Duke University's Rethinking Diplomacy Program is hosting a timely discussion on climate diplomacy with Ambassador Robert O. Blake, former senior advisor to US envoy for climate change John Kerry. This webinar is organized in collaboration with Duke's Nicholas Institute for Energy, Environment & Sustainability; James E. Rogers Energy Access Project; and Sanford School of Public Policy.

Venture and private equity investors are pouring money into climate tech startups and large-scale renewable energy projects. Where capital is not flowing: emerging markets, low-income communities and projects aimed at climate adaptation and climate justice. Join ImpactAlpha and special guests to explore the new Climate Finance Tracker and effective strategies for bridging the gaps.

Rural households in low- and middle-income countries working in the agriculture sector feed much of the world, bear little responsibility for driving climate change, and are being disproportionately impacted by climate-related shocks. Climate finance represents a critical opportunity to bring investment and innovations to agricultural settings to improve resilience and low-carbon development.

About the sixth seminar in the Gilman Climate Leaders Seminar Series: Alongside government-led conversations on climate change mitigation and adaptation policies, governmental and private financial institutions are working to invest in the scaling up and dissemination of technologies that will help achieve these goals – and could drive up political ambition if technology outpaces projections. Our food, water, and agricultural systems, among others, will depend on the success of these parallel strategies. This seminar will feature a lively conversation between two international finance experts: Billy Pizer, an environmental economist at Resources for the Future who also served at Treasury as the Deputy Assistant Secretary for Environment and Energy; and Jonathan Phillips, Director of the James E. Rogers Energy Access Project at Duke and former Senior Advisor at the Overseas Private Investment Corporation.

Jonathan Phillips, director of the James E. Rogers Energy Access Project at Duke, will share insights on how climate change is impacting investment in energy systems in low- and middle-income countries and what it means for economic development. Participants will explore how climate finance is being mobilized to support climate mitigation and adaptation goals, get to know key institutional actors, and learn about ramifications for policy.

During a session at COP26, Jonathan Phillips will moderate a discussion with top off-grid sector experts and players exploring the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic on provision of decentralized clean energy access in Sub-Saharan Africa and the Global South more broadly.

This session will explore pathways for working with foreign governments and institutions to further positive environmental policy outcomes. Jackson Ewing, senior fellow at the Nicholas Institute, will discuss working directly with environmental ministries—with stories from Singapore and China. Jonathan Phillips, director of the Energy Access Project at Duke, will cover tools of U.S. economic influence abroad—focusing on development finance, foreign assistance, and export facilitation—and related priorities of the new administration.

What can we learn from countries trying to scale mini-grid deployment? Sign up to hear early lessons from Africa in the latest report from the Energy Access Project at Duke – Balancing Competition and Subsidy: Mini-grid Incentive Programs in Africa.

According to ESMAP, on the current trajectory, 230 million people will not have access to electricity by 2030. Out of this figure, 112 million will be left behind due to affordability constraints. Yet, 2030 is fast-approaching, and some of the gains made through off-grid electrification are being eroded by the COVID-19 pandemic. A survey done during these unprecedented times shows that some households are cutting back on food to make payments for their pay-as-you-go solar systems.

In this virtual event organized by the Duke University Energy Initiative, get insights from Duke experts on topics like energy access, electrification and automation of transportation, diversification of energy sources and technologies, and pursuit of decarbonization policy goals.

This webinar will bring together leading experts, including Duke Energy Access Project Director Jonathan Phillips, to explore business models for integrated electrification that are being deployed across Sub-Saharan Africa, their projected impacts for consumers and the African economy, and what is needed to galvanize action for accelerating access at scale. The virtual event is hosted by Power for All and sponsored by the Applied Research Programme on Energy and Economic Growth (EEG).

The Global Energy Access Network (GLEAN) will be hosting its first talk series this spring on Friday, 31st January. The speaker for the session will be Jonathan Phillips. He will be speaking on assessing progress in energy access towards the 2030 Sustainable Development Goals. All welcome, lunch will be served!

Jackson Ewing, senior fellow at the Nicholas Institute, and Jonathan Phillips, director of the Duke Energy Access Project, will explore pathways for working with foreign governments and institutions to further positive environmental policy outcomes.

The Energy Access Project at Duke University (EAP) and RTI International cordially invite you attend the convening Data for Development: Using Data Analytics to Accelerate Energy Access in Washington, DC on December 6, 2019.

Please join Energy Access Project staff in welcoming back students working on energy access projects over the summer. Students will present on their work and share their experiences. Seats are limited, please RSVP by September 20th.

Duke University and Oxfam America convened a session bringing together researchers, development partners, advocates, and relevant businesses and practitioners to address universal access to electricity on the global scale.

Through the Duke Data+ Program, a team of undergraduates are working closely with Power for All, a leading energy access research and policy nonprofit, to develop machine learning and natural language processing tools to improve visualization of data and information on energy access in developing countries. They will be among the student groups that will share their work at a Data+ 2018 poster session on Friday, August 3, in the Energy Hub Lobby of Gross Hall. 

Jonathan Phillips, director of Duke University's Energy Access Project, will speak on the panel "Energy and Health: Building Bridges" at the Sustainable Energy for All Forum on Thursday, May 3, in Lisbon, Portugal.