Aspen is a place for leaders to lift their sights above the possessions which possess them. To confront their own nature as human beings, to regain control over their own humanity by becoming more self-aware, more self-correcting, and hence more self-fulfilling.

Walter P. Paepcke, Aspen Institute Co-Founder

Aspen Ideas: Climate Returns to Chicago July 2026, Showcasing the Midwest’s Leadership in the Energy Economy

On July 20-22, 2026, Chicago will host the premier climate solutions event presented by the Aspen Institute in partnership with the Chicago Climate Corps.

Chicago, IL, March 11, 2026 – Aspen Ideas: Climate (AIC) is coming back to Chicago. Set to take place this summer from July 20-22, the leading solutions-focused climate event will provide an expanded platform to discuss climate solutions and foster collaboration across the city and the greater Midwest. AIC returns following an inaugural 2025 Chicago convening and three successful years in Miami Beach. In its fifth year, AIC will bring together an even larger coalition of leaders, innovators, and thinkers from across sectors. AIC will be open to the public, with passes available to purchase here. Members of the media are invited to apply for a press credential here.

The University of Chicago will serve as the leading Academic Thought Partner of the event, hosting the opening day of programming on its Hyde Park campus. The University will co-curate sessions on critical topics including health, infrastructure, adaptation, trust, and how climate solutions can deliver durable economic growth.

When it comes to climate solutions, there is “not just one answer,” said Greg Gershuny, Co-Director of Aspen Ideas: Climate and Executive Director of the Aspen Institute’s Energy and Environment Program, at a launch event held yesterday at Café Brauer at Lincoln Park Zoo. “There’s a range of answers, technologies, policies, and people working together in a thriving ecosystem where every piece has a role. When we bring those pieces together, that’s when real change happens.”

“As we approach the 250th anniversary of our country’s founding, it is a moment to think about the systems that will shape the next American century, and the role the Midwest can play in building that,” said Margot Pritzker, Chair of the Aspen Institute Board of Trustees. 

Remarks were also delivered by Rachel Star and Kobi Weinberg, Co-Founders of the Chicago Climate Corps (C3), a network of climate leaders aged 25 to 40 working to accelerate regional climate action.

The launch event also featured a panel discussion, “The Heartland’s Power Play,” which explored how the Midwest is leading the way on energy, with ESP.Earth’s Kerry Duggan, Elevate’s Anne Evans, McKnight Foundation’s Ben Passer, and S2G Investment’s Sanjeev Krishnan in conversation with Axios’ National Energy Correspondent and University of Chicago’s Institute for Climate and Sustainable Growth’s Journalism Fellow Amy Harder.

The group discussed how advances in AI, quantum computing, and advanced manufacturing are driving historic growth in energy demand, and how regional leaders are successfully managing load growth, strengthening grid resilience, and financing deployable infrastructure.

Aspen Ideas: Climate is the premier climate solutions-focused event. Last year’s convening brought together hundreds of global policymakers, local leaders, innovators, scientists, artists, and rising changemakers to Chicago to accelerate bold solutions to the climate crisis. See highlights from last year here. 

Speakers and event details for 2026 will be announced in the coming months.  Programming will be focused around four core tracks: Health, Adaptation, Infrastructure, and Trust, with a special focus on how economic opportunity, technology, and innovation present themselves across these areas. Members of the media are invited to apply for press credentials to attend Aspen Ideas: Climate here. 

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The Aspen Institute is a global nonprofit organization whose purpose is to ignite human potential to build understanding and create new possibilities for a better world. Founded in 1949, the Institute drives change through dialogue, leadership, and action to help solve society’s greatest challenges. It is headquartered in Washington, DC and has a campus in Aspen, Colorado, as well as an international network of partners. 

Chicago Climate Corps (C3) unites rising climate leaders aged 25-40 to accelerate regional climate action. C3 is helping to establish Chicago and the Midwest as a global hub for climate innovation and leadership. 


Contact: Ben Berliner
Senior Media Relations Associate, The Aspen Institute
[email protected]