Heavy industry faces one of the hardest paths to net zero, yet momentum is starting to build. New decarbonization commitments reached nearly $15 billion by mid-2025. The largest chunk of investment is concentrated in the steel industry, where electric arc furnaces and hydrogen-ready technologies are already pushing down emissions. Other sectors, like aluminum, cement and plastics, are experimenting with recycled materials, electrified heat and bio-based feedstocks. Policy is also proving decisive, with Europe, Australia and Asia pushing carbon border tariffs, retrofit funds and industrial carbon markets. So is heavy industry finally turning a corner on its path to decarbonization? On today’s show, Kobad Bhavnagri is joined by Allen Tom Abraham, BloombergNEF’s head of sustainable materials, to walk through his team’s note “Industrial Decarbonization Market Outlook 2H 2025.”

Complementary BNEF research on the trends driving the transition to a lower-carbon economy can be found at BNEF on the Bloomberg Terminal or on bnef.com

Links to research notes from this episode:

Industrial Decarbonization Market Outlook 2H 2025 - https://www.bnef.com/insights/38051/view

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

China’s electric vehicle market is moving at extraordinary speed. Generous incentives, trade-in subsidies, and aggressive pricing have fueled mass-market growth, and roughly half of the cars sold in the country today come with a plug. Now, this EV success story is moving beyond its domestic borders. Chinese brands already account for nearly one in five EVs sold outside the country, and new factories across Europe, Southeast Asia, and Latin America are helping them stay ahead of trade barriers. Could this be the moment when China’s electric mobility clout reshapes the global auto industry? On today’s show, Tom Rowlands-Rees is joined by Siyi Mi, a senior associate on BloombergNEF’s electric vehicles team, to discuss notes including “More of China’s Automakers Step Into Overseas Markets” and “EVs Are Just the Start for Global Carmakers’ China Rebound.”

Complementary BNEF research on the trends driving the transition to a lower-carbon economy can be found at BNEF on the Bloomberg Terminal or on bnef.com

Links to research notes from this episode:

More of China’s Automakers Step Into Overseas Markets - https://www.bnef.com/insights/38069

EVs Are Just the Start for Global Carmakers’ China Rebound - https://www.bnef.com/insights/37181

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As vehicles become increasingly intelligent and connected, the chips powering them are transforming the automotive industry. Traditional supply chains are giving way to new partnerships, and advanced processors are reshaping everything from vehicle costs to the balance of power between automakers and chipmakers. With automation advancing and chipmakers taking a larger role in vehicle development, could this be the moment that redefines how the automotive industry is built? On today’s show, Tom Rowlands-Rees is joined by Andrew Grant, BloombergNEF’s head of intelligent mobility, to discuss the note, “AI Chips Are Turning Vehicles Into Supercomputers.”

Complementary BNEF research on the trends driving the transition to a lower-carbon economy can be found at BNEF on the Bloomberg Terminal or on bnef.com

Links to research notes from this episode:

AI Chips Are Turning Vehicles Into Supercomputers - https://www.bnef.com/insights/37555

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How well prepared are we for a warming world? Climate adaptation is quickly moving from theory to strategy, reshaping investment priorities and exposing new risks and opportunities. On this bonus episode, Kobad Bhavnagri reads his note “Adaptation and Resilience: The New Investment Imperative” to explore how businesses, policymakers and financiers are adapting to a changing climate, and where the biggest gaps in knowledge and action remain.

Complementary BNEF research on the trends driving the transition to a lower-carbon economy can be found at BNEF on the Bloomberg Terminal or on bnef.com

Links to research notes from this episode:

Adaptation and Resilience: The New Investment Imperative - https://www.bnef.com/insights/37701

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Climate is reshaping the global economy. Losses from major weather events are now estimated at $1.4 trillion each year, and as the damaged assets, disrupted supply chains and declines in productivity pile up, climate risk is turning from an environmental issue into a financial one. BloombergNEF has thus developed an Adaptation Preparedness Framework to assess how major economies are preparing for this new reality. Which countries are best equipped to withstand what’s coming, and how are they getting there? On today’s show, Kobad Bhavnagri is joined by Danya Liu, a senior associate on BloombergNEF’s climate risk team, and Natasha Mawdsley, a strategy analyst, to discuss their note, “Ranking Resilience: Assessing Country Climate Adaptation.”

Complementary BNEF research on the trends driving the transition to a lower-carbon economy can be found at BNEF on the Bloomberg Terminal or on bnef.com

Links to research notes from this episode:

Ranking Resilience: Assessing Country Climate Adaptation - https://www.bnef.com/insights/37695

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The 85 million medium- and heavy-duty trucks on the road last year were responsible for nearly a 10th of global emissions, and an array of technologies and business models are in trial as a way to cut these vehicles’ carbon footprint. A lack of charging infrastructure and high upfront prices remain high hurdles to clear. Yet China boasts record e-truck and e-tractor sales, Europe offers them considerable policy support, and even in the US (where sales are slow) the charging market is evolving quickly. From ports in Shanghai to freight corridors in California, could cleaner trucking prove the real test of how fast heavy industry can decarbonize? On today’s show, Dana Perkins is joined by BloombergNEF’s head of commercial transport, Nikolas Soulopoulos, and associate Maynie Yang to discuss their team’s recent notes, “Zero Emission Commercial Vehicles: Accelerating the Transition” and “Commercial Vehicle Decarbonization Monthly: E-Tractors.”

Complementary BNEF research on the trends driving the transition to a lower-carbon economy can be found at BNEF on the Bloomberg Terminal or on bnef.com

Links to research notes from this episode:

Commercial Vehicle Decarbonization Monthly: E-Tractors - https://www.bnef.com/insights/37859

Zero Emission Commercial Vehicles: Accelerating the Transition - https://www.bnef.com/insights/37519

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Hydrogen was once the golden child of the energy transition. Yet high costs and limited policy support proved high hurdles for the technology’s progress, global deployment has fallen well short of expectations. Forecasts now project around 5.5 million tons of production by 2030 – half of what was expected just a few years ago and far below industry and government ambitions. Of course, as with all things energy transition, the story gets more complicated the closer you look. The US is betting on blue hydrogen even as it turns away from many clean technologies, China is driving ahead with green, and India is emerging as a low-cost producer. And around the world, hydrogen is gradually gaining a foothold in hard-to-abate sectors like shipping and aviation, where the fuel could play a transformative role. On today’s show, Kobad Bhavnagri is joined by BloombergNEF’s head of hydrogen research, Martin Tengler, to discuss some of his team’s recent work, including “Hydrogen Supply Outlook 2025: Blue Takes the Lead” and “Ammonia Supply Outlook 2025: Tenders Shape Demand.”

Complementary BNEF research on the trends driving the transition to a lower-carbon economy can be found at BNEF on the Bloomberg Terminal or on bnef.com

Links to research notes from this episode:

Hydrogen Supply Outlook 2025: Blue Takes the Lead - https://www.bnef.com/insights/37489?context=eyJ0eXBlIjoiaW5zaWdodCIsInNvcnQiOiJkYXRlIiwicmVnaW9uIjpbXSwic2VjdG9yIjpbXSwiYXV0aG9yIjpbIjQwMjc3Il0sImluc2lnaHQtdHlwZSI6W119

Ammonia Supply Outlook 2025: Tenders Shape Demand - https://www.bnef.com/insights/37457?context=eyJ0eXBlIjoiaW5zaWdodCIsInNvcnQiOiJkYXRlIiwicmVnaW9uIjpbXSwic2VjdG9yIjpbXSwiYXV0aG9yIjpbIjQwMjc3Il0sImluc2lnaHQtdHlwZSI6W119

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In a few days’ time, world leaders will gather in Brazil for the COP30 climate conference. It’s been 10 years since the Paris Agreement laid out ambitions for a net-zero future, yet momentum is waning. Fewer than a third of nations have submitted their 2035 climate pledges, and current trajectories suggest that the global warming threshold agreed in Paris will be far exceeded by the end of the century. Political shifts, economic pressures, and the US’s withdrawal from the Agreement are all casting a shadow over the upcoming negotiations. Still, there are glimmers of progress, including China unveiling its first absolute emissions target and Brazil pushing for a global carbon market. So can COP30 reignite the collective drive toward net zero? On today’s show, Kobad Bhavnagri is joined by BloombergNEF’s head of global policy, Victoria Cuming, and energy transitions associate Brynne Mary Merkley to discuss their recent note “COP30 Climate Talks to Advance Amid Geopolitical Turmoil.”

Complementary BNEF research on the trends driving the transition to a lower-carbon economy can be found at BNEF on the Bloomberg Terminal or on bnef.com

Links to research notes from this episode:

COP30 Climate Talks to Advance Amid Geopolitical Turmoil - https://www.bnef.com/insights/37817

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.