Voluntary carbon markets are coming off a tumultuous year, with constant public scrutiny and high-profile scandals undermining investor confidence. Despite the turmoil, the market has grown to a record size, as corporations look to carbon offsets to reach their net zero goals. On today’s show, Dana is joined by Layla Khanfar, BNEF corporate sustainability and carbon offsets analyst, alongside Kyle Harrison, BNEF’s head of sustainability research for the Americas, Europe, the Middle East and Africa. They discuss BNEF’s long-term carbon-market scenarios, the different types of offsets that are a ..read more

As the world races to accelerate the adoption of electric vehicles, countries are ramping up their efforts across the supply chain, from mining raw materials to fostering consumer demand. For the fourth year, BloombergNEF has ranked the potential of 30 markets to build a secure, reliable and sustainable lithium-ion battery supply chain, with Canada leapfrogging China to clinch the top spot this time around.  On today’s show, Dana is joined by the head of BNEF’s metals and mining team, Kwasi Ampofo, and metals and mining analyst Ellie Gomes-Callus. Together they discuss the ranking, includ ..read more

The aviation industry’s pathway to net zero is far from certain. Operational improvements and technologies such as sustainable aviation fuel and zero-emission aircraft could offer substantial emissions reductions, but questions remain around timing, scalability and customers’ willingness to pay. So what strategies can airlines apply to reduce their carbon footprint and meet their net-zero commitments? On today’s show, Jade Patterson, a BloombergNEF senior associate in sustainable fuels, interviews United Airlines’ Chief Sustainability Officer, Lauren Riley. Together they discuss United’s strat ..read more

With plastic production set to double by 2050, immediate action is needed to address plastic waste pollution and the inefficiencies of existing recycling systems. Chemical recycling could help process lower-grade feedstocks, significantly upping the amount of plastic that can be given a second life, but is the sector ready to do so? On today’s show, Dana is joined by Kirti Vasta, a senior associate from BloombergNEF’s sustainable materials team. Together they discuss the different forms chemical recycling can take, what’s driving investment in the space, and the unexpected places that recycled ..read more

As electric vehicle sales skyrocket, so too will the need for EV batteries and the metals that make them work. That’s where recycling comes in. By 2035, some 3.7 million metric tons of batteries could be nearing the end of their lives. Pull them apart to repurpose their innards, and you could have 10-18% of the key materials needed for battery manufacturing. On today’s show, Dana is joined by BloombergNEF energy storage analyst Andy Leach. Together they discuss why production scrap from the manufacturing process is the most important feedstock for near-term recycling, how EV ownership rates ac ..read more

The Chinese government is rolling out one of the world’s most ambitious clean energy plans, targeting 1,200 gigawatts of installed renewable capacity by 2030. Part of their strategy involves building megabases, huge clean-energy developments that will generate more than one-third of the targeted total. Yet bringing a multi-gigawatt megabase to fruition, and doing it on such a tight time scale, is no minor feat. On today’s show, Dana is joined by BloombergNEF analysts Tianyi Zhao and Xiangyu Chen. Together they discuss the policies that are driving megabase rollout, how the enormous demand for ..read more

At the beginning of each year, BloombergNEF releases the Energy Transition Investment Trends report, its definitive resource on global investment in the low-carbon energy transition. Since the report’s inception a decade ago, investment levels have steadily risen, breaking the $1 trillion mark in 2021 and reaching a record $1.5 trillion in 2022. Was 2023 another record year for energy transition investment, and which sectors saw the most notable growth or decline? On today’s show, Dana is joined by BNEF’s Deputy CEO, Albert Cheung, and Head of Technology and Innovation, Mark Daly. They discuss ..read more

California has long been proactive when it comes to environmental policy, implementing measures ranging from a carbon market to put a price on emissions, to legislation to phase out the sale of new gasoline and diesel cars. But are current policies going far enough, and what can be done to ensure the state’s position as the climate leader in the US? On today’s show, we bring you an interview from our recent San Francisco Summit, where California State Senator Scott Wiener sat down with Corey Cantor, a Senior Associate in BloombergNEF’s Electric Vehicle team. Together they discuss California’s ..read more

On today’s bonus episode of the podcast, Dana is joined by Kathy Gao, a Senior Associate from BloombergNEF’s Hydrogen team, to unpack the things to watch for the sector in 2024. Together they discuss offtake agreements and the potential for shipping and aviation to step up as customers, whether nuclear could become a viable method of hydrogen production among the plethora of available options, and the policies that could drive supply and demand in the year ahead. Complementary BNEF research on the trends driving the transition to a lower-carbon economy can be found at BNEF<GO> on the Bl ..read more

For every dollar supporting fossil-fuel supply, at least $4 must be put towards low-carbon energy this decade to keep the world on track to limit warming to 1.5C. But are the capital flows of corporations and financial institutions anywhere close to this balance? BloombergNEF has devised the Energy Supply Investment and Bank-Facilitated Financing Ratios to find out. On today’s show, Dana is joined by two of BNEF’s Sustainable Finance Associates, Trina White and Ryan Loughead. Together they discuss how energy financing varies by geography, how the sector has been performing against the wider ma ..read more