Three energy experts discussed the clean energy transition at the inaugural TIME100 Climate Leadership Forum in New York City, moderated by TIME senior correspondent Justin Worland.
U.S. Secretary of Energy Jennifer M. Granholm praised progress due to the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law and the Inflation Reduction Act. She highlighted the latest U.S. Energy & Employment Jobs Report, which revealed hundreds of thousands of new jobs in the clean energy sector last year.
“It just makes me so happy,” Granholm stated, noting a “huge transformation” in the U.S.
Fatih Birol, executive director of the International Energy Agency (IEA), shared a global perspective. He cited a June statistic predicting global clean energy investment to reach $2 trillion in 2024.
Birol mentioned that many new power plants are renewable energy, like the 85% built in 2023. He praised the Inflation Reduction Act for tackling climate change and creating jobs.
Ignacio Galán, executive chairman of Iberdrola, highlighted the company’s $200 billion investment in clean energy over the last two decades. Iberdrola is the largest European electricity company.
Addressing future energy transitions, Birol said it’s “irreversible” and driven by clean energy being a cheap electricity source. Granholm agreed, saying that undoing these benefits would be “political malpractice.”
Galán stressed the need for “stable, predictable regulation” to support clean energy investments.
The TIME100 Climate Leadership Forum was presented by American Family Insurance, Cisco, Dow Packaging & Specialty Plastics, Fortescue, Iberdrola, L’Oréal Groupe, Siemens, and GSK.
