High Energy Planet

Imagine a world with electricity so abundant that it powers jobs, boosts innovation, and improves living standards at massive scale. And so universal that no person’s potential is wasted because energy is too limited or expensive where they live.
High Energy Planet, from the Energy for Growth Hub, explores how we build that future.
In Season 5, we’re focused on the US government’s wild shifts in energy and development policy. What’s actually happening? What does it mean for partners? For investors? For philanthropy? And most of all: how do we reinvent energy and climate diplomacy for a world that has fundamentally changed?
Season 5 starts September 15 – new episodes monthly.
Hosted by Katie Auth, deputy executive director of the Energy for Growth Hub.
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Learn more about host Katie Auth

Read Katie's Substack: 'Aid Interrupted'

Learn more about High Energy Planet and find transcripts on the web

For the last episode of Season 4, Rose and Katie are joined by Matthew Yglesias, journalist and author of the Substack, Slow Boring. They cover everything from the value and political future of US foreign assistance, to climate politics and the new “abundance” movement, and how we navigate a rapidly changing media ecosystem.

Ken Opalo, associate professor at Georgetown University and author of An Africanist Perspective, joins the show to discuss what’s really behind chronic underinvestment in Africa’s power sector, what US policymakers are missing, and what gives him hope for the future of African development.

Rose and Katie unpack the fallout from the Trump administration’s dismantling of USAID and what it means for global energy investment and energy access. Drawing on their experience in US government, they explore the ripple effects of these cuts, the impact on local and international partners, and the broader shifts in development assistance. They also reflect on the role of public service, the evolving nature of US engagement abroad, and how to navigate this new reality.

Kanika Chawla, Chief of Staff at SEforALL, joins Rose and Katie to discuss what to expect from the 2025 SEforALL Global Forum, how SEforALL builds trust with governments, and what’s next for SDG7. Plus, why she calls London her favorite Indian city (yes, really).