The transportation sector is the largest source of greenhouse gas emissions, and there is much excitement today about the road ahead for electric vehicles. 

Many automakers have pledged to increase the share of their production by going all battery or fuel cell electric within a decade, but few of the new models meet current buyer preference for larger vehicles with increased utility. But the Ford Motor Company’s introduction of the F-150 Lightning, a battery electric version of the best-selling truck in the U.S. for the last 44 years, may signal a tipping point in building the future of zero emissions transportation.

This live episode of the podcast, moderated by Host Jason Bordoff, features two key figures in the clean transportation transition:

The first is Jim Farley, President and Chief Executive Officer of Ford, a role he took on just about a year ago. He also serves as a member of the company’s Board of Directors and was previously Chief Operating Officer.

Also in the conversation is Mary Nichols, a long-time environmental champion and  Chair of the California Air Resources Board. She’s now a Distinguished Visiting Fellow at the Center on Global Energy Policy.

Jim and Mary discuss the significant changes taking place in the industry’s plans and strategies to achieve carbon neutrality and the role of regulation, policy and investments in building demand for battery electric vehicles. 

The Climate Group has selected the Columbia Climate School as its University partner for this year’s Climate Week NYC. Running Sept. 20-26, Climate Week NYC convened key climate leaders to accelerate climate action and discuss ambitious commitments ahead of the 26th UN Climate Change Conference this fall in Glasgow.

Currently, high gas prices are rippling throughout much of Europe and Asia. The spike has driven up the price of coal too and sent electricity prices for businesses and homeowners to record highs.

Governments are meeting with stakeholders and developing emergency plans. But as winter approaches, they’re in a time crunch to find a fix as large parts of Asia and Europe risk severe coal and gas shortages if the price surge continues.

In this episode of Columbia Energy Exchange, host Jason Bordoff speaks with energy experts Anne-Sophie Corbeau and Dr. Tatiana Mitrova, who break down the latest on the crisis. 

Anne-Sophie Corbeau is currently a global research scholar at CGEP and was previously the head of gas analysis at BP and a senior gas analyst at the International Energy Agency. 

Tatiana Mitrova is a CGEP non-resident fellow and research director of the SKOLKOVO Energy Centre in Moscow. She is also a member of Schlumberger's Board of Directors, and NOVATEK’s Board of Directors.

The world’s biggest carbon capture and storage machine launched last week in Iceland. It’s called Orca. According to Swiss startup Climeworks, the company which built the plant, it will capture 4,000 metric tons of CO2 per year and bury it underground. 

The launch event for this new project was attended by the Center on Global Energy Policy’s Dr. Julio Friedmann. Host Bill Loveless snagged him for an interview to discuss what he saw there.

Julio is a Senior Research Scholar at CGEP and one of the most well-known experts on carbon capture, removal and storage. He is also a distinguished associate at the Energy Futures Initiative.

He gave his take on what the Orca plant foretells about this technology, the potential drawbacks, areas of concern, and why he believes that carbon capture technologies are integral to addressing climate change.

Mexico’s last President, Enrique Peña Nieto, put the country through a series of energy reforms that effectively opened up the Mexican energy market to private and foreign investment for the first time in 75 years. 

But the current Mexican President, Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador wants to restore some of the power the state had before those reforms. 

The question now is whether the state will succeed in regaining a dominant position in Mexico’s energy sector once again, or whether international markets continue to play a relevant role.

For a conversation on the future of Mexico’s energy markets, Host Jason Bordoff Spoke with former Mexican Deputy Secretary for Planning and Energy Transition, Leonardo Beltrán Rodríguez.

Beltrán is a member of the Boards of Sustainable Energy for All, Fundacion Por México and the World Economic Forum’s Project in Partnership to Accelerate Sustainable Energy Innovation. He’s also a visiting fellow with the Columbia University Center On Global Energy Policy.