The eighth Sun Valley Forum, “The Multiplier Effect: Partnering to Accelerate Climate Solutions,” will be held at the Argyros Performing Arts Center in Ketchum, Idaho, June 20 to June 23, 2023. Founded in 2015, the Forum is hosted by Ketchum-based sustainability advisory firm Christensen Global, with partners including the Forum’s founding host, Sun Valley Institute for Resilience, which advances resilience in the Sun Valley region. In March of this year, the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) released its Sixth Assessment Report (AR6) and IPCC Chair Hoesung Lee stated, “There are multiple, feasible and effective options to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and adapt to human-caused climate change, and they are available now. Mainstreaming effective and equitable climate action will not only reduce losses and damages for nature and people, it will also provide wider benefits…if we act now, we can still secure a liveable sustainable future for all.”
The Sun Valley Forum is convening global climate leaders and innovators who are building powerful solutions for people and our planet. “We are gathering businesses, policymakers, philanthropists, investors, storytellers, and entrepreneurs across energy, food and agriculture, capital and communications,” said Aimée Christensen, the Forum’s founder and curator. “At this time of unprecedented urgency of action, collaboration is critical to accelerate our efforts.”
The 2023 Forum speakers bring knowledge from a range of key roles:
Youth leadership with Vic Barrett, youth climate leader and plaintiff in Juliana v. United States, featured in the acclaimed documentary, Youth v. Gov, and Jerome Foster II, Co-founder at Waic Up; Director of Strategy & Operations, New Zero World; member, White House Environmental Justice Advisory Council;
Media with Rhett Butler of Mongabay, Lisa Friedman, Climate Reporter for the New York Times, Jeff Goodell of Rolling Stone, Leslie Kaufman of Bloomberg Business and Bill Weir of CNN;
Policy with Hilary Franz, Commissioner of Public Lands, Washington State and Joshua Lincoln, Centre for International Law and Governance at Fletcher, the Graduate School of Global Affairs, Tufts University;
Innovation with Kevin Benmoussa, CFO, Aleph Farms, Lauren Fraser, Chief Product Officer & Co-founder, Canopy, Mattie Mead, Founder & CEO, Hempitecture and Matt Petersen, Los Angeles Cleantech Incubator;
Business climate leadership with Jaime Nack, CEO, Three Squares, Inc., Lewis Perkins of Apparel Impact Institute and Eamonn Store, Founder & CEO, FairShare, Inc.;
Philanthropy with Cecilia Martinez of the Bezos Earth Fund, Kathleen Simpson of The Russell Family Foundation and Dana Lanza of Confluence Philanthropy;
Finance with Duanne Andrade and Doug Coward, Solar and Energy Loan Fund, Kunle Apampa of Capricorn Investment Group, Dave Chen of Equilibrium Capital, Ivan Frishberg of Amalgamated Bank, climate capital adviser, investor and operator Chante Harris and Kristin Hull, Founder/CEO/CIO, Nia Impact Capital; and
Communication and storytelling to inspire and inform including Peter Horton, Director, Writer and Producer (“New Amsterdam” “Grey’s Anatomy” and “thirtysomething”), Jill Tidman, Executive Director, The Redford Center, Jessy Tolkan, CEO of Drive Agency, and Brady Walkinshaw, CEO of Earth Alliance, founded by Leonardo Dicaprio and Laurene Powell Jobs.