Five things to know about the Global Clean Energy Action Forum
On September 21-23, 2022, the U.S. Department of Energy and Carnegie Mellon University will host the first-ever Global Clean Energy Action Forum (GCEAF) in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, convening more than 5,000 advocates from the global energy community for three days of discussion and exchange around accelerating the clean energy transition.
The more than 100 events at the forum will focus on developing action plans for decarbonizing the global economy while enhancing energy security and meeting rising energy demand, spotlighting climate solutions such as wind and solar, nuclear energy, carbon capture and storage, geothermal energy, and zero-carbon fuels.
What is the Global Clean Energy Action Forum?
The GCEAF is a joint gathering of the 13th Clean Energy Ministerial, a high-level global forum promoting the advancement of clean energy technologies, and the 7th Mission Innovation ministerial, the main intergovernmental platform coordinating action and investment between 22 countries and the European Commission to reach the decarbonization goals of the 2015 Paris Agreement.
The three-day gathering will feature high-level main stage events and roundtable discussions, as well as a Business Forum, Clean Energy Technology Showcase, and side events hosted by a diverse array of international organizations, governments, companies, and think tanks. See here for the full event schedule.
Who will attend the Global Clean Energy Action Forum?
Government officials and policymakers from 31 counties will participate in the forum — including U.S. Secretary of Energy Jennifer Granholm, U.S. Special Presidential Envoy for Climate John Kerry, European Union Commissioner for Energy Kadri Simson, Nigeria Minister of State Chief Henry Ikechukwu Ikoh, Ukraine Minister of Energy Herman Halushchenko, Ministry of Energy of Saudi Arabia Dr. Zeid M. Al-Ghareeb, Chile Ministry of Energy Camilo Avilés, and Egypt Minister of Electricity and Renewable Energy Dr. Mohamed Shaker El-Markabi. Attendees will also include private sector CEOs, major investors and financiers, technical experts, leaders of international organizations, and more.
What topics will be discussed at the forum?
The theme of the 2022 Global Clean Energy Action Forum is “Rapid Innovation and Deployment,” highlighting the urgent need to accelerate the pace and scale of the clean energy transition. Leading energy and economic models find that in order to address climate change, we must drive global decarbonization efforts quickly with every tool and technology at our disposable, shortening the innovation-to-deployment continuum to commercialize of full suite of critical climate technologies.
Event topics at the forum will include accelerating carbon capture deployment, leveraging zero-carbon fuels like hydrogen to decarbonize difficult-to-electrify industries, advancing deployment of nuclear energy for global energy security, creating clean energy markets, and driving a just energy transition.
Why is this year’s forum significant?
It is a decisive time for turning climate ambition into action, and strategies developed at GCEAF will be pivotal to delivering on global climate and clean energy commitments through pragmatic, detailed action plans. This event comes two months ahead of the 27th session of the Conference of the Parties (COP 27), held in Sharm El-Sheikh, Egypt this November, and provides an excellent opportunity for leaders around the world to further pledges made at the 2021 Glasgow Climate Summit.
The forum also comes as the European continent seeks to negotiate new energy supplies amid shifting geopolitics in the region and develop win-win solutions that achieve both energy security and decarbonization. It also comes just one month after the United States’ passage of the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA), the largest-ever U.S. investment in climate action. Through the robust investment provided by initiatives like the IRA and European Commission’s RePowerEU strategy, global leaders can use forums like the GCEAF to both implement those tools efficiently and drive progress around the world at a time of rising energy demand.
How is CATF involved in the forum?
CATF looks forward to working with global leaders, policymakers, CEOs, and other stakeholders at the forum to advance pragmatic, impactful policies and investments in a diverse array of solutions to meet the global climate challenge. We will co-host three side events at the forum, with experts facilitating conversations on carbon capture innovation and deployment, zero-carbon hydrogen fuels, and the role of nuclear energy in the energy transition. Lee Beck, CATF’s Senior Director, Europe, will additionally moderate a Ministerial and CEO Roundtable on carbon management. See here for more details and the full list of events.
Follow the action on Twitter at @cleanaircatf and reach out to Troy Shaheen, Communications Director, U.S., with any media inquiries.
