Zero: The Climate Race

After a frenetic two days of discussions at COP27, with hundreds of leaders arriving in Egypt, the demands of vulnerable countries are clear: show us the money. On Zero’s second episode from Sharm el-Sheikh, we’re joined by Prime Minister Philip Davis of the Bahamas, to hear about the impacts of climate change on the low-lying archipelago nation, why he wants developed countries to pay for the protection of Bahamian oceans, and Caribbean nations’ demands for a levy on oil exports. We’re also joined by Bloomberg Green executive editor Aaron Rutkoff, who updates us with the latest from COP27.  Read a transcript of this episode, here. Zero is a production of Bloomberg Green. Our producer is Oscar Boyd and our senior producer is Christine Driscoll. Special thanks to Kira Bindrim and Stacey Wong. Thoughts or suggestions? Email us at zeropod@bloomberg.net. For more coverage of climate change and solutions, visit https://www.bloomberg.com/greenSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

COP27 has begun, with 45,000 delegates expected to attend the two-week conference in Sharm El Sheikh, Egypt. One of the key discussion points is financing for “loss and damage,” the idea that developed countries with high historical emissions should pay for climate damages in developing countries. On Zero’s first episode recorded at COP27, we’re joined by Professor Saleemul Huq, Director of the International Centre for Climate Change and Development and a champion of climate vulnerable countries. With loss and damage being formally on the agenda of this year’s climate negotiations, Huq explains what’s at stake. We also hear from Bloomberg contributing editor Allegra Stratton, the UK’s spokesperson for COP26, on how COP27 can build upon the achievements of last year. Read a transcript of this episode, here. Zero is a production of Bloomberg Green. Our producer is Oscar Boyd and our senior producer is Christine Driscoll. Thoughts or suggestions? Email us at zeropod@bloomberg.net.  For more coverage of climate change and solutions, visit https://www.bloomberg.com/greenSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

While the United States fancies itself a global climate leader, the country is coming off a decade of tumultuous policy: It signed the Paris Agreement in 2015, withdrew two years later, and didn’t rejoin until 2021. Now, as the country counts down to midterm elections and the start of COP27 climate talks in Egypt, Americans are taking stock of whether US President Joe Biden has lived up to his promises. Akshat Rathi talks to Leah Stokes, a political scientist who contributed to the Inflation Reduction Act, the biggest US climate bill. They also talk about how the IRA came together, her wish list for additional green policies, and how the IRA will affect US standing at COP27. Read a transcript of this episode, here. Zero is a production of Bloomberg Green. Our producer is Oscar Boyd and our senior producer is Christine Driscoll. Thoughts or suggestions? Email us at zeropod@bloomberg.net.  For more coverage of climate change and solutions, visit https://www.bloomberg.com/greenSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Weather data is invaluable. It influences the decisions of governments and companies around the world. It’s used to predict energy consumption, harvests, and even when countries might go to war. So what does it mean when vast portions of the world have insufficient weather data in an era of worsening climate change? This week on Zero, Bloomberg Green reporter Laura Millan tells the story of weather stations 61223 in Timbuktu, and what its sudden closure means for climate science across the African continent, and the upcoming negotiations at COP27. Read Laura’s full story on weather station 61223 and Africa’s lack of climate data here. Read a transcript of this episode, here. Zero is a production of Bloomberg Green. Our producer is Oscar Boyd and our senior producer is Christine Driscoll. Thoughts or suggestions? Email us at zeropod@bloomberg.net.  For more coverage of climate change and solutions, visit bloomberg.com/greenSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Finally made to reckon with the climate crisis, most oil companies are turning to clean-energy technologies. Not Occidental Petroleum. Akshat Rathi talks to Oxy CEO Vicki Hollub to find out why. Under Hollub’s leadership, Oxy became the first US oil company to set a science-based target to reach net zero. The road it has chosen to get there is an atypical one. Rather than reducing oil and gas production, Oxy wants to make net-zero oil by investing heavily in carbon-capture technology. Rathi asks Hollub how exactly Oxy will build out this technology, how it will pay for it, and why she believes her company’s oil is the way to tackle climate change. Read a full transcript of this episode, here. Zero is a production of Bloomberg Green. Our producer is Oscar Boyd and our senior producer is Christine Driscoll. Thoughts or suggestions? Email us at zeropod@bloomberg.net.  For more coverage of climate change and solutions, visit https://www.bloomberg.com/greenSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Canada’s Prime Minister Justin Trudeau pitches the country as a leader on climate and says it is on track to reduce emissions 45% by 2030. The reality is different. Canada has the second highest per-capita CO2 emissions in the G-20, its oil industry is booming, and its emissions remain persistently high. On this week’s episode of Zero, Trudeau joins Zero host Akshat Rathi to discuss when Canada’s emissions will start to fall for real, and how it can achieve its climate pledges when its economy and politics remain so tied to oil and gas.  This conversation was recorded live at the National Arts Centre in Ottawa at an event hosted by the Canadian Climate Institute and the Net Zero Advisory Body. Read a full transcript of this episode, here. Zero is a production of Bloomberg Green. Our producer is Oscar Boyd and our senior producer is Christine Driscoll. Thoughts or suggestions? Email us at zeropod@bloomberg.net.  For more coverage of climate change and solutions, visit https://www.bloomberg.com/greenSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Climate was the defining issue of this year’s elections in Australia, with independent and green candidates promising climate action sweeping into power. Now the country has a new climate law, enshrining a 43% cut in emissions by 2030. But does it live up to what the science demands? Joining Zero this week are two politicians that were instrumental to passing the bill: Adam Bandt, leader of the Australian Greens, and David Pocock, whose journey from Australia’s rugby captain to politics has made him a deciding vote in the country’s senate.  Read a full transcript of this episode, here. Zero is a production of Bloomberg Green. Our producer is Oscar Boyd and our senior producer is Christine Driscoll. Thoughts or suggestions? Email us at zeropod@bloomberg.net.  For more coverage of climate change and solutions, visit https://www.bloomberg.com/greenSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Steel is the backbone of modern society, and it’s also responsible for 7% of global greenhouse-gas emissions every year. This summer, Bloomberg Green reporter Akshat Rathi visited a US startup that says they can clean it all up. Operating in a suburban office park in Colorado, Electra is coming out of stealth mode. It claims to have developed a way to get through the most energy-intensive part of steelmaking at temperatures lower than fresh coffee. Akshat dives into the science and story of Electra with CEO Sandeep Nijhawan. You can read the full feature about Electra here. Read a full transcript of this episode, here. Zero is a production of Bloomberg Green. Our senior producer is Christine Driscoll and our producer is Oscar Boyd. Thoughts or suggestions? Email us at zeropod@bloomberg.net.  For more coverage of climate change and solutions, visit https://www.bloomberg.com/greenSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

What role will the landmark climate bill in the US play in spurring innovation? Is cutting emissions in rich countries enough to solve the climate crisis? Bloomberg Green’s Akshat Rathi talks to Bill Gates about what’s needed to create zero-emission economies, how Europe should face up to its energy crisis, and how he helped persuade Democratic Senator Joe Manchin to sign the Inflation Reduction Act. Read an in-depth story about all the people who influenced the passage of the climate bill. Read a full transcript of this episode, here. Zero is a production of Bloomberg Green. Our senior producer is Christine Driscoll and our producer is Oscar Boyd. Thoughts or suggestions? Email us at zeropod@bloomberg.net.  For more coverage of climate change and solutions, visit https://www.bloomberg.com/greenSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

What role does venture capital have in bringing carbon-cutting technologies to reality? Does it prop up bad ideas or free outrageous ones? In this episode, Bloomberg Green’s Akshat Rathi talks to Gabriel Kra of Prelude Ventures about the role venture capital plays in boosting the US cleantech industry and how the new US climate bill is changing the startup landscape.   Read more about the battery startup QuantumScape that Kra mentions as a key success story for VC funding. Read a full transcript of this episode, here. Zero is a production of Bloomberg Green. Our senior producer is Christine Driscoll and our producer is Oscar Boyd. Thoughts or suggestions? Email us at zeropod@bloomberg.net.  For more coverage of climate change and solutions, visit https://www.bloomberg.com/greenSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.