The Aspen Institute

From March 11-13, leaders and climate innovators from all backgrounds and fields of expertise will gather with thousands of attendees in Miami Beach for the third annual Aspen Ideas: Climate.

Speakers include Secretary Jennifer M. Granholm, Secretary Deb Haaland, Bill Nye, Al Roker, Kathryn Murdoch, Katharine Hayhoe, Aria Mia Loberti, Lisa Jackson, Governor Jay Inslee, Polly Trottenburg, mayors from across the US, and leading global climate voices from Barbados to Ireland.

Miami Beach, FL, February 29, 2024 – The Aspen Institute and City of Miami Beach today published the agenda for the third Aspen Ideas: Climate. From March 11-13, more than 150 speakers will gather with global expertise spanning policymaking, science, business, technology, art, education, food, media, and more, to elevate and amplify climate solutions. A limited number of passes remain on sale, while members of the media are invited to apply for press credentials.

The full agenda is available here. 

In addition to plenary sessions, breakout discussions, workshops, announcements, and private roundtables, Aspen Ideas: Climate will feature a public arts program with environmental flair from local artists, and excursions and tours to points of interest across Miami-Dade. The Tech Expo will feature climate tech solutions from 25 innovative companies, and runs throughout. Additionally, early stage entrepreneurs will pitch their big ideas at two Climate Solutions Showcases, aimed at investors, potential clients, colleagues and anyone interested in climate tech.

Aspen Ideas: Climate is excited to partner with the global automaker FIAT. The event will host the next North American “drop” of the 2024 Fiat 500e, with CEO Olivier Francois attending. Attendees will have the opportunity to test ride in the new electric model during Aspen Ideas: Climate, with more information to be shared in the coming days. 

From March 9-11, the third Future Leaders Climate Summit brings together 110 dynamic young leaders from around the world to discuss climate policy, communications, advocacy, and individual action with climate and energy experts. Future Leaders will then stay on to attend Aspen Ideas: Climate. 

The agenda will regularly update with the latest programming and speaker updates. Among the many programming highlights and topics planned:

Monday, March 11  See agenda for specific timings

• The opening plenary features US Energy Secretary Jennifer M. Granholm in conversation with NBC Today Weather Anchor Al Roker. Legendary science educator Bill Nye speaks to former White House National Climate Advisor Gina McCarthy. US Interior Secretary Deb Haaland chats with two young leaders from the Aspen Institute’s Center for Native American Youth and Fresh Tracks initiatives. American Clean Power Association CEO Jason Grumet and Constellation EVP Kathleen Barrón discuss the future of the energy system with Cipher’s Amy Harder. And Minister of State at Ireland’s Department of Finance, Jennifer Carroll MacNeill, on how Ireland is investing in climate solutions.
• Coastal cities are finding innovative solutions in the face of climate change. Charleston Chief Resilience Officer Dale Morris, Billion Oyster Project Executive Director Peter Malinowski, Curtis and Rogers Design Studio Director of Resilience Design Mariana Boldu, and New Orleans Mayor LaToya Cantrell share what they’ve learned with the Miami Herald’s Alex Harris.
• Museums are typically testaments to the past, but a growing number are using exhibitions to shape our future response to climate change. Hear from MOMA Senior Curator Paola Antonelli, Local Projects Principal Jake Barton, American Museum of Natural History President Sean Decatur, Director of the Pérez Art Museum Miami, Franklin Sirmans, Science Museum of Minnesota CEO Alison Rempel Brown.
• Solutions to plastic pollution: Marea Verde Panama President and McNulty Prize winner Mirei Endara de Heras, Kadeya CEO Manuela Zoninsein, L’Oréal North America CSO Marissa Pagnani McGowan, and U.S. State Department Senior Adviser Jonathan Gillibrand are interviewed by CNN’s Rachel Ramirez.

Tuesday, March 12

• In the morning plenary, Nature Conservancy Chief Scientist Katharine Hayhoe and Al Roker explore how to tell America’s climate change story. Futurific Studios co-founders Kathryn Murdoch and Ari Wallach preview their new PBS docuseries, A Brief History of the Future, in conversation with journalist Mariana Atencio. Center for Rural Enterprise and Environmental Justice Founder Catherine Coleman Flowers and White House Council Federal Chief Officer  Jalonne White-Newsome speak to CNN’s Rachel Ramirez. Deputy Secretary of Transportation Polly Trottenberg, Cleveland Mayor Justin Bibb, and Miami-Dade Mayor Daniella Levine Cava discuss rethinking the urban environment. Invenergy Founder and CEO Michael Polsky speaks to TIME’s Justin Worland on how he built more than 200 clean energy projects.
• Authors C. Pam Zhang, Lily Brooks-Dalton, Jenny Offill, and Téa Obreht explore the role fiction plays in conveying the reality of climate change, with podcast host Mitzi Rapkin.
• What are the multi-sector solutions that promise to cut agricultural emissions? With leading conservation and biodiversity expert Monica Medina, Innovative Genomics Institute Director Brad Ringeisen, US Department of Agriculture Under Secretary Chavonda Jacobs-Young, and Fed By Blue Co-Founder Jennifer Bushman.
• Cows, Corn, and CRISPR: Brad Ringeisen, Executive Director, Innovative Genomics Institute, Shara Ticku, CEO, C16 Biosciences, David Babson, Executive Director of Climate Grand Challenges at MIT, speak to the Aspen Institute’s Greg Gershuny on the climate potential  of biotech.
• Leading environmental journalists on how they work towards greater climate coverage, reach, and diversity of thought. With TIME’s Justin Worland, Atmos Magazine’s Yessenia Funes, Grist’s Naveena Sadasivam, former Times of India Correspondent Manka Behl, and Green 2.0’s Adriane Alicea.
• At the evening plenary, CEO Olivier Francois launches the new Fiat 500e from the stage. Actress and climate activist Aria Mia Loberti, Black Girl Environmentalist Executive Director Wawa Gatheru, and Noticias Telemundo’s Vanessa Huac discuss the concept of “climate joy” and empowering young leaders. Potential Energy Coalition Chairman and CEO John Marshall presents on the power of storytelling and analytics to increase the size and power of the climate movement.

Wednesday, March 13 

• The morning plenary sees the co-chairs of the climate action coalition America Is All In, Washington Governor Jay Inslee and Apple VP and former EPA Administrator Lisa Jackson, take the stage. Two leading meteorologists, Bernadette Woods Placky and John Morales, discuss their role as climate communicators. Monica Medina speaks to NOAA Chief Scientist Sarah Kapnick about ocean biodiversity. Texas environmental justice leader Hilton Kelley appears in conversation with Grist’s Naveena Sadasivam. Multi-Platinum musician and Human Rights and Sustainable Development phd Adam Met seeks common ground by incentivizing the co-location of renewable energy facilities on land leased for oil and gas. UL Standards and Engagement Executive Director David Steel explains that built environment standards are a pathway for getting to greater climate adaptation. New Bedford Mayor Jon Mitchell gives a spark talk on offshore wind.
• What can the USA’s IRA do for global decarbonization? With Barbados’ Climate Resilience Adviser Pepukaye Bardouille, WHOSTP ​Deputy Director for Industrial Innovation and Regional Growth Justina Gallegos, Carnegie Endowment for International Peace African Program Director Zainab Usman, and ORF America Energy & Climate Fellow Shayak Sengupta.
• 59% of Americans are “alarmed” or “concerned” about climate change, and we have the tech to drastically reduce emissions. So… why don’t we? An interactive panel will explore how to build political will, with Yale Program on Climate Change Communication ​Director Anthony Leiserowitz, Citizens’ Climate Lobby Senior Government Affairs​ Director Jennifer Tyler​,  DEPLOY/US​ VP Alex Bozmoski, and Director of the Environmental Voter Project, ​Nathaniel Stinnett.
• How can healthcare heal people and planet? Hear from University of Miami President Julio Frenk, Director of Education and Policy at Harvard’s Center for Climate, Health, and the Global Environment Gaurab Basu, Health Care Without Harm Chief Program Officer Emmie Mediate, and Jackson Memorial Hospital Nurse Practitioner and Educator Elizabeth Joseph.
• Big ideas in climate tech, from clean energy storage and nuclear fusion to deploying AI to scan the earth’s surface for geothermal potential. Hear from Jamie Beard, Executive Director, Project InnerSpace, David Bierman, Chief Commercial Officer, Antora Energy, Jackie Siebens, Director of Public Affairs, Helion, and Juliet Rothenberg, Lead Product Manager, Google.
• Aspen Ideas: Climate closes out with Local Projects Principal Jake Barton explaining why culture is the most powerful solution we’ve barely tried. Young ocean activist Bodhi Patil describes how he’s working to increase access to coastal waters for marginalized communities, with more programming to be announced.

Excursions and hands-on opportunities take place throughout Aspen Ideas: Climate, offering participants the opportunity to explore sustainable initiatives in the Miami-Dade region and access facilities normally inaccessible to the public. Among the planned trips and experiences:

• Miami Beach Clean-up: Hosted by Clean Miami Beach, a nonprofit dedicated to the protection of the beach and its rich marine wildlife.
• Tour the Underline: The Underline is transforming the land below Miami’s metrorail into a 10-mile linear park, urban trail, and public art destination.
• University of Miami Coral Reef Futures and Wave Tank: An exclusive guided tour of the Alfred C. Gassell, Jr. SUSTAIN Laboratory wind-wave tank.
• City of Miami Beach Resiliency Tour: A City of Miami Beach resilience expert, this tour highlights mitigation and adaptation efforts facilitated by intergovernmental and community collaboration.
• Tuning into True Nature: Garden Immersion & Writing Excursion: A guided writing mediation at the Miami Beach Botanical Gardens.

During Aspen Ideas: Climate, the City of Miami Beach and the Miami-Dade County Department of Cultural Affairs will present a series of art commissions and performances highlighting issues related to climate change and sea level rise, with more information about featured artists available next week.

As part of organizers’ commitment to sustainable programming, Aspen Ideas: Climate has partnered with ClimeCo to offset the event’s carbon emissions, funding greenhouse gas abatement projects in Florida. Aspen Ideas: Climate is supported by title sponsors John S. and James L. Knight Foundation, The Related Group, and the Jorge M. Pérez Family Foundation. Additional sponsors include Howard and Caroline Draft, Ami and Jack Glottman, Greater Miami Convention & Visitors Bureau, Lennar Foundation, LSN Partners, AstraZeneca, Wells Fargo, American Airlines, Major Food Group, Bank of America, Miami-Dade County, and the Miami Beach Visitor and Convention Authority.

For media: Journalists interested in attending Aspen Ideas: Climate as covering reporters are invited to apply for press credentials here.

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The Aspen Institute is a global nonprofit organization whose purpose is to ignite human potential to build understanding and create new possibilities for a better world. Founded in 1949, the Institute drives change through dialogue, leadership, and action to help solve society’s greatest challenges. It is headquartered in Washington, DC and has a campus in Aspen, Colorado, as well as an international network of partners. For more information, visit www.aspeninstitute.org.

World-famous Miami Beach welcomes millions of visitors each year to its white, sandy beaches, turquoise waters and vibrant cultural scene. Known for its colorful art deco and MiMo architecture, the 7.2-square-mile island offers some of the finest dining and hotel experiences anywhere along with a beautiful oceanfront promenade that connects South Beach to North Beach. Steps away from the Atlantic Ocean and Biscayne Bay, Miami Beach is also at the forefront of identifying workable solutions to meet the challenge of sea level rise.