You’re Invited: Mapping the Next Energy Shock with The Economist's Vijay Vaitheeswaran | May 5 at 4pm ET
The global energy system has been jolted again. But this time, the aftershocks are playing out unevenly across regions, technologies, and timelines.
Next week, David, Sara and Ed are joined by Vijay Vaitheeswaran, Global Energy and Climate Innovation Editor at The Economist, to make sense of the latest energy shock and what comes next.
We will walk through how Europe, Asia, and North America are experiencing the same shock very differently, what today’s price spikes and policy responses mean for mid to long term energy demand, and whether “peak fossil” and “peak emissions” are actually coming into view or slipping further over the horizon.
We'll dig into what is real, what is wishful thinking, and whether this moment accelerates or derails the energy transition.
Register now and join the live episode recording on May 5, 2026 at 4pm ET / 2pm MT.
About Our Guest:
Vijay Vaitheeswaran is the Global Energy & Climate Innovation Editor of The Economist. He has produced numerous cover stories and won awards for his reporting. He is an accomplished public speaker and his three books have created a stir, with accolades ranging from lengthy reviews in The New Yorker to shortlisting for the FT/McKinsey Business Book of the Year prize. The Financial Times has declared him to be “a writer to whom it is worth paying attention.”
Vijay is a Life Member of the Council on Foreign Relations. He serves as an advisor on innovation to the World Economic Forum/Davos, and has taught at NYU Stern Business School and Northwestern University. Vijay is an alumnus of Harvard Business School and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.
About Your Energy vs Climate Co-Hosts:
David Keith is Professor and Founding Faculty Director, Climate Systems Engineering Initiative at the University of Chicago. He is the founder of Carbon Engineering and was formerly a professor at Harvard University and the University of Calgary. He splits his time between Canmore and Chicago.
Sara Hastings-Simon studies energy transitions at the intersection of policy, business, and technology. She’s a policy wonk, a physicist turned management consultant, and a professor at the University of Calgary where she teaches in the Energy Science program, and co-leads the Net Zero Electricity Research Initiative. She has a particular interest in the mid-transition.
Ed Whittingham isn’t a physicist but is a passionate environmental professional. He is the founder of Advance Carbon Removal, a coalition advancing demand side solutions for carbon removal in Canada. He is also the former CEO of the Pembina Institute, Canada’s widely respected energy/environment NGO. His op-eds have been published in newspapers and magazines across Canada and internationally.
Produced by Amit Tandon & Bespoke Podcasts
Energy vs Climate: How climate is changing our energy systems
www.energyvsclimate.com
