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Is the sun setting on the clean energy boom? Experts debate at inaugural Green Industrial Strategy (GISt) conference

In early April, business leaders, policy experts, and academics convened in Boston for the first-ever symposium hosted by the new Green Industrial Strategy (GISt) Project, a new collaboration between the Institute for Business in Global Society (BiGS) at Harvard Business School and BESI, with support from the Center for Innovation and Sustainability in Business.

Their topic: the fate of what we may in the future refer to as the green industrial strategy “golden age” of the early 2020s.

The Trump administration’s signaled about-face from Biden-era green industrial strategy puts the sector’s near-term prospects in jeopardy, skeptics at the conference said. Optimists, by comparison, pointed broader market trends that they believe favor growth in clean energy.

BESI Climate lead Jonas Meckling offered some important context for the symposium, explaining that around the world, green industrial strategy today focuses on “fostering competitive advantage.” That marks a shift from previous eras of climate change policy, which focused on emissions reductions targets and shared economic burdens, he observed.

For in-depth insights from the conference, read the GISt conference report now.

About the author

Aaron Welch

Communications Specialist, BESI

Aaron Welch is the communications specialist for BESI, where he leads the team’s media outreach and digital communications efforts. His mission is to drive engagement with BESI’s research and other activities and to maximize the dissemination of BESI’s usable knowledge.

In 2025, he led the redesign of BESI’s website to refocus on the initiative’s publications and encourage stronger connections with researchers, policymakers, journalists, and members of the public.

Aaron’s background is in public relations, marketing, and advertising. Prior to BESI, he worked as a public relations account executive, content marketer, and copywriter. His clients have included Fortune 500 companies, local businesses, nonprofit organizations, and public sector entities.

A proud graduate of UC Berkeley (English, ’16), Aaron is a champion of public higher education. He is enthusiastic about translating academic knowledge for mass media, policymaker, grant maker, and public audiences.