The Climatini on April 7th at the W Hotel in Chicago’s loop had about 60-70 people in attendance.  Thank you to the W Hotel for providing food for the event, a good time was had by all.  Like the previous Climatini events, it was a good opportunity for professionals in different fields who share an interest in sustainability, renewable energy and climate finance to network.  There was a good mix of people from private enterprise and the government/academic sectors as well.

Several people commented on the coming wave of electric vehicles (EVs) over the next couple of years.  This is a welcome development for emissions reductions but there is still a great deal of infrastructure that needs to be built for charging EVs away from home.  There were a few people working on smart grid applications and one scientist was involved in Superfund cleanup.  There was some interesting discussion on low-light solar technology as well.  There was also some talk of carbon credits and carbon trading but until there is some clarity on cap-and-trade, interest in those areas may suffer.

The topic that came up more than any other was the need for Congress to enact some sort of meaningful clean energy and/or climate bill before the midterm elections.  Everyone agreed that the Waxman-Markey bill and subsequent tabling of discussion by the Senate was a big disappointment last year.  This government inaction could result in private enterprise losing interest due to a lack of clear signal on how to proceed.  It also fails to hold dirty power producers accountable for their environmental impact.  There is a Lieberman/Graham/Kerry-type of bill that is expected to be announced around the end of April.  If nothing gets done by Memorial day, expect the EPA to start getting involved in the process.  Either way there should be a lot to discuss at the next Climatini in June, thanks to everyone who showed up and made for another great event!