Zero: The Climate Race

The wind industry is exploding, growing from just 2% of global electricity supply to 7% in a decade. But to achieve net zero by 2050, we're going to need a lot more wind turbines, both on land and out at sea. On this week’s episode of Zero, Orsted CEO Mads Nipper tells Akshat Rathi how the company transformed itself from a fossil fuel giant into the world's largest developer of offshore wind power, and the challenges the industry faces. It’s not just a story of clear corporate strategy chasing an opportunity, but also of heavy government intervention and many happy accidents.  Read energy reporter Will Mathis’ story on the pressures faced by the wind industry here, and what 2023 has in store for renewables, here. Want to know more about Orsted's story? Pre-order Akshat’s book, Climate Capitalism, 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/green.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

This January, Davos will once again host the World Economic Forum’s annual meeting and bring together the world's business and political elite. In recent years, climate change has climbed ever further up the agenda at this high-altitude event. How did it happen? Akshat Rathi talks to Gail Whiteman, one person responsible for it. Gail is the founder of the Arctic Basecamp, and since 2017 has camped out for the week of Davos to deliver the urgent message about climate risks and the immense dangers it poses to the world economy. Read more about the state of snow in Davos and why the business elite are starting to care. 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/green.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

What causes a restaurant critic to trade the gourmet for the green? Why does a Shell geophysicist leave their decade-long career working on oil and gas fields? What makes a war-crimes lawyer want to pursue a career in climate? And why would a travel executive become a solar installer? This week on Zero, listeners tell us why they quit their jobs to work in the climate space, and what advice they have for others who want to do the same. A special thank you to everyone who sent in their story. 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/green.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Throughout history, no social movement has succeeded without utilizing property destruction as a tactic, and if the climate movement is to be effective it will have to do the same. So says Andreas Malm, author of How to Blow Up a Pipeline, on this week’s episode of Zero. But how do you delineate between justifiable sabotage and unacceptable violence? And is there a risk that escalation backfires as a strategy? 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.

The task of cutting emissions is becoming more urgent by the day. Are democracies up to the challenge? Do we have time to let the usual course of consensus-building and debate play out, or should governments around the world prioritize climate action at any cost? In this week’s episode of Zero, Bloomberg Green’s Akshat Rathi puts these questions to Daniel J. Fiorino, director of the Center for Environmental Policy at American University and author of Can Democracy Handle Climate Change? 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.

Mark Trexler, an expert in carbon offsets, talks about the flawed history and challenges of carbon offsets. He discusses the evolution and role of offsets, the rise and fall of the market, and the need for proper regulation. He explores the potential solutions to fix the issues with carbon offsets, such as implementing positive lists and scoring systems. Trexler also expresses frustration with the ongoing misuse and recommends further resources for climate change mitigation.

What’s worse for the planet than Big Oil? The world’s food system, argues environmental journalist and campaigner George Monbiot in his new book Regenesis. He makes a passionate case for how current agricultural practices not only damage the environment, but prevent vast amounts of land from being rewilded and restored to its natural state. Monbiot speaks with Bloomberg Green reporter Akshat Rathi about his proposed solutions, which include an end to livestock farming entirely and using new technologies like precision fermentation to meet the world’s rising demand for protein. 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 www.bloomberg.com/green.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Rebekah Shirley, director of research at the World Resources Institute Africa, and IFC Managing Director Makthar Diop discuss the challenges of financing clean energy in Africa. They highlight the funding gap, limited investment, and high capital costs. They also explore the potential of green hydrogen and the role of Africa in ammonia production. The podcast addresses the challenges faced in clean energy investment in Africa and the importance of de-risking and intelligence to attract funding.

Lewis Pugh has swum across seas and in between melting sea ice, but the hardest part of his work is what comes after – contributing to negotiations to protect those same bodies from development. And he’s been successful: In 2016 he got the Russians to sign a pact to create a marine protected area in the Ross Sea – one of the few healthy seas left, and the size of Britain, France, Germany, Italy put together. A negotiation should be an exploration, not a battle, he tells Akshat Rathi. Pugh also talks about how he got his start, the swim that made him into an environmental advocate and what he wants to come out of COP27. Akshat speaks with Salma El Wardany, a Bloomberg News energy and commodities reporter based in Cairo, and Zero producer Oscar Boyd, about their experiences of 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.

Whether the so-called implementation COP will live up to its promise will be answered this week as negotiators begin to do the work of writing the final agreement. Bloomberg Green Reporter Akshat Rathi spoke with young climate activists about their engagement with this COP, the difficulty of activism in a repressive country and how they are making change in their own nations. We’re also joined by Bloomberg News reporters John Ainger and Jen Dlouhy to discuss the latest announcements from the conference regarding loss and damage. Read our story on the difficulties climate activists faced 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. 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.