The World Changed. The Climate Playbook Didn’t.

About this episode

Tisha Schuller discusses the shifting landscape of climate policy with Alex Trembath, exploring the implications of new technologies and geopolitical changes.

What you’ll get in this episode of Energy Thinks I sit down with Alex Trembath, executive director of the Breakthrough Institute, because I wanted to explore a question that’s been on my mind for a while: Are we really moving past what Alex calls the “peak climate” era? (Because I’m not so sure.) For much of the past two decades, climate change has been the central organizing force for energy policy, politics, philanthropy, and corporate strategy. But the world is shifting. Geopolitics, economic pressures, and new technologies—especially artificial intelligence—are changing the political context for energy and climate. Alex and I talk about what that means for the future of the energy transition, the persistence of what I call the “climate orthodoxy,” and the debates now emerging inside Democratic politics around oil and gas, nuclear, the grid, and the one thing that determines how everything unfolds: permitting reform. If you’re trying to understand where the conversation on energy and climate may go next, this is a good place to start. Why Alex? I’ve known Alex for a long time, and he’s one of the people I turn to when I want to stress-test my thinking about energy and climate…

People in this episode

Host: Tisha Schuller

Guest: Alex Trembath

Topics covered

• climate change
• energy policy
• geopolitics
• artificial intelligence
• energy transition
• permitting reform

Keywords

• climate orthodoxy
• energy transition
• geopolitics
• artificial intelligence
• permitting reform

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: Breakthrough Institute

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