• CERAWEEK
  • March 10 - 14, 2025

Dr. Ernest Moniz

Energy Futures Initiative

Founder & Chief Executive Officer

Ernest J. Moniz is the CEO of Energy Futures Initiative and EJM Associates. He served as the thirteenth United States Secretary of Energy from 2013 to January 2017. In that role, he advanced energy technology innovation, nuclear security and strategic stability, cutting-edge capabilities for the American scientific research community, and environmental stewardship. He also strengthened the Department of Energy’s (DOE) strategic partnerships with its seventeen national laboratories to produce science-based policy proposals that attracted strong bipartisan support. A key architect of the Paris Agreement on climate change and Mission Innovation at COP 21, Professor Moniz championed international initiatives that placed energy, science, and technological innovation at the center of the global response to the climate crisis. He also negotiated the historic Iran nuclear agreement alongside Secretary of State John Kerry. Today Professor Moniz also serves as CEO of the Nuclear Threat Initiative, a non-profit organization that has advanced innovative solutions for securing nuclear materials, building international cooperation for nuclear disarmament and nonproliferation, preventing the spread of disease, and reducing radiological threats. Professor Moniz was the Founding Director of the MIT Energy Initiative (MITEI) and Director of the Laboratory for Energy and the Environment. He received a Bachelor of Science degree summa cum laude in physics from Boston College, a doctorate in theoretical physics from Stanford University, and has received multiple honorary doctorates.

Sessions With Dr. Ernest Moniz

Monday, 9 March

  • 07:30pm - 09:00pm (CST) / -

    Scope 3 Emissions and Getting to Net-Zero

    Clean Tech

    Thousands of companies, universities, and cities have announced “Paris-compliant” emissions targets. Oil and gas companies used to concentrate on operational emissions (Scope 1) and resist setting goals for emissions relating to the use of their products (Scope 3). But this is changing. How do you define net-zero? Can Scope 3 emissions be meaningfully measured and managed? Whose responsibility are these emissions anyway?

Tuesday, 10 March

  • 03:30pm - 04:20pm (CST) / -

    Carbon Dioxide Removal Technologies

    Climate & Sustainability Clean Tech

    There is growing consensus that renewables alone cannot address every emissions challenge. Technologies to remove carbon dioxide from the atmosphere could potentially reverse the trend of growing GHG concentrations. What are these technologies? How scalable are they? How close are they to commercial deployment? What is the cost and energy balance?

  • 04:30pm - 05:20pm (CST) / -

    Voices of Innovation with Ernie Moniz: The road ahead

    Join Ernest Moniz, President and CEO, Energy Futures Initiative, one of the most influential global thinkers for a broad ranging insight on the energy future. What are the most promising pathways for energy transition? How can we overcome the barriers and accelerate the development and deployment of technology? Interviewed by Atul Arya, IHS Markit Chief energy Strategist.