From $100 Oil to Extreme Heat: Can Technology Reduce Energy Vulnerability?

Record-breaking heat across Europe is placing growing pressure on critical infrastructure. At the same time, oil prices climbed above $100 per barrel earlier this year as geopolitical tensions once again exposed vulnerabilities in global energy markets. These are not isolated crises, but different sides of the same coin. And prompts the question, how can we build energy systems that remain reliable in an increasingly volatile world? A new generation of technologies is beginning to change that equation. This session explores how new technologies like direct lithium extraction and everything-to-grid energy are changing how energy is produced, managed and consumed. This is the full audio from a studio discussion recorded on 9 July, 2026. Speakers:  Volker Sick, Arthur F. Thurnau Professor, Mechanical Engineering, University of Michigan Anna Tunkel, Founder and Chief Executive Officer, Sustainable Impact LLC Akshay Joshi, Head of the Centre for Cybersecurity, Member of the Executive Committee, World Economic Forum 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

More than $150 trillion moves across borders each year through the global financial system, the vast majority of it still denominated in dollars. As geopolitical tensions fragment trade relationships and middle powers look to diversify their financial exposure, alternative currencies are gaining quiet traction, such as the recent renewal of a 200-billion-yuan swap line between the Bank of Canada and the People's Bank of China. How might a growing willingness among these economies to transact in alternative currencies reshape the structure, stability and sovereignty of the international financial system? Speakers: Diana Choyleva, Founder and Chief Economist, Enodo Economics, Senior Fellow, Asia Society Policy Institute Robin Harding, Asia Editor, The Financial Times Zongyuan Zoe Liu, Senior Fellow, China Studies, Council on Foreign Relations Ashor Nick Sarupen, Deputy Minister of Finance, Ministry of Finance of South Africa Zhu Ning, Deputy Dean and Professor of Finance, Shanghai Advanced Institute of Finance This is the full audio from a session at the Annual Meeting of the New Champions 2026 in Dalian, China on 23-25 June, 2026. Watch it here:  https://www.weforum.org/meetings/annual-meeting-of-the-new-champions-2026/sessions/renminbi-and-the-world/ Catch up on all the action from World Economic Forum's Annual Meeting of the New Champions 2026 at wef.ch/amnc26 and across social media using the hashtag #AMNC26. 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  

Tariffs, export controls and mechanisms such as investment screening have become central instruments of economic management. This is pushing strategic players to leverage their production of critical resources and the concentration of critical supply chain inputs. In an increasingly fractured economy, what is the right balance between protecting national interests while continuing to seek economic collaboration? This is the full audio from a session at the Annual Meeting of the New Champions 2026 in Dalian, China on 23-25 June, 2026. Watch it here: https://www.weforum.org/meetings/annual-meeting-of-the-new-champions-2026/sessions/resisting-autarky/ Speakers: Yuen Yuen Ang, Alfred Chandler Chair Professor of Political Economy, Johns Hopkins University Tian Wei, Host, World Insight with Tian Wei, China Global Television Network (CGTN) Elizabeth Thurbon, Professor of International Political Economy; Director, Green Energy Statecraft Project, University of New South Wales Yasushi Sasaki, Managing Director and Senior Partner; Asia Pacific Chair, Boston Consulting Group Matthew Klein, Founder, The Overshoot 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

As AI inference costs have dropped by over 90%, enterprises are embedding data and intelligence at the core of their operating and business models, enabling always-on, global execution beyond human limits. How are these AI-first enterprises reorganizing around AI in practice, and under what conditions does this actually translate into long-term value for society? This is the full audio from a session at the Annual Meeting of the New Champions 2026 in Dalian, China on 23-25 June, 2026. Watch it here: https://www.weforum.org/meetings/annual-meeting-of-the-new-champions-2026/sessions/whats-the-intelligence-limit-for-ai-first-enterprises/ Speakers: Yuxiang Zhou, Chief Executive Officer, Black Lake Technologies, Michael Römer, Senior Partner and Global Co-Lead, Activate: Digital and Analytics, Kearney Joey Wat, Chief Executive Officer, Yum China Holdings, Inc. Sudip Roy, Co-Founder and Chief Technology Officer, Adaption Yang Yanqing, Director of Center for Education, Innovation and Sustainable Development, ShanghaiTech University Mehdi Ghissassi, Chief Product and Technology Officer, AI 71 Catch up on all the action from the World Economic Forum's Annual Meeting of the New Champions 2026 at wef.ch/amnc26 and across social media using the hashtag #AMNC26. 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

Global foreign direct investment rebounded by 14% to $1.6 trillion in 2025, yet the gains remained heavily concentrated in advanced economies, widening the gap with the emerging markets expected to drive the majority of growth in the coming decades. Young populations, rapid digital adoption and expanding consumer bases give emerging economies significant structural advantages, but capital, technology and industrial capacity continue to flow elsewhere. As competitiveness gaps widen, what is separating the front-runners from the laggards, and where will the next engines of growth emerge? This is the full audio from a session at the Annual Meeting of the New Champions 2026 in Dalian, China on 23-25 June, 2026. Watch it here:  https://www.weforum.org/meetings/annual-meeting-of-the-new-champions-2026/sessions/growth-map-rewritten/ Speakers:  A. Burak Dağlıoğlu, President, Investment Office of the Presidency of Türkiye   Elaine Yu, China Correspondent, CNBC Asia   Leslie Vinjamuri, President and Chief Executive Officer, Chicago Council on Global Affairs   Zou Ling, Founder of Honghub and Co-Head of Primavera Venture Partners, Primavera Capital Group   Aparna Bharadwaj, Global Leader, Global Advantage Practice; Managing Director and Senior Partner, Boston Consulting Group   Catch up on all the action from the World Economic Forum's Annual Meeting of the New Champions 2026 at wef.ch/amnc26 and across social media using the hashtag #AMNC26. 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

Who will lead the next wave of high-impact innovation in women's health? This session highlights how growing momentum around closing evidence gaps, addressing system-level challenges and redesigning care pathways is opening new opportunities to improve health outcomes and investment in one of the world's most promising innovation markets. Panellists will explore how stronger collaborations can unlock scalable solutions across priority areas in women's health, including cardiovascular conditions, menopause, and cancers- helping translate insight into impact and opportunity. This is the full audio from a session held during the Annual Health Roundtable 2026. Speakers: Moderator: Sonia Muliyil (Editor-in-Chief, The Lancet) Zainab Shinkafi-Bagudu (Board Chair, Founder and Chief Executive Officer, Medicaid Cancer Foundation) Elisabeth Staudinger (Member of the Managing Board, Siemens Healthineers) Julia Hoover (Senior Vice-President, Reproductive Medicine, Ferring Pharmaceuticals), Amy Kao (Senior Vice-President, Global Head of Research Unit in Neuroscience & Immunology, Merck) 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  

Food security has emerged as a critical challenge, defined by access to sufficient, safe and nutritious food. As AI becomes a new frontier in food systems, with applications ranging from accelerating ingredient discovery to enabling precision agriculture, the gap between pilot initiatives and large-scale deployment remains substantial, particularly in Asia-Pacific where the majority of the world's food is produced and consumed. With food security at stake, what will it take to move from isolated pilots to true systemic transformation? This is the full audio from a session at the Annual Meeting of the New Champions 2026 in Dalian, China on 23-25 June, 2026. Watch it here: https://www.weforum.org/meetings/annual-meeting-of-the-new-champions-2026/sessions/can-intelligence-feed-the-world/ Speakers: Svein Tore Holsether, President and Chief Executive Officer, Yara International Adam Tooze, Director, European Institute, Columbia University Fan Shenggen, Chair Professor, China Agricultural University Kathleen Alexander, Co-Founder and Chief Executive Officer, Savor Rattan Lal, Professor of Soil Science, Ohio State University Catch up on all the action from World Economic Forum's Annual Meeting of the New Champions 2026 at wef.ch/amnc26 and across social media using the hashtag #AMNC26. 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

As global temperatures continue to rise, El Niño events are becoming increasingly consequential for economies, ecosystems and societies. This session will explore what leaders need to understand about El Niño in a warming world, from its impacts on extreme weather, food and water security, and supply chains to the decisions needed to build resilience in an era of growing climate volatility. Speakers: Akanksha Khatri, Head of Strategic Insight & Impact, Centre for Nature and Climate, World Economic Forum Celeste Saulo, Secretary-General of the World Meteorological Organization (WMO) This is the full audio from a live-streamed video session available to watch for World Economic Forum partners and digital members who can watch it here: https://wef.ch/4f2fpwB 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

After nearly 50 years of on-off sanctions, proxy conflict and nuclear brinkmanship, tensions between the US and Iran reached an apex this year. As the situation evolves rapidly, many hope for a long-lasting peace agreement. What would such an agreement look like and how would it affect the rest of the world? Speakers: Cameron Abadi, Deputy Editor, Foreign Policy Group Mahmood Sariolghalam, Affiliate, Middle East Institute Sanam Vakil, Director, Middle East and North Africa, Chatham House Jason Bordoff, Founding Director, Columbia University Center on Global Energy Policy; Professor of Professional Practice in International and Public Affairs, School of International and Public Affairs (SIPA), Columbia University This is the full audio from a session at the Annual Meeting of the New Champions 2026 in Dalian, China on 23-25 June, 2026. Watch it here: https://www.weforum.org/meetings/annual-meeting-of-the-new-champions-2026/sessions/update-on-iran/ Catch up on all the action from World Economic Forum's Annual Meeting of the New Champions 2026 at wef.ch/amnc26 and across social media using the hashtag #AMNC26. 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

The US and China remain deeply intertwined economically, yet unresolved trade, technology and security divides have created friction and raised fundamental questions about the trajectory of the relationship. The recent bilateral summit has reset the tone without resolving the underlying structural tensions. Following the presidential summit, where are relations between the world's two largest economies headed and what should business and policy leaders be preparing for? This is the full audio from a session at the Annual Meeting of the New Champions 2026 in Dalian, China on 23-25 June, 2026. Watch it here: https://www.weforum.org/meetings/annual-meeting-of-the-new-champions-2026/sessions/us-and-china-from-here-to-where/ Speakers: Margery Kraus, Founder and Executive Chair, APCO Graham Allison, Douglas Dillon Professor of Government, Harvard Kennedy School of Government Zhao Hai, Director of International Politics Studies, National Institute for Global Strategy, Chinese Academy of Social Sciences (CASS) Leslie Vinjamuri, President and Chief Executive Officer, Chicago Council on Global Affairs Joseph Luc Ngai, Chairman, Greater China, McKinsey & Company Catch up on all the action from World Economic Forum's Annual Meeting of the New Champions 2026 at wef.ch/amnc26 and across social media using the hashtag #AMNC26. 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