Press Release

The Jackson Hole Center for Global Affairs to host the Jackson Hole Global Forum: Climate Solutions, Coal Communities, and Economic Diversification

Jackson Hole, Wyoming, October 2, 2018: From November 8-9, 2018 The Jackson Hole Center for Global Affairs (www.jhcga.org), a bipartisan think tank based in Jackson, Wyoming, will be holding a two day Jackson Hole Global Forum: Climate Solutions, Coal Communities, and Economic Diversification (www.jhcga.org/globalforum).  Bringing in over 40 international speakers and experts, the forum will host policymakers, business leaders, civil society, and academia to discuss and compare the current challenges and potential opportunities for U.S. coal communities and similar regions around the world to generate climate solutions and new models of economic growth.

“With the state of Wyoming looking in earnest into new ideas and policy models that can drive economic diversification, now is the ideal time to also discuss how climate and clean energy solutions can factor into future pathways that create new prosperity and reduce carbon emissions at the same time for Wyoming and places like Wyoming” said Nathan Wendt, Vice President, Jackson Hole Center for Global Affairs.

As the energy industry contends with significant uncertainty, the forum stands as a timely discussion on the future of power generation in a state that represents the heart and soul of the coal industry.  Wyoming is the nation’s largest producer of coal, the most carbon-intensive fossil fuel, which provides much of the state’s public revenue and jobs.  While efforts are already underway in earnest to expand and diversify the state’s economy, coal, oil and gas industries across the country are already feeling the pinch from energy competitors and fluctuating prices.   Wyoming is a microcosm of the larger macro challenges also facing various regions around the world, including in China, Europe, and the American mid-west.  All these regions are striving to generate new sources of growth which reduce carbon emissions and strengthen their economies.

This forum will focus on the particular challenges faced by carbon-intensive areas.  It will help provide the global context, new ideas, new partnerships, and new recommendations for communities, businesses, policymakers and concerned citizens in Wyoming, places like Wyoming, and beyond.

Panels and speakers will cover a range of relevant topics including:

  • Global Perspectives in Energy, Climate and Economics
  • S.-China: Clean Energy Investment and Infrastructure
  • What is Coal’s Future?
  • Policy Models
  • Climate Change and National Security
  • Perspectives from Coal Communities
  • Investing in Climate
  • Wind and Economic Diversification
  • Blockchain as an Economic Growth Driver?

The conference will feature speakers from diverse backgrounds including keynote speakers Han Wenke, Former Director General, Energy Research Institute of the National Development Reform Commission, People’s Republic of China, and Greg Hill, President and Chief Operating Officer, Hess Corporation and Chairman, Economically Needed Diversity Options for Wyoming (ENDOW).  Additional speakers will include Trevor Houser, Partner, Rhodium Group; Hon. Bob Holden, Former Governor of Missouri; H.E. Norwegian Ambassador to the U.S. Kåre Aas; H.E. Consul General of the United Arab Emirates in Los Angeles Abdulla Ali Alsaboosi; retired senior military leaders, representatives from Citigroup, Goldman Sachs, McKinsey, Peabody Energy and others and thought leaders from the University of Wyoming, foundations, and Wyoming State Legislators.

Financial Sponsors supporting the Jackson Hole Global Forum include the Wolfensohn Family Foundation, Steve Denning, Patagonia, Citi, the ClearPath Foundation, the Willow Street Group, Jay Varley, and the Wort Hotel. The forum’s partners include media partner POWER Magazine, the Stroock Forum at the University of Wyoming, the Embassy of the Federal Republic of Germany in Washington, and the Energy Africa Conference.

This will be the first Jackson Hole Global Forum.  Convened in Jackson Hole, the forum will tap into the valley’s “Power of Place” to advance new ideas and collaboration.  Almost thirty years ago Jackson Hole’s inspirational surroundings played a central role in the pre-summit discussions of U.S. Secretary of State James Baker and Soviet Foreign Minister Edward Shevardnadze, which helped bring an end to the Cold War.   The Federal Reserve and other major organizations have also chosen Jackson Hole as a site to incubate new ideas and develop innovative approaches.

About the Jackson Hole Center for Global Affairs:

Founded in 2002, the Jackson Hole Center for Global Affairs (JHCGA) is a bipartisan think and do tank based in Jackson Hole, Wyoming.  JHCGA mobilizes ideas and action outside of government to impact the policy process with a focus on climate change, coal communities, and U.S.-China cooperation.

For further information about JHCGA, visit www.jhcga.org