Innovation for Cool Earth Forum (ICEF)

ICEF2025 Program

Innovation for Green Transformation (GX)
and Security

Innovation for Green Transformation (GX)
and Security

Wednesday, October 8 / 9:30-17:10 (JST)

Morning

Opening Session

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Morning

Cooperation towards Carbon Neutrality and Security

Although countries are actively pursuing technological advancements and policy changes to mitigate greenhouse gas emissions, the varying degrees of progress among them pose a significant challenge. In addition, while a significant expansion of renewable energy is a key strategy for reaching carbon neutrality, a major issue is the fact that the supply of critical minerals necessary for manufacturing these renewable energy systems is geographically concentrated in certain countries. Moreover, the intensification of resource nationalism is posing a supply risk of critical minerals, having an adverse effect on energy security. Given this situation, cooperation among countries is an essential framework to accelerate collaboration in technological innovation and policy implementation in pursuit of creating solutions to climate change.
As an example of regional cooperation across national borders, Japan, Australia, and ASEAN formulated Asia Zero Emission Community (AZEC) to enhance community’s sustainability and energy security through knowledge sharing and joint research.

Moderator
TANAKA Nobuo

TANAKA Nobuo

Chair, ICEF Steering Committee;
Former Executive Director, International Energy Agency (IEA);
CEO, Tanaka Global, Inc., Japan

Profile
Jon D. Moore

Jon D. Moore

ICEF Steering Committee;
Chief Executive Officer, BloombergNEF, United Kingdom

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Eija-Riitta Korhola

Eija-Riitta Korhola

ICEF Steering Committee;
Delegate of the Consultative
Commission for Industrial Change
European Economic and Social Committee, Finland/Belgium

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Morning

Utilization of Nuclear Energy

While nuclear power generation is expected to serve as a pillar of sustainable energy supply, cost overruns in conventional large-scale power plants have become increasingly prominent. In this context, the development of Small Modular Reactors (SMRs), which are considered to be more cost-effective, is being actively pursued in various countries. Additionally, efforts are being made to enhance the added value of SMRs, such as their flexibility in control due to their smaller size, efficient land use, and improved safety.
In this session, we will invite companies working to promote the adoption of SMRs to discuss the technological potential of SMRs and explore the direction for building a new SMR supply chain through collaboration among various countries.

Moderator
TANAKA Nobuo

TANAKA Nobuo

Chair, ICEF Steering Committee;
Former Executive Director, International Energy Agency (IEA);
CEO, Tanaka Global, Inc., Japan

Profile
Sally M. Benson

Sally M. Benson

ICEF Steering Committee;
Professor, Energy Science and
Engineering, Stanford University;
Deputy Director for Energy and Chief
Strategist for the Energy Transition,
White House Office of Science and
Technology Policy, United States of America

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Speaker
KISHI Hisashi

KISHI Hisashi

Deputy Division CEO, Global Business Department, Chubu Electric Power Co., Inc., Japan

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Afternoon

Security through Climate Change Adaptation and Resilience

The impacts of climate change are intensifying globally, with developing countries in the Global South particularly vulnerable to droughts, floods, and other severe consequences. Under the Paris Agreement, the international community has established a global goal on adaptation and is accelerating efforts to implement concrete measures to address these challenges.
Adaptation technologies are crucial for enhancing resilience and ensuring security. For instance, improved water resource management can mitigate the risk of water shortages, while climate-resilient crops can strengthen food security. However, significant funding is required to implement these measures. A persistent funding gap, especially in the Global South, remains a critical challenge.
This session aims to examine the current status and challenges of adaptation technologies in the face of worsening climate impacts, while exploring technological solutions. Additionally, we will engage participants in discussions on future strategies for disseminating adaptation technologies to the Global South and other regions.

Moderator

ARIMA Jun

Senior Councilor, Japan Organization for Metals and Energy Security (JOGMEC);
Visiting Professor, Graduate School of Public Policy, The University of Tokyo, Japan

Ismail Serageldin

Ismail Serageldin

ICEF Steering Committee;
Co-Chair of the Board of Nizami Ganjavi International Center (NGIC);
Emeritus Librarian of Alexandria;
Former VP of the World Bank, Egypt

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Valli Moosa

Valli Moosa

ICEF Steering Committee;
Deputy Chairperson of the Presidential Climate Change Commission;
Former President, International Union for Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources (IUCN), South Africa

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Speaker
KUMAHIRA Tomonobu

KUMAHIRA Tomonobu

Co-Founder and CEO, Mizu - Water One, United States of America

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Afternoon

The Future of Renewable Energy

While ambitious goals for the widespread adoption of renewable energy are being set in various countries and regions, the current situation sees a slowdown in renewable energy deployment due to expanding geopolitical risks and rising resource prices.
Furthermore, incidents where the proliferation of non-synchronous power sources threatens grid stability are increasing. Looking beyond 2030, innovation is required to refine technologies and businesses that can counter these risks. For example, the introduction and widespread adoption of renewable energy, which offers overwhelming cost competitiveness, can overcome resource unevenness and has less load fluctuation, are expected.
In this session, we will invite companies pursuing such innovations and international organizations that serve as a compass, identify the challenges to be solved, and confirm the necessary actions for each stakeholder.

Moderator
Nebojsa Nakicenovic

Nebojsa Nakicenovic

ICEF Steering Committee;
Vice Chair of the Group of Chief Scientific Advisors (GCSA) to the European Commission;
Honorary and Emeritus Scholar, International Institute for Applied Systems Analysis (IIASA);
Emeritus Professor of Energy Economics, Vienna University of Technology (TU Wien), Austria/Serbia

Profile
KURODA Reiko

KURODA Reiko

ICEF Steering Committee;
Designated Professor, Frontier Research Institute,
Chubu University;
Professor Emeritus, The University of Tokyo;
Member, G7 GEAC (Gender Equality Advisory Council) 2023, Japan

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Afternoon

Special Dialogue on Net Zero

Since 1950, the main approach to decarbonization has been to increase energy conversion efficiency. However, this has had the unintended consequence of increasing overall energy and materials consumption.
The production of cement, steel made from primary iron, plastics, and ammonia, which are essential basic materials for modern society, still relies on 99% of its production on carbon from fossil fuels. In particular, large-scale commercial production of primary steel and ammonia using green hydrogen, seen as key to decarbonizing these industries, has yet to be realized.
In this session, we invite Vaclav Smil to discuss in depth, from multiple perspectives, the wide range of practical challenges and feasibility of the grand goal of decarbonization.

Speaker
Vaclav Smil

Vaclav Smil

ICEF Steering Committee;
Distinguished Professor Emeritus, University of Manitoba, Canada

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Thursday, October 9 / 9:30-16:55 (JST)

Morning

CDR (Carbon Dioxide Removal) and Utilization

According to IPCC AR6 Synthesis Report, “Carbon dioxide removal (CDR) will be necessary to achieve net negative CO2 emissions” and the State of Carbon Dioxide Removal estimates that annual CO2 removal will need to reach 7-9 gigatons by 2050.
Currently, approximately 2 gigatons of carbon are removed each year, mostly through conventional approaches such as forest absorption. However, the scaling up of CDR is seeing rapid growth in innovative technologies including DAC, BiCRS, Carbon Mineralization, and blue carbon. To achieve the necessary scale and further innovation, international cooperation, including joint development and knowledge sharing, is crucial.
CDR technologies including DAC, BiCRS, Carbon Mineralization, and blue carbon have experienced developments. Currently, 27 DAC facilities are in operation worldwide, making international knowledge sharing and discussion towards further expansions valuable. While BiCRS and blue carbon established some technologies with high TRLs, emerging fields such as macroalgal blue carbon are the subject of ongoing research. With regards to Carbon Mineralization, proposals for clarifying carbon accounting methods have also been announced in Japan.
Technological advancements are not limited to CDR, but extend to carbon capture and utilization technologies, such as converting captured CO2 into chemical feedstocks, fuels, and general-purpose concrete. Carbon capture and utilization technology will become crucial as large-scale CDR technologies advance in the future.

Moderator
Sally M. Benson

Sally M. Benson

ICEF Steering Committee;
Professor, Energy Science and
Engineering, Stanford University;
Deputy Director for Energy and Chief
Strategist for the Energy Transition,
White House Office of Science and
Technology Policy, United States of America

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Vikram Singh Mehta

Vikram Singh Mehta

ICEF Steering Committee;
Chairman, Center for Social and Economic Progress (CSEP) Research Foundation, India

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Morning

ICEF Roadmap Project: Sustainable Data Centers

Data center infrastructure is expanding rapidly, with double-digit annual growth rates projected globally. Data centers enable much of modern life, providing foundational infrastructure for the Internet, cellular communications, artificial intelligence and much more. At the same time, data centers’ rising energy and resource consumption pose challenges for sustainability. Those challenges start with data centers’ substantial electricity use, which reached roughly 415 terawatt-hours in 2024—nearly 1.5% of global electricity demand.
This power demand could lead to significant greenhouse gas emissions. Today roughly 0.5% of global greenhouse gas emissions come from electricity for data centers – an amount that will grow significantly in the years ahead unless data centers are powered with low-carbon electricity. Greenhouse gas emissions from the production of steel, cement and electronics used at data centers (“embodied emissions”) are poorly measured and could be significant in the years ahead as well.
Other sustainability challenges arising from data centers include water use, local air pollution and e-waste. Backup generators and other on-site diesel equipment may release nitrogen oxides and fine particulates, degrading local air quality and increasing health risks for nearby residents. The rapid obsolescence of IT equipment results in substantial electronic waste, posing a challenge for disposal and recycling.
This year’s ICEF Roadmap will explore these challenges and strategies for addressing them.
Those strategies are plentiful and include steps to improve data centers’ energy efficiency, reduce their carbon footprint and minimize water use.

Moderator
David Sandalow

David Sandalow

ICEF Steering Committee;
Inaugural Fellow, Center on Global Energy Policy, Columbia University;
Co-Director, Energy and Environment Concentration, School of International and Public Affairs, Columbia University, United States of America

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Speaker
ESAKI Hiroshi

ESAKI Hiroshi

Professor, Graduate School of Information Science and Technology, The University of Tokyo, Japan

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Alexis Abramson

Alexis Abramson

Dean, The Climate School at Columbia University;
Professor, The Climate School at Columbia University, United States of America

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Afternoon

Circular Economy x Startup

The circular economy has been gaining attention from the perspective of resource security. In the EU, the European Critical Raw Materials Act has been enacted, with the goal of ensuring that no more than 65% of critical raw materials are imported from a single country. Similarly, Japan has set a goal to reduce its reliance on imports of rare earth elements and other critical materials from specific countries. Additionally, Japan is implementing the ASEAN-Japan Circular Economy Initiative (AJCEI), focusing on regional resource security. Amid the growing prominence of geopolitical risks, strengthening resource security through the lens of the circular economy is considered an extremely important issue.
However, the transition to a circular economy is far from smooth. According to The Circularity Gap Report 2025, per capita resource consumption increased from 8.4 tons in 1970 to 12.2 tons in 2020. Furthermore, the share of recycled materials used in total material consumption was only 6.9% in 2021, down from 7.2% in 2018.
As the promotion of the circular economy requires innovation, this initiative will focus on the intersection of the circular economy and startups to drive progress in this critical area.

Moderator
SAKANO Akira

SAKANO Akira

ICEF Steering Committee;
Representative Director, Zero Waste Japan;
Co-Founder, Green innovation;
Director & CSO, ECOMMIT Co., Ltd., Japan

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Afternoon

Natural Hydrogen

Natural hydrogen presents a unique opportunity in the global energy transition—not just as a zero-emission energy source, but as a geopolitically significant resource with implications for supply chain security, strategic autonomy, and energy diversification. For Japan, where interest in advanced hydrogen pathways is rapidly expanding, NatH₂ offers potential for both scientific discovery and sovereign energy resilience.
In this session, we will welcome Dr. Richard Hartman, Chief Innovation Officer of the U.S. Air Force Office of Energy Assurance, and Dr Niki, NEDO, Technology and Innovation Strategy Center, to introduce initiatives related to natural hydrogen in both the United States and Japan and discuss the importance of U.S.-Japan dialogue, scientific collaboration, and mutual de-risking efforts.

Speaker
Richard Hartman

Richard Hartman

Chief Innovation Officer, Air Force Office of Energy Assurance, United States of America

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Afternoon

Advancing Clean Hydrogen Technologies

The materials industry is considered one of the most challenging sectors for reducing GHG emissions, and the use of clean hydrogen is drawing attention as a key solution to achieving net zero.
However, many industries still face immature technologies for utilizing clean hydrogen, and updating facilities and infrastructure is expected to require significant time and cost.
This session will invite companies and international organizations in hard-to-abate industries to discuss their respective strategies for clean hydrogen adoption, the challenges for its widespread use, and the outlook in these sectors.

Moderator
Georg Erdmann

Georg Erdmann

ICEF Steering Committee;
Retired Chair of Energy Systems, Faculty of Process Engineering, Berlin University of Technology;
President of the Board, KSB Energie AG, Berlin, Germany

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Changhua Wu

Changhua Wu

ICEF Steering Committee;
China / Asia Director,
Office of Jeremy Rifkin;
Chair, Governing Council,
Asia Pacific Water Forum, United States of America/China

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Nebojsa Nakicenovic

Nebojsa Nakicenovic

ICEF Steering Committee;
Vice Chair of the Group of Chief Scientific Advisors (GCSA) to the European Commission;
Honorary and Emeritus Scholar, International Institute for Applied Systems Analysis (IIASA);
Emeritus Professor of Energy Economics, Vienna University of Technology (TU Wien), Austria/Serbia

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Speaker
Irmela Kofler

Irmela Kofler

Head of Research Area Decarbonisation, K1-MET GmbH, Austria

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Afternoon

Closing Session

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TANAKA Nobuo (Chair)
TANAKA Nobuo (Chair)
Position

Chair, ICEF Steering Committee;
Former Executive Director, International Energy Agency (IEA);
CEO, Tanaka Global, Inc.

Country / Region

Japan

Career history

Executive Director Emeritus, The International Energy Agency (IEA)
Nobuo Tanaka is Chairman of the steering committee of the Innovation for Cool Earth Forum (ICEF), which was established by former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe in 2014. As Executive Director of the International Energy Agency (IEA) from 2007 to 2011, he initiated a collective release of oil stocks in June 2011. He began his career in 1973 in the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry (METI), and has served in a number of high-ranking positions, including Director- General of the Multilateral Trade System Department. He was deeply engaged in bilateral trade issues with the US as Minister for Industry, Trade and Energy at the Embassy of Japan, Washington DC. He has also served twice as Director for Science, Technology and Industry (DSTI) of the Parisbased international organization, OECD. As CEO of Tanaka Global Inc, he advises several Japanese and International companies.

Awards/Publications

Order of Sacred Treasure, Gold and Silver Star, 瑞宝重光章 （2021）
Al Attiyah International Energy Award

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Adnan Z. Amin
Adnan Z. Amin
Position

ICEF Steering Committee;
Director General Emeritus IRENA;
Senior Adviser to COP 28 President

Country / Region

Kenya

Career history

Adnan Z. Amin is an experienced international official and development economist specializing in sustainable development with over 30 years of experience in senior positions at the United Nations and as the Founding Director General of The International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA).
Mr. Amin served as the CEO of COP28 of the UNFCCC which was is under the Presidency of the UAE. In this capacity he oversaw and managed the policy and operational aspects of COP28 in support of the COP28 President and directly led the political negotiation process the resulted in the adoption of the historic “UAE Consensus” containing pathbreaking agreements to transition away from fossil fuels and achieve a 1.5 degree aligned pathway.
In May, 2025 Mr. Amin was appointed as a Special Envoy of the President of COP30 with special emphasis on the Middle East.
Mr. Amin has served as a Senior Research Fellow at the Belfer Center for Science and International Affairs of Harvard University’s Kennedy School of Government. There, he specialized in the “Geopolitics of the Energy Transition”. He was appointed by the Secretary General of the United Nations as a member of his High-Level Advisory Group on Climate Change in September 2020, and is also serving on several Advisory Boards both in the private sector and within academia.

Mr. Amin led a distinguished career serving the United Nations. He served as Head of the UN System Chief Executives Board for Coordination (CEB) Secretariat, the UN Secretary-General’s policy coordination body comprising the Executive Heads of the UN System. Mr. Amin also led the Secretariat for the UN Secretary-General’s High-level Panel on UN System-Wide Coherence, which resulted in an ambitious reform programme implemented under the framework of “One UN” and “Delivering as One”.
Mr. Amin was also the Director of the United Nations Environment Programme’s (UNEP) New York Office and led the Secretariat supporting the Intergovernmental review of International Environmental Governance established to review and streamline the proliferation of institutional frameworks within the United Nations. Mr. Amin also served as a Trustee and Member of the Board of Directors of the Cambridge, UK based World Conservation Monitoring Centre, considered one of the premier biodiversity information institutions in the world.

In 2011, Mr. Amin was elected and served as the first ever Director General of the International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA). Elected for an initial four-years term, Mr. Amin was re-appointed unanimously by the Assembly for a second term in 2015. During his tenure, IRENA became the authoritative voice of renewable energy and a leading player in the global energy transition. The Agency’s membership increased three-fold and now accounts for over 160 State Members with 24 additional countries in the process of accession, a remarkable achievement in the annals of multilateralism. After his second term he was granted the honorary title of Director General Emeritus by the 2019 IRENA Assembly, in recognition of his leadership and outstanding service to the Agency.

Mr. Amin oversaw the development of IRENA’s operations and programmatic work, directing the growth of the Agency’s knowledge framework, country support and regional engagement. IRENA’s efforts played a key role in showcasing the centrality of renewables to powering sustainable economic growth, creating jobs while meeting climate and sustainable development objectives.

Mr. Amin also propelled IRENA on the global stage. Today, the Agency is a regular contributor to, and a sought-after partner for, global and multilateral Organizations such as the United Nations, G7 and G20, as well as international forums such as the Clean Energy Ministerial, the Berlin Energy Transition Dialogue and The Suzhou International Forum on Energy Transitions, among others.

During his tenure, IRENA actively engaged with a wide range of stakeholders, including parliamentarians, the private sector and civil society to create an inclusive global platform for cooperation. At his initiative, the Global Commission on the Geopolitics of Energy Transformation was established in 2018, and delivered in 2019 a ground-breaking report which outlines the implications of a large-scale shift to renewable energy on the global energy system, economies and relations within and between countries.

After his tenure at IRENA, Mr. Amin has served on a number of important initiatives including:

  • Chair of the Global Council on SDG 7, an initiative by the UAE to advance the implementation of the UN Sustainable Development Goals and the 2030 Agenda.
  • Member of the OECD High Level Advisory Group on Aligning Development Co-operation with the Objectives of the Paris Agreement.
  • Distinguished Fellow of the Atlantic Council
  • Member of the Jury of the Zayed Sustainability Prize
  • Member of the Global Energy Prize International Award Committee
  • Member of the Stanford University Global Energy Council
  • Member of the Global Commission to end Energy Poverty-MIT/Rockefeller Foundation.
  • Awarded the title of Honorary Professor of Practice at the University of Sussex Business School, his alma mater.
  • Member of the International Advisory Panel on Energy of the Government of Singapore.
  • Senior Advisor to the United Arab Emirates Climate Envoy.

Mr. Amin also serves on a number of Advisory Boards within the private sector including Shell New Energy, Porsche Sustainability Advisory Board and Arctic Green Energy.

Awards/Publications
  • Moran of the Burning Spear (MBS) a National Award bestowed by H.E. President of Kenya, Uhuru Kenyatta, December 2018
  • The First Order of Zayed II bestowed by the President H.H. Sheikh Khalifa Bin Zayed Al Nahyan, President of United Arab Emirates, March 2019, in recognition of his service at IRENA.
  • Knight of the Order of Merit of the Italian Republic, bestowed by the President of Italy, November 2020
  • Astana Medal bestowed by H.E. President of Kazakhstan, Nursultan Nazarbayev, September 2018.
  • The First Order of Zayed II bestowed by the President H.H. Sheikh Mohammed Bin Zayed Al Nahyan,

President of United Arab Emirates, February 2024, in recognition of his service as CEO of COP28

Areas of expertise

Geopolitics of the Energy Transition

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Sally M. Benson
Sally M. Benson
Position

ICEF Steering Committee;
Professor, Energy Science and Engineering, Stanford University;
Deputy Director for Energy and Chief Strategist for the Energy Transition,
White House Office of Science and Technology Policy

Country / Region

United States of America

Career history

1977 to 2007: Various positions at Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory
2007 to present: Professor at Stanford University

Awards/Publications

1996 DOE Certificate of Appreciation awarded for leading development of the Natural and Accelerated Bioremediation Research Program Plan
2007 Contributed to the reports of the IPCC that received the Nobel Peace Prize for “for their efforts to build up and disseminate greater knowledge about man-made climate change, and to lay the foundations for the measures that are needed to counteract such change.”
2009 Michel T. Halbouty Distinguished Lecture Award, Geological Society of America
2009 ARCS 2009 American Pacesetter Award
2011 Alberta Innovates Lecturer of 2011
2009 – 2011 Stanford Fellow
2012 Greenman Award, IEA Greenhouse Gas Program
2015 Honorary Doctorate Degree, Smith College, Massachusetts
2015 Roslyn Silver’27 Science Lectureship, Barnard College
2017 Distinguished CCS Lecture Tour, Peter Cook Centre, University of Melbourne, Australia
2018 Columbia University Arthur D. Storke Lecturer
2019 Society of Petroleum Engineers International Award, Health, Safety, and Environment
2023 Elected to the American Academy of Arts and Sciences

Areas of expertise

Energy transition, carbon capture and storage, energy systems analysis

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Georg Erdmann
Georg Erdmann
Position

ICEF Steering Committee;
Retired Chair of Energy Systems, Faculty of Process Engineering, Berlin University of Technology;
President of the Board, KSB Energie AG, Berlin

Country / Region

Germany

Career history

1995-2018 Professor for Energy Systems at the Institute for Energy Technology, Berlin University of Technology
1982-1995 Post doc researcher and Assistant professor at the Center for Economic Research, Swiss Federal Institute of Technology, Zürich (ETHZ)
1993-1995 Delegate at the Paul Scherer Institute, Villigen (Switzerland) in the group of Prof. Dr. Alexander Wokaun.
1976-1982 Appointment as PhD researcher at the University Muenster/Germany

Areas of expertise

Energy Systems and Markets, Energy policy, Economics of innovations, evolutionary economics

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Eija-Riitta Korhola
Eija-Riitta Korhola
Position

ICEF Steering Committee;
Delegate of the Consultative Commission for Industrial Change European Economic and Social Committee

Country / Region

Finland
Belgium

Career history

PhD in Environmental Politics
Delegate of the Consultative Commission on Industrial Change at European Economic and Social Committee 2016-
Member of the Helsinki City Council 2025-
Member of the European Parliament 1999-2014, 2024
Board member of Finnish Forest Administration, Metsähallitus

Awards/Publications

– Annual MEP Award of the European Parliament 2009 (Energy)
– Eija-Riitta Korhola (2014): The Rise and Fall of the Kyoto Protocol – Climate Change as a Political Process, Helsinki University
– Eija-Riitta Korhola: The joys and frustrations of an environmental law-maker, European View 2019
– K.Akimoto, J.Arima, M.Babiker, M.Caine, D.Hobbs, E.Korhola, A.Sieminski, N.Stehr, H.Tezuka,
M.Toyoda, M.Williams (2019) Finding a viable path to reducing greenhouse gas emissions, KAPSARC – Prins, G., Cook, M., Green, C., Hulme, M., Korhola, A., Korhola, E-R., Pielke Jr, R., Rayner, S.,
Sawa, A., Sarewitz, D., Stehr, N., & von Storch, H. (2009). How to Get Climate Policy Back on
Course. LSE Mackinder Programme.

Areas of expertise

Emissions Trading, Energy transfer, Climate politics

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KURODA Reiko
KURODA Reiko
Position

ICEF Steering Committee;
Designated Professor, Frontier Research Institute, Chubu University;
Professor Emeritus, The University of Tokyo;
Member, G7 GEAC (Gender Equality Advisory Council) 2023

Country / Region

Japan

Career history

1975 Ph.D. in Chemistry, The University of Tokyo.
1975 – 81: Research Associate, Dept. Chemistry, King’s College, London, U.K.
1981 – 85: Research Fellow/Honorary Lecturer, Dept.Biophysics, ibid.
1985 – 86: Senior Staff Scientist, Institute of Cancer Research, Sutton, U.K. / Visiting Lecturer, King’s College London.
1986 – 92: Associate Professor, Dept. Chemistry, College of Arts and Sciences/ Dept. Biophysics and Biochemistry, Graduate School of Sciences, The University of Tokyo.
1992 – 2012 Professor, Department of Life Sciences, Graduate School of Arts and Sciences/ Dept.
Biochemistry, Graduate School of Sciences, The University of Tokyo.
2003 – 07: Executive Advisor to the President, The University of Tokyo.
2007 – 11: Member of the Administrative Council, The University of Tokyo
2007 – 10: Head of the Science Interpreter Training Programme, The University of Tokyo (supported by JST).
2010- 12: Head of the Science Interpreter Training Programme, Komaba Organization for Educational Excellence, The University of Tokyo
2012 – 2019 Professor, Research Inst. Science & Technology, Tokyo Univ. of Science.
2019 – current Designated Professor, Frontier Research Institute, Chubu University.
2017 – 2019 WINDS Ambassador,

Awards/Publications

Adjunctive and ex-Council Member of Science Council of Japan
Foreign Member of the Royal Swedish Academy of Science, Sweden
TWAS (the World Academy of Science), Fellow
ISC（International Science Council), Fellow
INGSA-Asia（International Network for Science Advice）,Board member
The Club of Rome, Full ember
Saruhashi Prize (1993),
Nissan Science Prize (1994),
Molecular Chirality Award (2003),
Yamazaki-Teiichi Prize (2004),
Honorary Professor of University of Sichuan, China (2006);
Honorary Doctorate, Chalmers University of Technology, Sweden (2009);
Prizes for Science and Technology, The Commendation for Science and Technology by the Minister
of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology (2009).
L’Oreal-UNESCO Women in Science Award 2013.
Mukai Prize (2014),
Prime Minister’s Commendation for Efforts toward the Formation of a Gender-Equal Society (2014).
Academia Prize, The Academic Society of Japan (2015)
340 peer-reviewed publications in Chemistry and Biology, including Nature, Scientific Reports,
Angewandte Chemie, Journal of American Chemical Society.

Areas of expertise

Chemistry/Molecular and Developmental Biology, Science Communication, Science Policy,
Gender Issues

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Hoesung Lee
Hoesung Lee
Position

ICEF Steering Committee;
Former Chair of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC);
President, Carbon Free Alliance

Country / Region

Korea

Career history

Hoesung Lee was the Chair of the IPCC elected in 2015 for its Sixth Assessment cycle completed in July 2023. He is chair of the Asian Development Bank President’s Advisory Board on Climate Change and Sustainable Development. He was an endowed chair professor at Korea University Graduate School of Energy and Environment. He was the founding president of the Korea Energy Economics Institute — a government agency for national energy policy development. He was a distinguished research fellow at the Korea Environment Institute, senior adviser to the Minister of Energy and Resources and the Minister of Environment, a senior fellow at the Korea Development Institute, and economist at Exxon Company USA. He served as the president of the International Association for Energy Economics (IAEE), a member of the International Advisory Board of the Battelle-Pacific Northwest National Lab, USA, the Board of Directors of Hyundai Corporation, the Institute for Global Environmental Strategies, Japan, and the Global Green Growth Institute. He was Co-chair of the IPCC Working Group III (the socio-economic dimensions of climate change) of the Second Assessment which provided a scientific basis for the UNFCCC’s Kyoto Protocol. He served as Vice-chair of IPCC 2008-2015, and lead author and review editor for the various IPCC assessments. He was named to the 2019 TIME 100 Most Influential People in the World and the 2021 Bloomberg 50 List.

Awards/Publications

2020 IAEE Award for Outstanding Contribution to the Profession
National Merit Order of Dongbaek Medal 2023, Republic of Korea
Climate Change 2023: Synthesis Report. Contribution of Working Group I, II, III to the Sixth
Assessment Report of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change [Core Writing Team, H. Lee and J. Romero (eds)], IPCC, Geneva, Switzerland, 184 pp.

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Vikram Singh Mehta
Vikram Singh Mehta
Position

ICEF Steering Committee;
Chairman, Center for Social and Economic Progress (CSEP) Research Foundation

Country / Region

India

Career history

Vikram Singh Mehta is currently Chairman of the Think Tank CSEP Research Foundation (Formerly Brookings Institution India Center). Vikram was Executive Chairman of the Think Tank, Brookings Institution India Center and Senior Fellow, Brookings Institution from 2012 to 2020. Prior to that he was Chairman of the Shell Group of Companies in India (1994 – 2012); Chief executive of Shell Markets and Shell Chemicals, Egypt (1992-1993). And Advisor, Strategic Planning to the State owned company, Oil India (1984-1988). He started his career by joining the Indian Administrative Service in 1978. He resigned from the service in 1980. Vikram is non executive Chairman of Indigo Airlines and Mahindra Electric Automotive Company and an independent, non-executive, director of Global Health ltd and Jubilant Foods. He is also on the Global Advisory Board of Macro Advisory partners; and PMB Capital

Awards/Publications

Vikram was recipient of Asia House’s Businessmen of the year” award for 2010. He also received Asia Centre for Corporate Governance and Sustainability’s Award for “Best Independent Director “in India for 2016.”
Vikram is editor of the books “ The Next Stop: Natural Gas and India’s journey towards a Clean Energy Future “. And “ Anchoring Change : 75 years of Grassroots interventions that made a difference “ . Both books were published by Harper Collins .

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Jon D. Moore
Jon D. Moore
Position

ICEF Steering Committee;
Chief Executive Officer, BloombergNEF

Country / Region

United Kingdom

Career history

Jon is CEO of BloombergNEF taking on this role at the end of 2013. BloombergNEF (BNEF) is a strategic research provider covering global commodity markets and the disruptive technologies driving the transition to a low-carbon economy. BNEF assesses pathways for the power, transport, industry, buildings and agriculture sectors to adapt to the energy transition, helping commodity traders, corporate strategists, finance and policy professionals navigate change.
Prior to 2008, Jon spent two decades in capital markets, the first at JPMorgan then Accenture, and the second decade as co-founder and CEO of a capital Markets management consulting firm, based in London and New York.

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Valli Moosa
Valli Moosa
Position

ICEF Steering Committee;
Deputy Chairperson of the Presidential Climate Change Commission;
Former President, International Union for Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources (IUCN)

Country / Region

South Africa

Career history

Valli Moosa was born in Johannesburg, South Africa. He is a veteran of the South African Freedom struggle. He worked closely with Nelson Mandela during the settlement talks and served as a negotiator for the ANC. He participated in the drafting of the South African Constitution. He served in President Mandela’s cabinet as Minister of Constitutional Development and in President Mbeki’s government as Environment Minister. He joined the corporate sector in 2004 and currently serves on the board of Sappi Ltd. He has served on the boards of Anglo Platinum, Eskom and Sanlam. Has served as a facilitator in the global climate change negotiation’s for a number of years. He previously served as President of the IUCN (International Union for the Conservation of Nature), Chairman of the UN Commission on Sustainable Development and as the Chairman of WWF(SA). He is the Deputy Chairperson of the Presidential Climate Change Commission, chaired by President Ramaphosa.

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Nebojsa Nakicenovic
Nebojsa Nakicenovic
Position

ICEF Steering Committee;
Vice Chair of the Group of Chief Scientific Advisors (GCSA) to the European Commission;
Honorary and Emeritus Scholar, International Institute for Applied Systems Analysis (IIASA);
Emeritus Professor of Energy Economics, Vienna University of Technology (TU Wien)

Country / Region

Austria
Serbia

Career history

Nebojsa Nakicenovic is the Deputy Chair of the Group of Chief Scientific Advisors to the European Commission, Distinguished Emeritus and Honorary Scholar, and was the Deputy Director General and Acting Director General of the International Institute for Applies Systems Analyses IIASA), and a tenured Professor of Energy Economics at Vienna Technology University.
Among other positions, he is the Director of The World In 2050 (www.TWI2050.org), Fellow of the World Academy of Art and Science, of International Science Council, and of the Luohan Academy, he is a Member of the Academia Europaea, the Montenegrin Academy of Arts and Sciences, the Earth League, the Earth Commission, the Multi-stakeholder Technical Group of Sustainable Development Goal 7, Scientific Advisory Boards of the Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research, Fondazione Eni Enrico Mattei, and Steering Committee of the Renewable Energy Policy Network for the 21st Century. He serves on the Editorial Boards of ten peer-reviewed scientific journals.
Dr. Nakicenovic’s research interests include patterns of technological change including the evolution of energy, mobility, digital technologies, economic development, and climate change. Dr. Nakicenovic holds bachelor and master degrees in economics and computer science from Princeton University and the University of Vienna, where he also completed his Ph.D., and holds Honoris Causa Ph.D. degree in engineering from the Russian Academy of Sciences.

Awards/Publications

Google Scholar documents list of 838 publications by Dr. Nebojsa Nakicenovic with some 66 thousand citations.
Dr. Nakicenovic is a recipient of the Austrian Grand Decoration in Silver (Österreichisches Ehrenzeichen für Wissenschaft und Kunst); with a number of scientists of the 2007 Nobel Peace Prize for the research contribution to the IPCC (Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change); and with a number of scientists of the 2005 Sheikh Zayed (former UAE President) Environmental Award for the research contribution to the Millennium Ecosystem Assessment under the personal leadership of Kofi Annan, UN Secretary-General.
He is Fellow of the World Academy of Art and Science, of the International Science Council, and Luohan Academy, and Member of the Academia Europaea Academia Europaea, Montenegrin Academy of Sciences and Arts, and the International Academy for Systems and Cybernetic Sciences (IASCYS)

Areas of expertise

Dynamics of technological change including the evolution of energy, mobility, digital technologies;
economic development, and climate and environmental change.

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SAKANO Akira
SAKANO Akira
Position

ICEF Steering Committee;
Representative Director, Zero Waste Japan
Co-Founder, Green innovation
Director & CSO, ECOMMIT Co.,Ltd.

Country / Region

Japan

Career history

2015-2020: Chair of the Board of Directors, Zero Waste Academy, Japan – served to spread the zero waste community building concepts all over the world and showcased how a small town could be a model of change to the world.
Since 2020, founded Zero Waste Japan – delivers planning and implementation of zero waste policy and projects to local governments, communities and businesses in Japan and elsewhere.
Co-Founded Green innovation in 2021 to develop more than 1,000 “green innovators” to tackle climate change by 2030. Delivering “Green Innovator Academy” where educating students and young professionals to foster Green innovators to deliver Green transformation.
Joined ECOMMIT Co.,Ltd. in 2023 as Director & Chief Sustainability Officer to contribute in building circular economy from business field.
Global Shaper, World Economic Forum 2012 to 2020.
Co-Chair of the World Economic Forum Annual Meeting 2019.
World Economic Forum Future Council on Japan (2020).
World Economic Forum Global Shapers Community Foundations Board (2020-2021).
Master, Kyoto University Graduate School of Global Environmental Studies.

Awards/Publications

Nikkei Women of the Year 2022

Areas of expertise

Zero Waste and Circular Economy policy implementation
Community-based policy making
Cross-sectoral multi-stakeholder policy making

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David Sandalow
David Sandalow
Position

ICEF Steering Committee;
Inaugural Fellow, Center on Global Energy Policy, Columbia University;
Co-Director, Energy and Environment Concentration, School of International and Public Affairs, Columbia University

Country / Region

United States of America

Career history

David Sandalow is the Inaugural Fellow at the Center on Global Energy Policy (CGEP) and Co- Director of the Energy and Environment Concentration at the School of International and Public Affairs at Columbia University. He launched and directs CGEP’s U.S.-China Program and wrote the Guide to Chinese Climate Policy. Mr. Sandalow chairs the ICEF Innovation Roadmap Project, which has produced roadmaps on artificial intelligence and climate mitigation, low-carbon ammonia, biomass carbon removal and storage (BiCRS), industrial decarbonization and direct air capture, among other topics. He and a team of co-authors are currently at work on an ICEF roadmap on sustainable data centers. Mr. Sandalow has served in senior positions at the White House, State Department and U.S. Department of Energy.

Areas of expertise

energy and climate policy

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Ismail Serageldin
Ismail Serageldin
Position

ICEF Steering Committee;
Co-Chair of the Board of Nizami Ganjavi International Center (NGIC);
Emeritus Librarian of Alexandria;
Former VP of the World Bank

Country / Region

Egypt

Career history

Co-Chair of the Board of Nizami Ganjavi International Center (NGIC), Emeritus Librarian of Alexandria, Former VP of the World Bank
Ismail Serageldin is the Emeritus Librarian of Alexandria, and was the Founding Director of the Bibliotheca Alexandrina, the New Library of Alexandria in Egypt (2001 – 2017).
Before that he was the Vice-President of the World Bank (1993-2000).
He has received many awards including the Order of the Rising Sun of Japan. He is a knight of the French Legion d’Honneur and a Commander of Arts and Letters of the French
Republic. He has lectured widely, published more than 100 books and 500 articles, and has received 40 honorary doctorates from all over the world.

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Vaclav Smil
Vaclav Smil
Position

ICEF Steering Committee;
Distinguished Professor Emeritus, University of Manitoba

Country / Region

Canada

Career history

University professor
Author of 50 books
Consultant

Awards/Publications

Fellow of the Royal Society (Science Academy) of Canada
Member of the Order of Canada
50 books on energy, environment, history of technical advances, food and innovation
500 papers

Areas of expertise

interdisciplinary energy studies
history of energy development
biosphere and global biogeochemical cycles

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Changhua Wu
Changhua Wu
Position

ICEF Steering Committee;
China /Asia Director, Office of Jeremy Rifkin;
Chair, Governing Council, Asia Pacific Water Forum

Country / Region

United States of America
China

Career history

Positions Formerly Held:
Greater China Director and Chair of the China Board, The Climate Group
China CEO, ENSR
Director, China Studies, World Resources Institute
Editor, English Edition, China Environment News
Advisory Positions Formerly Held:
President and Chair, and co-founder, Professional Association for China’s Environment/PACE
Member, Global Future Council of Energy, World Economic Forum
Chair, Global Agenda Council on Climate Change, World Economic Forum
Member, Global Agenda Council of Global Governance for Sustainable Development, World
Economic Forum
Founder and Executive Secretary, the Climate Fund, All-China Returned Overseas Chinese
Philanthropy Fund
Founder and Executive Director, the Million Forest Fund, China Greening Foundation

Awards/Publications

Women Leader(s): 2019, Time – 15 global women leaders to fight climate change
Areas of expertise
A specialist and policy analyst of China’s sustainability
An advisor to governments and corporations on sustainability strategy and innovation
A strategist of public and private engagement for clean energy transformation and climate solutions
An advocate for policy change and practice leadership
A public voice for positive changes and innovation
A current affairs and policy commentator on China’s clean transition
A social entrepreneur and innovator for sustainability
An award winner for her contributions to China’s decarbonization

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YAMAJI Kenji
YAMAJI Kenji
Position

ICEF Steering Committee;
President, Research Institute of Innovative Technology for the Earth (RITE);
Professor Emeritus, The University of Tokyo

Country / Region

Japan

Career history

Dr. Kenji Yamaji
President, Research Institute of Innovative Technology for the Earth (RITE);
Professor Emeritus, The University of Tokyo

Dr. Kenji Yamaji graduated from The University of Tokyo and was awarded a degree for Doctor of Engineering.
In 1977, he joined the Central Research Institute of Electric Power Industry (CRIEPI). He was appointed Professor, in the Department of Electrical Engineering and Information Systems at the University of Tokyo in 1994 and Professor Emeritus in 2010. Dr. Yamaji was a Council Member of the Science Council of Japan (SCJ), a Research Supervisor of the Japan Science and Technology Agency (JST). He served as President of the Japan Institute of Energy and the President of the Japan Society of Energy and Resources. Dr. Yamaji’s main academic field is Energy Systems Engineering. Within his field, he has published over 100 peer-reviewed academic papers, as well as published around 100 books, including many single-authored books. He also currently serves in many advisory bodies on energy and environmental policy for Japanese government. He has contributed to Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) as a lead author for the 3rd and 4th Assessment Reports of WG3.

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KISHI Hisashi
KISHI Hisashi
Position

Deputy Division CEO, Global Business Department, Chubu Electric Power Co., Inc.

Country / Region

Japan

Career history

Hisashi Kishi currently serves as Deputy Division CEO of Global Business Division at Chubu Electric Power. In 2024, he played a role in the investment in NuScale Power Corporation as a hands on basis. In 2019, he was involved in the acquisition of Eneco, a Dutch integrated energy company, with Mitsubishi Corporation. Following the successful acquisition, he was seconded to Eneco for two years, where he contributed to enhancing collaborative initiatives between Eneco and Chubu Electric. From 2016 to 2018, he was seconded to JERA , where he focused on IPP projects in the Middle East. In 2002, he was seconded to the Project Finance Department of JBIC, where he was involved in financing energy infrastructure projects. His interest in international business started in 1998 when he received a company sponsored scholarship to pursue MA in International Studies at the University of Sheffield.

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ESAKI Hiroshi
ESAKI Hiroshi
Position

Professor, Graduate School of Information Science and Technology, The University of Tokyo

Country / Region

Japan

Career history

He received the B.E. and M.E. degrees from Kyushu University, Fukuoka, Japan, in 1985 and 1987, respectively. And, he received Ph.D from University of Tokyo, Japan, in 1998.
In 1987, he joined Resrearch and Development Center, Toshiba Corporation. From 1990 to 1991, he has been at Bellcore Inc., New Jersey (USA). From 1994 to 1996, he has been at Columbia University in New York (USA). He has proposed the CSR architecture, that is the origin of MPLS (Multi-Protocol Label Switching), to the IETF. From 2007 to 2010 and 2014 to 2020, he served as BoT (Board of Trustee) for ISOC (Internet Society). He is a director of WIDE Project, a chair of JPNIC (Japan Network Information Center), a director of Japan Data Center Coucil, director of Green University of Tokyo Project, chair of JNSA (Japan Network Security Assoviation), and the first Chief Arechitect of Digital Agency Japan.

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Richard Hartman
Richard Hartman
Position

Chief Innovation Officer, Air Force Office of Energy Assurance

Country / Region

United States of America

Career history

As Chief Innovation Officer within the US Air Force Office of Energy Assurance, Dr. Hartman is responsible for energy security initiatives for the Air and Space Force. As CINO, he identifies and develops strategies to deploy innovative solutions to enhance energy resilience worldwide with global partners in academia, industry, and governments through partnerships to get energy resilience projects approved, solicited, and or built. He holds a Ph.D. in policy and management and has held adjunct faculty positions at George Washington University and Georgetown University and a board member to various public and private sector boards where he advises start-ups as well as established companies.

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Irmela Kofler
Irmela Kofler
Position

Head of Research Area Decarbonisation, K1-MET GmbH

Country / Region

Austria

Career history

Irmela Kofler studied technical chemistry and did her PhD in process engineering. First she worked for a plant manufacturer in the environmental department with focus on dedusting and energy recovery. Since 2015 she is Area Manager at K1-MET, one of the leading and internationally renowned metallurgical competence centers. She leads Area 2, focusing on Decarbonization and sector coupling.

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KUMAHIRA Tomonobu
KUMAHIRA Tomonobu
Position

Co-Founder and CEO, Mizu - Water One

Country / Region

United States of America

Career history

Tomo is Co-Founder and CEO of Water One, a California-based startup focused on food and water security. Recognized by Imagine H2O and StartX, Water One offers an AI-enabled water management platform for farmers in water-stressed areas. The company spun out of Stanford's Doerr School of Sustainability, building on his team's publication of the world's first solution map for water-agriculture adaptation. Previously, he was Acting CFO at Komaza, Africa's largest sustainable forestry startup, where he raised 50M dollars in climate finance and designed the world's first securitization model for smallholder forestry. He started his career as a private equity investor at Mitsubishi Corporation. An Acumen Fellow and Robert Bosch Foundation Fellow, Tomo has advised the UN FAO. He holds a BA from Brown University and MS-MBA from Stanford as Knight-Hennessy Scholar.

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Alexis Abramson
Alexis Abramson
Position

Dean, The Climate School at Columbia University;
Professor, The Climate School at Columbia University

Country / Region

United States of America

Career history

Alexis Abramson is the Dean of the Columbia Climate School and a Professor of Climate. A leading expert in sustainable energy technology, she focuses broadly on thermal transport, from designing nanostructured materials to addressing building energy efficiency. Before joining Columbia in 2025, she was dean of Dartmouth's Thayer School of Engineering. Abramson also recently served as a Technical Advisor to Breakthrough Energy Ventures, launched by Bill Gates. During the Obama administration, she held the position as chief scientist at the U.S. Department of Energy's Building Technologies Office. Abramson holds engineering degrees from Tufts and a PhD from UC Berkeley.

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