
The Atlantic Council Global Energy Forum annually convenes the world’s top energy and foreign policy decisionmakers to set the global energy agenda for the year ahead and examine the longer-term geopolitical and geoeconomic implications of the changing energy system. The Forum is held under the patronage of His Highness Sheikh Mohammed Bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi and Deputy Supreme Commander of the United Arab Emirates Armed Forces, in partnership with the UAE Ministry of Energy and Infrastructure, ADNOC, and Mubadala.
Now in its fifth year, the Forum has emerged as the go-to energy conference to discuss the geopolitical and market issues confronting the energy industry in the coming year, develop new partnerships, and demonstrate thought leadership on global energy trends. The 2021 Forum will have a special focus on the post-pandemic energy system, emerging net-zero carbon goals, the role of the Middle East in the energy transition, and the US’s energy and foreign policy priorities in the Biden administration. Offered in a new virtual setting, the 2021 Forum will feature our Atlantic Council conference app that allows participants to network directly with one another, ask questions during live events, post on virtual boards, and connect with featured sponsors.
Review playlists of the Forum
Coverage
New Atlanticist
Tue, Jan 19, 2021
Top UAE officials assess renewables, peak oil, and the post-COVID energy market
Dr. Sultan Al Jaber, UAE’s minister of industry and advanced technology, joined Suhail Al Mazrouei, the UAE minister of energy and infrastructure, and Musabbeh Al Kaabi, the CEO of UAE investments at the Mubadala Investment Company.
New Atlanticist by
Tue, Jan 19, 2021
The world is about to embark on a big energy transition. Here’s what it could look like.
“Real friends say the bitter truth,” said Fatih Birol, the executive director of the International Energy Agency, at the Atlantic Council’s Global Energy Forum. And “the bitter truth is that real energy transitions are coming, and they are coming fast.”
New Atlanticist by
Wed, Jan 20, 2021
What China’s march to net-zero emissions means for the world
Chinese President Xi Jinping made a pledge to reach peak carbon dioxide emissions by 2030 and achieve carbon neutrality before 2060. Can China live up to the promises?
New Atlanticist by
Wed, Jan 20, 2021
Why Iran could top Biden’s Middle East agenda
Each crisis represents a major US foreign-policy challenge, but all may receive less attention from the new American administration than another pressing issue in the region: Iran’s recent nuclear advances.
New Atlanticist by
Wed, Jan 20, 2021
FAST THINKING: Five big takeaways from Joe Biden’s inaugural address
Joe Biden’s inaugural address was a call for unity—and also resilience. What did the speech signal about where his presidency is headed? Here’s key takeaways from five leading experts on international affairs.
Fast Thinking by
Thu, Jan 21, 2021
The many new ways energy and national security are intersecting
Oil and gas will still play a crucial role in the world’s economy even as clean-energy “electrostates” rise in prominence, and Biden will prioritize the threat of climate change like no president has before him.
New Atlanticist by
Fri, Jan 22, 2021
COP26: The key trends to watch ahead of the world’s next climate conference
COP26 in Glasgow, Scotland—delayed until November 2021—is more likely to produce significant results now that US President Joe Biden occupies the White House, said a group of experts meeting virtually the day after Biden’s inauguration.
New Atlanticist by
Mon, Jan 25, 2021
How climate change can become a bipartisan issue in the Biden era
Fighting climate change should not become a partisan issue, said US Senator Chris Coons, a Democrat from Delaware who co-chairs the fourteen-member Bipartisan Senate Climate Solutions Caucus.
New Atlanticist by
Tue, Jan 26, 2021
Why companies are getting more involved in the campaign against climate change
BP, the world’s fourth-largest energy conglomerate, and Bank of America, the world’s ninth-largest bank are among the companies endorsing a charter likened to a recovery plan for the planet. Dubbed the Terra Carta, the charter commits them to working toward goals related to meeting global net-zero emissions targets by 2050.
New Atlanticist by
Thu, Jan 28, 2021
As the aviation industry recovers from one crisis, it is looking to the next: climate change
The COVID-19 pandemic has generated “the most severe crisis for aviation ever,” said Marc Hamy, vice president of corporate affairs, sustainability, and environment at Airbus. But there’s another crisis on the horizon for the aviation industry: “increasing pressure coming from climate change. So we absolutely need to recover from this crisis in aviation, and at the same time we’ll have to manage the most important transition in the history of our sector: decarbonized aviation.” Hamy added.
New Atlanticist by
Mon, Feb 8, 2021
How to design an energy transition that includes everyone—including the most vulnerable
The COVID-19 pandemic has revealed an “interdependent” world with “huge issues of inequity,” said Sunita Narain, director general of the Centre for Science and Environment (CSE). Without addressing these realities, “we cannot deal with the virus, and it’s the same with climate change.”
New Atlanticist by
Thu, Aug 29, 2019
New Atlanticist
The New Atlanticist blog showcases expert analysis from the Atlantic Council community on the most important global issues. Featuring breaking news reactions, opinion pieces, explainers, and focused analyses, New Atlanticist provides a comprehensive look at the top global headlines and the challenges facing the international community.
Publications
Transcripts
- Global Energy Forum conversations with Sultan Al Jaber, Suhail Al Mazrouei, and Musabbeh Al Kaabi
- Fatih Birol on what’s next for the energy system post-pandemic
- A global view of Joe Biden’s inauguration
Featured media coverage
Day 4 – January 22, 2021
- CNBC: Middle East leaders praise Trump’s ‘maximum pressure’ campaign on Iran as Biden takes office
- Express UK: Prince Charles issues crisis warning and demands post-war style plan – ‘Clock is ticking’
Day 3 – January 21, 2021
- Al Arabiya: Libya needs stability, budget to sustain recent oil output rebound, says NOC chief
- Bloomberg Asharq – Randy Bell broadcast interview (link not available)
- CNBC Asia: CNBC Asia at January 21st 2021 4:00 PM (Hadley Gamble media mention)
- Daily Mail: Prince Charles calls for new Marshall Plan-style strategy to tackle climate change in bid to save the planet
- Oil Review Middle East: Will renewables spell the end for oil and gas?
- The National: Jordan plans to grow renewables to 30% of energy mix by 2030, minister says
- Times of India: Dharmendra Pradhan accuses Opec of ‘backtracking’, setting oil on fire
- WAM (Emirates News Agency): Masdar, China Gezhouba Group, to explore global collaboration on renewable energy projects
- Yahoo News: Prince Charles says ‘the dam has burst’ as companies join his environmental campaigning
Day 2 – January 20, 2021
- CNBC: OPEC chief pledges to deepen ties with new U.S. administration even as Biden calls for climate action
- CNBC: China will be the biggest geopolitical challenge for Biden this year, Dan Yergin says
- CNBC: The U.S. remains important in the oil market, even if Biden is less vocal than Trump: UAE energy minister
- Gulf News: UAE’s Energy Strategy for 2050: Equal balance between natural gas and renewable energy
- S&P Global Platts: Iranian sanctions relief under Biden could strain OPEC+ ties: pane
- S&P Global Platts: UAE’s ENEC expects all four nuclear reactors to be operational in 4 years: CEO
- S&P Global Platts: Biden positioned to shape clean energy transition without ending oil development
- The National: Return of Iranian oil expected to have ‘significant impact’ on Opec+ policy
- WAM (Emirates News Agency): Oil, gas industry to play important role in providing practical solutions to climate change: Sultan Al Jaber
Day 1 – January 19, 2021
- CNBC International Capital Connection (broadcast): Hadley Gamble interview with Mazrouei
- NBC Asia Squawk Box (broadcast): Clip of Hadley Gamble’s interview with Mazrouei
- CNBC: China will be the biggest geopolitical challenge for Biden this year, Dan Yergin says
- CNBC: The U.S. remains important in the oil market, even if Biden is less vocal than Trump: UAE energy minister
- Politico Morning Energy (featuring the Global Energy Agenda)
- Bloomberg: OPEC and India Publicly Diverge Over Surprise Oil-Supply Curbs
- Reuters: OPEC ‘cautiously optimistic’ oil market will recover in 2021
- Reuters: India blames Saudi oil output cut for surge in oil prices
- Washington Examiner: Daily on Energy: Court gives Biden blank slate to regulate power plant carbon emissions
- S&P Global Platts: UAE energy minister sees diminished threat from US shale oil rivals
- The National: Oil markets could rebalance as early as 2022, UAE minister says
- The National: Mubadala aims to expand and strengthen its businesses in UAE
- The National: COVID-19’s silver lining: a stronger, greener economy? (featuring media mention by Randolph Bell)
Global Energy Forum presents
An #ACFrontPage special event
Prince Charles, Bernard Looney and Brian Moynihan discuss the private sector’s transition to a sustainable future and the evolution of corporate climate pledges into impactful actions with Fred Kempe in a special edition of #ACFrontPage presented by the Global Energy Forum.
Media mentions
Yahoo News: Prince Charles says ‘the dam has burst’ as companies join his environmental campaigning
Daily Mail: Prince Charles calls for new Marshall Plan-style strategy to tackle climate change in bid to save the planet
Express UK: Prince Charles issues crisis warning and demands post-war style plan – ‘Clock is ticking’


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