Bezos Earth Fund to sponsor key youth-led energy summit in Abu Dhabi
The Bezos Earth Fund has announced that it will be the headline sponsor for the four-day 2023 global Student Energy Summit (SES) to be held at New York University Abu Dhabi.
The summit, which started on Tuesday and will run to December 1, is the world's largest youth-led energy event and will coincide with COP28. It aims to unite over 650 young people from more than 150 countries, industry leaders and energy experts. The event seeks to promote youth participation in building a just and equitable clean energy future.
The theme for the summit is; "Reimagining the Future."
The event is an excellent platform for collaboration on energy solutions, with equal gender representation and diverse perspectives. Over 30,000 young people will participate in virtual and in-person capacity-building and digital engagement sessions leading to the summit.
The Bezos Earth Fund, founded by American entrepreneur and Amazon founder Jeff Bezos, seeks to combat climate change and protect nature. The fund aims to contribute to a cleaner, greener, and more sustainable planet by supporting organisations and initiatives that work on innovative solutions to climate change, driving system-wide change across climate, biodiversity, and human development.
The president and chief executive officer of the Bezos Earth Fund, Andrew Steer, has expressed his excitement for the partnership with SES 2023. He stated that their support aligns perfectly with the mission of the Bezos Earth Fund, which is to promote innovation, collaboration, and action in clean energy. The youth-led initiatives and start-ups emerging from this summit are crucial in driving systemic change, and the Bezos Earth Fund is proud to be part of this movement.
The summit aims to address the challenge and unique opportunity presented to the next generation of energy sector leaders. The International Energy Agency's (IEA) Net-Zero Emissions Scenario predicts that low-carbon technologies will create over 30 million jobs by 2030.
However, the Energy Transition Skills Report, conducted by Student Energy, indicates that 47.6 percent of the survey's 2,000 youth respondents need more awareness about existing
job opportunities. SES 2023 serves as a launchpad for 15 youth-led clean energy start-ups, providing them with training and seed funding.
During the announcement, Lydia Sanz Lozano, co-vice chair of programming at SES, highlighted the platform's global impact. She stated that SES23 connects people and provides an opportunity to sit at the table with representatives of governments, companies, and institutions. This fosters a lifelong connection that can help join forces and increase global efforts to accelerate the adoption of renewable energy.
The summit also offers training to youth climate activists and advocates. These delegates are then supported to join a COP28 delegation that amplifies key messages from SES 2023. It is worth noting that SES 2023 marks its first appearance in the Middle East, highlighting the UAE's vision for energy transition.
Nicole Iseppi, Managing Director of Global Energy Innovation at the Bezos Earth Fund, believes that SES 2023 is not just a summit but a platform for real change and is delighted to be part of it.
The SES 2023 focuses on three critical areas, the first, decent jobs and economic development. The summit provides a platform for students to explore career pathways in the energy sector, gain industry-relevant skills, and establish connections with potential mentors and employers.
Under scaling solutions through youth innovation, SES 2023 seeks to encourage the development of a vibrant ecosystem of youth-led enterprises through Innovation Jams. This project provides essential business development training and seed funding for initiatives aligned with Student Energy's impact assessment framework.
Lastly, SES 2023 is committed to COP28 and inclusive decision-making, working closely with the 2023 COP28 presidency team to synchronise programming and themes. This collaborative effort intends to address obstacles that hinder the representation of young voices at decision-making roundtables, ensuring inclusivity in shaping the energy landscape.