Episode description

This week, we talk to Jeffrey Ball, who lead the recent study "Hot money: Illuminating the financing of high-carbon infrastructure in the developing world." In this conversation, we ask: if renewables are so cheap, why is fossil fuel infrastructure still being built in the developing world? Ball helps us understand what is happening and, more importantly, where the money is coming from to power the nation's most in need of more energy resources. He also explains the possible solutions and what to watch for as the politics and economics of decarbonization evolve. 

Jeffrey Ball is the scholar-in-residence at Stanford University’s Steyer-Taylor Center for Energy Policy and Finance, leads the The Stanford Climate of Infrastructure Project, and is a lecturer at Stanford Law School. He is a long-time writer on energy and climate issues and has appeared in Fortune, Foreign Affairs, Mother Jones, Texas Monthly, The New Republic, The New York Times, The Atlantic, The Wall Street Journal, and Slate. You can check out more of his work on his website here.

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Further Reading:

Revealed: Biden administration was not legally bound to auction gulf drilling rights

The Climate Fight Isn’t About Morality. It’s About Cold, Hard Cash.