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The GreenWave Podcast By Synergy International Episode 42 is out! October 14, 2025 |
💚🌊 The GreenWave Podcast By Synergy International 🌊💚 Episode 42 is out and you don't want to miss this one!
World Bank at the Sustainable Crossroads
In this episode, SYNI, your host who provides the most, is mulling the politicisation of sustainability, especially sustainable finance at the supranational institutional level. The World Bank sits at this crossroads, and there are political opponents howling in the not-so far distance. This brings us to a core principle we have stated since the start: sustainability should stand on its own, not be wrapped in other causes, so it stays clear of political fights unrelated to protecting the climate. So let's tip our hat to SYNI and cozy up to another 20 minutes of her podcast magic.
Episode 42
Our posts from last week touched on some important topics: Nobel Prize Chemists Are Carbon Capture Pioneers in Disguise
💚 🌊Nobel Prize Chemists Are Carbon Capture Pioneers in Disguise 🌊 💚 Even those who stopped studying chemistry years ago might find this week’s Nobel Prize surprisingly relevant. The 2025 Nobel Prize in Chemistry was awarded to three scientists who built something that could fundamentally reshape the economics of carbon capture: Metal-Organic Frameworks. These are porous materials that act like molecular sponges, absorbing specific gases with extraordinary precision. The implications go far beyond the lab. 🌍 At a time when global carbon emissions are still rising and the cost of large-scale carbon capture remains stubbornly high, this breakthrough feels like a hinge moment. The idea that these frameworks could filter carbon dioxide directly from air or industrial exhaust without the energy penalties that plague current methods changes the technical equation. It also reframes what “feasible decarbonisation” means for heavy industry, cement, and shipping—the sectors often labelled too hard to abate. ⚙️ The science behind it is elegantly simple. Metal ions form the rigid structure, while organic molecules act as flexible linkers. The result is a lattice with massive internal surface area—one gram can hold the area of a football field—allowing selective adsorption of gases. Read more... Keynes Would Have Long Ago Changed His Mind on Wind & Solar
💚 🌊 Keynes Would Have Long Ago Changed His Mind on Wind & Solar 🌊💚 Even those with only passing knowledge of economics typically know some version of the famous John Maynard Keynes quote, “When the facts change, I change my mind – what do you do sir?” Well this sentiment is particularly applicable in the "us-versus-them" political environment surrounding sustainable energy, especially as new facts roll in showing the amount of global electricity supplied by wind and solar has surpassed that of coal. ⚡️ According to Ember’s Global Electricity Review 2025, clean power exceeded 40 percent of global electricity generation in 2024 for the first time since the 1940s. Wind and solar together now provide 15 percent of the world’s power, edging past hydropower and overtaking coal in their combined contribution. Solar alone grew 29 percent last year, adding 474 terawatt-hours of generation, more than any other source, and doubling its global output in just three years. ☀️ What makes this shift more striking is that it occurred during one of the hottest years on record. Heatwaves drove electricity demand up 4 percent worldwide, and yet clean generation still met 96 percent of that increase not linked to temperature. Fossil generation rose only slightly, 1.4 percent, entirely due to cooling demand in major economies like China, the US, and India. Read more... First Cut Is the Cheapest at NZBA
💚🌊 First Cut Is the Cheapest at NZBA 🌊💚 Think what you will about bankers, but you have to admit an important part of their is to manage risk. And when a risk is determined to be a bad one, the old-school rule says “the first cut is the cheapest.” That school of thought appears to have sunk the Net Zero Banking Alliance. NZBA members voted to shut up shop immediately last week without so much as a “thanks for the memories” press release. 💼 The NZBA was once the flagship of climate finance coordination, launched under the UN’s Race to Zero campaign. It brought together more than 140 banks controlling over $74 trillion in assets to align lending and investment portfolios with net zero by 2050. That scale was meant to reshape capital allocation across the global economy. Instead, it ended in silence. The reasons are clear enough: mounting political hostility toward ESG mandates, fears of antitrust exposure, and widening frustration inside member banks that saw reputational risk rising faster than real climate progress. 🔥 For policymakers and regulators, this collapse lands at an awkward time. As the world heads toward COP30, confidence in voluntary net-zero initiatives has already been under pressure. The NZBA’s closure will harden the sense that climate finance cannot rely on self-policing or aspirational pledges. It also underscores a deeper shift in tone. Read more... The Latest Sustainability DevelopmentsThe latest LinkedIn newsletter post highlights recent news and developments in sustainability.Check it out here. UPCOMING EVENTS Climate Week NYC, Sept 21 - 28 - Large-scale climate policy & finance forum. VERGE, 25 — Oct 28–30, San Jose Convention Center. Trellis, USA African Energy Week (AEW) 2025 Date: September 29 to October 3, 2025 Location: Cape Town International Convention Centre 2 (CTICC2) in Cape Town, South Africa Organized by the African Energy Chamber, AEW serves as a premier platform uniting African energy stakeholders, global investors, and industry leaders for discussions on the continent's energy future. The event features high-level discussions, networking opportunities, exhibitions, private meetings, deal-signing forums, and project site visits, all aimed at driving industry growth and development. The 2025 edition will cover critical topics such as investment in upstream development, legislative and regulatory policies, infrastructure growth strategies, the downstream sector, and Africa's role in the global energy transition. Delegates can expect workshops, discussions, and presentations addressing these areas, providing insights into new project updates, industry highlights, and investment opportunities aligned with Africa's energy and sustainability goals. aecweek.com
Green Hydrogen Summit USA Sept 30–Oct 1 - North American hydrogen commercialization. Net Zero Conference (LA) Oct 1 - Built-environment strategies & design for net‑zero. The Future of ESG Data EMEA 2025 Date: 13th October 2025 Location: London The annual Future of ESG Data EMEA conference returns for its sixth year as a central source of discussion and learning for the increasingly vital sustainability data industry. Growing each year since its inception, this one-day event, held in London, will offer investors, corporates and financial institutions the tools needed to tackle the growing demand for decision-useful and reliable ESG data. BNEF Summit London — Oct 14–15, 2025, InterContinental Park Lane. Greenbuild — Nov 4–7, 2025, Los Angeles Convention Center. COP30 – 2025 United Nations Climate Change Conference Date: November 10–21, 2025 Location: Belém, Pará, Brazil The 30th UN Climate Change Conference will convene global leaders to discuss and negotiate actions to address climate change. This marks the first time the conference will be held in the Amazon region, highlighting the importance of rainforest conservation. In 2026 World Future Energy Summit — Jan 13–15, 2026, ADNEC Centre, Abu Dhabi. ChangeNOW — Mar 30–Apr 1, 2026, Grand Palais, Paris. Greenbuild — Oct 19–22, 2026, Javits Center, New York City.
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