Akshat Rathi
Akshat Rathi is a London-based senior climate reporter at Bloomberg News, host of Bloomberg’s Zero podcast, and author of Climate Capitalism. He covers climate, energy, clean technology, and the economics of the energy transition, including electricity demand and grid impacts from AI data centers.
A Super El Niño Threatens Crops, Shipping and Energy Systems
A potentially historic El Niño is unfolding in a world already 1.4°C warmer than before industrialisation, creating conditions in which a natural Pacific cycle can intensify heat, drought and flooding and carry local shocks into the global economy. Akshat Rathi says the added ocean heat can make existing extremes more severe; in Panama, reduced rainfall has already prompted cargo limits at the canal, threatening to disrupt trade flows and energy markets beyond the country.
Electricity Grids Become the New Bottleneck for AI Growth
Bloomberg Primer argues that electricity grids have become a central constraint on economic growth as AI, electric vehicles and heat pumps push demand higher after decades of flat consumption in many Western countries. The piece contrasts China’s continuous grid buildout with stalled Western systems, and follows efforts including superconducting cables, grid-stabilizing machines for renewable-heavy systems and Nigerian mini-grids. Its central claim is that countries able to expand and stabilize power delivery will be better positioned to capture the next wave of industrial and digital growth.