Yale Sustainability Leadership Forum Brings Together Perspectives on 21st Century Sustainability

Center Director Profesor Dan Esty addresses the Yale Sustainability Leadership Forum

By LIZ BOURGUET, YCELP Research Assistant; OCTOBER 23, 2018

Two weeks ago at the Yale Sustainability Leadership Forum, leaders in the environmental field gathered to share ideas, perspectives, and solutions on a range of disciplines related to sustainability. This year’s forum, hosted in partnership with the Yale Center for Environmental Law and Policy and the Yale Office of International Affairs, focused on “mega trends distinguishing sustainability from its 20th century precursors”. Yale professors, researchers, and fellows, like James Cameron, Anthony Leiserowitz, Bradford Gentry and Julie Zimmerman, presented and engaged in discussions with industry practitioners, scholars, and thought leaders who had gathered in New Haven to explore what sustainability looks like in the 21st century.

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Next Steps for Climate Change: A Conversation with Todd Stern

By LIZ BOURGUET, YCELP Research Assistant; NOVEMBER 05, 2018

On Monday, October 22, the Yale Center for Environmental Law & Policy hosted Todd Stern for a conversation about the next steps for climate change. Stern, the former US Chief Negotiator for the Paris Climate Agreement, is currently a senior fellow at Brookings Institution and a visiting lecturer at Yale Law School. Center Director Professor Dan Esty moderated the event.

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Is There Reason for Optimism on Climate Change?

For many, the Trump administration’s announced intention to withdraw from the Paris Agreement, a carbon-reduction pact joined by nearly every nation, cast a dark cloud over global efforts to respond to climate change. Does that cloud have a carbon-neutral lining?

By DANIEL C. ESTY, 

The science is as conclusive as science gets. Anthropogenic climate change is happening, and as a recent paper in Science noted, “without major reductions in greenhouse gas emissions to the atmosphere, terrestrial ecosystems worldwide are at risk of major transformation.” The authors told the Washington Post, “What we’re talking about here are the kinds of changes that disrupt everybody’s lives.”

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To Move Paris Accord Forward, Bring Cities and Companies On Board

Workers install rooftop solar in the Chinese city of Wuhan, which has joined with cities across the globe to fight climate change. KEVIN FRAYER/GETTY

Much of the progress in reducing CO2 emissions is being driven by mayors, governors, premiers, and corporate executives. It’s time to acknowledge that reality and move beyond traditional diplomacy by allowing cities, states, and companies to officially sign on to the Paris Agreement

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