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In partnership with the Energy Futures Initiative

Please join the Atlantic Council Global Energy Center and the Energy Futures Initiative (EFI) on Monday, June 14 at 9:00 AM EDT for the launch of EFI’s Role of Natural Gas in a Decarbonized World – Regional Insights report. Former US Secretary of Energy Ernest Moniz, president and chief executive officer of EFI and Atlantic Council International Advisory Board member, will offer opening remarks, and the event will feature a presentation on the findings of the report and two expert panel discussions.

EFI held eight workshops with experts and stakeholders from key regions across the world to explore the  role of natural gas in the transition to low- and zero-carbon energy systems in those regions and globally. The Role of Natural Gas in a Decarbonized World – Regional Insights study is the result of this effort.  It explores a range of issues in the context of global and regional energy policy, climate policy, trade, investment options, and geopolitical and energy security implications.

As the world accelerates along the path to deep decarbonization, the role of natural gas in the transition to low- and zero-carbon energy systems is evolving and varies from region to region. Even as countries look to transition to clean energy sources, natural gas could play a key role in fuel switching, reducing the carbon intensity of hard-to-abate industrial sectors, and serving as a complement to variable renewables if paired with decarbonizing technologies or pathways such as carbon capture and blue hydrogen.

This launch event will share key findings from the report, providing regional and cross-cutting insights and a forum for panelists and participants to discuss the roles that natural gas might play in the context of regional complexities, energy priorities, economic development trajectories, decarbonization goals and commitments, and the future of investments in supply and infrastructure, particularly in emerging economies.

Please join this conversation via Zoom, which is accessible through your web browser, the Zoom desktop or mobile app, and by phone. If you wish to join the question and answer period, you must join by app or web. Please register to receive further information on how to join the virtual audience. Thank you, and we look forward to your attendance.

Agenda

Opening remarks

Secretary Ernest Moniz
President and Chief Executive Officer
Energy Futures Initiative

Presentation of key report findings

Melanie Kenderdine
Principal
Energy Futures Initiative

Panel 1: Navigating the complexity of regional energy priorities

Astha Gupta
Asia EDGE Fellow
National Bureau of Asian Research

Anouk Honoré
Senior Research Fellow
Oxford Institute for Energy Studies

Ken Koyama
Chief Economist and Managing Director
Institute for Energy Economics, Japan

Moderated by

David Goldwyn
Chairman, Energy Advisory Group
Atlantic Council

Panel 2: Financing the Future

Leila Ben Ali
Chief Economist
International Energy Forum

Alain Ebobissé
Chief Executive Officer
Africa50

Ruslan Stefanov
Program Director and Chief Economist
Center for the Study of Democracy

Lisa Viscidi
Director, Energy, Climate Change & Extractive Industries Program
Inter-American Dialogue

Moderated by

Robert Stoner
Deputy Director for Science and Technology
MIT Energy Initiative