Axios House: Priorities and challenges for decarbonization vary by sector

NEW YORK – Efforts to decarbonize key industries are underway but solutions are not scaling fast enough.

• Axios host/editor Niala Boodhoo and Sara Kehaulani Goo, executive editor of Axios Live, moderated conversations with National Climate Advisor Ali Zaidi, Delta Air Lines chief sustainability officer Amelia DeLuca and Bridgetown Initiative director and special advisor to the Barbados Prime Minister on climate resilience Pepukaye Bardouille at Axios House for Climate Week and UNGA, which was sponsored by PAGE.

Why it matters: Building out infrastructure for renewable energy is a key aspect of accelerating energy transitions in the U.S. and globally.

What they're saying: "One of the big things that we try to focus on is just blocking and tackling on the ground to get things built, and that's a big focus for us in these last few months," Zaidi said of the Biden administration's energy priorities for the rest of his term.

Zaidi said the Biden administration has tried to focus "sector by sector" when it comes to decarbonization.

• For the power sector, the top priority is building more transmission lines and finalizing the tech neutral tax credits for the Inflation Reduction Act, he said. For transportation, it's building up more momentum for heavy duty and freight decarbonization.
• Scaling sustainable aviation fuel is a key part of the aviation industry's decarbonization strategy. "Sustainable aviation fuel is the real challenge. It's not scaling as fast as it needs to, and that is the single most important lever that we have to pull," DeLuca said.

What we're watching: Climate finance has been a key focus of international conversations on the need to speed up global energy transitions.

• A lack of adequate funding for developing economies to move away from fossil fuels and improve climate resilience is a big challenge.

• "But I think when financing institutions and development partners really kind of look at the numbers and expressly realize that for every dollar that you invest in adaptation, you save between $4 and $7 in reconstruction, then it's actually pretty good value for money," Bardouille said.

Sponsored content:

In a View From the Top sponsored segment, EQT president and CEO Toby Z. Rice emphasized the importance of growing energy production in the United States but also noted that it has never been more difficult to do so.

• "It's never been a more important time to produce energy in the United States, whether that is fueling our allies with our LNG and meeting the growing demand of our allies overseas, or powering this AI revolution that's taking place in our shores. But unfortunately, it's never been more difficult to produce energy in this country."