Vanguard Retreats from ESG, Running Free from Pricey Gas—EVs, A Vision of a Wind-Powered Venezuela and more.

About this episode

The episode discusses Vanguard's retreat from climate initiatives, the current state of electric vehicles, and a vision for renewable energy in Venezuela.

The investment giant Vanguard is retreating from its climate initiatives as part of a $30 million settlement deal for an anti-trust lawsuit brought by Republican state attorneys general. The lawsuit alleged that Vanguard and fellow asset managers BlackRock and State Street, which are still fighting the suit, conspired to kill the coal industry. Vanguard did not admit to wrongdoing but is now barred from participating in climate investment watchdog groups such as Ceres. Also, facing pain at the pump, US drivers looking to buy an electric vehicle now have more and cheaper choices than ever. But with the $7500 federal tax credit for new electric vehicles now gone, you may be wondering whether EVs are the smart buy in 2026. We share some insights about EV options, cost and the charging network. And since the US capture of President Nicolás Maduro in early January, there has been a lot of discussion about Venezuela’s massive oil reserves. But it also turns out that Venezuela is ideally positioned to harness abundant clean, renewable energy, particularly from wind. We map out this blue-sky vision for a green Venezuela. --- Join LOE and Inside Climate News for the next Living on Earth…

People in this episode

Host: Living on Earth

Guest: Hannah Ritchie

Topics covered

• ESG
• electric vehicles
• Venezuela
• renewable energy
• climate change
• investment

Keywords

• Vanguard
• ESG
• electric vehicles
• Nicolás Maduro
• renewable energy
• Venezuela
• climate initiatives
• Ceres
• Hannah Ritchie
• Inside Climate News

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: Vanguard, BlackRock, State Street, Ceres, Inside Climate News

Books & works: Clearing the Air: A Hopeful Guide to Solving Climate Change in 50 Questions and Answers

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