The Middle East conflict is now in its fifth month, deepening the oil and gas supply shock. Early in the war, analysts worried that the oil price would rise to $200 a barrel, causing a global recession and widespread panic, but that didn’t happen. This week on Zero, Akshat Rathi is joined by Bloomberg Opinion columnist Javier Blas to discuss why oil prices stayed around $100 per barrel and why the war is the start of a new paradigm in energy politics.

Explore further:
Javier Blas’ columns
The Global Oil Cushion Isn’t Really Hitting ‘Tank Bottoms’ 
Another Critical Oil Waterway Is About to Close

Zero is a production of Bloomberg Green. Our producer is Oscar Boyd. Special thanks to Summer Maxwell, Sommer Saadi, Alyssa McDonald and Laura Millan. Thoughts or suggestions? Email us at zeropod@bloomberg.net. For more coverage of climate change and solutions, visit https://www.bloomberg.com/green.

The Middle East conflict is now in its fifth month, deepening the oil and gas supply shock. Early in the war, analysts worried that the oil price would rise to $200 a barrel, causing a global recession and widespread panic, but that didn&rsquo;t happen. This week on Zero, Akshat Rathi is joined by Bloomberg Opinion columnist Javier Blas to discuss why oil prices stayed around $100 per barrel and why the war is the start of a new paradigm in energy politics.
Explore further:
<ul>
<li aria-level="1">Javier Blas&rsquo; <a href="https://www.bloomberg.com/opinion/authors/ASIsQsgx0V8/javier-blas">columns</a></li>
<li aria-level="1"><a href="https://www.bloomberg.com/opinion/articles/2026-08-03/global-oil-reserves-aren-t-really-hitting-tank-bottoms?srnd=undefined">The Global Oil Cushion Isn&rsquo;t Really Hitting &lsquo;Tank Bottoms&rsquo;</a>&nbsp;</li>
<li aria-level="1"><a href="https://www.bloomberg.com/opinion/articles/2026-07-29/the-rhine-is-the-latest-critical-oil-waterway-in-danger-of-closing?srnd=undefined">Another Critical Oil Waterway Is About to Close</a></li>
</ul>
Zero is a production of Bloomberg Green. Our producer is Oscar Boyd. Special thanks to Summer Maxwell, Sommer Saadi, Alyssa McDonald and Laura Millan. Thoughts or suggestions? Email us at zeropod@bloomberg.net. For more coverage of climate change and solutions, visit <a href="https://www.bloomberg.com/green">https://www.bloomberg.com/green</a>.

Zero is about the tactics and technologies taking us to a world of zero emissions. Each week Bloomberg’s award-winning reporter Akshat Rathi talks to the people tackling climate change – a venture capitalist hunting for the best cleantech investment, scientists starting companies, politicians who have successfully created climate laws, and CEOs who have completely transformed their businesses. The road to zero emissions has many paths and everyone’s got an opinion about the best route. Listen in.

Zero: The Climate Race

Zero

The Iran war revealed that China has a new energy weapon

https://api.omny.fm/orgs/e73c998e-6e60-432f-8610-ae210140c5b1/clips/1debc27c-7c1d-4c20-a0d4-b49d009ffde2/transcript

How should we navigate a world in which anxieties about AI, climate change and capitalism collide? This week on Zero, Akshat Rathi speaks with Helen Phillips, author of Hum and the second-ever winner of the Climate Fiction Prize. Rathi asks Phillips how she’s transformed her anxieties into captivating prose, how her relationship to technology has changed through writing and what humanity loses out on if we rely on AI too much.

Past episodes of Zero’s Imagine series:
Abi Dare on finding the best climate stories 
Julia Wolfe on How Music can Inspire Climate Action
George Saunders on Climate Guilt, AI and Critical Thinking
Kim Stanley Robison on Abundance, Adequacy and Better Climate Futures
Artist Monira Al Qadiri on the End of Oil

Zero is a production of Bloomberg Green. Our producer is Oscar Boyd. Special thanks to Summer Maxwell, Sommer Saadi, Alyssa McDonald and Laura Millan. Thoughts or suggestions? Email us at zeropod@bloomberg.net. For more coverage of climate change and solutions, visit https://www.bloomberg.com/green.

How should we navigate a world in which anxieties about AI, climate change and capitalism collide? This week on Zero, Akshat Rathi speaks with Helen Phillips, author of Hum and the second-ever winner of the Climate Fiction Prize. Rathi asks Phillips how she&rsquo;s transformed her anxieties into captivating prose, how her relationship to technology has changed through writing and what humanity loses out on if we rely on AI too much.
Past episodes of Zero&rsquo;s Imagine series:
<ul>
<li aria-level="1"><a href="https://www.bloomberg.com/news/audio/2026-03-11/zero-the-best-climate-stories-are-not-where-you-think-podcast">Abi Dare on finding the best climate stories&nbsp;</a></li>
<li aria-level="1"><a href="https://www.bloomberg.com/news/newsletters/2026-02-14/julia-wolfe-on-how-music-can-inspire-climate-action">Julia Wolfe on How Music can Inspire Climate Action</a></li>
<li aria-level="1"><a href="https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2026-01-29/george-saunders-on-climate-guilt-ai-and-critical-thinking">George Saunders on Climate Guilt, AI and Critical Thinking</a></li>
<li aria-level="1"><a href="https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2026-01-02/abundance-or-adequacy-the-search-for-better-climate-futures">Kim Stanley Robison on Abundance, Adequacy and Better Climate Futures</a></li>
<li aria-level="1"><a href="https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2025-09-18/bloomberg-zero-podcast-artist-monira-al-qadiri-on-the-end-of-oil">Artist Monira Al Qadiri on the End of Oil</a></li>
</ul>
Zero is a production of Bloomberg Green. Our producer is Oscar Boyd. Special thanks to Summer Maxwell, Sommer Saadi, Alyssa McDonald and Laura Millan. Thoughts or suggestions? Email us at zeropod@bloomberg.net. For more coverage of climate change and solutions, visit <a href="https://www.bloomberg.com/green">https://www.bloomberg.com/green</a>.

When AI and climate anxieties collide to make beautiful stories: Imagine Series

https://api.omny.fm/orgs/e73c998e-6e60-432f-8610-ae210140c5b1/clips/f5875b10-7aa1-4c52-865a-b49600d25825/transcript

On a windswept cliff at the edge of Tasmania, scientists are quietly tracking the future of our planet. This week, host Rebecca Jones speaks with David Stringer, managing editor of climate and ESG news in Asia, about Kennaook/Cape Grim — home to some of the cleanest air on Earth and one of the world’s most important climate monitoring stations.

Learn how decades of data are reshaping our understanding of climate change, why the site matters to governments and investors, and what Australia’s role could be in the global climate fight.

Read more:
Listen to our episode with Dale Vince about how the UK can lower energy bills
Sign up to the Bloomberg Australia podcast

 

On a windswept cliff at the edge of Tasmania, scientists are quietly tracking the future of our planet. This week, host Rebecca Jones speaks with David Stringer, managing editor of climate and ESG news in Asia, about Kennaook/Cape Grim &mdash; home to some of the cleanest air on Earth and one of the world&rsquo;s most important climate monitoring stations.
Learn how decades of data are reshaping our understanding of climate change, why the site matters to governments and investors, and what Australia&rsquo;s role could be in the global climate fight.
Read more:
<ul>
<li>Listen to our <a href="https://www.bloomberg.com/news/audio/2026-07-20/zero-ditching-net-zero-to-win-the-climate-argument-podcast">episode with Dale Vince</a> about how the UK can lower energy bills</li>
<li>Sign up to the&nbsp;<a href="https://www.bloomberg.com/podcasts/series/bloomberg-australia">Bloomberg Australia podcast</a></li>
</ul>
&nbsp;

Bloomberg Australia: Lessons from the world's cleanest air

https://api.omny.fm/orgs/e73c998e-6e60-432f-8610-ae210140c5b1/clips/3af2b8be-2e7f-468c-8006-b48f00b53a26/transcript

Andy Burnham has become the UK’s sixth prime minister in just 10 years. When it comes to energy and climate, Labour Party’s Burnham will inherit many of the same challenges of his predecessors: high energy prices, security of supply and an increasingly polarized debate over the UK’s ambitions to reach net zero. This week on Zero, Akshat Rathi sits down with Dale Vince, founder of Ecotricity and major donor to Labour, to ask can a new UK government make energy cheap?

Zero is a production of Bloomberg Green. Our producer is Oscar Boyd. Special thanks to Summer Maxwell, Sommer Saadi, Alyssa McDonald and Laura Millan. Thoughts or suggestions? Email us at zeropod@bloomberg.net. For more coverage of climate change and solutions, visit https://www.bloomberg.com/green.

Andy Burnham has become the UK&rsquo;s sixth prime minister in just 10 years. When it comes to energy and climate, Labour Party&rsquo;s Burnham will inherit many of the same challenges of his predecessors: high energy prices, security of supply and an increasingly polarized debate over the UK&rsquo;s ambitions to reach net zero. This week on Zero, Akshat Rathi sits down with Dale Vince, founder of Ecotricity and major donor to Labour, to ask can a new UK government make energy cheap?
Zero is a production of Bloomberg Green. Our producer is Oscar Boyd. Special thanks to Summer Maxwell, Sommer Saadi, Alyssa McDonald and Laura Millan. Thoughts or suggestions? Email us at zeropod@bloomberg.net. For more coverage of climate change and solutions, visit <a href="https://www.bloomberg.com/green">https://www.bloomberg.com/green</a>.

Ditching net zero to win the climate argument

https://api.omny.fm/orgs/e73c998e-6e60-432f-8610-ae210140c5b1/clips/4b91eb47-94de-43ba-a082-b48a010d2f61/transcript

The Iran war revealed that China has a new energy weapon

In 1 playlist(s)

Zero

Social links

Follow podcast

Recent clips