What you’ll get in this episode of Energy Thinks

I sit down with Alex Trembath, executive director of the Breakthrough Institute, because I wanted to explore a question that’s been on my mind for a while: Are we really moving past what Alex calls the “peak climate” era? (Because I’m not so sure.)

For much of the past two decades, climate change has been the central organizing force for energy policy, politics, philanthropy, and corporate strategy. But the world is shifting. Geopolitics, economic pressures, and new technologies—especially artificial intelligence—are changing the political context for energy and climate.

Alex and I talk about what that means for the future of the energy transition, the persistence of what I call the “climate orthodoxy,” and the debates now emerging inside Democratic politics around oil and gas, nuclear, the grid, and the one thing that determines how everything unfolds: permitting reform.

If you’re trying to understand where the conversation on energy and climate may go next, this is a good place to start.

Why Alex?

I’ve known Alex for a long time, and he’s one of the people I turn to when I want to stress-test my thinking about energy and climate.

At the Breakthrough Institute, Alex has helped develop an eco-modernist perspective that puts technological innovation and energy abundance at the center of solving environmental challenges.

When Breakthrough first started advancing these ideas, they were often seen as fringe. Today, many of these same ideas—innovation, advanced nuclear, carbon removal, energy abundance—are much closer to the center of the conversation.

I wanted to talk with Alex because the world feels as if it’s shifting again. The climate agenda that dominated the past decade is running into new political and technological realities.

The question now is: What replaces the old playbook—and how does our industry contribute to a thriving, vibrant energy landscape?

Some of Alex’s insights

* On peak climate: “For most of my career, climate change was the central organizing force for progressives and for the Democratic Party. Reaching net-zero emissions by mid-century was non-negotiable. Everything was framed around how it contributed to the climate agenda. I think that world is over.”

* On our role: “The oil and gas industry has a lot of industrial and technical knowledge to share, with carbon removal, clean fuels, geothermal, and other emerging energy technologies. There are many ways industry can continue to accelerate energy innovation and expand energy abundance.”

Bonus content!

Watch on YouTube or listen on Substack to hear Alex and me discuss The Myth and The Moment.

Order The Myth and The Moment: From Polarization to Progress in the New Energy Landscape.

What to do next in The Moment

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On to what comes next,

Tisha

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The World Changed. The Climate Playbook Didn’t.