Big Take: The energy crisis is speeding up clean tech adoption worldwide
Zero: The Climate Race
Bloomberg
4.8 • 296 Ratings
🗓️ 24 March 2026
⏱️ 18 minutes
🧾️ Download transcript
Summary
As the war with Iran drags out and oil prices remain turbulent, it raises the question of whether — and how — prolonged conflict in the Middle East might impact global fossil fuel dependence and the future of renewable energy.
This week on Big Take podcast, Bloomberg reporter Todd Woody and Zero podcast host Akshat Rathi join Sarah Holder to discuss early signs that the high cost of oil is reigniting consumer interest in electronic vehicles and other clean energy technologies, and how companies and countries are beginning to respond.
Explore more:
- Surging Gas Prices Reignite EV Interest
- What a $100-Per-Barrel Oil Spike Does to the Global Economy
- Zero Podcast: War with Iran is a nightmare for oil and gas. What does it mean for clean energy?
Hosted by Sarah Holder; Produced by Julia Press; Reported by Todd Woody and Akshat Rathi; Edited by Tracey Samuelson. Fact-checking by Eleanor Harrison-Dengate; Engineering by Alex Sugiura.
Senior Producer: Naomi Shavin; Deputy Executive Producer: Julia Weaver. Executive Producer: Nicole Beemsterboer.
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Transcript
Click on a timestamp to play from that location
| 0:00.0 | Your best data center has optimized every drop of water. |
| 0:04.0 | While the world is marveling at AI, you've controlled your energy costs and increased your reliability. |
| 0:10.0 | But you don't have just one data center. You have several data centers across the globe. |
| 0:16.0 | How do you make every data center like your best data center? |
| 0:19.0 | The answer is EcoLab. Better performance, better outcomes, |
| 0:24.5 | better impact. Ecolab. Now every location is your best location. |
| 0:33.3 | Hi, it's Akshad. Fossil fuel prices have shut up since the war in the Middle East broke out. |
| 0:39.2 | We are now living through the second energy shock of the decade. |
| 0:43.6 | This time, however, consumers have a choice in alternative sources of energy. |
| 0:48.5 | Are they taking it? |
| 0:50.0 | That's what I discussed on this week's Big Take podcast. |
| 0:53.2 | Take a listen. |
| 0:56.5 | Bloomberg Audio Studios, Podcasts, Radio News. |
| 1:01.8 | I was reporting at San Francisco yesterday and went past a service station where the cheapest |
| 1:06.9 | get asked was $6.61 a gallon, which translates into about $100 to fill your average car. |
| 1:14.6 | California has some of the most expensive gas in the country. But since the U.S. and Israel attacked |
| 1:20.5 | Iran in late February, the average cost of a gallon of gas in the U.S. has steadily climbed. |
| 1:26.6 | It's now nearly $4 a gallon, up from a five-year |
| 1:30.3 | low. As oil and gas supplies are disrupted and conflict continues in the Middle East, |
| 1:36.3 | Bloomberg reporters Todd Woody and Akshat Rati are tracking how consumers around the |
| 1:41.2 | world are starting to feel the effects. |
| 1:43.3 | The European gas prices have gone up 30, 60, even 100% depending on where it's being consumed in Europe. |
... |
Please login to see the full transcript.
Disclaimer: The podcast and artwork embedded on this page are from Bloomberg, and are the property of its owner and not affiliated with or endorsed by Tapesearch.
Generated transcripts are the property of Bloomberg and are distributed freely under the Fair Use doctrine. Transcripts generated by Tapesearch are not guaranteed to be accurate.
Copyright © Tapesearch 2026.