860: Why Natural Gas is Surging Again (and What It Means for Solar); Justin Locke | Global Energy Monitor

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Is the world’s most powerful energy data set hiding in plain sight?

Justin Locke, former RMI leader and now Executive Director of Global Energy Monitor, joins Nico to uncover how real data—not just rhetoric—is shaping the future of global energy. If you've ever looked at a chart on coal retirements, gas pipelines, or solar growth, chances are it came from GEM. Or at least, the person who created it was likely using this little-known FREE Open-source data set.

In this episode, we go deep into the data warehouse purpose-built to help illuminate what’s really happening behind the curtain of the energy transition. We also spotlight a massive—but little discussed—spike in U.S. natural gas development. What’s behind it? AI-driven demand from hyperscale data centers.

Why is this a warning sign? It’s quietly tipping the energy scales in ways we didn’t predict.

You’ll hear why Justin left RMI to lead this critical watchdog organization, how GEM tracks infrastructure across 26 energy sectors, and why Southeast Asia and Africa are at a clean energy crossroads.

Expect to Learn:

🔹 Why the U.S. is now leading global gas plant development

🔹 The off-grid data centers powering AI—and burning more gas

🔹 How renewables are still growing fast… even amid fossil resurgence

🔹 Why the Global South is the key to solving the climate crisis

The energy transition is messy—but the data doesn’t lie. Find out what’s really going on.

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