The world is currently in the midst of a global energy transition of historic proportions. Countries around the world are moving from high carbon to low carbon energy economies. Reasons for the accelerated adoption of renewable energy sources include economic prosperity, climate change, environmental sustainability, and security. The transition to a new and disruptive suite of renewable energy technologies will result in a consequential redistribution of economic, political, and social power. We will discuss how our policies and actions addressing global climate change and the energy transition invariably address the perennial themes of social and political thought: justice, equity, virtue, and liberty, and we’ll explore the potential of renewable energy serving as a midwife to greater social justice, economic equality, and a flourishing democratic culture.

About the speaker: Dr. Griffin Thompson recently retired from the U.S. State Department where he specialized in climate change and renewable energy diplomacy and served as a US Lead Climate Negotiator and Director of the Office of Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency. Before the State Department, Thompson was Director of the Office of Energy at the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID); Executive Director of the International Institute for Energy Conservation (IIEC); and Senior Policy Analyst at the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL). Mr. Thompson was also an adjunct professor at Georgetown University and the U. of Maryland. Dr. Thompson has a Ph.D. in Political Philosophy from Georgetown University and a B.A. in English from Gonzaga University.