SmarterMarkets™

This week, we kick off our new series, Catching Up On Climate, where we'll be discussing the state of the climate, the energy transition, and carbon markets going into Climate Week New York City 2025.

We begin our new series by welcoming David Shukman back into the SmarterMarkets™ studio. Shukman is a journalist and former Science Editor at the BBC. SmarterMarkets™ host David Greely sits down with Shukman to catch up on how our experience of climate change is becoming more local and immediate, how governments and corporations are responding, and how the stories we tell – and the way we tell them – must adapt to help us confront this changing reality.

We close out our Summer Playlist this week by welcoming Nobuo Tanaka, Executive Director Emeritus at the International Energy Agency, into the SmarterMarkets™ studio. David Greely sits down with Nobuo Tanaka to discuss how the energy trilemma of balancing energy security, affordability, and environmental sustainability is shaping the energy and geopolitical landscape facing Japan and Korea – and what it means for the future of LNG and nuclear power.

We continue our Summer Playlist this week by welcoming Helima Croft back into the SmarterMarkets™ studio. Helima is Managing Director & Global Head of Commodity Strategy at RBC Capital Markets. David Greely sits down with Helima to discuss the state of the ongoing conflicts in Ukraine and the Middle East, how and why the Trump administration may be turning to tariffs and trade deals to reduce Russian energy exports, and the consequences for energy markets and prices going forward.

On this week’s installment of Summer Playlist 2025, we welcome DJ Watkins and Chanel Host, Founder and Director of the Aspen Design Conference, into the SmarterMarkets™ studio. David Greely sits down with DJ and Chanel to discuss their relaunch and reimagining of the historic International Design Conference in Aspen. Together, they explore how design thinking transforms ideas into innovations that build businesses and change our lives – and how design thinking  can be applied to help solve our biggest challenges.

This week on Summer Playlist 2025, we welcome Yassir Benjelloun-Touimi, Co-Founder & CEO of ARTEX Global Markets, into the SmarterMarkets™ studio. David Greely sits down with Yassir to discuss how ARTEX is building the market infrastructure to broaden access to trading and investing in museum quality fine art – as well as the challenges and opportunities in creating a new asset class.

We continue our Summer Playlist this week by welcoming Catherine Flax back into the SmarterMarkets™ studio. Catherine is CEO at Zefiro Methane Corp. David Greely sits down with Catherine to catch up on her work at Zefiro addressing the global methane emissions problem by cleaning up and plugging end-of-life oil and natural gas wells. David and Catherine also discuss how she's been navigating the reduction in carbon finance through the voluntary carbon markets and the volatile policy landscape in the United States to better understand what it takes to run a company in a challenging environment.

Our Summer Playlist rolls on this week with Theresa Kammel and Pierre Buisson, Originator and Senior Structurer of Weather & Agro Zurich at Munich Re. David Greely sits down with them to discuss the role of weather derivatives in managing weather-related risks — and how the market for these derivatives is growing and becoming more sophisticated with the energy transition to renewables like wind and solar.

We continue our Summer Playlist this week with Albert Cheng, CEO of the Singapore Bullion Market Association (SBMA). SmarterMarkets™ host David Greely sits down with Albert to discuss the SBMA's vision for Singapore to become a leading global center for the trading of gold and other precious metals – and the SBMA's roadmap to making that vision a reality.

On our third installment of Summer Playlist 2025, we welcome Jeff Currie back into the SmarterMarkets™ studio. Jeff is Chief Strategy Officer of Energy Pathways at Carlyle. David Greely sits down with Jeff to discuss the implications of the breakdown of the world order that has defined the post-World War II era – implications Jeff lays out in his new paper, The New Martial Plan, the sequel to The New Joule Order. Together, they discuss how the quest for security is becoming the paramount force reshaping geopolitics, energy, and investment.

This week on Summer Playlist 2025, we welcome Michael Greenstone into the SmarterMarkets™ studio. Michael is Director of the Energy Policy Institute at the University of Chicago (EPIC), Founding Director of the University’s Institute for Climate and Sustainable Growth, and Milton Friedman Distinguished Service Professor in Economics.

David Greely sits down with Michael to discuss how EPIC is translating the insights of cutting edge energy and environmental research into real world impact, including building cap-and-trade particulate emissions markets in India.