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Energy Explained
Get the latest as our experts share their insights on global energy policy.
Live Updates: US-Israeli Attacks on Iran and Global Energy Impacts
On February 28, the US and Israel launched new attacks on Iran targeting primarily the country's leadership, security forces, and missile program.
Blog
by Anne-Sophie Corbeau, Erica Downs, Ira Joseph, Richard Nephew, Daniel Sternoff, Karen E. Young, Robin Mills & Neelesh Nerurkar • April 1, 2026
Podcasts
Hear in-depth conversations with the world’s top energy and climate leaders from government, business, academia, and civil society.
Dan Steingart on Battery Innovation and the Future of Energy Storage
The conflict in Iran is a reminder of how quickly global energy markets can be disrupted. It also underscores why advances in things like battery technology — from...
Events
Find out more about our upcoming and past events.
April 9, 2026
• 11:00 am - 12:00 pm
edt
Five Weeks of Conflict with Iran: Trajectories, Risks, and Global Implications
More than a month into the Iran conflict, the United States and Iran are at a critical inflection point.
Rapid Response
News
Peter Davidson, former Executive Director of the Department of Energy’s Loan Programs Office, joining as non-resident Fellow
September 8, 2015
The Center on Global Energy Policy (CGEP) at Columbia University’s School of International and Public Affairs (SIPA) announced Peter Davidson today as a non-resident Fellow. Davidson’s work at the Center will focus on: 1) the intersection of energy and financial markets, specifically how innovations in financial and market products can lower the cost of energy and support the transition to a lower carbon energy future; and 2) the causes and impacts of the relative scarcity and abundance, respectively, of US and foreign capital to fund our energy future.
Davidson is joining the Center directly from his role as the Executive Director of the Department of Energy’s Loan Programs Office where he served since 2013. Prior to joining DOE, Davidson served as a Senior Advisor for Energy and Economic Development at the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey and as the Executive Director of the Empire State Development Corp. Before entering public service, Davidson had an extensive career in the private sector, both as an entrepreneur in the media industry and working for Morgan Stanley and Lehman Brothers among other institutions. He earned his MBA at Harvard University and his BA at Stanford University.
“Peter has built his distinguished career in both the public and private sectors by leveraging on-the-ground insights with innovative thinking,” said Jason Bordoff, founding director of the Center on Global Energy Policy. “We are delighted that he will be bringing that same rigor and policy-relevance to his research as part of the Center’s growing portfolio. It’s very exciting to have him join our rapidly growing team.”
The Fellows Program brings prominent energy thought leaders to the Center on Global Energy Policy to research and write, teach, and otherwise contribute to Columbia University’s robust and deep intellectual community focused on energy issues.
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More News
NatGas Futures Fall on Ceasefire, but Physical LNG Flows Face Lengthy Road to Recovery
NatGas Futures Fall on Ceasefire, but Physical LNG Flows Face Lengthy Road to Recovery. Get expert analysis on the impact of the U.S.-Iran ceasefire on natural gas prices, LNG production, and global energy markets. Explore the latest developments and future outlook for the industry.
The Choke Point as Conflict Hostage: The Fallout from the Strait of Hormuz
That waterways — including straits — have a way of deciding which countries rise and which ones fall was a "known known" of history long before the Strait of
Four-star general slams Trump’s ‘unacceptable’ rhetoric: ‘Unhinged, incoherent’
The U.S. and Iran have agreed to a two-week ceasefire after President Trump threatened Iran's “whole civilization will die.” Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth has not ruled out U.S. military action to acquire nuclear material inside of Iran. Co-host of MS NOW's "The Weekend" Jackie Alemany has the latest from outside the White House. MS NOW Contributor Inzamam Rashid, Senior Research Scholar for the Columbia Center on Global Energy Policy Richard Nephew and retired four-star U.S. Army General Barry McCaffrey join Alex Witt with analysis of the conflict.
Relevant
Publications
The Iran Shock
Within days of the initial U.S. and Israeli attack on Iran on February 28, 2026, the world was plunged into an energy crisis.
Once Again, Energy Is Power
Energy has reemerged this year as a central force shaping our world—both a geopolitical weapon and an economic fault line.
Why Russia Can’t Capitalize on the Iran War’s Gas Shock
When the Iran War disrupted shipping through the Strait of Hormuz and tightened global gas balances, a familiar assumption quickly resurfaced: Russia, possessing the largest proven natural gas reserves in the world, would inevitably emerge as one of the principal beneficiaries.
