Is the link between oil and geopolitics starting to diminish? Has climate consensus fractured just as clean energy hits escape velocity? And are batteries, not barrels, becoming the true source of power and security?

In the first episode of Season 17 of Cleaning Up, Michael Liebreich and Bryony Worthington unpack a turbulent start to 2026. From shock geopolitical moves in the Americas and riots in the Middle East to the curious calm of a $60 oil price, they explore whether fossil fuels still move the world the way they once did.

The conversation ranges from the collapse of climate multilateralism and Europe’s energy malaise to the unstoppable rise of electrification, batteries, and system-level clean energy solutions across China, India, Africa, and the “rest of the world.”

Leadership Circle:

Cleaning Up is supported by the Leadership Circle, and its founding members: Actis, Alcazar Energy, Davidson Kempner, EcoPragma Capital, EDP, Eurelectric, the Gilardini Foundation, KKR, National Grid, Octopus Energy, Quadrature Climate Foundation, SDCL and Wärtsilä. For more information on the Leadership Circle, please visit https://www.cleaningup.live.

Discover more:

The Electrification Staircase: https://www.watts-next.eu/
Kingsmill Bond on Cleaning Up: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G2bsoCOznXk
Arunabha Ghosh on Cleaning Up: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qMrn-JewoCo
Rachel Kyte on Cleaning Up: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V1m2lm2n_EE
Catch up on Season 16 of Cleaning Up: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLe8ZTD7dMaaDWQkhmAsaQ28p0h3Lw5I6v