The Energy Transition: Political, Social and Economic Implications

Please join the Payne Institute for Public Policy at the Colorado School of Mines as we welcome Payne Fellow Dr. Griff Thompson, Director, Office of Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency, U.S. State Department, presenting The Energy Transition: Political, Social and Economic Implications on Thursday, October 15, 2020 from 1:00pm – 2:00pm MT.

The world is in the midst of an historic energy transition where every country on the planet is moving from high carbon to low carbon energy economies. This massive shift in fuel sources and the attendant change in technological systems, as in all previous technological transitions, will inevitably result in some redistribution of economic, social and political power. The question is in what ways will the transition to renewable energy affect extant economic, social and political interests.

Griff Thompson is Director of the Office of Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency in the Bureau of Energy Resources at the U.S. State Department. Previous positions include: Lead U.S. Climate Negotiator on Technology; Director of the Office of Energy at USAID; and Senior Policy Analyst at NREL. Griff received his BA in English Literature from Gonzaga University, and his Ph.D. in Political Philosophy from Georgetown where he is currently an adjunct professor.