High Energy Planet

Matthew Yglesias: Foreign Aid, Climate Politics, and Plastic Straws

Wed, 02 Jul 2025 18:00:00 +0000

For the last episode of Season 4, Rose and Katie are joined by Matthew Yglesias, journalist and author of the Substack, Slow Boring. They cover everything from the value and political future of US foreign assistance, to climate politics and the new “abundance” movement, and how we navigate a rapidly changing media ecosystem.

Ken Opalo: Why Growth Must Be at the Center of Africa’s Future

Wed, 16 Apr 2025 18:30:00 +0000

Ken Opalo, associate professor at Georgetown University and author of An Africanist Perspective, joins the show to discuss what’s really behind chronic underinvestment in Africa’s power sector, what US policymakers are missing, and what gives him hope for the future of African development.

Katie and Rose on the Future of Foreign Aid

Fri, 21 Mar 2025 14:30:00 +0000

Rose and Katie unpack the fallout from the Trump administration’s dismantling of USAID and what it means for global energy investment and energy access. Drawing on their experience in US government, they explore the ripple effects of these cuts, the impact on local and international partners, and the broader shifts in development assistance. They also reflect on the role of public service, the evolving nature of US engagement abroad, and how to navigate this new reality.

Kanika Chawla: Clean Energy for Development, Not Just Decarbonization

Thu, 27 Feb 2025 15:00:00 +0000

Kanika Chawla, Chief of Staff at SEforALL, joins Rose and Katie to discuss what to expect from the 2025 SEforALL Global Forum, how SEforALL builds trust with governments, and what’s next for SDG7. Plus, why she calls London her favorite Indian city (yes, really).

Faten Aggad: Building Africa’s Policy Negotiation Power

Wed, 05 Feb 2025 19:00:00 +0000

Faten Aggad, the founder and executive director of the African Future Policies Hub, discusses the future of climate diplomacy, Africa’s green industrialization, and how she’s helping build Africa’s policy negotiation capacity.

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Special Episode: Ramsey Day on the Future of Energy Poverty Under Trump

Wed, 22 Jan 2025 20:15:00 +0000

What might a second Trump presidency mean for energy access and energy investment? In this special episode, we share a recent conversation between Katie and Ramsey Day, former Trump official and current Hub advisor, on the future of US development assistance and energy poverty.

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Mark Thurber: Renewables Are Changing the Rules of the Game

Wed, 08 Jan 2025 23:10:00 +0000

Mark Thurber, associate director of the Program on Energy and Sustainable Development, comes on the show to discuss the unique challenges of integrating renewables in energy markets, why he believes we should all take bigger risks, and how he uses an online game to teach market dynamics.

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Kate Steel: On a Mission for Universal Energy Access

Thu, 05 Dec 2024 03:30:00 +0000

Kate Steel, co-founder and CEO of Nithio, a start-up focused on financing clean energy companies and informing climate investments in Africa. In this episode, Kate talks with Katie and Rose about how we can fund universal energy access, the off-grid sector and its trajectory, and what she learned from launching Nithio.

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Joel Nana: There Is No One-Size-Fits-All Energy Transition

Wed, 13 Nov 2024 20:45:00 +0000

Joel Nana, program manager at Sustainable Energy Africa and Hub fellow, joins the show to talk about climate action planning, the importance of energy planning at a subnational level, and Africa’s solar revolution.

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The High Energy Rewind: Season 3 Highlights with Katie and Rose

Fri, 16 Aug 2024 13:00:00 +0000

Welcome to the last episode of Season 3! Hosts Rose Mutiso and Katie Auth sit down together to revisit their favorite moments from the past season. They share standout clips from this season’s interviews, highlighting conversations with this season’s guests on everything from Nigeria’s net zero model to the importance of humility. Listen in to relive the laughter, lessons, and unforgettable conversations of this season of High Energy Planet.

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Benjamin Attia: Why We Want Climate Finance to Be Boring

Wed, 10 Jul 2024 09:00:00 +0000

Benjamin Attia, energy transition researcher, energy systems modeler, and long-time Hub fellow, joins the show to talk about his career as a professional researcher, explain why blended finance is more than a buzzword, and help us nerd out on climate finance.

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Sheila Herrling: Culture Is Everything

Wed, 10 Apr 2024 18:00:00 +0000

Sheila Herrling, the Energy for Growth Hub’s first Board Chair and expert in international development, US foreign policy, entrepreneurship, and philanthropy joins Rose and Katie for this episode of High Energy Planet. This episode explores challenges in development finance, why supporting diverse entrepreneurship is critical to creating change, and how Sheila approaches building organizational culture.

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Murefu Barasa: Everyone Has a Role in the Energy Transition

Wed, 13 Mar 2024 10:00:00 +0000

Murefu Barasa, founder and managing partner at EED Advisory, comes on the show to discuss starting one of the only Pan-African energy consulting firms, how the energy sector has changed for the better (and worse) in the last decade, and the differences between the energy transition in Africa and the US.

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Hannah Ritchie: From Climate Anxiety to Data-Driven Optimism

Wed, 21 Feb 2024 19:30:00 +0000

Hannah Ritchie, Deputy Editor and Lead Researcher at Our World in Data, joins Rose and Katie to explore why ending energy poverty is a top strategy for adapting to climate change, the role of scientists in activism, and the importance of data quality and availability. Hannah’s book, Not the End of the World, is out now.

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Ask Me Anything with Katie and Rose

Wed, 07 Feb 2024 21:00:00 +0000

Welcome to our first ever Ask Me Anything episode! Hosts Katie Auth and Rose Mutiso sit down together to answer listeners’ questions on topics including Kenya’s role as an African clean energy leader, advice for young professionals working in energy, dream music festival lineups, and much more.

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Tisha Schuller: Bridging Divides on Our Path to Decarbonization

Wed, 17 Jan 2024 16:00:00 +0000

Tisha Schuller, founder & CEO of Adamantine Energy, joins the show for a conversation on her unique perspective as an oil & gas expert working towards decarbonization, how to build trust and common ground in high-conflict situations, and why a soft heart is a super power.

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Habiba Ahut Daggash: The Energy Transition Needs New Ideas

Wed, 13 Dec 2023 17:00:00 +0000

Habiba Ahut Daggash, Senior Associate with the Africa Energy Program at the Rocky Mountain Institute, discusses Nigeria’s energy transition, how climate change is more than a scientific problem, and why we need new ideas to approach development and energy poverty.

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Tim McDonnell: Reporting on Climate and Energy With Empathy

Thu, 30 Nov 2023 01:00:00 +0000

Tim McDonnell, Climate & Energy Editor at Semafor, joins Rose and Katie for a conversation about his approach to climate reporting for varied audiences, the role of renewables in Ukraine’s energy security, and how he went from geotagging rattlesnakes to reporting on all things climate and energy.

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Vijaya Ramachandran: Every Country Has the Right to Its Own Energy Choices

Wed, 15 Nov 2023 20:00:00 +0000

Welcome to Season 3 of High Energy Planet! Vijaya Ramachandran, Director for Energy and Development at the Breakthrough Institute, explains what sparked her interest in energy, talks rich country hypocrisy, and demystifies climate finance.

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Ashvin Dayal: We Need to Redefine Energy & Development Progress

Tue, 10 May 2022 09:00:00 +0000

Dayal, Senior Vice President of Power & Climate and The Global Energy Alliance for People and Planet at The Rockefeller Foundation, discusses how he got into working on energy, why he believes in raising the definition of energy access, and the power of philanthropy.

Moussa Blimpo: Energy is Not the Answer to Everything

Thu, 21 Apr 2022 09:00:00 +0000

Blimpo, Senior Fellow at the University of Toronto's Munk’s School of Global Affairs & Public Policy, discusses his experiences turning policy into real-world impact, his evolving views on dominant development narratives, and what climate justice means to him.

Uzodinma Iweala: Climate Justice Demands New African Narratives

Wed, 06 Apr 2022 09:00:00 +0000

Iweala, CEO of The Africa Center, discusses the experiences and identities that led him to narrative work, how narratives are formed and how we can shape them in the development and climate justice realm, and what his definition of climate justice means for Africa.

Jay Taneja: Using Machine Learning to Inform Energy Access Solutions

Wed, 23 Mar 2022 09:00:00 +0000

Taneja, Professor of Electrical and Computer Engineering and Computer Science at the University of Massachusetts, Amherst, discusses his work on creatively accessing data in data-poor environments, the challenges in electrification via grid connections, and his work as an engineer and professor in the development sector.

Katie Hill: The First Pillar of Decarbonization Needs to be Green Growth

Tue, 08 Mar 2022 10:00:00 +0000

Hill, Partner & Associate Director at Boston Consulting Group, talks about the future of African cities, the imperative for green growth in low-income countries on the global path to net zero, and her outlook on scaling enterprise and service delivery in Africa.

Sudeshna Ghosh Banerjee: Decarbonization is a Very Long Game

Mon, 28 Feb 2022 13:00:00 +0000

Banerjee, practice manager in the Energy and Extractives Global Practice at the World Bank Group, talks with Katie and Rose about whether net zero makes sense for Africa, what development organizations get wrong about energy access & women, and why hydrogen could be the next solar.

Damilola Ogunbiyi: Putting People at the Center of Energy Transitions

Mon, 31 Jan 2022 10:00:00 +0000

The CEO of Sustainable Energy for All (SEforALL) on whether the international community is failing on SDG7, what she thinks net zero means for Africa & how she challenges the stereotype of what an African leader looks like.

Rebekah Shirley Lukera: Small Island Nations are Hypervisible & Hyper Invisible

Tue, 06 Jul 2021 09:00:00 +0000

The director of research, data & innovation for WRI Africa talks with Katie & Rose about climate justice and building resilient energy infrastructure in small island developing states, why climate finance pledges don't always translate to reality, obstacles to electrical vehicle uptake in Africa, and Nairobi's reggae scene.

Arvind Subramanian: We Have to Fight Carbon Imperialism

Mon, 21 Jun 2021 09:00:00 +0000

The former chief economic advisor to India’s government on how climate policy has become disconnected from energy needs of poorer countries, the politics of India’s electrical tariffs and why he thinks renewable energy has yet to be proven economically viable there.

Ken Caldeira: Let’s Align Self-Interest With Global Climate Interest

Mon, 07 Jun 2021 09:00:00 +0000

One of the world’s most visionary climate scientists tells Katie & Rose why he thinks nuclear energy is key to quelling climate change and delivering prosperity to the developing world, why he’s gone all-positive on Twitter, why considering solar geoengineering won’t stop us from addressing climate change, and what he learned from pumping crocodile stomachs as a grad student.

Mimi Alemayehou: Climate Justice Means Africa Needs More Energy Investment

Fri, 21 May 2021 09:00:00 +0000

The former OPIC, African Development Bank and Black Rhino Group official tells Katie & Rose why she's frustrated with energy and climate finance double standards for Africa, how she would advise President Biden on climate & Africa, & why it's unethical to argue Africa must stay poor to reduce climate change impacts. Plus: Katie tells Rose why she's Amped Up about Richard Branson's Global Cooling Prize.

Rachel Pritzker: Poverty's Not My Favorite Climate Change Solution

Fri, 07 May 2021 09:00:00 +0000

The globally recognized climate & energy philanthropist on loving cities, funding overlooked technologies & why optimism is the best approach to tackling climate change.

Trailer Episode

Tue, 27 Apr 2021 09:00:00 +0000

Hosts Katie Auth & Rose Mutiso on why High Energy Planet isn't your usual global energy podcast.

Zainab Usman: What Does Net-Zero Mean for Africans?

Mon, 26 Apr 2021 09:00:00 +0000

The new director of the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace's Africa Program on why resource curse thinking is wrong, politics is integral to policy & we should stop saying "leapfrogging."

Mohamed Rali Badissy: Power-Sector Transparency & Energy Access

Thu, 22 Apr 2021 09:00:00 +0000

Mohamed explains why transparency is an overlooked issue in addressing energy poverty, why he thinks decarbonization will increase public demands for more energy transparency, and the one crucial thing about energy poverty nobody's talking about.