Hosted by Penn Climate
What makes a country competitive for the next generation of investment in clean energy and industry? How are climate impacts, new technologies, the AI-driven demand for energy, and other factors reshaping the investment decisions of banks, pension funds, and insurance companies?
As geopolitical competition intensifies and the physical impacts of climate change become increasingly clear, the factors driving global investment decisions are changing.
Companies are no longer choosing locations based solely on labor costs or market access; they are seeking jurisdictions, at subnational and national scales, that can offer resilient infrastructure, secure supply chains, and predictable policy environments. In parallel, governments are grappling with converging trade and economic, security, and energy risks made more challenging by the reality of chokepoints at multiple scales, from global geographical chokepoints like the Strait of Hormuz to capacity constraints at the local grid level. Investment firms, meanwhile, are increasingly factoring climate risk into the decisions they make on behalf of their shareholders.
The frontier of green investment is also increasingly shaped by the interplay between performance-based trade rules and the generation of lead markets for low-carbon and near-zero industrial products. The promise of real economic growth from new technologies, especially in emerging and developing economies, cannot be fully realized without participation from relevant organizations, investors, and international financial organizations to enhance access to finance.
Event Program
Part 1
Introduction and welcome from Sanya Carley, Vice Provost for Climate and Kleinman Center Faculty Director, followed by opening address from Rachel Kyte, UK Special Representative for Climate, and keynote address from U.S. Senator Sheldon Whitehouse, who will set the scene on the role of government in supporting private investment into resilient clean energy supply chains in emerging economies.
Part 2
Panel discussion, “Global Investment and Competitive Clean Industrial Supply Chains,” with representatives from academia, the private sector, international organizations, and government who will offer their take on challenges and opportunities to catalyze such investment.
Panelists
- Moderator: Witold Henisz, Vice Dean, Wharton Impact; Deloitte & Touche Professor of Management
- Dr. Lutz Morgenstern, Head of Division on General Issues of International Climate Action and Global Energy Transition; Action Agenda, German Federal Ministry for the Environment, Climate Action, Nature Conservation, and Nuclear Safety
- Stephan Nicoleau, C’05; Co-Founder, FullCycle Climate Partners, LP; Chair of the Board Project Drawdown
- Michael Apicelli, Head of Secretariat of the Climate Club
- Jessica Olson, Head of Global Affairs (Americas & Indo-Pacific), Topsoe
- Catherine Goldberg, Senior Fellow, Net Zero Industrial Policy Lab at Johns Hopkins University
Part 3
Closing keynote remarks by Heather Boushey, Director of the Penn Kleinman Center EconClimate Lab and Former White House Chief Economist for the Invest in America Cabinet, to reflect on the opening keynote and panel discussion and offer insights and thoughts on a sensible way forward.
Reception
The keynote addresses and panel will be followed by a catered reception with the opportunity for further connection and networking.
Note: This event is invite-only. If you are interested in attending, please email vp-climate@upenn.edu.
Co-sponsored by:
The Kleinman Center for Energy Policy
Penn Washington
Penn Global
Perry World House
Penn Institute for Urban Research
Wharton IMPACT
Wharton Climate Center
Penn Center for Science, Sustainability, and the Media
Penn Center for Climate Resilience
Penn Development Research Initiative
Venture Lab