Energy Transition: Amping Up or Powering Down?

While global debt is forecast to increase to 100% of global GDP by the end of the decade, the economy is facing numerous headwinds, from fragmentation, environmental shocks, demographic pressures and technological disruptions. Speakers: Vera Songwe, Chairperson and Founder, Liquidity and Sustainability Facility Stacey Vanek Smith, Senior Story Editor, Bloomberg Audio, Bloomberg Media This is the full audio from a session at the Sustainable Development Impact Meetings on 23 September, 2025. Watch it here: https://www.weforum.org/meetings/sustainable-development-impact-meetings-2025/sessions/growth-under-pressure/   Check out all our podcasts on wef.ch/podcasts:  YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@wef Radio Davos - subscribe: https://pod.link/1504682164 Meet the Leader - subscribe: https://pod.link/1534915560 Agenda Dialogues - subscribe: https://pod.link/1574956552 Join the World Economic Forum Podcast Club: https://www.facebook.com/groups/wefpodcastclub

In 2025, the global energy landscape is being redefined by geopolitical unpredictability, shifting market dynamics and uncertainty around climate ambitions. Assumptions about the speed, scale and direction of the energy transition are being tested as nations recalibrate priorities on energy security, affordability and industrial competitiveness. Speakers: Jason Bordoff, Founding Director, Center on Global Energy Policy; Professor, School of International and Public Affairs, Columbia University Sumant Sinha, Chair and Chief Executive Officer, ReNew David G. Victor, Professor, University of California, San Diego (UCSD) Rebecca Boudreaux, President and Chief Executive Officer, Oberon Fuels This is the full audio from a session at the Sustainable Development Impact Meetings on 23 September, 2025. Watch it here: https://www.weforum.org/meetings/sustainable-development-impact-meetings-2025/sessions/energy-transition-amping-up-or-powering-down/ Check out all our podcasts on wef.ch/podcasts:  YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@wef Radio Davos - subscribe: https://pod.link/1504682164 Meet the Leader - subscribe: https://pod.link/1534915560 Agenda Dialogues - subscribe: https://pod.link/1574956552 Join the World Economic Forum Podcast Club: https://www.facebook.com/groups/wefpodcastclub  

In 2024, 72% of Chinese consumers expressed trust in AI and 90% considered autonomous driving beneficial, while only 32% of US consumers reported trust in AI and acceptance rates for autonomous driving remained lower in Germany, the US and Japan than in China. What factors are driving these regional differences and how might they shape the speed and approach to deploying autonomous robots? Speakers: Zhu Qiuguo, Founder and Chief Executive Officer, Deep Robotics Paula Ingabire, Minister of Information Communication Technology and Innovation, Ministry of Information, Communication Technology and Innovation of Rwanda Kishor Patil, Co-Founder, Chief Executive Officer and Managing Director, KPIT Technologies Eleanor Olcott, China Technology Correspondent, The Financial Times   This is the full audio from a session at the AMNC25 in Tianjin, China on 25 June, 2025.  Watch it here: https://www.weforum.org/meetings/annual-meeting-of-the-new-champions-2025/sessions/who-trusts-the-machines/   Check out all our podcasts on wef.ch/podcasts:  YouTube: - https://www.youtube.com/@wef/podcasts Radio Davos - subscribe: https://pod.link/1504682164 Meet the Leader - subscribe: https://pod.link/1534915560 Agenda Dialogues - subscribe: https://pod.link/1574956552 Join the World Economic Forum Podcast Club: https://www.facebook.com/groups/wefpodcastclub

An uncertain geopolitical era has emerged, marked by shifting alliances, volatile economic policies and weakening multilateral cooperation. This moment calls for stakeholders to identify steps to strengthen global security and stability. What paths exist for continued security cooperation and how are organizations adapting to operate more effectively in an increasingly unpredictable world? This is the full audio from a session at the Sustainable Development Impact Meetings on 22 September, 2025. Watch it here: https://www.weforum.org/meetings/sustainable-development-impact-meetings-2025/sessions/geopolitics-looking-beyond-uncertainty/ Catch up on all the action from SDIM25 at wef.ch/sdim25 and across social media using the hashtag #SDIM25. Speakers: Ishaan Tharoor, Foreign Affairs Columnist, Washington Post José Manuel Salazar-Xirinachs, Executive Secretary, United Nations Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean (ECLAC) Samir Saran, President, Observer Research Foundation (ORF) Victoria Nuland, Professor, Practice of International Diplomacy, Columbia University Salah Ahmed Jama, Deputy Prime Minister of Somalia, Office of the Prime Minister of Somalia   Check out all our podcasts on wef.ch/podcasts:  YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@wef Radio Davos - subscribe: https://pod.link/1504682164 Meet the Leader - subscribe: https://pod.link/1534915560 Agenda Dialogues - subscribe: https://pod.link/1574956552 Join the World Economic Forum Podcast Club: https://www.facebook.com/groups/wefpodcastclub  

From tariffs to territory, political and economic tensions between countries are deepening as the geopolitical landscape enters a new era of uncertainty. What are the pre-eminent political shifts and under-recognized trends for stakeholders to look out for and how might they shape economies? Speakers: Graham Allison, Douglas Dillon Professor of Government, Harvard Kennedy School of Government Monica Toft, Professor and Director, Center for Strategic Studies; Academic Dean, Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy, Tufts University Jin Keyu, Professor, School of Business and Management, Hong Kong University of Science and Technology Li Xueying, Foreign Editor, The Straits Times Happymon Jacob, Founder and Director, Council for Strategic and Defense Research (CSDR) This is the full audio from a session at the AMNC25 in Tianjin, China on 26 June, 2025.  Watch it here: https://www.weforum.org/meetings/annual-meeting-of-the-new-champions-2025/sessions/geopolitics-an-unfolding-story/ Check out all our podcasts on wef.ch/podcasts:  YouTube: - https://www.youtube.com/@wef/podcasts Radio Davos - subscribe: https://pod.link/1504682164 Meet the Leader - subscribe: https://pod.link/1534915560 Agenda Dialogues - subscribe: https://pod.link/1574956552 Join the World Economic Forum Podcast Club: https://www.facebook.com/groups/wefpodcastclub

Global public debt stands at around 94% of GDP, constraining governments' ability to fund critical growth-promoting investment in infrastructure, education and technology. How can innovative financing, alongside global trade and investment strategies, mobilize resources to meet development goals? This is the full audio from a session at the AMNC25 in Tianjin, China on 25 June, 2025.  Watch it here: https://www.weforum.org/meetings/annual-meeting-of-the-new-champions-2025/sessions/investing-amid-high-debt-low-growth/ Speakers:  Jeffry A. Frieden, Professor of International and Public Affairs and Political Science, Columbia University Stacey Vanek Smith, Senior Story Editor, Bloomberg Audio, Bloomberg Media   Check out all our podcasts on wef.ch/podcasts:  YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@wef Radio Davos - subscribe: https://pod.link/1504682164 Meet the Leader - subscribe: https://pod.link/1534915560 Agenda Dialogues - subscribe: https://pod.link/1574956552 Join the World Economic Forum Podcast Club: https://www.facebook.com/groups/wefpodcastclub  

A decade after the Paris Agreement, policies and politics have evolved but the associated risks from climate change, pollution and biodiversity loss remain. Although the narrative is shifting towards energy security, national and regional actors are still looking towards innovative solutions to climate challenges. How are government and business commitments shifting and what could change mean for industries that have been preparing for future green growth? Speakers: Adam Tooze, Director, European Institute, Columbia University Elizabeth Thurbon, Professor of International Political Economy; Director, Green Energy Statecraft Project, University of New South Wales This is the full audio from a session at the AMNC25 in Tianjin, China on 24 June, 2025.  Watch it here: https://www.weforum.org/meetings/annual-meeting-of-the-new-champions-2025/sessions/honest-conversation-on-climate/ Check out all our podcasts on wef.ch/podcasts:  YouTube: - https://www.youtube.com/@wef/podcasts Radio Davos - subscribe: https://pod.link/1504682164 Meet the Leader - subscribe: https://pod.link/1534915560 Agenda Dialogues - subscribe: https://pod.link/1574956552 Join the World Economic Forum Podcast Club: https://www.facebook.com/groups/wefpodcastclub

A new wave of start-ups is emerging, built around powerful AI agents capable of autonomous decision-making, dynamic collaboration and end-to-end task execution. These agents aren’t just supporting workflows – they’re becoming the digital workforce that runs entire business functions. How are business models evolving when AI agents take the lead in building, managing and scaling companies? Speakers: Wang Guanchun, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, Laiye Louise Victoria Matsakis, Senior Business Editor, Wired Magazine John Lombard, Chief Executive Officer, NTT DATA, Inc. Asia Pacific Van Vu, Co-Founder and Chief Executive Officer, ELSA,  Kian Katanforoosh, Founder and Chief Executive Officer, Workera This is the full audio from a session at the AMNC25 in Tianjin, China on 25 June, 2025. Watch it here: https://www.weforum.org/meetings/annual-meeting-of-the-new-champions-2025/sessions/building-an-agentic-economy/ Check out all our podcasts on wef.ch/podcasts:  YouTube: - https://www.youtube.com/@wef/podcasts Radio Davos - subscribe: https://pod.link/1504682164 Meet the Leader - subscribe: https://pod.link/1534915560 Agenda Dialogues - subscribe: https://pod.link/1574956552 Join the World Economic Forum Podcast Club: https://www.facebook.com/groups/wefpodcastclub  

Agentic AI is disrupting entry-level jobs and evolving job markets are changing traditional career paths, leaving young people uncertain about the future. How do we turn AI-driven disruption into career opportunities for young people? Speakers: Zhang Dandan, Professor, Deputy Dean, National School of Development, Peking University Rahul Attuluri, Co-Founder and Chief Executive Officer, NxtWave Guan Xin, Anchor and Chief Business News Editor, China Global Television Network (CGTN) Georgina Mondino, Global Shaper, Rosario Hub, Global Shapers Community This is the full audio from a session at the AMNC25 in Tianjin, China on 25 June, 2025.  Watch it here: https://www.weforum.org/meetings/annual-meeting-of-the-new-champions-2025/sessions/career-pathways-rewired/ Check out all our podcasts on wef.ch/podcasts:  YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@wef Radio Davos - subscribe: https://pod.link/1504682164 Meet the Leader - subscribe: https://pod.link/1534915560 Agenda Dialogues - subscribe: https://pod.link/1574956552   Join the World Economic Forum Podcast Club: https://www.facebook.com/groups/wefpodcastclub  

Businesses investing in climate resilience and adaptation could see tangible returns – $2-$19 in value for every dollar spent – while taking the necessary steps to avoid annual profitability declines from climate impacts of up to 7% by 2035. How can new strategies, from partnerships to technology and innovation, be leveraged to strengthen these efforts? Speakers: Deliang Chen, Professor, Department of Earth System Science, Tsinghua University Beat Strebel, Chief Executive Officer, Reinsurance China; Country President, China, Swiss Reinsurance Company   Qin Yi, Presenter and Reporter, Shanghai Media Group   Mahmoud Mohieldin, UN Special Envoy for Financing Sustainable Development, United Nations   Solveigh Hieronimus, Senior Partner, McKinsey & Company   Lindsay Hooper, Chief Executive Officer, University of Cambridge Institute for Sustainability Leadership   This is the full audio from a session at the AMNC25 in Tianjin, China on 24 June, 2025.  Watch it here:  https://www.weforum.org/meetings/annual-meeting-of-the-new-champions-2025/sessions/next-steps-for-climate-adaptation/   Check out all our podcasts on wef.ch/podcasts:  YouTube: - https://www.youtube.com/@wef/podcasts Radio Davos - subscribe: https://pod.link/1504682164 Meet the Leader - subscribe: https://pod.link/1534915560 Agenda Dialogues - subscribe: https://pod.link/1574956552 Join the World Economic Forum Podcast Club: https://www.facebook.com/groups/wefpodcastclub