U.S. Secretary of Energy Jennifer Granholm urged the international community Thursday to help expedite the transition to “clean energy” amid soaring energy prices.
“Right now, we are witnessing the beginning of one of the most significant events in human history: the clean energy transition. It is long overdue, and it can’t progress fast enough,” said Granholm in a video posted to the official U.S. Department of Energy YouTube channel.
Granholm used the video to invite the international community to participate in the Global Clean Energy Action Forum (GCEAF) being held in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, in September. (RELATED: It’s Not Just Gas — New Data Shows A Massive Explosion In Energy Prices Across The Board)
“From September 21st through the 23rd, I’m bringing together the people who are transforming our energy system,” said Granholm. We’ll be gathering here to … turn our clean energy ambition into action and accelerate our efforts to make clean energy more secure, more affordable, and more accessible.”
The GCEAF’s participants include green energy leaders, entrepreneurs and energy and science ministers from over 30 countries, according to Granholm.
The three-day forum will include “high-level plenary, topical roundtables with energy and science ministers from 31 countries, CEOs and experts, side events, technology demonstrations, and other activities,” the GCEAF reported on its website.
The Consumer Price Index report, released by the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), showed that U.S. energy costs are at the highest in 40 years.
The U.S. energy inflation rate rose 41.5% in June 2021 and 7.5% from May 2022 to June 2022, according to BLS. Americans saw a 13.7% rise in electricity rates, but Gasoline prices have seen the largest increase over the last year, rising 59%, BLS reported.
President Joe Biden defended high energy prices by blaming it on several issues, including Russia’s war in Ukraine, energy companies using the crisis to profit from high gas station prices, and the CPI numbers being “out-of-date.”