Our Perspective

For the past two years, I’ve been incredibly honored to represent Duke Energy at the annual United Nations Climate Change Conference, also commonly referred to as the Conference of the Parties (COP).

With summer heating up and air conditioning systems running longer, electric bills will inevitably increase, so Stephen De May wanted to take this opportunity to share some resources that can make a difference.

The Duke Energy Foundation has spent the past year listening, learning and adjusting to stakeholder feedback on a variety of topics from pandemic impacts to environmental justice. These conversations have led to deepening our focus on root causes and system challenges while we also more strongly align our priorities with our company’s clean energy strategy and net-zero emissions goals.

As I think about the time I have spent overseas in active combat, and consider the important climate change discussions that occurred among world leaders during the 2021 United Nations Climate Change Conference in Glasgow, I see many similarities and connections between these events.

The energy industry is in the midst of a massive transformation. As one of the largest utilities in the U.S., how we provide affordable, reliable and increasingly cleaner energy for our customers and communities, while at the same time considering our societal impact, has never been more important than it is today.

By leveraging technology, innovation and new ways of working, we held fast to our mission to provide reliable, affordable and increasingly cleaner energy. The year sharpened our focus on how we create value for our stakeholders and help solve for societal issues.

The “no new natural gas” idea sounds simple – but there are several challenges.

Duke Energy is taking an important step in our efforts to provide insight into our political advocacy on climate change by releasing a report on the major trade associations with which we participate and how their views on climate align with ours.

We must be ready to reliably meet the energy needs of our customers every day – regardless of the weather.

“U.S. reentry into the Paris Agreement will send an important signal to all sectors of the economy that the country intends to meet the objectives as outlined in the pact. And while energy companies like ours are ahead of the curve, there’s no question of the importance of all industries pulling in the same direction to tackle this global challenge. To that end, we support President-elect Biden’s decision to re-enter the Paris Agreement.”