• CERAWEEK 2025 | March 10-14, 2025
  • CERAWEEK
  • March 10 - 14, 2025

Carlos Pascual

S&P Global Commodity Insights

Sr. Vice President Geopolitics and International Affairs

Carlos Pascual leads the integration of geopolitics, energy, climate change and markets for S&P Global Commodity Insights. He works with clients globally on the geopolitical challenges and opportunities that drive energy security, sustainability and affordability. Mr. Pascual also leads S&P Global Commodity Insights businesses in Latin America. Mr. Pascual was previously US Ambassador to both Mexico and Ukraine and was Special Assistant to the US president for Russia, Ukraine, and Eurasia on the National Security Council. As the former US Energy Envoy and Coordinator for International Energy Affairs at the State Department, Mr. Pascual established and directed the Energy Resources Bureau and served as the Senior Advisor to the Secretary of State on energy issues. Earlier, Mr. Pascual created the position of Coordinator for Reconstruction and Stabilization in the State Department, establishing the first civilian response capacity to conflicts. Mr. Pascual is also a distinguished fellow at the Atlantic Council. He holds a Bachelor of Arts degree from Stanford University and a Master of Public Policy degree from the Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University.

Sessions With Carlos Pascual

Monday, 18 March

  • 11:00am - 11:40am (CST) / 18/mar/2024 04:00 pm - 18/mar/2024 04:40 pm

    Spotlight | Asia Green Growth Partnership Ministerial

    Geopolitics

    Primary energy demand and emissions are growing faster in Asia than in any other part of the world. Asia must find the means both to increase energy supplies and to reduce emissions. The Asia Green Growth Ministerial Partnership reflects a shared vision and commitment to action by Asian leaders to meet these challenges. How can vision and action coalesce to deliver energy security, sustainability and affordability through Asian partnerships? How can Asian policy leaders deliver more energy and less emissions to meet the economic aspirations of its people and to make its energy economy sustainable? 

  • 02:05pm - 02:45pm (CST) / 18/mar/2024 07:05 pm - 18/mar/2024 07:45 pm

    Energy: The impact of competition and rivalries in a multipolar world
    Geopolitics

    Governments around the world are competing to win the clean energy industries of the future. Some countries are relying on incentives, others are using regulation to accelerate clean energy deployment while also bringing green supply lines close to home. How will energy competition reshape economic ties? What are the energy transition security drivers and how do companies navigate this new landscape?  

  • 02:55pm - 03:35pm (CST) / 18/mar/2024 07:55 pm - 18/mar/2024 08:35 pm

    Spotlight | Navigating the Politics of Climate Ambition
    Climate & Sustainability

    Countries at COP28 promised to transition away from fossil fuels as the world tries to meet its ambitious climate goals. However, the negotiations exposed rifts between big energy producers and consumers as well as developed and emerging economies over how the energy transition should be managed and funded. Must we first bend the course of energy demand to bend the curve of emissions?  How will different countries follow through on the COP28 agreement and what does the future hold for international climate negotiations?  

  • 04:30pm - 04:55pm (CST) / 18/mar/2024 09:30 pm - 18/mar/2024 09:55 pm

    Spotlight | How U.S. Policy Can Accelerate the Energy Transition

    The year 2024 is pivotal for U.S. ambitions to drive climate action and sustain energy security. The U.S. legal foundations are in place through the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) and the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law. COP28 created a framework for transitioning away from fossil fuels. How will climate ambitions translate into an agenda that drives investment nationally and globally to accelerate emission reductions? How quickly can IRA incentives be incorporated into the tax code? Can permitting reform keep pace with infrastructure demands? What are the strategies to leverage private capital, especially for developing countries? Will industry be welcomed as a partner in innovation and decarbonization? Join a dialogue with the new U.S. Special Presidential Envoy on Climate Change to understand how he is shaping the U.S. agenda for 2024 and preparing for  future challenges. 

     

    Watch Now
  • 07:30pm - 09:00pm (CST) / 19/mar/2024 12:30 am - 19/mar/2024 02:00 am

    Bridging the North-South Divide
    Geopolitics

    Debt, high interest rates, commodity shocks and energy insecurity have propelled anger in the Global South. Emerging economies are seeking to overhaul the structures of the global political and economic system, hedge their strategic bets away from alliances and blocs and accelerate the emergence of a multipolar system more favorable to their interests. Is the future of BRICS+ and the G77 one of new opportunity or unreconciled competition? How deep is this polarization? What are the tools to bridge the divide? What does this divide mean for the future of trade, markets and international political institutions?  

Tuesday, 19 March

  • 09:15am - 09:45am (CST) / 19/mar/2024 02:15 pm - 19/mar/2024 02:45 pm

    Energy Security in a Volatile World: The importance of markets
    Markets Fundamentals

    The promise of China’s post-pandemic recovery has given way to concerns over the trajectory of China’s economic growth. In the meantime, in the U.S. and Europe, easing inflation and resilient labor markets have created room for a softer landing despite tightening monetary policy. Two years from the start of the Russia-Ukraine war, geopolitical fractures have not mended, and are now further complicated by conflict in the Middle East. Global markets continue to seek visibility into what the post-pandemic normal will look like.  

  • 02:20pm - 03:00pm (CST) / 19/mar/2024 07:20 pm - 19/mar/2024 08:00 pm

    Spotlight | Remapping Supply Chains: Friendshoring & deglobalization
    Energy Infrastructure/Supply Chains

    The new world of deglobalization and protectionism amplifies the focus on security of supply of goods and services that enable the energy transition. Friendshoring and nearshoring strategies for supply chains are now increasingly a policy instrument to navigate these pressures. How are these strategic shifts likely to affect the balance of competition between the top producers of energy-related solutions, including China and the U.S.? Which developing nations have the most potential to take a leading role in supply chains, by virtue of their access to critical minerals or other resources?  

  • 03:10pm - 03:50pm (CST) / 19/mar/2024 08:10 pm - 19/mar/2024 08:50 pm

    Spotlight | Policy Choices for Energy Transition
    Geopolitics

    For the first time, COP28 delivered a pledge from governments around the world to “transition away from fossil fuels,” a landmark agreement for the United Nations climate conference. However, big challenges remain for negotiators to deliver the goals of energy security, sustainability and affordability. What strategies can governments and industry pursue to leverage increased private and public climate financing for developing economies? What measures are critical to advance and flesh out how the energy transition can be done in a just and equitable way? How can the ambitions of COP28 be fulfilled? What are the most critical issues heading into COP29 in Azerbaijan?  

  • 07:30pm - 09:00pm (CST) / 20/mar/2024 12:30 am - 20/mar/2024 02:00 am

    Dinner & Dialogue | Geopolitics: How risky the global order?
    Geopolitics

    The Russia-Ukraine conflict, the latest Israel-Hamas war and a fraught U.S.-China relationship have hardened divisions on the global stage. As the post-Cold War order erodes, what will emerge in its place? Is the era of globalization and economic integration breaking apart? Will international trade unite or deepen a polarized global stage? What does global political volatility mean for companies, markets and capital flows?  

Wednesday, 20 March

  • 11:10am - 11:35am (CST) / 20/mar/2024 04:10 pm - 20/mar/2024 04:35 pm

    Spotlight | Policy Challenges for a Net Zero World

    Can countries deliver net-zero emissions, economic growth and energy security at the same time? In a world of energy transition, all three have become imperative. The energy transition will present challenges for governments and industry to stimulate investments in technology and infrastructure that can drive both economic competitiveness and lower emissions. What tradeoffs do policymakers face between emissions reduction and short-term economic and political demands? What investments are most critical to achieve long-term decarbonization? What are realistic timeframes?  How will the ongoing war in Ukraine influence Europe’s energy security and Ukraine’s future in Europe?  

    Watch Now
  • 03:20pm - 04:00pm (CST) / 20/mar/2024 08:20 pm - 20/mar/2024 09:00 pm

    Spotlight | New Geopolitics of the Middle East
    Geopolitics

    The Israel-Hamas war erupted just as countries across the region were striving toward new economic and security agreements to bring stability and economic growth to the Middle East. Has the conflict derailed those efforts? What are the prospects for a more stable and peaceful region? How will regional powers align after this conflict? How will the region’s energy producers navigate the new political landscape?  

  • 04:10pm - 04:50pm (CST) / 20/mar/2024 09:10 pm - 20/mar/2024 09:50 pm

    Spotlight | Latin America Energy: Choices and new directions
    Geopolitics

    Latin America countries boast vast resources to achieve energy security and lead in the energy transition, but will policies, markets and investment align to deliver that potential? Many countries have the potential to provide incremental barrels to global markets to replace natural decline rates. The region competes to offer among the world’s best solar and wind resources, the potential to produce green hydrogen and critical minerals like lithium and copper. Can Latin American countries create the political stability and policy clarity to leverage private investment? Will prospects for nearshoring deliver new pathways for growth? 

    Watch Now

Thursday, 21 March

Friday, 22 March

  • 09:00am - 09:40am (CST) / 22/mar/2024 02:00 pm - 22/mar/2024 02:40 pm

    Technology in a Competitive World

    Innovation & Technology

    Rapid technological advancement is reshaping global power, making control over key new technologies critical to the course of international politics and commerce. Access to leading-edge semiconductors will drive competitiveness in artificial intelligence and supercomputing with massive military implications. Despite large investments in areas such a solar energy, the U.S. is in a race to catch up to China on clean energy technology. Leadership in EVs will depend on semiconductors, mineral supply chains, charging infrastructure and cleantech deployment. How will this race for technological dominance affect global politics, security and power in the coming decades? How will political and commercial pressures affect industrial policy, subsidies and trade barriers?  

  • 10:40am - 11:20am (CST) / 22/mar/2024 03:40 pm - 22/mar/2024 04:20 pm

    America and the World: The new map of geopolitics
    Policy & Regulatory

    The U.S. and the world are increasingly polarized. America’s internal polarization raises questions about its dependability as a friend and ally. What does this mean for America’s global standing, its national interests and its ability to influence international policy? As the international order frays, what will replace it? What do demographics tell us about future centers of power and disarray? How will the U.S. cope with transnational challenges such as immigration? What can we predict about the future of economic and political power—and the role of America in the new map of geopolitics?