Environmental and Energy Study Institute (EESI)

Our live webcasts will be streamed at www.eesi.org/livecast

What Congress Needs to Know in the Lead Up to COP26: Briefing Series on the U.N. Climate Change Conference in Glasgow



Find out more about the briefings in this series below:



Oct 08
Creating Policies, Coalitions, and Actions for Global Sustainable Development


Oct 15
Momentum on Climate Adaptation


Oct 20
The Role of International Climate Finance


Oct 22
The Negotiations: What’s on the Table


Nov 18
Recap of COP26: Key Outcomes and What Comes Next

The Environmental and Energy Study Institute (EESI) invites you to join us for a briefing series on what Congress needs to know in the lead-up to the 26th Conference of the Parties (COP26) to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change.
Climate adaptation is one of the priority work areas for COP26. This briefing will focus on the initiatives launched or scaled up in recent years that underpin the momentum on adaptation and resilience and that will inform conversations at COP26. Speakers will discuss national adaptation plans, country dialogues on adaptation, early-warning systems, and locally-led adaptation. The briefing will explore how these efforts advance work towards the global goal on adaptation ‘to enhance adaptive capacity and reduce vulnerability.’ Intro remarks by Gonzalo Muñoz, a High-Level Climate Champion for Climate Action.
This briefing series is co-sponsored by the British Embassy Washington.
We are grateful for the partnership with the Henry M. Jackson Foundation that helped make this briefing possible.

Our live webcasts will be streamed at www.eesi.org/livecast

What Congress Needs to Know in the Lead Up to COP26: Briefing Series on the U.N. Climate Change Conference in Glasgow



Find out more about the briefings in this series below:



Oct 08
Creating Policies, Coalitions, and Actions for Global Sustainable Development


Oct 15
Momentum on Climate Adaptation


Oct 20
The Role of International Climate Finance


Oct 22
The Negotiations: What’s on the Table


Nov 18
Recap of COP26: Key Outcomes and What Comes Next

The Environmental and Energy Study Institute (EESI) invites you to join us for a briefing to explore cross-cutting challenges—climate change, biodiversity loss, land degradation, and pollution—facing the United States and countries around the world, and how policymakers are finding and implementing solutions to these challenges.
This briefing kicks off EESI’s Congressional briefing series, What Congress Needs to Know in the Lead Up to COP26. To sign up for the briefings in the series, visit www.eesi.org/1021cop26.
Distinguished Speakers:
Sir Robert Watson, lead author of the U.N. Environment Programme’s report Making Peace with Nature: A scientific blueprint to tackle the climate, biodiversity, and pollution emergencies, will discuss the current and projected changes in climate and biodiversity and share the range of solutions that emerge when these issues are considered together in policy design and implementation. He is the former chair of the Intergovernmental Science-Policy Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services (IPBES) and former chair of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC).
Former U.N. Framework Convention on Climate Change Executive Secretary Christiana Figueres will discuss the opportunity presented by the upcoming U.N. climate change conference (COP26) and will dive into ways governments and leaders can take meaningful action on climate change globally—an urgent need underscored by the findings of the Making Peace with Nature report. Ms. Figueres is a Founding Partner of Global Optimism, co-presenter of climate podcast Outrage + Optimism, and co-author of The Future We Choose: The Stubborn Optimist's Guide to the Climate Crisis.
Co-moderated by Daniel Bresette, Executive Director, Environmental and Energy Study Institute, and Rosina Bierbaum, Professor, School for Environment and Sustainability, University of Michigan; School of Public Policy, University of Maryland.
This briefing is part of a series made possible by our partnership with the Henry M. Jackson Foundation.

Our live webcasts will be streamed at www.eesi.org/livecast
The Environmental and Energy Study Institute (EESI) invites you to join us for a briefing about the current state of the climate workforce and the job creation potential of key climate policies.
Decarbonization provides an opportunity for job growth in multiple sectors, including energy efficiency, renewable energy, transmission and storage, and clean transportation. As businesses and government agencies seek to understand and mitigate their climate risks, climate adaptation and resilience are likewise rapidly emerging as attractive career options. EESI’s recent Climate Jobs fact sheet examines 2020 climate employment and provides further context for the briefing.
Climate policies currently being considered in Congress--including a clean energy standard, tax policies for renewable energy, and the Civilian Climate Corps--have potential to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, build resilience to a changing climate, strengthen environmental justice, and contribute to job creation.
Panelists will discuss the state-of-play for climate jobs and explore the benefits that could come with well-designed and durable climate policies.
Civilian Climate Corps
Danielle Owen, Director of Government Relations, The Corps Network
Hannah Traverse, Communications Manager, The Corps Network
Rural Energy Savings Program
Kate LaTour, Director of Government Relations, National Cooperative Business Association
Clean Energy Tax Incentives
Uday Varadarajan, Principal, Carbon-Free Electricity, RMI
Clean Electricity Payment Program
Yvonne McIntyre, Director of Federal Electricity and Utility Policy, Natural Resources Defense Council

Monday, July 26, 2021
1:30 PM - 5:00 PM EDT
Free


The EXPO is open to the public and free.




When
Where (online only)
Schedule
Attend the EXPO
Host
Honorary Co-Hosts
For more information
RSVP



The Environmental and Energy Study Institute (EESI) and the House and Senate Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency (REEE) Caucuses invite you to join us for this year’s Virtual Congressional Clean Energy Expo taking place Monday, July 26. Building on the more than 20 years of experience hosting clean energy leaders from various sectors, we will once again showcase technology and policy solutions to today’s climate and energy use challenges.
Presenting before Congress and the public, top-level speakers will share findings and innovations on the impacts they are having to mitigate climate change, improve the economy, build resilience, and protect our security interests.
This year’s half-day conference will run from 1:30pm to 5:00pm EDT and will feature three sessions, including a mid-day panel featuring the Senate Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency Caucus Co-Chairs, Sen. Mike Crapo (R-Idaho) and Sen. Jack Reed (D-R.I.).
Senate REEE Caucus Deputy Co-Chairs Sen. Susan Collins (R-Maine) and Sen. Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.) and House REEE Co-Chair Rep. Ron Kind (D-Wisc.) will also provide remarks.

Modernizing the U.S. Energy System: Opportunities, Challenges, and the Path Forward



Find out more about the briefings in this series below:



June 04
Towards the Energy System of Tomorrow


June 11
Modernizing America’s Transmission Network


June 25
Leveraging Grid Edge Integration for Resilience & Decarbonization




Our live webcasts will be streamed at www.eesi.org/livecast
The Environmental and Energy Study Institute (EESI) invites you to join us for a briefing series about the climate benefits of modernizing the nation’s energy system.
The energy system is rapidly transforming, especially at the “grid edge” where “smart” building technologies, electric vehicles, and distributed energy generation combine and interact in new ways. These innovations provide opportunities to re-envision the nation’s energy system and how we use, store, and move energy around the country. They also create new ways to increase the resilience of people, communities, and the system itself without increasing greenhouse gas emissions. Briefing panelists will discuss policy opportunities such as a federal energy efficiency resource standard, state level efforts, and the nexus between buildings, transportation, energy storage, and the grid.

Modernizing the U.S. Energy System: Opportunities, Challenges, and the Path Forward



Find out more about the briefings in this series below:



June 04
Towards the Energy System of Tomorrow


June 11
Modernizing America’s Transmission Network


June 25
Leveraging Grid Edge Integration for Resilience & Decarbonization




Our live webcasts will be streamed at 12:00 PM EDT at www.eesi.org/livecast
The Environmental and Energy Study Institute (EESI) invites you to join us for a briefing series about the climate benefits of modernizing the nation’s energy system.
As renewable energy infrastructure is scaled up across the country, moving that energy from where it is generated to the people who will use it is critical to meeting the country’s decarbonization goals. Investments in the transmission network will not only build demand for renewable energy use, but will also create jobs, increase the grid’s efficiency, and lower costs for consumers. Panelists will discuss what is needed to modernize the transmission network, including developing transmission infrastructure for offshore wind and increasing cooperation between states. The briefing will also cover how the transmission network can be constructed and maintained to maximize ecosystem conservation, respect Tribal lands, and increase the resilience of neighboring communities.

Our live webcasts will be streamed at 12:00 PM EDT at www.eesi.org/livecast
The Environmental and Energy Study Institute (EESI) invites you to a briefing on how a national climate bank could deploy capital at scale to advance climate change solutions. Over 20 green banks currently exist in the United States, providing flexible and affordable financing for a wide range of clean energy projects that lower emissions and boost climate resilience. Because of their unique, mission-driven mandates to address social and environmental issues, these entities are well-positioned to provide targeted investments in rural areas, low- and moderate-income communities, and communities of color that are disproportionately affected by polluting facilities and climate change impacts and are often unable to access traditional funding sources.
This briefing will explore the climate mitigation and adaptation benefits that would be unlocked by a national climate bank, building upon the experiences of successful green banks across the country. Panelists will discuss how these investments would also create jobs and make climate solutions more affordable, accessible, and equitable.

Modernizing the U.S. Energy System: Opportunities, Challenges, and the Path Forward



Find out more about the briefings in this series below:



June 04
Towards the Energy System of Tomorrow


June 11
Modernizing America’s Transmission Network


June 25
Leveraging Grid Edge Integration for Resilience & Decarbonization




Our live webcasts will be streamed at 12:00 PM EDT at www.eesi.org/livecast
The Environmental and Energy Study Institute (EESI) invites you to join us for a briefing series about the climate benefits of modernizing the nation’s energy system.
As renewable energy infrastructure is scaled up across the country, moving that energy from where it is generated to the people who will use it is critical to meeting the country’s decarbonization goals. Investments in the transmission network will not only build demand for renewable energy use, but will also create jobs, increase the grid’s efficiency, and lower costs for consumers. Panelists will discuss what is needed to modernize the transmission network, including developing transmission infrastructure for offshore wind and increasing cooperation between states. The briefing will also cover how the transmission network can be constructed and maintained to maximize ecosystem conservation, respect Tribal lands, and increase the resilience of neighboring communities.

Congressional Climate Camps



Find out more about the briefings in this series below:



Jan. 29
Budget, Appropriations, and Stimulus


Feb. 26
Federal Policy to Decarbonize High-Emission Sectors


Mar. 26
Lessons Learned from Past Congresses and Current Public Attitudes on Climate


Apr. 30
Federal Policy for Mitigation and Adaptation Win-Wins


May 21
Understanding Budget Reconciliation




A live webcast will be streamed at 2:00 PM EDT at www.eesi.org/livecast
Ready to make a difference in climate policy? But not sure where to start? We have you covered. The Environmental and Energy Study Institute (EESI) invites you to join us for our start-of-the-new-Congress Climate Camp online briefing series. We will go over the basics of the legislative process, highlighting key areas and opportunities for achieving near-term and long-term carbon reductions through policy.
Our fifth and final session will look at budget reconciliation, an oftentimes difficult-to-understand process that allows Congress to pass laws related to taxes, spending, and the debt limit with only a majority vote in the Senate (instead of a filibuster-proof 60-vote supermajority). The Senate Parliamentarian determined that the Senate can pass two budget reconciliation bills this year, for fiscal years 2021 and 2022. But how does the process work? What are the major challenges for Congressional lawmakers and their staff in drafting and passing reconciliation bills? And why does it matter for climate policy?
This briefing will discuss budget reconciliation procedures along with do’s and don’ts for those involved in the process. A moderated, 40-minute discussion will follow the two speaker presentations.

A live webcast will be streamed at 2:00 PM EDT at www.eesi.org/livecast
On April 22, the Biden-Harris Administration announced America’s new greenhouse gas emission reduction commitments in the context of the Paris Agreement. The new U.S. Nationally Determined Contribution (NDC) sets a goal of reducing emissions by 50-52 percent based on a 2005 baseline by 2030. The new NDC signals a return to U.S. leadership on climate change that will need to be matched with federal policies and programs that transition the United States to a resilient and equitable clean energy economy.
The Environmental and Energy Study Institute (EESI) invites you to join us for a briefing on everything you need to know about the new NDC. Experts will discuss the new emissions reduction goal, why it matters, and how it can be used as a guide for domestic federal policy development and design. The briefing will also explain how the U.S. NDC fits into the overall architecture of international efforts to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and increase resilience to climate impacts.