Prime Minister Narendra Modi will receive the CERAWeek global energy and environment leadership award in an annual international energy conference to be held next week.
The CERAWeek 2021 Conference will be held virtually from March 1 to March 5. It is the premier annual international gathering of energy industry leaders, experts, government officials and policymakers, leaders from the technology, financial and industrial communities – and energy technology innovators.
The conference is being organised by IHS Markit, a leading Anglo-American firm working in the information services industry. The firm has more than 50,000 business and government customers, including 80 percent of the Fortune Global 500 and the world’s leading financial institutions.
A press release from IHS Markit said that PM Modi will also deliver a keynote address at the event. Newly confirmed U.S. Secretary of Energy Jennifer Granholm is expected to deliver the first address at CERAWeek. The award comes as India is seeking to transition from conventional fossil fuels, like coal and natural gas, to solar and other renewables to meet its energy needs. The government is also pushing for a massive adoption and mainstreaming of electric vehicles (EVs) in the country and is also looking to build other e-mobility infrastructure in the next few years.
According to the press release, the PM will be participating in a special plenary with Daniel Yergin, vice chairman of IHS Markit and conference chair on Friday, March 5. “He will also receive the prestigious CERAWeek Global Energy and Environment Leadership Award in recognition of his commitment to sustainability in energy and the environment”, the press release stated.
“We are pleased to warmly welcome the Honorable Shri Narendra Modi, Prime Minister of India, to CERAWeek by IHS Markit 2021,” Yergin said. “In charting its path towards economic growth, poverty reduction and a new energy future, India has emerged at the center of global energy and the environment, and its leadership is crucial to meet climate objectives for a sustainable future while ensuring universal energy access. We look forward to Prime Minister Modi’s perspectives on the role of the world’s largest democracy and are pleased to honor him with the CERAWeek Global Energy and Environment Leadership Award for his commitment to expanding India’s leadership in sustainable development to meet the country’s, and the world’s, future energy needs”, it said.
‘The New Map: Energy, Climate and Charting the Future’
CERAWeek 2021: The New Map: Energy, Climate and Charting the Future will examine a new global map being shaped by dramatic shifts in energy and geopolitics—a map defined by changing policies, technology, alliances, geopolitics, and possibly collisions in global commerce and politics.
The conference is inspired by Daniel Yergin’s book The New Map: Energy, Climate and the Clash of Nations. The conference program will focus on key themes related to Energy Transition; Geopolitics, Economics and Markets; Investment and Financing; Technology and Innovation; Mobility and the Future Workforce, the press release said.
This year marks the 39th edition of the conference and is the first time that it will be an all-virtual event. CERAWeek 2021 and the related Innovation Agora will feature more than 245 speakers from 29 countries.
Other speakers at the event are John F. Kerry, special presidential envoy for climate, United States and Bill Gates, co-chair, Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation and founder, Breakthrough Energy. Executives from the world’s leading oil and energy corporations like BP, TOTAL SE, Saudi Aramco, Royal Dutch Shell, Exxon Mobil, Occidental Petroleum, Chevron, etc will attend. Mohammad Sanusi Barkindo, the secretary general of OPEC is also a speaker at the conference.
Gina McCarthy, the national climate advisor to The White House, US Senator Joe Manchin who is also chairman, U.S. Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee, Norwegian minister of petroleum and energy Tina Bru and Pratima Rangarajan, the CEO of OGCI Climate Investments will attend the conference as well.
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