IEA Executive Director Fatih Birol was in Washington and Ottawa this week for a series of high-level discussions with a range of US and Canadian government leaders on major energy and climate issues.
In Washington, Dr. Birol met with senior officials, including US Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen and Deputy Energy Secretary Dave Turk. Their meetings covered key issues such as how the clean energy transition can be a key driver of jobs and economic activity – as well as the urgent need to mobilize more finance for the clean energy transition in emerging and developing economies.
Discussions with Deputy Secretary of State Wendy Sherman and National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan explored the role the United States can play in mitigating the global energy crisis while ensuring long-term energy security and advancing clean energy transitions around the world. In a meeting with Brian Deese, Director of the National Economic Council, and John Podesta, Senior Advisor to the President for Clean Energy Innovation and Implementation, Dr. Birol discussed the economic and climate implications of the deflation law both in the United States and abroad. .
Dr. Birol also met bilaterally with Senator Joe Manchin of West Virginia, Chairman of the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee, and Senator Lisa Murkowski of Alaska, senior member and former chair of the committee. Among the topics covered was the renewed determination in the United States to strengthen clean energy supply chains through the deflationary provisions of the Act. The IEA’s recent report, Energy Technology Perspectives, examines the opportunities and challenges of scaling global production and supply chains for clean energy technologies in a safe, sustainable and resilient manner.
In Ottawa on Wednesday, Dr. Birol addressed government ministers at Canada’s Privy Council, providing them with an overview of global energy markets and highlighting the role Canada can play in energy security. This was followed by a conversation at the University of Ottawa with Canadian Minister of Natural Resources Jonathan Wilkinson in front of a large audience that included industry leaders, ambassadors and students. Dr. Birol then met with Environment and Climate Change Minister Steven Guilbeault to discuss Canada’s role in accelerating progress toward net zero emissions globally.
The commitments in Washington and Ottawa followed Dr. Birol’s bilateral meeting with the United Nations Secretary-General in New York on Friday.
