Cleaning Up: Leadership in an Age of Climate Change25 Touko 2022

The Economist-Diplomat Championing Clean Energy - Ep87: Francesco La Camera

Francesco La Camera has been the Director-General of the International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA) since April 2019.

Under Francesco’s leadership the Agency has forged a series of new strategic partnerships with UN organisations including UNDP, UNFCCC and Green Climate Fund among others. A key priority of his tenure is to implement a more action-oriented approach to the Agency’s work.

Previously, Francesco served as Director-General of Sustainable Development, Environmental Damage, EU and International Affairs at the Italian Ministry of Environment, Land & Sea since 2014. Francesco held number of roles at the Italian Ministry of Environment, Land and Sea. As the national coordinator for climate, environment, resource efficiency and circular economy, he led the Italian delegation to UNFCCC’s COP 21 to 24 and the EU Presidency at COP 20. He was responsible for the preparation and organisation of Italy’s G7 Environment Presidency in 2017. He served as co-chair of the Africa Centre for Climate and Sustainable Development established in Rome in partnership with FAO and UNDP and co-chaired the Financial Platform for Climate and Sustainable Development in partnership with the Italian Development Bank Cassa Depositi e Prestiti. He has also coordinated a number of national strategies including on sustainable development, green finance and fossil fuel subsides among other things.

Francesco was a lecturer of Sustainable Development at the University of Cosenza and of Environment & Land Economics at the University of Roma 3. He is a graduate of the University of Messina in Political Sciences (Economic Policy major).

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Inside Europe’s Largest AI Data Centre: A Green Giant Rises | Ep235: Robert Dunn

What does it take to build Europe’s largest and most sustainable data-centre campus, from an empty plot of land to a 1.2-gigawatt giant of AI? How do you future-proof a facility when chip technology i...

26 Marras 20251h 2min

California vs Trump In The Battle For Clean Air | Ep234: Liane Randolph

What happens when the world’s most ambitious climate state runs head-on into a hostile federal government? Can California still lead the clean-energy transition while battling rising costs, wildfires ...

19 Marras 20251h 13min

⁠The €65 Billion Plan to Modernise Germany’s Grids | Ep233: Tim Meyerjürgens

What does it take to future-proof Europe’s electricity grid? How do you finance €65 billion in infrastructure without driving up consumer electricity costs? And can the permitting process be sped up t...

12 Marras 20251h 3min

Why There'll Never Be A Hydrogen Economy | Ep232: Erik Rakhou

Is green hydrogen a ‘miracle fuel’ or an expensive illusion? Can we decarbonize without it? And what happens when hydrogen hype meets hard economics?This week on Cleaning Up, Michael Liebreich debates...

5 Marras 20251h 7min

The Electrotech Revolution Will Not Be Fossilized | Ep231: Kingsmill Bond

What if the energy transition isn’t about sacrifice and belt-tightening, but abundance? Are electrified technologies ready to replace the polluting fossil fuel system we’re so reliant on? And what wil...

3 Marras 202549min

COP30: Caught Between An Electrostate and A Petrostate | Ep230: Rachel Kyte

This week on Cleaning Up, we welcome back Rachel Kyte, the UK’s Special Representative for Climate Change, for a deep dive into the shifting landscape of global climate diplomacy ahead of COP30 in Bel...

29 Loka 202559min

The US Just Sank Shipping's Big Plan for Decarbonization, What Now? | Ep229: Tristan Smith

Global shipping contributes about 3% of global greenhouse gas emissions, equivalent to the total emissions of Japan or Germany. The sector, including its contribution to climate change, is governed by...

22 Loka 20251h 16min

How To Move Away From Fossil Fuels Faster — Bryony Grills Michael on The Pragmatic Climate Reset | Ep228

This summer, Michael Liebreich wrote two essays under the title of the Pragmatic Climate Reset. The first challenged the idea that the clean energy transition has failed. And the second challenged the...

15 Loka 20251h 5min