Click the dates below to view the schedule by day. Sessions are listed in Eastern Time.
Subject to change as details are confirmed.
Technology is a critical mechanism to bend the emissions curve down and provide clean energy to feed our insatiable need for power. New technologies, policies, and strategies have emerged to deliver clean energy while maintaining market competitiveness.
The clean energy transition is underway and there are multiple paths forward. We explore new research and viable energy options for clean and competitive energy generation.
Technological advancements and a societal push toward sustainability are powering a transformation of the global energy sector from fossil-based to renewable energy sources. The transition is complex, with multiple dependencies, but possible with new electrochemical processes that will bring us closer to a fossil-free economy.
Nuclear is the largest source of clean power in the United States producing more than half of the nation’s emissions-free electricity. Yet, commercial nuclear power is sometimes viewed by the general public as a dangerous or unstable process. New technology delivers safe, clean and cost-competitive nuclear energy.
Hydropower is already the world’s largest source of renewable energy, but to keep global warming under 1.5 degrees Celsius, the amount of power generated from water must double over the next thirty years. To do this, we need hydropower solutions that prioritize biodiversity alongside renewable energy production.
Networking and refreshments for our live audience and a selection of curated content for those tuning in virtually.
Networking and refreshments for our live audience.
From 2006-2011, investors poured billions into cleantech ventures with negligible returns, during a period retrospectively known as Cleantech 1.0. What have we learned from the collapse of Cleantech 1.0 and how we can ensure the success of the dawning era of Cleantech?
Bill Gates once said “The conditions have never been more clear for backing energy breakthroughs. It’s our power to invent that makes me hopeful.” Discuss the business of investing in companies that turn green ideas into clean products and the importance of advocating for policies that speed innovation from lab to market.
Due in part to the slow pace of emissions reductions over the past decade, there is general scientific consensus that to prevent global warming, the world will need to increase our ability to remove carbon dioxide from the atmosphere through both nature-based and technological means. Meet the scientists and investors making this a reality.
While the current US innovation system is highly optimized to support the success of digital technologies that can deliver ROI in three to five years, it is not structured to support slower-growing concepts — the kind that might lead to disruptive solutions in sustainable energy, water, and food security, leaving many breakthrough inventions stuck inside the lab.
Lunch served at the MIT Media Lab and a selection of curated content for those tuning in virtually.
Energy-intensive industries such as steel, chemicals, and cement are an integral part of our industrialized society but have locked us into carbon-intensive processes. The dependency can be unlocked, but this will require concerted effort, new technology, and long-term vision.
The finance sector has an important role to play in helping to address some of the most pressing environmental and social challenges of our time; whether advancing solutions and innovations needed for the low-carbon transition or helping address the racial wealth gap. ESG considerations are being factored into business strategies and decision-making now more than ever. New technologies are helping companies drive progress, address climate change and contribute to sustainable development.
Every kilogram of cement that is produced emits approximately one kg of CO2 into the atmosphere. Sublime Systems has developed an electrochemical process that dramatically reduces carbon emissions by eliminating the need for fossil fuel and carbonated minerals. It’s a massive opportunity, if they can compete against established and optimized incumbents.
Carbon is a dirty word. But what if we could transform captured carbon into the chemicals, materials, and fuels that, today, are made from refined fossil fuels? At scale, it has the potential to address up to 10% of total global emissions and up to 50% of industrial emissions that have been difficult to decarbonize until now.
Steel is the world's most important construction material, used in every aspect of our lives – from the cars we drive and the buildings we work in, to the homes in which we live and the kitchen appliances we use every day. New technology is available that uses green hydrogen, powered by fossil-free electricity, to reduce steel CO2 emissions by 95%. Learn about this process and how it might be applied to decarbonize other heavy industries.
Networking and refreshments for our live audience and a selection of curated content for those tuning in virtually.
Networking and refreshments for our live audience.
From the production of fertilizers and pesticides to the harvesting, processing, packaging, and transportation of materials, the industrial food system is reliant on climate-changing fossil fuels. Sustainable agriculture and food production processes must change if we are to have a food-secure future.
The war in Ukraine may temporarily derail global efforts towards net zero, as governments scramble to ensure energy security. Long term, however, it has highlighted the importance of energy diversification. The relationship between the climate crisis and the invasion of Ukraine is complex, with local and global, short-term and long-term implications.
By eating meat made from plants instead of meat made from animals, we can drastically cut our carbon footprint, use land more efficiently, and save water supplies. But giving up meat is a very big and difficult change, even for those who are a little angry about the state of the planet. What’s the key to convincing people to make the switch?
About half the world’s population eats rice daily, a crop that is challenged by climate change – particularly flooding. Using advanced genetic techniques, a team developed a flood-tolerant rice, now grown by more than six million farmers in India and Bangladesh. What’s next, and how can scientists better engage the public in the rapid pace and exciting discoveries of plant genetics?
Climate change is a global problem with many interconnected and collectively essential solutions. None is a silver bullet. We examine the multitudes of ways individuals and organizations can make sustainable changes to decarbonize the economy.
Climate commitments and sustainable practices often come at costs that put profitability and competitiveness at risk. With the advent of new technologies, it’s time to rethink how we do business, addressing both economic and environmental goals.
No one single action will put us on a path to net-zero emissions by 2050. It’s going to take a full systems-change approach from electrifying our energy grid to fixing our global food supply chain to capturing carbon from the air. It’s time we view these changes as opportunities, not challenges.
Millions of businesses use Stripe’s software to accept payments and manage their businesses online. But you already knew that. What you didn’t know is that tens of thousands of those businesses are removing millions of dollars of carbon from the atmosphere every year via promising new technologies selected by Stripe’s team of technical and commercial experts.
Since 2010, Google has been responsible for more than 60 new clean energy projects with a combined capacity of over 7 gigawatts — about the same as 20 million solar panels. Now they’re on a mission to fully decarbonize Google’s global operations and operate 24/7 on carbon-free energy by 2030. We’ll explore the journey and how Google is making it possible for customers to follow it its footsteps.
Networking and refreshments for our live audience and a selection of curated content for those tuning in virtually.
Networking and refreshments for our live audience.
Hyper-local solutions provide unique strategies that combine clean technology with region specific strategies, to create realistic ways for cities to adapt to the changing climate, while also creating new spaces and opportunities for people to thrive.
The city must be at the center of solutions to global warming, public health, and economic development. How new cities are designed, managed, and powered will lock-in behavior, lifestyles, and future urban green house gas emissions. The deployment of hyper-local solutions can reduce emissions while simultaneously improving the quality of life and economic opportunities for residents.
This session will be delivered as a series of energetic lightning talks covering:
- Conventional “Green” Solutions
- Net-Zero Commuting and Proximity to Amenities
- Housing and Hybrid Work
- Local Production of Resources
- Zero-Carbon, High-Density Distributed Energy
Lunch served at the MIT Media Lab and a selection of curated content for those tuning in virtually.
Take a tour of the City Science lab and see first-hand what their researchers are working on, including sensorized spaces, ultra-lightweight mobility solutions, and data-enabled decision making platforms. In addition, view the newly created urban performance dashboard which models energy use at the community scale, offering solutions to significantly reduce carbon emissions while simultaneously improving the quality of life and economic opportunities for residents.
Reducing transportation emissions is an essential step on the path to clean energy. Solutions are available to free industry’s reliance on fossil-fuel powered transport.
Electric vehicles have been anointed as the climate cure for transportation, but currently comprise only a fraction of our vehicle fleet. To accelerate the transition away from the internal combustion engine, we need better batteries—faster charging and longer-lasting.
With a fleet of over 200,000 vehicles and over 650 aircraft, FedEx has set an ambitious goal to achieve global carbon neutral operations by 2040. This goal includes transforming the entire FedEx parcel pickup and delivery fleet to all-electric, zero-tailpipe emissions vehicles by 2040. "When it absolutely, positively has to be there overnight" is becoming sustainable.
Networking and refreshments for our live audience and a selection of curated content for those tuning in virtually.
Networking and refreshments for our live audience.
Climate change is a big problem that requires big solutions. These bold new ideas and cutting-edge technologies could finally help us to turn the corner on addressing climate change on a global scale.
Deep geothermal energy is, literally, at the core of an energy-independent world. It does not require any fuels and does not produce any waste. It’s truly renewable, abundant, and equitable for all, even in the most challenging energy environments. If we can unlock this inexhaustible, renewable, clean energy source, we can power our world for hundreds of years.
Progress toward the long-sought dream of fusion power could be about to take a dramatic leap forward. Significant recent advances in fusion science and technology could put the first fusion power on the grid as soon as the 2040s. If successful, fusion holds the potential to generate virtually unlimited supplies of low-carbon energy.
Every plant, animal, and person owes their life to one sequence of chemical reactions: photosynthesis — the process which converts water and carbon dioxide into food, using sunlight. Can we replicate this process synthetically and convert CO2 into sustainable fuels?