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This Energy Explained post represents the research and views of the author(s). It does not necessarily represent the views of the Center on Global Energy Policy. The piece...
Jensen Huang, who founded NVIDIA in the early 1990s and built it into one of the most valuable companies in the world today, has thought a lot about...
While various efforts continue to be made to estimate fashion’s environmental footprint, major gaps remain in how to decarbonize material production and reshape business practices.
Event
• International Affairs Building, 420 W. 118 St., New York, NY 10027
Room/Area: 1501
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Renewing Fashion: Clean Energy and the Circular Economy
Past Event
September 27, 2024
10:00 am - 12:00 pm edt
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The Center on Global Energy Policy at Columbia SIPA hosted a series of energy and climate-focused events during Climate Week NYC from September 22-29, 2024. These events brought together policymakers, industry leaders, scholars, and students to discuss innovative solutions, share research, and promote policies for a sustainable and equitable energy future. Topics included global renewable energy, geopolitical dynamics, critical minerals supply chains, financing, trade, and energy access. Be sure to see all our activities during the week.
The fashion industry is a major energy consumer and contributor to climate change. To achieve net-zero emissions by 2050, the industry must transition into a circular economy from its current fossil fuel-based production and linear produce-use-dispose model. However, significant challenges remain, and we need to speed up and scale up actions. Our panel, featuring industry leaders spearheading fashion’s clean and circular transition, addressed the most pressing challenges, including phasing out fossil fuels, curbing oversupply, scaling up fabric recycling, aligning policy with industry goals, and financing the transition. We also explored best practices and strategies aimed at creating a sustainable and net-positive future for fashion.
Key Questions:
How can the fashion industry remove fossil fuels from its value chain, and what role does clean energy play in enabling the circular transition?
What are the most effective strategies to scale up textile-to-textile recycling?
How can global goals for a clean energy and circular economy transition in fashion be aligned with country-specific policies?
How can we address the persistent issue of oversupply through design innovation, consumer behavior change, and new business models?
How can businesses balance their sustainability responsibilities with financial ambitions?
What financing mechanism and strategies can support the fashion industry’s transition?
Sandra Goldmark (Keynote), Senior Assistant Dean, Columbia Climate School
Amy Jaffe, Co-chair, Women in Energy Program, Center on Global Energy Policy, Columbia University; Director of the Energy, Climate Justice and Sustainability Lab at New York University
At a time when policymakers worldwide are re-assessing global net-zero targets and international climate goals, political shifts are driving rapid changes in energy and industrial policy. These shifts...
Event
• Penn Club of New York, 30 W. 44 St., New York, NY 10036
Room/Area: Spruce Street Room
How can AI help the energy transition? Can the dramatic advances in artificial intelligence reshaping all our lives be mobilized to accelerate the transition to clean, low-carbon energy?
Event
• Pulitzer Hall, 2950 Broadway, New York, NY 10027
Room/Area: Joseph D. Jamail Lecture Hall, 3rd Floor
While various efforts continue to be made to estimate fashion’s environmental footprint, major gaps remain in how to decarbonize material production and reshape business practices.
Event
• International Affairs Building, 420 W. 118 St., New York, NY 10027
Room/Area: 1501
Exploring the promise of AI in fighting climate change. AI is rapidly changing our lives. Climate change is an existential threat to us all. How do we mobilize...
This Energy Explained post represents the research and views of the author(s). It does not necessarily represent the views of the Center on Global Energy Policy. The piece...
On July 22, 2025, CGEP hosted a virtual roundtable under the Chatham House Rule on the World Bank's June 2025 announcement that it would reverse a long-standing, informal policy of excluding nuclear projects from its lending portfolio.
30 years ago last month, a brutal heatwave struck Chicago, killing more than 700 residents. As the city and much of the United States recently experienced another period of extreme heat, this anniversary serves as a reminder that heat remains one of the deadliest climate-related hazards — killing more people each year than hurricanes, floods and tornadoes combined — particularly for communities burdened by decades of disinvestment and structural barriers to health and safety.
