Aspen Ideas: Climate Kicks Off Today with Speaker Nancy Pelosi, TODAY’s Al Roker, a PortMiami Visit, & More Than 200 Climate Experts & Innovators Set to Participate

(Miami Beach, FL) May 9, 2022 -

The inaugural Aspen Ideas: Climate event gets underway today in Miami Beach, Florida. Presented by the Aspen Institute and the City of Miami Beach, more than 200 global innovators and leaders will appear at this major new convening to engage the public on local and global climate solutions with the potential to reshape our world. Programming will take place throughout each day at the New World Center and Miami Beach Convention Center, alongside artistic installations, ancillary events, and field trips to points of interest across South Florida.

For those unable to attend in person, morning and evening plenaries in the New World Center will be livestreamed free – learn more about the livestreaming agenda and register to watch here. Additional recorded sessions will also be shared in the coming days. In the evenings, programming will be “Wallcast” onto the side of the New World Center, with the public invited to watch from SoundScape Park each evening from 8:00pm. Join the conversation on social media using #aspenideasclimate.

Programming on day one includes:

  • Opening Night – 5:30-7:15pm: NBC’s weather icon Al Roker shares his thoughts on this climate moment. Speaker Nancy Pelosi lays out congress’ climate change priorities. Two leading thinkers, John Doerr and Ryan Panchadsaram, lay out a blueprint for saving the planet. A top researcher provides a data-rich reality check on emissions goals. Additional speakers include Catherine McKenna, Kate Larsen, Fred Krupp, Dieter Holger, Jared Polis, Susan Goldberg, Dan Gelber, Justin Worland, and Dan Porterfield. Livestream available.
  • “Powering a Floating City” event at PortMiami – 1:15-5:00pm: Cruise ships, major cruise ports, and local power companies are investing in shore power systems that allow cruise ships and other vessels to “plug in” and turn off their engines while in port. The CEOs of the leading cruise companies, leaders from PortMiami and Florida Power and Light, Miami-Dade County Mayor Daniella Levine-Cava, and Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz discuss the collaboration that makes this possible. Additional information for media available.
  • Leveraging the U.S.-India Relationship to Finance the World’s Clean Energy Transition – 3:30-5:00pm: How India and the U.S. can leverage their bilateral partnership to reform multilateral development banks, collaborate to increase the attractiveness of investments, and take other steps to finance a secure energy transition for India and other developing nations. With speakers Helen Mountford, Arunabha Ghosh, William Reilly, Jamshyd Godrej, Manish Bapna, and Frances Colón. Livestream available.

Programming takes place May 10-12 from 9:30am ET each morning. Speakers appearing over the coming days include Oregon Governor Kate Brown; New Orleans Mayor LaToya Cantrell; Florida Representative Kathy Castor; Center for Rural Enterprise and Environmental Justice Founder Catherine Coleman Flowers; music producer Emilio Estefan; New Mexico Governor Michelle Grisham; Amazon Head of Worldwide Sustainability Kara Hurst; Apple Vice President of Environment, Policy, and Social Initiatives Lisa Jackson; The Nature Conservancy CEO Jennifer Morris; New Jersey Governor Phil Murphy; Colorado Governor Jared Polis; Everglades National Park Superintendent Pedro Ramos; U.S. Assistant Secretary of Education Roberto Rodriguez; technologist Eric Schmidt; National Parks Foundation CEO Will Shafroth; NBA commissioner Adam Silver; Deputy National Climate Advisor to President Biden Ali Zaidi, and many more.

Click here for the full speaker list and here for the agenda, which explores four key areas of the climate conversation:

  • Resilient Communities— how can we strengthen the places we live and build better in the future?
  • Climate-Smart Money— how can we deploy private investment, philanthropy, and corporate action to scale climate solutions?
  • Clean Power, Bright Future— how can we clean up the way we make and use energy?
  • Earth on Offense— how can we use the power of our food systems, forests, and oceans to beat the climate crisis?

Beyond the discussions and presentations each key area will embrace, organizers will bring to the stage a range of presenters, artists, and inspiring storytellers whose work transcends and addresses a broader range of topics. As part of Aspen Ideas: Climate, one hundred 18 to 30-year-olds will also participate in the Future Leaders Climate Summit,  offering young climate leaders the opportunity and access to networks and spaces that have historically excluded their voices.

Also taking place as part of Aspen Ideas: Climate is the Arts Resilient 305 program, for which City of Miami Beach and the Miami-Dade County Department of Cultural Affairs invited local artists to commission new and repositioned site-specific temporary public art installations and performances highlighting issues related to climate change and sea level rise. For more information, visit http://www.mbartsandculture.org/aspen-ideas-climate/.

Aspen Ideas: Climate is grateful to the organizations and individuals whose support makes this event possible. The title partners of Aspen Ideas: Climate are the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation, Related Philanthropic Foundation and the Jorge M. Pérez Family Foundation. View the full list of partners at https://www.aspenideas.org/pages/climate-sponsors.

Additional information for media: Individual links for livestreams are available below. Please credit “Aspen Ideas: Climate” in any coverage of the event. If you are a reporter seeking a last-minute credential, or represent a network interested in carrying footage, contact Jon Purves: jon.purves@aspeninstitute.org.

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The Aspen Institute is a global nonprofit organization committed to realizing a free, just, and equitable society. Founded in 1949, the Institute drives change through dialogue, leadership, and action to help solve the most important challenges facing the United States and the world. Headquartered in Washington, DC, the Institute has a campus in Aspen, Colorado, and an international network of partners. For more information, visit www.aspeninstitute.org.

World-famous Miami Beach welcomes millions of visitors each year to its white, sandy beaches, turquoise waters and vibrant cultural scene. Known for its colorful art deco and MiMo architecture, the 7.2-square-mile island offers some of the finest dining and hotel experiences anywhere along with a beautiful oceanfront promenade that connects South Beach to North Beach. Steps away from the Atlantic Ocean and Biscayne Bay, Miami Beach is also at the forefront of identifying workable solutions to meet the challenge of sea level rise. For more information, visit www.mbrisingabove.com.