Axios

NEW YORK — Companies will need coordinated action from the government, suppliers and customers to meet sustainability goals, Delta Air Lines and Uber leaders said at Axios House at Climate Week and the UN General Assembly.

Why it matters: The push to make travel more sustainable is colliding with the costs of adaptation and lack of supporting infrastructure.

Axios' Alan Neuhauser moderated conversations with Delta Air Lines chief sustainability officer Amelia DeLuca and Uber global head of mobility sustainability Santosh Rao. The Sept. 22 event was sponsored by Hilton.

State of play: Delta recently reframed its 50% net-zero target by 2050 as an "aspiration" after previously describing it as an "ultimate goal." The company remains committed to its 10% sustainable aviation fuel target by 2030.

What they're saying: Partnerships are the core of a successful sustainable travel strategy.

• Delta has a "multiyear, long-term strategic partnership with Shell," DeLuca said, and "they're helping us with the logistics and the infrastructure, the sourcing of that sustainable aviation fuel."
• "There needs to be continued government support — federal, state and internationally," DeLuca added. "We are sure going to try" to meet the SAF threshold, "but it's really a team effort."
• "This is going to be a team sport," Rao said. "We're not going to be able to do it alone."

Zoom in: Government subsidies will be necessary "for quite some time" to help sustainable aviation fuel compete with conventional jet fuel, DeLuca said.

What we're watching: A recent survey showed that charger access is the biggest barrier to electric vehicle adoption. To address this, Uber launched a pilot in France this week allowing drivers to find and pay for charging directly in the app, Rao said.

• "We're looking forward to rolling that [out] to more markets globally," Rao said.

Content from the sponsor's segment:

In a View From the Top conversation, Jean Garris Hand, Hilton VP and global head of sustainability and responsible business, says the company aims to build a sustainable travel strategy that benefits guests, properties and communities.

• "The future of travel and the future of our business go hand in hand," she said. "We must preserve those destinations all around the world so that they will be vibrant and they will be accessible for travelers for future generations."

Go deeper: Watch the full event.

Chicago could halt new data center development within city limits for a year.

Why it matters: Data centers' growing demand for electricity and water could affect residents' utility bills and the environment, and city leaders want more time to study those impacts.

NEW YORK — Amazon's chief sustainability officer said the tech giant is still committed to its climate goals despite moving ahead with what would be one of the country's biggest natural gas plants.

Why it matters: The comments lay bare the tension between tech giants' race to build the vast energy infrastructure needed for AI and climate goals they set years before the AI boom.

President Trump said Tuesday that he has called for a ban on U.S. diesel exports, while Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent confirmed the administration is examining whether a full or partial ban is feasible.

Why it matters: Trump's endorsement marks a shift for an administration that has resisted calls to restrict fuel exports, as record diesel prices squeeze farmers and truckers and fuel Republican concerns ahead of the midterms.

• Economists and energy analysts the move could lower diesel prices for Americans in the short term but would likely raise prices globally including eventually in the U.S.

NEW YORK — Soaring U.S. electricity demand is requiring more grid capacity, increasing the need to improve existing infrastructure and potentially add a new mix of energy sources, leaders said at Axios House at Climate Week and the UN General Assembly.

Why it matters: AI and data centers, advanced manufacturing, industrialization and the electrification of buildings and transportation are driving up U.S. energy demand and costs.

Axios' Amy Harder spoke to Amazon chief sustainability officer Kara Hurst, "Energy Empire" host Jigar Shah, and Emerald AI founder and CEO Varun Sivaram. The Sept. 21 event was sponsored by GE Vernova.

What they're saying: "Energy is the bottleneck," Sivaram said.

• "The United States wants to connect 70 gigawatts of AI data centers between now and 2028. We'll only succeed in connecting 30," he added.
• Having a variety of power sources like "nuclear plants and geothermal plants and hydroplants and other clean firm technologies sprinkled around the country" could be cheaper than solely relying on solar and wind, Shah said.
• "We have a business to run" and need energy to do it, Hurst said, noting that Amazon is looking at solar power and battery storage in Texas to support the company's needs.

What's next: The U.S. has "the best" clean energy technology with much lower prices for solar, Shah said. "It is now ready to be deployed."

Content from the sponsor's segment:

In a View From the Top conversation, GE Vernova's Power segment CEO Eric Gray said power demand isn't slowing down and success in meeting that demand will play a critical role in which communities flourish.

• "If you look at where economies are going to thrive and really be prosperous, it's going to be in those areas where you have reliable and affordable energy because that's where investment is going to go."

Go deeper: Watch the full conversations.

NEW YORK — Protecting ecosystems is an economic and moral imperative, sustainability leaders said at Axios House at Climate Week and the UN General Assembly.

Why it matters: "Enough nature disappears, and we'll disappear, too," Mission Blue founder Sylvia Earle said.

Axios' Amy Harder moderated conversations with Earle and Patagonia CEO Ryan Gellert. The Sept. 21 event was sponsored by Cox Enterprises.

Context: Patagonia sued the Trump administration this month over its decision to shrink the boundaries of Bears Ears National Monument in Utah by about 1.2 million acres.

• The lawsuit says the Antiquities Act of 1906, which governs national monuments, gives presidents power to designate but not undo sites.

What they're saying: Businesses and consumers each have a role in reducing their environmental footprint.

• Patagonia tries to "interrupt the consumption cycle" by "making the best product we know how to make with the least impact," Gellert said.
• The brand also offers consumers the opportunity to repair damaged merchandise — either DIY or mail-in — or sell their used items back to the retailer, which then resells them at a discount.

Yes, but: Patagonia's own "work in progress" report acknowledges that 85% of its products still don't have an end-of-life solution.

The bottom line: "We have to think about the value of nature for its most fundamental, most valuable" purpose, Earle said, as it "keeps us alive."

Content from the sponsor's segment:

In a View From the Top conversation, Alex Taylor, chairman and CEO of Cox Enterprises (which owns Axios), urged businesses to match their environmental commitments with action.

• "You have to put your money where your mouth is. … Everybody should do what they can with what they've got," Taylor said. "If you're a wealthy person, you should do a lot financially."

Dr. Andrew Forrest — Fortescue executive chairman and founder, and founder of Minderoo Foundation and Tattrang — said no objective is too ambitious or difficult.

• "It is a band of warriors, which come together with motivation and belief — with a singular target they don't lose focus on — and they just go for it, and that's what changes the world."

Go deeper: Watch the full conversations here.

A push to protect Americans from footing the bill for the AI buildout is one of the "bottom lines" in negotiations on permitting for energy projects, the White House's Jarrod Agen said at an Axios House event Tuesday.

The big picture: Senate negotiators are nearing a bipartisan permitting deal, Sen. Brian Schatz (D-Hawai'i) told Axios Monday, bringing lawmakers closer to a key legislative priority for business groups looking to cut red tape.

The affordability of gasoline remains "the top issue that the president looks at," Trump energy adviser Jarrod Agen said at an Axios House event Tuesday.

Why it matters: The Trump administration is championing energy savings from its deregulatory push as overseas conflicts, including the Iran war, rattle oil markets, driving up fuel costs and threatening an expensive winter for millions of households.

U.S. voters are tuned in to the idea that "their bills are too high," despite President Trump's promises to lower costs, Rep. Mike Levin (D-Calif.) said Tuesday while speaking at Axios House at Climate Week & UN General Assembly.

Why it matters: High gas prices stemming from the Iran War and lingering inflation are liabilities for Republicans heading into the midterms, where the party is trying to hold on to its congressional majorities.

Rep. Mike Levin (D-Calif.) said that, unlike many aging members of Congress, he uses AI "all the time," speaking at Axios House at Climate Week & UN General Assembly.

Why it matters: Levin said Congress must pass "guardrails" around AI but declined to support a full block on a data center development.

The global scramble to secure fuel supplies — diesel, above all — is supercharging profit expectations for refineries.

Why it matters: While painful at the pump, surging fuel prices have made refinery stocks a bright spot for the market.

• Of the 126 subindustry groups represented in the S&P 500, oil and gas refining and marketing is by far the best performer of 2026, rising 145.4% through Friday's close, according to FactSet data.