Pittsburgh to Host 2022 Clean Energy Summit

Pittsburgh will take the world stage next year when it will host the 2022 Clean Energy and Mission Innovation Ministerial, a meeting of energy ministers from 31 countries focused on accelerating clean energy innovation and deployment. The announcement was made at the United Nations Conference of Parties 26 in Scotland by U.S. Secretary of Energy Jennifer Granholm. The meeting will be held Sept. 21-23. The Clean Energy Ministerial (CEM) was created in 2010 as a way to gather the world’s major economies so they could collaborate on accelerating clean energy adoptions by enabling policy framework, according to the statement. Mission Innovation (MI), which was announced in 2015 alongside the Paris Agreement, is a global initiative to catalyze action and investment in research, development, and demonstration to make clean energy affordable, attractive and accessible. Together, they “consist of 31 countries that work closely with the private sector, industry, research institutions, financial institutions, and philanthropic organizations to drive deployment and innovation of energy efficiency and clean energy” while also working on labor transition issues to ensure communities are not left behind in the move to a net-zero emissions economy, the Department of Energy announcement stated. Granholm noted that Pittsburgh was a good place to hold the conference given its legacy of steel and coal production that has transitioned into a technology and innovation economy. Outgoing Pittsburgh Mayor Bill Peduto, whose administration has made climate change and energy a focus, said “Through partnerships with regional leaders in the Marshall Plan for Middle America, we recognize that our economies in Upper Appalachia cannot depend on fossil fuels, that is why Pittsburgh already has the infrastructure in the companies, workforce, and research and development to lead the future of sustainable energy rather than getting left behind.” The Marshall Plan for Middle America is a coalition of organizations that would help Appalachian states move forward economically in the energy transition. More details will be released in the coming months, but the prestigious summit will certainly showcase Pittsburgh and the strides it has made in moving to an innovative and cleaner energy area.