Climate change finally has the attention of the American public, but mainly as a generalized warning. To sharpen the focus, the Roosevelt House Public Policy Institute at Hunter College is convening a conference, March 5 and 6, 2015 on Climate Injustice: Are There Solutions? Speakers will explore the costs of climate change, strategies to strengthen human security and forms of response, by government and other sectors.

Conference highlights:

  • The keynote address on Thursday, March 5 at 5:30 pm by Rhea Suh, new President of the Natural Resources Defense Council.
  • Discussions on Friday, structured in two parts, Climate Injustice Abroad, followed by Climate Injustice at Home.
  • Speakers, including: Collin Beck, Permanent Representative, Solomon Islands. Steven Koonin, Director of NYU’s Center for Urban Science and Progress. Udo Janz, the New York Director of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees. Dale Jamieson, author of Reason in a Dark Time.

Questions: Contact Rafael Muñoz, rmu@hunter.cuny.edu or 212.650.3184.

Watch the conference via Livestream, here.

SCHEDULE

Day 1 – March 5, 2015, 5:30 pm

Roosevelt House Public Policy Institute at Hunter College
47-49 East 65th Street (btwn. Park and Madison Avenues)

5:30 pm
Welcoming Remarks
Jack Rosenthal, Interim Director, Roosevelt House Public Policy Institute at Hunter College

5:35 pm
Keynote Address
Rhea Suh, President of Natural Resources Defense Council

6:00 pm
General Panel

Opening Statement and Moderator: William Solecki, Professor, Department of Geography, Hunter College and outgoing Director of CUNY Institute for Sustainable Cities

Panelists:

Steven Koonin, Director, Center for Urban Science and Progress, New York University
Peter Marcotullio, Professor, Department of Geography, Hunter College and incoming Director of CUNY Institute for Sustainable Cities
Kate O’Neill, Associate Professor, Environmental Science, Policy and Management, University of California, Berkeley

7:30 pm
Reception

Day 2 – March 6th, 2015, 8:30 am

Roosevelt House Public Policy Institute at Hunter College
47-49 East 65th Street (btwn. Park and Madison Avenues)

8:30 am
Continental breakfast

9:00 am
Welcoming Remarks
William Solecki, Professor, Department of Geography, Hunter College and outgoing Director of CUNY Institute for Sustainable Cities

9:05 am
Panel Discussion – Costs and Financing

Moderator: Justin Gillis, Environmental Science Writer, The New York Times

Panelists:

Bipasha Chatterjee, Environmental Economist, Hunter College
Stephen Hammer, Lead Specialist-Cities and Climate Change Global Programs Team, World Bank
John Kadyszewski, Senior Director, Thought Leadership Engagement and Director, American Carbon Registry, Winrock International
Stephen Kass, Senior Environmental Counsel Co-Director, Environmental Practice Group, Carter Ledyard & Milburn LLP

10:30 am
Coffee break

11:00 am
Panel Discussion – Human Security

Moderator: Deborah Balk, Professor, Baruch College School of Public Affairs and Associate Director, CUNY Institute for Demographic Research

Panelists:

Collin Beck, Permanent Representative of Solomon Islands to the United Nations
Udo Janz, Director, United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees Office in New York
Nevin Cohen, Associate Professor, CUNY School of Public Health
Frederica Perera, Professor, Environmental Health Sciences, Mailman School of Public Health, Columbia University and Director, Columbia Center for Children’s Environmental Health

12:30 pm
Lunch

1:30 pm
Afternoon Speaker
Dale Jamieson, Professor of Environmental Studies, Philosophy and Affiliated Professor of Law, New York University

2:00 pm
Panel Discussion – National Governance

Moderator: Rebecca Bratspies, Professor of Law, CUNY School of Law

Panelists:

Amir Jina, Post-Doctoral Scholar in Economics, University of Chicago
Adam Parris, Executive Director, Science and Resilience Center at Jamaica Bay, Brooklyn College, CUNY
Anhthu Hoang, Attorney, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Region 2

3:45 pm
Panel Discussion – Decentralized Responses

Moderator: Owen Gutfreund, Associate Professor, Urban Affairs and Planning, Hunter College

Panelists:

Rohit Aggarwala, Principal, Bloomberg Associates
Phil Aroneanu, Co-Founder and U.S. Managing Director, 350.org
Nicholas Shufro, Director, R!SE and Sustainable Business Solutions, PricewaterhouseCoopers
Elizabeth Yeampierre, Executive Director, Uprose

5:15 pm
Closing remarks
Jack Rosenthal, Interim Director, Roosevelt House Public Policy Institute at Hunter College

SPEAKERS