Ethan Zindler: From Clean Energy Analyst to Treasury’s 🌎 Climate Kingpin. What’s next? 🔮

TL;DR: Janet Yellen, the Treasury Secretary, taps Ethan Zindler as the new go-to guy for all things climate-related at the Treasury. Coming from a key role at BloombergNEF, Zindler’s now in charge of a significant “climate hub”. With his vast experience, expectations are sky-high, but is he ready for the whirlwind of climate action? 🌀

Ethan Zindler isn’t new to the world of green. 🌱 Having recently spearheaded efforts at BloombergNEF, tracking the transition to a low-carbon economy, this clean-energy enthusiast is now gearing up for a larger role. But, when you’re tagged to be the Treasury Department’s main climate guru, it’s a whole different ball game. Are the gloves off? 🥊

Zindler has been a crucial architect behind Climatescope, a tool that scrutinizes clean-energy investment climates across nations. 🌍 His prior role saw him orchestrating a massive team of analysts scattered across three continents. Quite a CV, huh? 📜

At the Treasury, he’s got his work cut out. Besides leading the department’s “climate hub”, he’s got to help implement the clean-energy tax credits embedded in President Biden’s Inflation Reduction Act. Oh, and there’s also the international agenda where he will help sculpt those snazzy “Just Energy Transition Partnerships”. Is there anything he can’t do? 🤷‍♂️

The twist in the tale? Zindler isn’t the first to wear the climate counselor cap at the Treasury. Enter John Morton, who held the position from April 2021 to December 2022. While he faced some “constructive criticism” (understatement, maybe?) from climate activists, he’s since exited stage left to the advisory realm at Pollination Group.

While Yellen is all praises for Zindler, 💬 stating, “Ethan will bring analytical rigor and decades of experience”, there’s no denying the job ahead is nothing short of monumental. With a team that’s not exactly massive, and a long list of challenges (hello, “green” hydrogen guidance!), Zindler seems poised for some late nights. 🌙

The industry bigwigs are all for Zindler, with Greg Wetstone, the honcho at the American Council on Renewable Energy, noting Zindler’s “capable, knowledgeable, and hard-working” nature. But then, there are some who wonder if the Treasury’s past performance on the climate front could’ve been jazzed up a bit more. 🤔

With such a pivotal role and so much at stake, the question isn’t just about Zindler’s experience or the legacy left behind by his predecessor. It’s about the future and how the Treasury plans to make strides in the world of climate action.

And as we dive deeper into this green matrix, we’ve got to ask: Will Zindler be the climate champion the Treasury needs, or just another name in the long list of climate czars? What do you think? 🌟