Climate and energy summit 2027

One year on from the closure of the Strait of Hormuz, this session draws on global case studies to examine its implications for energy transitions around the world.

• How did the closure of the Strait of Hormuz reshape national energy security strategies and alter the trajectory of energy transitions around the world?
• How has the crisis rearranged geopolitical alliances and brought states into competition over critical supply chains?
• What factors have so far determined success in accelerating efforts at making the energy
  transition toward cleaner sources of power, and how have countries embraced these strategies as part of energy security strategies?
• How have regions that rely heavily on oil and gas imports regions responded?
• One year on, is the world better prepared for the next major energy shock, and what vulnerabilities remain? 

This session explores how policy, public finance and private investment can unlock transformation of the world’s hardest-to-abate sector, support emerging clean technologies and strengthen economic resilience.

• How can governments use policy and public finance to mobilize private capital and accelerate industrial decarbonization while strengthening competitiveness and energy security?
• What are the conditions required to make investment in green steel, sustainable aviation fuel, low-carbon cement or clean shipping commercially attractive?
• How can governments create the conditions needed for fuel and technology pathways to scale?
• What lessons can be taken from different countries’ approaches to the green industrial transition, including China’s green tech industry development over the past 10-15 years and the current role of Japan’s GX Agency in promoting industrial transition and providing transition finance?
• What role can international cooperation, particularly among middle economic powers, play in making the green element of industrial strategy more effective?

In this session, panellists explore a vision for an energy system of the future that can both accelerate the transition and remain resilient in the face of the unknowns of tomorrow’s geopolitical landscape.

• What does the optimal energy system of 2050 look like?
• What can countries learn from leaders in electrification, such as Norway, about how best to develop resilient energy systems?
• Should countries prioritize energy sovereignty, or does true resilience depend on greater international integration?
• To what extent can the transition to electrification and renewables foster resilience against physical, cyber and geopolitical threats, and what new vulnerabilities might it open up?
• How should energy systems of the future be designed to withstand physical and cyber disruption, whether from climate extremes, conflict or attacks on critical infrastructure?

Affordable electricity is critical to maintaining support for the energy transition, but bringing costs down remains a major challenge. In this session, panellists draw up a roadmap to affordable electricity.

• Have grids become the weak link in the transition to affordable electricity?
• What role can batteries, storage and flexibility play in reducing electricity costs and maximizing the value of renewable power? Can these approaches also deliver a lasting energy security dividend?
• How can market design incentivize investment in these approaches while keeping costs low for  consumers and industry?
• How is competition for critical minerals, batteries and clean energy technologies shaping the future economics of electricity?
• How might countries use affordable electricity as part of their geopolitical strategies to assert power on the international stage? 

Parallel spotlight sessions comprise an intimate discussion held under the Chatham House Rule.
Stakeholders are invited to attend the session that aligns with their interests.

Session 1 | AI’s energy appetite

This session is being held under the Chatham House Rule.

As digitalization accelerates and countries and companies race to secure leadership in artificial intelligence, panellists consider whether the pursuit of AI leadership can be reconciled with climate goals, energy security and resource constraints.

• Can governments and businesses continue to make the case for data centre expansion as electricity demand, water stress and pressure on critical infrastructure grows?
• How should governments respond to the new energy security challenge AI is starting to pose?
• Could competition for AI leadership reshape global energy systems and investment priorities in the same way competition for fossil fuels once did?
• What role can AI technologies play in improving energy system efficiency, and how significant are the potential benefits?
• Looking ahead, what does effective national and international governance look like, and do existing initiatives like the EU Action Plan on Cybersecurity and Artificial Intelligence go far enough to address AI’s climate, energy and resource impacts?

Session 2 | Solar Radiation Modification: Pandora’s box or elephant in the room?

This session is being held under the Chatham House Rule.

This session examines whether the world is prepared to govern a technology with potentially global consequences.

• Who should have the authority to govern, approve or veto the deployment of Solar Radiation Modification (SRM) technologies, and how can the concerns of climate-vulnerable countries and territories be meaningfully reflected in those decisions?
• If deployed, how likely is SRM to trigger global conflict or geopolitical instability as a result of uneven regional impacts, unilateral deployment or other?
• Is the international community in a position to collaborate and build a steadfast framework for responsible research, oversight and decision-making?
• What are the climate and geopolitical risks of both action and inaction?
• Can stakeholders deal with hybrid and non-conventional threats in an efficient and effective way through this sort of spending?

This session is being held under the Chatham House Rule.

This session examines the role of climate diplomacy in an era of implementation.

• As geopolitical tensions, trade disputes and economic pressures reshape international relations, how is climate diplomacy changing as the focus shifts from target-setting to implementation?
• Can international cooperation on climate survive an increasingly fragmented geopolitical landscape?
• Over the coming decade, what role can climate diplomacy play in delivering resilience, accelerating the energy transition and sustaining international cooperation?
• How can countries most exposed to climate risks exert greater influence on international climate policy?
• What does success look like for COP and other international climate processes at a time where delivery matters more than new commitments?

This session is being held under the Chatham House Rule.

As the United States navigates an uncertain energy, investment and climate policy future, this session explores what the post-Trump era could mean for global energy markets, climate ambition and geopolitical competition.

• Given continued growth in clean energy investment across many US states, driven in part by economics and industrial competitiveness, to what extent has federal policy altered the long-term trajectory of the US energy transition?
• To what extent will the growing energy demands of AI, big tech and data centres reshape US energy policy, infrastructure investment and climate targets over the next decade, and what barriers could constrain the deployment of the energy infrastructure needed to support that growth?
• How could changes in US energy production, exports and industrial policy reshape global energy resilience and transition pathways
• Has US retreat from climate diplomacy created a vacuum, and if so, who has stepped in to fill it?
• What would rebuilding US climate and energy leadership on the global stage require, and would such leadership be seen as desired, credible and durable by the international community? 

This session is being held under the Chatham House Rule.

As both the world’s largest energy emitter and largest investor in clean energy, China is one of the most important players in the global energy transition. This session explores what the future of China’s energy system looks like, and what that means for the global transition.

• Is China pursuing decarbonisation primarily as a climate objective, an energy security strategy, or an industrial policy project?
• Is China’s clean energy boom peaking, or is Beijing preparing its next industrial play?
• What progress has China made toward managing the ‘energy trilemma’ of affordability, security and decarbonization?
• How vulnerable does the country remain to global oil and gas disruptions, and what does that mean for its energy strategy?
• Can and should the world decarbonize without becoming dependent on Chinese clean energy supply chains? 

This session explores how mineral supply chains can support ambitious climate action while remaining equitable and protecting vulnerable communities.

• Can critical mineral supply keep pace with the accelerating energy transition without creating new environmental and social harms?  
• How should resource-rich countries capture more of the value generated by the energy transition through processing, manufacturing, skills and industrial development?
• How can governments and industry minimize the emissions, water use, biodiversity loss and pollution associated with mining and mineral processing?
• What roles can circularity, recycling, material innovations play in reducing pressure on primary mineral supply?
• How can governments, investors and companies strengthen transparency, responsible sourcing and community participation across mineral supply chains?

This session is being held under the Chatham House Rule.

Renowned business leaders field questions and share perspectives in this interactive Q&A session designed to help businesses navigate an increasingly complex risk landscape. Stakeholders are invited to bring their toughest business dilemmas as the panel share lessons learned, practical takeaways and strategies for managing uncertainty and accelerating decarbonization in a rapidly changing world.

• What is the most important lesson the past year’s climate and geopolitical shocks have taught business leaders?
• What are the biggest opportunities and barriers associated with a faster energy transition, and what role should CEOs play in leveraging and overcoming them?
• Which geopolitical shifts are business leaders watching most closely, and how are they shaping decisions on energy, supply chains and investment?
• Where should a smart, climate-conscious investor be placing capital today?
• Looking ahead to 2030, what should CEOs be doing today to remain economically competitive, strengthen climate resilience and become leaders in the energy transition?