Mining and energy experts will gather on Oct. 7, 2024, at The REACH at the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts in Washington, DC, for the final event in the nine-part Terranaut Minologues: Restoring Trust in Mining, a collaboration of Earthshot Foundation and OurEnergyPolicy.
Critical minerals mining, processing and supply chains are key to achieving net zero carbon emissions, a goal set by 140 countries, including the largest emitters: the United States, China, India and the European Union. Reaching this goal requires transitioning the electric grid to smart and renewable energy technologies, such as solar and wind energy, energy storage and electric vehicles, which rely on critical minerals.
Forecasters see the energy transition creating more demand for key critical minerals over the next three decades than has occurred in all of human history. As a result, concern is growing that underinvestment in new mines will lead to a shortage of lithium, copper and other crucial resources.
Chase Weir, Founder and Chairman of the Earthshot Foundation, argues that society needs a new narrative arc around clean energy and critical minerals, one that centers on a “nonzero” future.
“Scarcity creates a zero-sum game — one’s loss is another’s gain. In contrast, nonzero thinking focuses on abundance and compounding gains. Prosperous, intelligent and sustainable systems will help us preserve natural capital and create a livable planet for all. Nonzero is the path to net zero,” Weir said.
Check out this panel at the event! “Nonzero | The Compounding Gains of Smart Electricity Abundance,” Jana Gerber, President of Microgrids NA, Schneider Electric; Paula Glover, President, Alliance to Save Energy; Mariko Geronimo Aydin, Founder, Lumen Energy Strategy. Moderated by Elisa Wood, Energy Changemakers
At the event, Earthshot will unveil its next Terranaut cohort, which will focus on applying nonzero principles to the emerging smart electric grid. Additionally, Amanda Bryan, former Head of the Scottish Forestry Trust and former Board Chair of Crown Estate Scotland will announce Earthshot Foundation’s scholarships on forestry graduate studies; and Dr. Richard Herrington, Science Lead Resourcing the Green Economy at the Natural History Museum in London will speak about the foundation’s working definition of trumining.
In addition to Weir, the one-day event will feature several notable speakers, among them Justin Worland, Senior Correspondent at TIME Magazine; Rich Powell, CEO, Clean Energy Buyers’ Association; Jana Gerber, President of Microgrids NA, Schneider Electric; Paula Glover, President, Alliance to Save Energy; Elisa Wood, Founder of Energy Changemakers; Ernest Scheyder, Senior Correspondent at Reuters and author of The War Below; Gracelin Baskaran, Director, Critical Minerals Security Program; Bill Squadron, President at OurEnergyPolicy Foundation; Fabian Villalobos, PhD, Senior Engineer at RAND Corporation; Abigail Hunter, Executive Director at Securing America’s Future Energy; Aimee Boulanger, Executive Director at IRMA Initiative for Responsible Mining; Sarah Ladislaw, Managing Director at RMI.
For the full agenda, media or waitlist inquiries, please contact: terranauts@earthshot.foundation.
The Earthshot Foundation is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit established in 2008 in Washington, DC to protect and preserve our natural capital and livable planet by accelerating a clean and abundant energy transition while designing prosperous, intelligent and sustainable systems for all.
OurEnergyPolicy facilitates substantive, responsible dialogue on energy policy issues and provides this dialogue as a resource for the American people, policymakers, and the media. By bringing together energy experts in productive national discourse, OurEnergyPolicy enhances the potential of identifying, adopting, and implementing effective energy policy.