How is Trump 2.0 affecting the renewable energy industry?
Release Date: 09/17/2025
Making the global circular economy transition happen
The Climate Briefing
Today’s ‘take–make–dispose’ economy operates in a linear way: resources are extracted, turned into products, used, and then discarded — with severe consequences for the climate and environment. Transitioning to a circular economy means replacing this system with one that keeps materials in circulation through reuse, repair, remanufacturing, and recycling. But what needs to happen — both internationally and within countries — to enable a transition to a circular economy at the global level? To find out, Anna Åberg and guest co-host Elizabeth Adetoye speak with Jocelyn Blériot...
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Oil and gas producers in the Gulf: a deep dive (part 1 of 2)
The Climate Briefing
All eyes are currently on the Gulf due to the US-Israel war with Iran and the disruptions around the Strait of Hormuz. In this two-part series, the Climate Briefing co-hosts and their guests take a deep dive into the region, which plays a crucial role in the global supply of oil and gas. How did the Gulf countries become such dominant fossil fuel exporters? What has this dominance meant for their geopolitical influence? What role have oil and gas played in conflicts and coups in the region? And what might the future hold for the Gulf producers? In the first part of the series, Anna and...
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Climate change, energy and geopolitics
The Climate Briefing
As the conflict in the Middle East rattles energy markets, this episode explores the connections between climate change, energy, and geopolitics. It addresses questions such as: What does the war in Iran reveal about the links between fossil fuels, vulnerability, and power? What lessons can be drawn? What does the energy transition mean for global geopolitics, and how should governments manage the ‘messiness’ of the process? How are the impacts of climate change reshaping our world, and what can be done to navigate the challenges that arise? To unpack these dynamics, Anna...
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What does China’s new Five-Year Plan mean for the climate?
The Climate Briefing
China is the world’s largest emitter and dominates global production of green technology. A few days ago, the National People’s Congress approved the country’s 15th Five-Year Plan, China’s main economic and policy blueprint for the period 2026–2030. What does the new plan say about China’s climate and clean tech ambitions? And what does it reveal about China’s broader geopolitical and foreign policy goals? To discuss this, Anna is joined by James Kynge (Senior Research Fellow for China in the World at Chatham House’s Asia-Pacific Programme) and Lauri Myllyvirta (Lead Analyst at...
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The Future of Climate Diplomacy 4: Laurence Tubiana
The Climate Briefing
What are the most important changes the Paris Agreement has brought about? How should the COP process evolve? And why does geoengineering need to be approached with caution? The fourth part of the Future of Climate Diplomacy mini-series features a fascinating conversation between Chatham House’s Chris Aylett (standing in for Anna and Bhargabi) and Laurence Tubiana, CEO of the European Climate Foundation and previously France’s Climate Change Ambassador and Special Representative for COP21.
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The geopolitics of deep-sea mining
The Climate Briefing
The race to secure critical raw materials is turning attention towards an unlikely place: the ocean floor. In this episode, Anna speaks with Dr Isaac Kardon (Senior Fellow at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace) and Meredith Schwartz (Associate Fellow at the Centre for Strategic and International Studies) about the geopolitics of deep-sea mining.
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What does the EU’s CBAM mean for countries in the Global South?
The Climate Briefing
The EU has introduced a Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism (CBAM) to prevent carbon leakage – when companies move production to countries with weaker climate rules, or when EU products are replaced by more carbon-intensive imports. But the measure has sparked controversy and concern, especially among countries in the Global South, as seen during COP30 in Belém. This episode of the Climate Briefing explores the implications of the EU’s CBAM for countries in the Global South: What are their main concerns, and what could be done to mitigate negative impacts? To discuss these questions and...
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What has the first year of Trump 2.0 meant for the climate?
The Climate Briefing
Exactly one year has passed since President Trump returned to the White House. How has the first year of Trump 2.0 impacted global efforts to address climate change, and what might happen going forward? To discuss this, Anna and Bhargabi are joined by (former US National Climate Advisor, former EPA Administrator and Chair of the America Is All In Coalition).
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Positive and negative tipping points
The Climate Briefing
In the final episode of the year, Anna speaks to Professor (Chair in Climate Change and Earth System Science at the University of Exeter) about climate tipping points – the thresholds where a tiny change could lead to large and often irreversible transformations in the Earth system, with potentially disastrous consequences. Examples of such ‘negative’ tipping points include the dieback of the Amazon rainforest, the melting of the Greenland icesheet, and the collapse of the Atlantic Meridional Overturning Circulation (AMOC). But not all tipping points are bad. In the interview, Anna and...
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What happened at COP30?
The Climate Briefing
COP30 in Belém is over. What happened at the conference? What were the main outcomes? And what needs to happen next? To find out, Anna speaks to Jennifer Morgan (Senior Fellow at the Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy at Tufts University; Fellow at the Hertie School of Governance; and former State Secretary and Special Envoy for International Climate Action at the German Federal Foreign Office) and David Waskow (Director for the International Climate Initiative at the World Resources Institute).
info_outlineTrump 2.0 poses a huge challenge for the renewable energy industry in the US. Not only has the administration rescinded environmental incentives and regulations with bearing on future projects, it has also in various ways delayed and/or obstructed offshore wind projects already under construction (like the Empire Wind and the Revolution Wind projects). What does all of this mean for the renewable energy industry in the US? What does it mean for US competitiveness and the global energy transition?
In the introduction, Anna is also joined by Chris Aylett, a Research Fellow at Chatham House's Environment and Society Centre, to discuss some of the main climate stories in the run-up to COP30.
To find out, Bhargabi speaks to Ben Backwell, CEO of the Global Wind Energy Council, a member-based organisation that represents over 1,500 companies, organisations and institutions in over 80 countries.