The event at Georgetown University convened leading experts to discuss the complexities of transitioning to clean energy in the region. Dr. Jenny Guardado, Assistant Professor at the Center for Latin American Studies in the School of Foreign Service and Co-Coordinator of ProPELAC at Georgetown University, moderated the discussion. The panel featured Dr. Osmel Manzano, Regional Economic Advisor for the Country Department for the Andean Group at the Inter-American Development Bank and Adjunct Professor at Georgetown’s Center for Latin American Studies; María Fernanda Suárez Londoño, Former Minister of Energy and Mines of Colombia and current President of Banco Popular, Colombia; Carolina Ferreira Herrera, Senior Consultant on Critical Minerals at the Inter-American Development Bank; and Marcelo Masalleras, Senior Researcher at AthenaLab in Santiago de Chile, Chile.
Professor Osmel Manzano emphasized that there is no one-size-fits-all solution to the energy transition, noting that LAC countries must leverage their specific resources—whether oil, gas, or critical minerals—to navigate it effectively. Carolina Ferreira echoed this, underscoring the need for strategic policies that support resource extraction while balancing economic growth, environmental sustainability, and community well-being. María Fernanda Suárez Londoño stressed the importance of a just transition centered on people, distinguishing LAC’s approach from Europe’s by integrating social, economic, and environmental priorities. Similarly, Marcello Masalleras highlighted the region’s intersecting economic, political, and security crises, arguing that the clean energy transition demands a multidimensional perspective.
After the presentations, Georgetown students, faculty, and alumni posed difficult questions regarding the financing of the clean energy transition, the challenges and changes LAC institutions will face throughout the process, the risks and opportunities provided by foreign direct investment and green hydrogen, and how policy must change to facilitate the transition. A brief reception followed.
