US vs China: Who's Winning the Energy Race?

About this episode

The episode discusses the energy race between the U.S. and China, exploring their strategies and implications for global leadership.

When we think of the U.S.–China rivalry, headlines often focus on trade wars, Taiwan, or Artificial Intelligence. But one of the most consequential battlegrounds is undoubtedly energy, which underpins each economy. Who will invent, build, and export the technologies that power the 21st century? This week, Political Climate sits down with global energy policy expert Amy Myers Jaffe, Director of the Energy, Climate Justice, and Sustainability Lab at NYU, to unpack the race for energy dominance. On one side, the U.S. is pumping record amounts of oil and gas, while policy momentum for low-carbon solutions has stalled although the industry has not. On the other, China is deploying solar, wind, EVs, and batteries at record scale and exporting clean energy technologies worldwide as part of a strategic plan, even as it continues to rely heavily on coal at home. So which strategy holds the upper hand? Where do the cracks appear in each country’s approach? And who is truly positioned to be the global leader on energy (and perhaps on other issues too) in the decades to come? We also kick off with a recap of recent developments in Washington, highlights from RE+ in Las Vegas, and a preview…

People in this episode

Guest: Amy Myers Jaffe

Topics covered

• US-China rivalry
• energy dominance
• clean energy technologies
• oil and gas
• low-carbon solutions

Keywords

• energy policy
• solar
• wind
• EVs
• batteries
• coal

Mentioned in this episode

Products: solar technologies, wind technologies, electric vehicles, batteries

Places: US, China, U.S.–China, Taiwan, U.S., Washington, Las Vegas

More episodes of Political Climate

• Will EVs Surge Amid Iran Oil Shocks? · April 13, 2026 · 56 min
• Win or Learn: Shane Battier on Energy’s March Madness Moment · March 31, 2026 · 56 min
• Energy Shocks: Iran, AI, and the 2026 Midterms · March 12, 2026 · 58 min
• Unpacking a Volatile Year in Climate and Energy · December 19, 2025 · 57 min
• Inside the American Energy + AI Initiative · December 9, 2025 · 59 min
• America's Critical Minerals Crisis · November 24, 2025 · 54 min