent Virginia’s Second Congressional District in 2018. Her district includes many coastal communities as well as 8 military installations. Previously, she served two decades in the Navy, retiring with the rank of Commander. Jane talks with Representative Luria about how her background as nuclear-trained officer played a role in her move to become a member of Congress as well as some of the key issues and policies she is advancing not only for her district but for country at large.
This week, Bloomberg energy and commodity reporters Javier Blas and Jack Farchy join Ben Cahill (CSIS) for a discussion of their new book, The World for Sale: Money, Power and the Traders Who Barter the Earth’s Resources. Their discussion focuses on the influential role that commodity traders have played in global oil markets over the past four decades and looks ahead to how the commodities business may need to respond to new demands of the global energy economy.
As the energy transition in India accelerates, how do decisionmakers ensure that the transition is a just and equitable transition? Neha Sharma (CIF and JTI), Ajay Mathur (International Solar Alliance), Srestha Banerjee (iForest), and Mike Ward (CIF) look at the underlying drivers of India’s energy transitions, and key considerations for creating a just transition, including the need for fairness and equity, geographic disparities, lack of social mobility, labor policy, and energy access. This week’s episode is part of the Just Transitions Initiative, a partnership of the CSIS Energy Program and the Climate Investment Funds. For more, visit the Just Transition Initiative. Neha Sharma is Evaluation and Learning Specialist at the Climate Investment Funds and a core team member of the Just Transitions Initiative Ajay Mathur is Director General–designate for the International Solar Alliance, and formerly the Director General at the Energy and Resources Institute (TERI) in India Srestha Banerjee is Program Head for Climate Justice and Natural Resource Management at iForest Mike Ward is Senior Sustainability Specialist at the Climate Investment Funds
This week, Dr. Emily Grubert, a professor at Georgia Tech, joins Stephen Naimoli (CSIS) to look at the recent winter storm in Texas that caused massive grid failures. Emily and Stephen consider what happened in Texas and why the grid there failed to handle the severe storm. They examine the tools and policies that decisionmakers can use to help the grid avoid problems like this and to prepare for worsening impacts as a result of climate change in the future. For more, read Stephen’s recent examiner: https://www.csis.org/analysis/extreme-weather-tests-grid-resilience-across-much-united-states And see Emily's bio for more of her work: https://spp.gatech.edu/people/person/emily-grubert
This week, Justin Wu (BloombergNEF) and Lachlan Carey (CSIS) take a tour of all things climate and energy related across Asia. They start with the outlook for U.S.-China relations on climate under the Biden Administration, consider the recent carbon neutral targets announced by Japan and Korea, move to the Covid recovery efforts and clean energy agenda in Vietnam, Indonesia, and India, and finally take a look at Australia and its technology-forward climate policy.
Ken Koyama (IEEJ) and Jane Nakano (CSIS Energy) look at recent energy and climate announcements from Japan. In October, Japan announced a plan to reach carbon neutrality by 2050. The climate pledge was followed by the launch of the Green Growth Strategy for Carbon Neutrality by 2050, in December. Ken and Jane look at what it will take to reach that target and its implications for Japan’s energy sector. For more, read https://www.csis.org/analysis/japan-seeks-carbon-neutrality-2050
Sarah Ladislaw (CSIS) and Kevin Book (ClearView Energy Partners) look at the U.S. climate and energy agenda. Kevin and Sarah reflect on the outcome of the U.S. elections and the recent Senate race in Georgia, the divided nature of U.S. politics, the riots at the U.S. Capital, and how it all may affect the Administration’s energy and climate agenda.
This week our guest is Mark Viviano, a Managing Partner & Portfolio Manager with Kimmeridge. Kimmeridge is a private equity firm investing in low-cost unconventional oil and gas assets in the U.S., and is also an activist investor pushing for company reforms. Mark has analyzed companies in the energy sector for more than 15 years. Ben Cahill (CSIS) talks with Mark about reforming the shale sector and responding to ESG pressure, the role of activist investors, and what to expect in oil and gas markets in 2021. For more, read http://kimmeridge.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/11/Governance_Paper_111620.pdf and http://kimmeridge.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/02/Preparing-the-EP-Sector-for-the-Energy-Transition-A-New-Business-Model.pdf
This week’s Energy 360 is part of our Energy Futures Forum. This annual project looks at trends and their impacts on the energy sector over the next ten years. This year’s overarching theme was Covid-19 and how it has had immediate impacts on the energy sector and what we might see unfold in near and medium term. Sarah Ladislaw (CSIS) talks with the three EFF discussion moderators to get their key takeaways and insights: Nikos Tsafos (CSIS) on the transportation sector, Ethan Zindler (BloombergNEF) on the electric power sector, and Taiya Smith (Garnet Strategies) on China.
This week Energy 360 highlights our project on Energy Transition Strategies, which examines how emerging economies are balancing economic growth while reducing their greenhouse gas emissions. We looked at three different places: Vietnam, Ethiopia, and the Indian state of Gujarat. In each of these 3 podcasts, Nikos Tsafos and Lachlan Carey talk with an expert about that state’s development and low-carbon transition pathways within the major sectors of electricity generation and access, transport, and industry. In this final episode of the mini-series, we look at Ethiopia’s pathway. Our guest is Easwaran Narassimhan, a research fellow at the Climate Policy Lab at the Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy, Tufts University. For more, read Energy Transition Strategies: Ethiopia's Low-Carbon Development Pathway: https://www.csis.org/analysis/energy-transition-strategies-ethiopias-low-carbon-development-pathway
This week Energy 360 highlights our project on Energy Transition Strategies, which examines how emerging economies are balancing economic growth while reducing their greenhouse gas emissions. We looked at three different places: Vietnam, Ethiopia, and the Indian state of Gujarat. In each of these 3 podcasts, Nikos Tsafos and Lachlan Carey talk with an expert about that state’s development and low-carbon transition pathways within the major sectors of electricity generation and access, transport, and industry. In this episode we turn to Gujarat. Joining the show is Sarang Shidore, Lyndon B. Johnson School of Public Affairs at the University of Texas at Austin and a senior fellow with the Council on Strategic Risks. For more, read Energy Transition Strategies: Gujarat’s Low-Carbon Development Pathway: https://www.csis.org/analysis/energy-transition-strategies-gujarats-low-carbon-development-pathway
This week Energy 360 highlights our project on Energy Transition Strategies, which examines how emerging economies are balancing economic growth while reducing their greenhouse gas emissions. We looked at 3 different places: Vietnam, Ethiopia, and the Indian state of Gujarat. In each of these episodes, Nikos Tsafos and Lachlan Carey (CSIS Energy) talk with an expert about that state’s development and low-carbon transition pathways within the major sectors of electricity generation and access, transport, and industry. Our first episode looks at Vietnam. Joining the show is David Dapice – David is a senior economist with the Ash Center at the Harvard Kennedy School and a leading expert on the economic development of Southeast Asia. For more, read the Vietnam report: https://www.csis.org/analysis/energy-transition-strategies-vietnams-low-carbon-development-pathway To learn more about the project, visit the project site: https://www.csis.org/programs/energy-security-and-climate-change-program/projects/energy-transitions-low-carbon-pathways
This week our guest is Angus Taylor, the Australian Minister for Energy and Emissions. Joined by CSIS colleagues Sarah Ladislaw and Lachlan Carey, Minister Angus discusses the new technology-led climate approach that Australia is embarking on. They look at the priorities, mechanisms, and stakeholder engagement needed to ensure this is successful and sustained policy. They also look at possible areas of international collaboration on energy and climate issues, especially with a new Biden Administration and multilateral institutions like the G20.
Read Australia’s Technology Investment Roadmap: https://www.industry.gov.au/data-and-publications/technology-investment-roadmap-first-low-emissions-technology-statement-2020
This week, we bring you a special two-part episode on the impacts of the U.S. elections on energy and climate policy. Our guests, Kevin Book with ClearView Energy Partners, Kyle Danish with Van Ness Feldman, and John Larsen with the Rhodium Group, join Sarah Ladislaw (CSIS) to share their outlooks for U.S. energy policy over the next 4 years. They look at the big and not-so-big actions and tools that the Biden Administration will have at its disposal to promote its energy agenda across the federal and state-levels.
This week, we bring you a special two-part episode on the impacts of the U.S. elections on energy and climate policy. Our guests, Kevin Book with ClearView Energy Partners, Kyle Danish with Van Ness Feldman, and John Larsen with the Rhodium Group, join Sarah Ladislaw (CSIS) to share their outlooks for U.S. energy policy over the next 4 years. They look at the big and not-so-big actions and tools that the Biden Administration will have at its disposal to promote its energy agenda across the federal and state-levels.
This week, our guest is Yannis Stournaras, Governor of the Bank of Greece. Governor Stournaras joins my colleague Nikos Tsafos (CSIS Energy Program) and Stephanie Segal (CSIS Economics Program) to talk about the economic impacts of climate change, what the Bank of Greece is doing to help prepare the country for climate risks, and the role of central banks in addressing climate change.
This week, Sven Egenter, founder of the Clean Energy Wire, joins Nikos Tsafos (CSIS) to talk about Germany’s energy transition - Energiewende, the ambitious plan to make Germany climate-neutral by 2050. They look at different perceptions of the plan in and outside the country, examining how lessons learned by Germany may be instructive for policy makers seeking to make similar transitions.
This week Kevin Book (ClearView Energy Partners) and Paul Bodnar (Rocky Mountain Institute) join Sarah Ladislaw (CSIS) on Energy 360 to make sense of the energy and climate issues playing out in upcoming U.S. elections and understand what’s at stake in the election for the future of the U.S. energy agenda (Recorded on Sept. 29.)
Just transitions have featured regularly in national-level conversations in South Africa around its energy transition plans and climate change policies and commitments. In this episode, hosted by Neha Sharma of the Climate Investment Funds (CIF), we explore the opportunities and challenges that South Africa faces in moving its just transition forward, and lessons which countries and leaders can learn from the case of South Africa. Neha is joined by two experts from South Africa: Brenda Martin (University of Cape Town) and Mike Ward (Rhodes University and Creating Sustainable Value) to dive into the multiple dimensions necessary to crafting a just transition. This week’s episode is part of the Just Transition Initiative (link below), a partnership of the CSIS Energy Program and the Climate Investment Funds. Resources:
https://www.climateinvestmentfunds.org/news/supporting-just-transitions-south-africa?cid=cif_tt_cif_en_ext
https://www.csis.org/programs/energy-security-and-climate-change-program/projects/just-transition-initiative
https://www.csis.org/analysis/who-needs-just-transition
https://www.csis.org/podcasts/energy-360%C2%B0/just-transitions-introduction
https://www.csis.org/podcasts/energy-360%C2%B0/just-transitions-assessing-gender-dimensions
This week, guests Adrienne Cruz with the International Labour Organization (ILO) and May Thazin Aung with the Stockholm Environment Institute (SEI) join Sarah Ladislaw (CSIS) to discuss the gender dimensions of just transitions and offer recommendations for understanding and incorporating these dimensions into planning and implementation. Resources:
www.ilo.org/ged
www.ilo.org/global/topics/green-jobs
https://www.sei.org/featured/just-transition/
https://www.sei.org/publications/assessing-the-gender-and-social-equity-dimensions-of-energy-transitions/
https://www.sei.org/publications/low-carbon-transitions-in-west-sumatra-indonesia-gender-and-equity-dimensions/
https://www.csis.org/programs/energy-security-and-climate-change-program/projects/just-transition-initiative
Morgan Bazilian, executive director of the Payne Institute at the Colorado School of Mines, joins CSIS Energy Program Director Sarah Ladislaw to discuss energy access globally and some of the metrics used to measure access. Morgan and his colleagues recently released 'Measuring Reasonably Reliable Access to Electricity Services' (link below), which provides an in-depth view of the gaps in global electricity access and how quality of access matters as much as quantity. Paper: https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S1040619020301202
This week we dive into the U.S. energy transportation infrastructure. Kevin Book with ClearView Energy Partners and a CSIS non-resident Senior Associate talks with Amy Shank, Director of Pipeline Integrity at Williams, and Shawn Bennett, Deputy Assistant Secretary for Oil and Gas, U.S. Department of Energy’s Office of Fossil Energy, about the National Petroleum Council study (link below). As participants in the study, they discuss its key recommendations, what has changed since its release, and the importance of building major studies like it.
Dynamic Delivery: America’s Evolving Oil and Natural Gas Transportation Infrastructure: https://dynamicdelivery.npc.org/
This week, Sarah Ladislaw and Nikos Tsafos (CSIS Energy) talk with Heather Conley (SVP for Europe, Eurasia, & the Arctic, Director of the CSIS Europe Program) and Scott Kennedy (Senior Adviser & Trustee Chair in Chinese Business & Economics) about geopolitical competition with the United States, Russia, and China and the strategic role that energy plays in these relationships. To learn more, read the recent CSIS analysis:
https://www.csis.org/analysis/race-top-case-new-us-international-energy-policy
https://www.csis.org/features/countering-russian-chinese-influence-activities
https://www.csis.org/analysis/washingtons-china-policy-has-lost-its-wei
This week, Energy 360 looks at e-mobility in India. Sarah Ladislaw, Director of the CSIS Energy Security and Climate Change Program, speaks with Siddarthan Balasubramanian, Senior Advisor, Strategy at ClimateWorks, and Neelima Jain, Deputy Director, CSIS Wadhwani Chair in U.S.-India Policy Studies, about India’s progress on its ambitious electric mobility plans, how Indian states are taking innovative steps to advance those goals, and the role that subnational cooperation like India’s and the United States’, could serve as a platform to accelerate sustainable mobility solutions. For further reading:
https://www.csis.org/analysis/mapping-us-india-partnerships-electric-mobility
https://www.climateworks.org/programs/transportation/
https://www.climateworks.org/report/covid-19-and-climate-action-understanding-key-trends/
This week, we look at the energy developments in Mexico. Lisa Viscidi, director of the Energy, Climate Change & Extractive Industries Program at the Inter-American Dialogue, talks with CSIS Senior Fellow Ben Cahill about recent developments in the Mexican energy sector, including the impacts of Covid-19, especially on the oil sector. They also look how the AMLO presidency is changing investments in the energy sector, adopting new regulatory plans and tax reforms with implications for electricity markets as well as the oil and gas sector.
More from Lisa: Latin American State Oil Companies and Climate Change: Decarbonization Strategies and Role in the Energy Transition
In this special episode, U.S. Secretary of Energy Dan Brouillette joins Sarah Ladislaw, director of the CSIS Energy Security and Climate Change Program, for a discussion about how the U.S. energy sector has responded to the Covid-19 pandemic and the changing nature of energy security.
Secretary Brouillette and Sarah discuss changes over the last 30 years and how recent developments in U.S. oil and gas supply and demand are reshaping energy security. The Secretary also expands on the recent executive order focused on securing the U.S. energy supply chain. They then turn to the performance of the electric power sector and how the Department of Energy is working with utilities to ensure added preparedness and resiliency for the upcoming hurricane and wildfire seasons.
Kevin Book (Clearview Energy Partners; CSIS), Liam Denning (Bloomberg), and Sarah Ladislaw (CSIS) join Energy 360 once again to look at energy and climate developments so far in 2020, and what has changed since the beginning of the year.
Since they last joined us in late December 2019, (2020 Vision for Energy and Climate), so much has changed. With the coronavirus toppling the global economy, Kevin, Liam, and Sarah try to understand what is really happening in the energy sector, how underlying issues have been magnified by the pandemic, and how governments and the energy sector are responding. They then turn to what role stimulus packages could play and look ahead to the U.S. presidential elections.
Fatih Birol, executive director of the International Energy Agency (IEA), and Sarah Ladislaw (CSIS) talk impacts from covid-19 on energy supply and demand. They dive into how global economic recovery efforts are shaping up and how governments should design green stimulus packages with the goal of fostering the energy transition and building resiliency.
A just transition is crucial to address global climate change. Mafalda Duarte, head of the Climate Investment Funds (CIF), Nick Robins, Professor in Practice for Sustainable Finance with the Grantham Institute, and Sarah Ladislaw, SVP and director of the CSIS energy Security and Climate Change Program, explain the importance of a just transition in the context of their work, as well as how investors can engage with just transitions. They also examine the impact from the COVID 19 pandemic – and subsequent responses – on the just transition agenda.
For more on the Just Transition Initiative, a new partnership project developed by CSIS and CIF: https://www.csis.org/analysis/who-needs-just-transition https://www.csis.org/programs/energy-security-and-climate-change-program/projects/just-transition-initiative
Robin Mills, CEO of Qamar Energy based in Dubai, joins Ben Cahill, Senior Fellow in the CSIS Energy Security and Climate Change Program, to discuss energy sector implications of Covid-19 in the Middle East. They focus on how the Gulf states are responding to the pandemic and the volatility in the oil markets. They also look at how the downturn is affecting gas consumption in the Middle East and whether there is an opportunity for energy subsidy reform in some of the region’s countries.
Yao Li, founder and CEO of SIA Energy based in Beijing, and Ben Cahill, Senior Fellow in the CSIS Energy Security and Climate Change Program, look at the implications of Covid-19 for the energy sector in China. Ben and Yao discuss the direction Chinese economic recovery may take as energy demand—especially in transportation—begins to rebound. They also delve into how the recovery is likely to be uneven across the energy sector, including oil, refining, natural gas and LNG, and inventories. Part of our series of deep dives into the energy implications of Covid-19.
This week we bring you three podcasts with views from around the world about Covid-19 impacts on the energy sector. In this first episode, Arunabha Ghosh (CEEW) talks with Sarah Ladislaw (CSIS) about implications of Covid-19 in India; how it has impacted the electric power sector, renewable energy projects, and economic growth. They offer thoughts on whether there is an opportunity going forward to stimulate green growth and promote an energy transition in India.
Dr. Katherine Levine Einstein (Boston University) joins Nikos Tsafos (CSIS) to talk about infrastructure and transportation priorities of U.S. mayors, as outlined in the most recent Menino Survey of Mayors.
In this week’s Energy 360, Energy Program Director Sarah Ladislaw talks with Dan Reicher (Stanford's Steyer-Taylor Center for Energy Policy and Finance) about clean energy options in the economic stimulus packages. Dan was a member of the Obama administration's transition team, which passed a $90 billion clean energy stimulus package. They discuss what lessons could be learned from previous stimulus packages and what new options the Congress and Administration have to revive the economy which could also promote clean energy and address climate change impacts. Dan is the founding executive director of Stanford's Steyer-Taylor Center for Energy Policy and Finance, formerly Google's director of climate and energy initiatives, DOE assistant secretary for energy efficiency and renewable energy and the Department’s chief of staff in the Clinton administration, and a member of the Obama administration's transition team and Secretary of Energy Advisory board. He recently wrote the op-ed, Turning the Virus into a Virtue — for the Planet.
Ditte Juul Jørgensen, director general for energy with the European Commission, talks with Nikos Tsafos (CSIS) about the European Green Deal. This new roadmap provides a framework for the EU to be carbon neutral by 2050 and develops best practices to meet new energy targets and to maintain forward momentum for the energy transition across Europe (recorded in late February).
For more, read: A European Green Deal: https://ec.europa.eu/info/strategy/priorities-2019-2024/european-green-deal_en Why Europe’s Green Deal Still Matters: https://www.csis.org/analysis/why-europes-green-deal-still-matters
Jon Alterman (CSIS Middle East Program) and Frank Verrastro (CSIS Energy Program) join Energy 360 this week to update us on the fast moving developments from OPEC, the oil markets, Saudi Arabia, and across the Middle East. Note: As the COVID-19 pandemic changes rapidly, the frequency and quality of this series may vary over the next month. But we are still in production as we try to get you the most up-to-date information, so you won't miss out on Energy 360.
Alice Hill (CFR) and Leo Martinez-Diaz (WRI) talk climate resilience with Sarah Ladislaw (CSIS), to understand how communities are learning from past disasters and how decision-makers from various sectors—energy, national security, investment, and more—are addressing resilience needs. Alice and Leo are the authors of Building a Resilient Tomorrow: How to Prepare for the Coming Climate Disruption.
Lisa Jacobson (BCSE) and Ethan Zindler (BloombergNEF) join Lisa Hyland (CSIS) to discuss the major findings of the eighth annual edition of the Sustainable Energy in America Factbook. They reflect on the larger trends of the tremendous energy transformation that has occurred in America over the past decade.
John Larsen (RHG) joins Sarah Ladislaw (CSIS) to talk about the Rhodium Group’s analysis of clean energy tax credit extensions in the United States. Not only could tax credits drive down GHG emissions, they are an opportunity to advance clean energy by offering incentives to supply more lower carbon energy options or by providing certainty to emerging clean energy industries. While Congress ultimately did not have a major tax credit deal at the end of 2019 (when we recorded this episode with John), the idea is likely to be revisited again. For more, check out the Rhodium Group reports: The Year-End Clean Energy Tax Credit Deal: Swing and a Miss for Climate Can Tax Credits Tackle Climate?
Andrew Schwartz and Sarah Ladislaw talk about how and why climate change has risen as a top priority for global leaders, what this means for the energy sector, and what it means for decision makers across government, civil society and the private sector.
We welcome back Justin Wu, Head of Asia-Pacific, BloombergNEF, to discuss energy impacts from the US-China trade dispute and phase one deal. He and Sarah Ladislaw (CSIS) also cover the likelihood for China to meet its emissions and energy targets and to act on its climate ambitions. They look at India’s climate and clean energy goals, as well as the energy developments in Southeast Asia, especially the outlook of coal finance in the region, where we get a preview of new BloombergNEF research.
In 2019 we saw: global climate protests, a trade war between the U.S. and China, a disappointing conclusion from the latest COP, an IPO by the world’s largest oil company. What might next year bring? We asked Kevin Book (Clearview Energy Partners; CSIS), Liam Denning (Bloomberg Opinion Columnist), and Sarah Ladislaw (CSIS) to discuss 2019’s major energy and climate developments and to tell us what to watch for in 2020.
This week, Energy 360 looks at the role of China on the global climate stage. Deborah Lehr (Vice Chairman and Executive Director, Paulson Institute) and Han Chen (Manager for Energy Policy, International Program, NRDC), with Lachlan Carey (Associate Fellow, CSIS Energy & National Security Program), explain the actions China must take to meet its climate targets and be seen as a global leader on climate action. For more, check out: Deborah’s piece: Is China Still the Global Leader on Climate Change? Han’s piece US Withdraws from Paris—Don’t Expect China to Follow Suit From CSIS: How China can become the world leader for solving climate change and Chinese Multilateralism and the Promise of a Green Belt and Road
In this week’s episode, Sarah Ladislaw (CSIS Energy Program) talks with Manish Bapna (World Resources Institute [WRI]) about global climate adaptation efforts. WRI is part of a new effort that recently launched the year of action to accelerate climate adaptation. Manish talks about the commission’s work and how greater adaptation can benefit not only the climate but also the economy and society. For more, visit the Global Commission on Adaptation and read the report: Adapt Now: a Global Call for Leadership on Climate Resilience.
Tatiana Mitrova (Director of the SKOLKOVO Energy Center in Moscow) joins Nikos Tsafos (CSIS Energy Program) to discuss the outlook for the Russian energy sector. They talk about the outlook for oil and gas, the impact of oil prices and of sanctions on the Russian energy economy, and touch on Russia’s perception of climate change.
Raimi and Ladislaw talk with Hafstead about a raft of recent legislative proposals in the US Congress to price greenhouse gas emissions: the major design elements of these bills, including the proposed carbon price; how revenues are used; how border adjustments can help protect US manufacturers; the political viability of these different proposals, including which policy elements might help build support for carbon price; and whether other policy approaches, such as a Clean Energy Standard, stand more of a chance in today's political environment. References and recommendations: The Wizard and the Prophet by Charles C. Mann Paying for Pollution: Why a Carbon Tax is Good for America by Gilbert E. Metcalf "Paying for Pollution, with Gilbert Metcalf" Resources Radio podcast episode
Francisco Monaldi (Baker Institute) chats with Andrew Stanley (CSIS) about Venezuela's collapsing oil industry. Join them as they discuss the current status of U.S. sanctions, geopolitical implications of Russia's involvement in the country's oil industry, and what might come next for the embattled Maduro regime. For more on the crisis in Venezuela, watch Are Sanctions Working in Venezuela?
This week, we return to India's ambitious agenda for improving electrification and energy access across its 29 states. Kartikeya Singh (CSIS) is joined by Indra Keshari (Resident Commissioner and former Power Secretary, Government of Madhya Pradesh), and Huda Jaffer (Lead Designer, SELCO Foundation). They discuss how state governments and civil society organizations continue to improve electricity access in India. For more on Madhya Pradesh: Engaging with India’s Electrification Agenda: Powering Madhya Pradesh Click here for more on the CSIS U.S.-India State and Urban Initiative.
Kartikeya Singh (CSIS) chats with Vikram Kapur (Additional Chief Secretary, Government of Tamil Nadu) about the dramatic changes facing the state’s electric power sector, ranging from rapid growth in renewables to plans for electric vehicle infrastructure. Click here for more on the CSIS U.S.-India State and Urban Initiative.
CSIS Energy Program experts Andrew Stanley and Frank Verrastro are joined by Jon Alterman of the CSIS Middle East Program to discuss developments following the September 14 attacks on Abqaiq and Khurais in Saudi Arabia: what these events might mean for Saudi oil production and the global oil market, and where this leaves U.S. policy toward Iran and more broadly in the Middle East.
Laura Cozzi, Chief Energy Modeler at the International Energy Agency, and Vivien Foster, Chief Economist for the Infrastructure Vice-Presidency at the World Bank, sit down with Sarah Ladislaw (CSIS) to discuss the UN Sustainable Development Goal #7: Affordable and Clean Energy. Their conversation includes their recent report, Tracking SDG 7: The Energy Progress Report, which assesses global progress toward universal energy access, energy efficiency, and renewable energy. Click for more on the report and SDG #7.
Sam Brannen (CSIS) chats with Sarah Ladislaw and Nikos Tsafos about the role of forecasts and outlooks in the energy sector, examining why the energy policymakers and business leaders use forecasts in strategic planning. They also discuss forecasts vs. outlooks, the goal of creating an outlook, and how forecasters look at outlooks.
Jane Nakano (CSIS Energy Program) interviews James Kendell and David Wogan of the Asia Pacific Energy Research Centre (APERC) about the recently released APEC Energy Demand and Supply Outlook, highlighting trade, transportation, and demand trends across the region.
Sarah Ladislaw highlights the main findings from Energy as a Source of Economic Growth and Social Mobility, a new report by Jesse Barnett and Sarah Ladislaw of the CSIS Energy & National Security Program. The report examines energy’s contributions to the U.S. economy and offers recommendations for local and state level policymakers trying to harness energy to create economic opportunity. For more, check out our recent reports: (1) The Changing Role of Energy in the U.S. Economy and (2) Energy as a Source of Economic Growth and Social Mobility. This episode is part of Energy in America, a CSIS project examining the ways energy is contributing to social and economic mobility across the United States.
This week Ranjit Bharvirkar, director of the India Program at the Regulatory Assistance Project (RAP), and Kartikeya Singh (CSIS Energy Program and the CSIS Wadhwani Chair in U.S.-India Policy Studies) discuss the prospects for energy reforms during Modi’s second term and ongoing power sector developments within Indian states.
Koichiro Tanaka, Professor at Keio University, President of JIME Center at the Institute of Energy Economics Japan, and Board Member of IEEJ, joined Jane Nakano, CSIS Energy & National Security Program, to discuss Japanese energy security, including Japan-Iran economic engagement, and the role of the Middle East for Japan’s energy security policies.
Albertan elections this spring brought in a new provincial government promising to revitalize the province’s oil and gas sector. This week on Energy 360°, Laura Dawson (Wilson Center) and Chris Sands (SAIS) join Andrew Stanley (CSIS Energy Program) to unpack the implications of this election. Together, they explain the dynamics behind Alberta’s elections, what we could expect in the lead up to country-wide elections this fall, and what it might mean for Canadian energy policy and for U.S.-Canada energy relations. Laura Dawson is the director of the Canada Institute at the Wilson Center, and Chris Sands is director of the Center for Canadian Studies at the School of Advanced International Studies (SAIS) at Johns Hopkins University and a non-resident senior associate with the CSIS Americas Program. Note: This episode was recorded prior to Prime Minister Trudeau’s approval of the Trans Mountain pipeline expansion project. See Andrew’s work on U.S.-Canada Energy Trade Read Laura’s recent Op-Ed: Trudeau figures out how to get things done in Washington Read Chris’s latest CSIS Commentary: Will Foreign Policy Prove Decisive in Canada’s 2019 Election?
Nikos Tsafos (CSIS) chats with Mark Thurber (Associate Director, Program on Energy and Sustainable Development (PESD) Stanford) about his new book, Coal. Mark and Nikos delve into the geopolitics and economics of continued coal use in energy versus the needs and concerns at the local, national, and global levels. Click here for more on his new book, Coal.
Join Gina McCarthy (Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health and Center for Climate, Health, and the Global Environment) and Sarah Ladislaw (CSIS Energy Program) as they discuss the need for breakthrough innovations to create more efficient residential air cooling systems. The two also discuss the importance of emphasizing the public health benefits of addressing climate change and how best to direct the immense energy younger generations have for addressing climate change and issues of inequality. Click to watch Gina McCarthy’s recent keynote address at CSIS.
This week, 3 CSIS experts discuss the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI), China’s global strategy to be at the center of global economics through infrastructure, trade, and energy projects. In the years since BRI was launched, definitions and expectations for BRI projects and financing have changed. In April, over 3 dozen countries met in China for the second Belt and Road summit, which was posed answer some of the new project concerns which have arisen, including local impacts, environmental concerns, debt, and lack of transparency. Jon Hillman (CSIS Reconnecting Asia Project) joins Jane Nakano and Nikos Tsafos (CSIS Energy and National Security Program) to look at the importance of energy projects in the BRI, changing expectations from BRI partners, and what defines a successful BRI project for China.
Trevor Houser (Partner, Rhodium Group) talks with Sarah Ladislaw (CSIS) about modeling the physical risks and impacts of climate change at the Climate Impact Lab. The Climate Impact Lab’s models are providing companies with better tools to see these potential impacts and risks in their portfolios, allowing them to begin taking precautionary steps to increase resilience.
Titans of the Climate , the new book by Kelly Sims Gallagher (The Fletcher School, Tufts University) and Xiaowei Xuan (Development Research Center, the State Council), sheds light on how the United States and China implement their climate and environmental policies. The authors join Jane Nakano (CSIS) to discuss differences in each’s policy process and regulatory structures as well as to explain how the two countries could find common ground again to advance climate solutions. To learn more about the book, visit Titans of the Climate: Explaining Policy Process in the United States and China.
Frank Verrastro (CSIS Energy Program) and Haim Malka (Deputy Director and Senior Fellow, CSIS Middle East Program) discuss the current political developments in Algeria. Their discussion includes the challenges of creating a legitimate transitionary process, ongoing protests, and uncertainty for energy production and oil markets.
Luiza Demôro, associate and project lead author with BloombergNEF, and Chris Head, private sector specialist with Climate Investment Funds, join Nikos Tsafos, senior fellow with the CSIS Energy and National Security Program, to discuss the potential for concessional financing to accelerate the clean energy transition in emerging markets. For more, read: The Clean Technology Fund and Concessional Finance
Isabel Mogstad (Manager, EDF+Business Energy at Environmental Defense Fund), Geoff Walker (Co-founder and Managing Director at Water Street Partners), and Nikos Tsafos (Senior Fellow with the CSIS Energy & National Security Program) discuss how oil and gas companies are moving to reduce methane emissions from their operations worldwide. Listen in as Isabel, Geoff, and Nikos converse about the unique challenges faced by companies in this partner-intensive industry, where decision making is spread across multiple actors and addressing methane leakage will require a high level of cooperation. Isabel and Geoff also highlight the key factors necessary for addressing this issue within the next three to five years. For more, see EDF’s recent report: The Next Frontier: Managing Methane Risk from Non-Operated Assets
This week, Spencer Dale (Group Chief Economist, BP) and Sarah Ladislaw (SVP and Director, Energy and National Security Program, CSIS) discuss BP’s 2019 Energy Outlook, specifically diving into one of the Outlook scenarios which focused on less globalization and its potential implications for energy systems out to 2040.
Eirik Wærness (SVP and Chief Economist, Equinor), Morgan Bazilian (Director, Payne Institute, Colorado School of Mines), and Sarah Ladislaw (SVP and Director, Energy and National Security Program, CSIS) discuss the findings of IRENA’s recent report, A New World: The Geopolitics of the Energy Transformation. Join them as they explore how higher shares of renewable energy in the global energy mix will shift the geopolitical map and cause fundamental structural changes in society.
Jonathan Pershing (William and Flora Hewlett Foundation) and Sarah Ladislaw (CSIS) review the previous year's efforts to address climate change, both in the U.S. and globally, and discuss the climate action outlook for 2019.
Justin Wu (Head of Asia-Pacific, Bloomberg New Energy Finance) and Sarah Ladislaw (CSIS) explore the trends and geopolitics of Asia’s energy transition. Wu shares some of the key drivers, changes, and challenges of energy security in the region, such as China’s manufacturing capabilities and the prospect of Asian LNG markets.
Premiering Energy 360° for 2019, Kevin Book (ClearView Energy Partners, LLC) and Sarah Ladislaw (CSIS) discuss post-midterm U.S. political developments, including the Green New Deal and what it may (or may not) mean for the U.S. economy. For more, check out What's Happening with the Green New Deal.
Tim Gould (Head of Division for the World Energy Outlook, IEA) and Sarah Ladislaw (CSIS) discuss the findings and implications of IEA’s recent publication, Outlook for Producer Economies. Join them as they explore the headwinds, drivers for reforms, and strategic responses in Iraq, Nigeria, Russia, Saudi Arabia, United Arab Emirates, and Venezuela. Watch IEA’s accompanying webinar on the Outlook for Producer Economies.
Dr. Francisco González (SAIS) and Sarah Ladislaw (CSIS) look into the geopolitics of Latin America and how its energy markets could be shaped over the next ten years. Latin America is an important energy region and often geopolitically undervalued. Franscisco and Sarah provide background on political and economic trends in Latin America, discussing recent elections and geopolitical developments of the region. This is the final episode of three on key trends of the Energy Futures Forum 2018.
Ten years after the global financial crisis, Joyce Chang (Global Head of Research, JP Morgan Chase) and Sarah Ladislaw (Senior Vice President, CSIS) reflect on the state of the global economy, current risks in emerging markets, and what it all means for energy markets.
Meghan Gordon (Senior Reporter on Oil, S&P Global Platts), Jamie Webster (Senior Director, BCG Center for Energy Impact), and Sarah Ladislaw (Senior Vice President, CSIS) assess the short-term global oil market, including uncertainties for Iranian oil supply with imminent U.S. sanctions, the outlook of global demand, and the potential economic impacts of trade wars.
In this excerpt from The Readout, Sarah Ladislaw (Senior Vice President, CSIS) explains the context and significance of the IPCC's new report urging global action before 2030 to avert climate disaster. Click here for more of The Readout.
Kevin Book (ClearView Energy Partners, LLC) and Sarah Ladislaw (CSIS) talk about the upcoming U.S. midterm elections and the role that energy is playing in candidates’ campaign strategies.
David Livingston (Deputy Director, Climate and Advanced Energy, Atlantic Council), Varun Sivaram (Chief Technology Officer, ReNew Power), and Sarah Ladislaw (CSIS) explain the role of blockchain in the energy sector; how it can drive more efficiency in operations, lower transaction costs, and make the electricity system more distributed and democratic. For more, please see Applying Blockchain Technology to Electric Power Systems. This is the second of three discussions in a series on key trends of the Energy Futures Forum 2018.
One billion people, about 13% of the world’s population, live without access to electricity. Hundreds of millions more live with insufficient or unreliable electricity, according to the World Bank. Join Riccardo Puliti (World Bank, Senior Director, Energy & Extractives) and Sarah Ladislaw (CSIS) as they discuss how institutions such as the World Bank aim to tackle major global challenges by achieving universal energy access by 2030 as part of the Sustainable Development Goals.
Kevin Book (Clear View Energy Partners and CSIS) and Liam Denning (Bloomberg) join Sarah Ladislaw (CSIS) to discuss where we are on climate change, the positions of various actors, and the next steps toward tackling climate change.
Elizabeth Rosenberg (Senior Fellow and Director of the Energy, Economics, and Security Program, CNAS) and Sarah Ladislaw (CSIS) discuss how sanctions impact the energy sector, the politicization of sanctions development, and how sanctions regimes may look in the future.
Denise Brinley, senior energy advisor for the Pennsylvania Department of Community & Economic Development, chats with Sarah Ladislaw on energy’s current role in spurring economic development, redevelopment of former coal-fired power plants, and Pennsylvania’s growth as a natural gas supplier. This episode is part of Energy in America, our project exploring how energy impacts states or regions across the United States. CSIS recently held a workshop with the Smeal College of Business at Penn State to explore how Pennsylvania is preparing for its energy future. Read the report
Following Iraq’s parliamentary elections in May 2018, Iraqi representatives are struggling to form their new government. Raad Alkadiri, senior director at the BCG Center for Energy Impact and a senior associate with CSIS, sat down with Sarah Ladislaw to discuss key issues on government formation in Iraq, the priorities for the next government, and geopolitical influence from the U.S. and Iraq’s neighbors. Also discussed: prospects for the energy sector and how disputes with the Kurds are affecting oil production.
This episode of Energy 360 is part of Energy in America, our project exploring how energy impacts states or regions across the United States. This week, Gladys Brown, chairman of the Pennsylvania Public Utility Commission, joined Sarah Ladislaw to talk about resiliency and reliability in the state’s electric power sector, how the Commission is preparing workers for the growing energy sector, and some of the Commission’s goals in order to prepare Pennsylvania for a stable energy future. CSIS recently held a workshop with the Smeal College of Business at Penn State to explore how Pennsylvania is preparing for its energy future. Read the report
Earlier this month, Frank Verrastro sat down with Neelesh Nerurkar, Vice President and Senior Analyst at Clear View Energy Partners, to discuss the Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS) program, the potential regulatory reforms surrounding it, and what the future looks like for the RFS.
Join Sarah Ladislaw as she sits down with Power for All co-founder and CEO Kristina Skierka to discuss her organization’s work to bring renewable, distributed energy to people living in rural areas in developing countries by partnering with organizations in the private and public sectors. Kristina explains the organization’s ongoing work in India and their new initiative, Utility 2.0. They also talk about the challenges and opportunities Power for All faces in bringing electricity to the more than 1 billion people who currently do not have access to it.
Join Sarah Ladislaw, Frank Verrastro and Edward Chow as they discuss the June 22nd OPEC meeting and what the new communique means for global oil markets. Amid the ongoing political rhetoric and speculation surrounding all things OPEC, the group shares its thoughts on what future oil production looks like, and where Russia’s increasingly active role alongside OPEC leaves struggling producers Iran and Venezuela.
This week, Energy 360 looks at China’s climate plans and ambitions. Taiya Smith, Director of the China Program at the Climate Leadership Council and Ethan Zindler, head of Americas at Bloomberg New Energy Finance, join Sarah Ladislaw (CSIS) to discuss how China is affecting global clean energy and climate change trends, where and how much China is investing domestically and internationally in energy projects, and the current state of the U.S.-China energy relationship.
This week, Heather Conley (Senior Vice President for Europe, Eurasia, and the Arctic; Director, Europe Program) joins Jane Nakano and Edward Chow (Energy & National Security Program) to discuss the growing economic, strategic, and energy importance of the Arctic. With increased access to Arctic resources comes increased interest from states like Russia and new players like China. Up for discussion: what to expect from recent Sino-Russian cooperation, whether the United States is likely to develop a comprehensive Arctic strategy, and the next possible steps for other Arctic Council members to address these new concerns.
Jay Copan,Executive Director for the World Gas Conference, joins Edward Chow and Jane Nakano (CSIS Energy & National Security Program) discuss the upcoming Conference, the evolving role of natural gas in global energy markets, and the geopolitical consequences tied to the resource’s trade and production. The World Gas Conference will be returning to the United States for the first time in over 30 years this June 25-29 in Washington, D.C.
With the recent rise of crude oil prices and geopolitical concerns focusing on Iran, energy security is making a comeback in policy circles. Sarah Ladislaw (CSIS) is joined by Kevin Book (ClearView; CSIS) and Liam Denning (Bloomberg Gadfly) to discuss whether energy security concerns are back to stay, how the political atmosphere is shaping the energy security dialogue, and whether market realities matter.
Join Jane Nakano, senior fellow with the CSIS Energy and National Security Program, and Ashish Sethia, head of research for Asia Pacific and global head of LNG at Bloomberg New Energy Finance, as they discuss the evolving energy and electric power sectors that have accompanied Southeast Asia’s rapid economic growth. Jane and Ashish explain the current state of renewable energy investments, the expanding role of LNG, and the differing approaches to climate change being undertaken in the ASEAN countries.
The U.S. electric power sector and its vulnerabilities to cyberwarfare have come under considerable scrutiny in recent years. Congress and the U.S. federal government have been under immense pressure to address these vulnerabilities through sector reform and increased security measures. James Lewis (CSIS Technology Policy Program) and William Hederman (CSIS Energy & National Security Program and Kleinman Center for Energy Policy, UPenn ) join Sarah Ladislaw (CSIS Energy & National Security Program) to discuss the current state of cybersecurity in the United States and steps that could be taken to prevent or mitigate future attacks. For more, see Russia and Critical Infrastructure: We “Should Not Threaten a Nuclear Power”
Join Sarah Ladislaw, Director and Senior Fellow of the CSIS Energy and National Security Program, and Morgan Bazilian, executive director of the Payne Institute for Earth Resources and Research Professor of Public Policy at the Colorado School of Mines, as they discuss energy development in post-conflict Ireland and other areas around the world. Morgan also discusses his new role and the future direction of the Payne Institute. For more, see our recent event: Electricity, Peace, and Conflict: Electric power markets and infrastructure development in conflict zones
With rising regional tension, Iran’s economic future and relationship with the United States remain uncertain. Cliff Kupchan (Eurasia Group) joins Frank Verrastro (CSIS) and Jon B. Alterman (CSIS) to discuss the current state of affairs in Iran, the fate of the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), Russia’s growing influence in the Middle East, and the implications of the tumultuous U.S.-Iranian bilateral relationship on energy investment in Iran.
Japan’s energy mix has undergone considerable changes since the 2011 Fukushima Nuclear Disaster, resulting in growing natural gas imports and coal use. Ken Koyama, Managing Director and Chief Economist of The Institute of Energy Economics, Japan (IEEJ), discusses Japan’s long-term energy plans with Adam Sieminski (CSIS) and Jane Nakano (CSIS), exploring the future of fossil fuels in Japan’s economy, Japan’s role in the global LNG market, and the latest developments in Japan’s energy diplomacy, including with the United States, Russia, and Iran.
The Trump Administration has announced India a prominent partner in its foreign policy plans for the Asian continent. In this spirit, the Center for American Progress’s U.S.-India Task Force has recently released recommendations for future collaboration in a variety of sectors and ways. Dr. Arunabha Ghosh (Council on Energy, Environment, and Water) joins Kartikeya Singh, Sarah Ladislaw, and Rick Rossow to discuss these recommendations and the energy opportunities ahead.