Islands: Ground Zero for Global Energy Transition | Justin Locke | TEDxStPeterPort

Islands are on the front lines of climate change – victims of the industrialized world’s greed. But they are not standing by - waiting for the inevitable. Islands across the globe have started their energy transition, and are in the process of developing a scalable blueprint for what an energy transition looks like from a technical, economic, financial, and regulatory perspective and developing creative business models required to enable action. As a result, islands now find themselves at ground zero for the global energy transition. Justin Locke is the Director of the Islands Energy Program at Rocky Mountain Institute-Carbon War Room and is based in Washington, DC. Justin is responsible for strategic oversight and leadership for the Islands Energy Program. The program aims to accelerate the transition of island economies from a heavy dependence on fossil fuels to a diverse platform of renewables and energy efficiency while establishing a blueprint for other isolated economies. Justin previously held the position of Disaster Risk Management Specialist at the World Bank where he managed one of the largest per capita investment portfolios in World Bank history. Previous to his tenure at the World Bank, Justin worked for the United Nations Development Program (UNDP) in the Pacific Region – holding the role of Development Specialist at the UNDP Regional Pacific Center based in Fiji which provides technical assistance to over 14 Pacific island countries. This talk was given at a TEDx event using the TED conference format but independently organized by a local community. Learn more at https://www.ted.com/tedx