The eARThumanities: Reimagining Net-Zero project at NYU Abu Dhabi is a new initiative that proposes a dynamic way of thinking about a just and inclusive development paradigm for a net-zero world.

Finance will play a crucial role in transitioning to a net-zero economy. As estimated by the IEA, transition to a net-zero economy will require annual investment of USD 4 trillion by 2030 and the world is well short of this goal. Hence, financial institutions and investors have a key role to play in redirecting their investments towards sustainable and green projects that contribute to the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions. Additionally, governments can incentivize private investment through regulatory frameworks and tax policies that encourage a shift towards low-carbon technologies. Many disputed questions remain, such as the issue of divestment or the role of ESG in guiding investment decisions. Finding a pathway to mobilize finance towards sustainable investments will be a key challenge for accelerating the transition to a net-zero economy.

Speakers:
Cary Krosinsky, Lecturer, New York University
Cary Krosinsky is a leading lecturer of sustainable finance at Brown University, Yale University and New York University Stern School of Business. His teachings and research measure sustainability within private equity, explores ESG as a significant component of discounted cash flow (DCF) models, financing green infrastructure, renewable energy, sustainable buildings, waste solutions, sustainable agriculture and mobility. He is an author of five books, the most recent one discussing the need for more cooperation between China and the west to solve sustainability challenges. He is also Co-Founder and Director of the Carbon Tracker Initiative and Real Impact Tracker, Editor of the Journal of Environmental Investing, and a member of the NY State Common Decarbonization Advisory Panel.

Fatih Yilmaz, Fellow, KAPSARC
Dr. Yilmaz currently works as a Fellow I in the Climate and Sustainability program. His current research agenda aims to enhance our understanding of the financial and economic consequences of the sustainable energy transition and to design effective policies to balance risk and growth prospects. Prior to joining KAPSARC, Dr. Yilmaz worked as an economist at the Central Bank of the Republic of Turkey, where he was actively involved in the research and the design of policies for the private and banking sectors. He also worked as a consultant for the World Bank and spent a year as an assistant professor of economics at ADA University. He has authored various academic and policy articles and attended academic conferences and workshops. He holds a Ph.D. in economics from the University of Calgary.

Finance and ESG with Cary Krosinsky and Fatih Yilmaz

A collaboration between the Global Asia Initiative the Geopolitics and Ecology of Himalayan Water project.

In this episode, we talked to Aashish Jha, a microbiologist, on mapping genomes and gut microbiomes of populations in South and West Asia. We also explored the following questions: What is the relationship between diseases, diets, and population movement? How does microbiology complement historical research? Why is it important to study populations traditionally underrepresented in genetic research sample groups?

Tracing Himalayan Population Histories Using Genetics and Microbiomes

The eARThumanities: Reimagining Net-Zero project at NYU Abu Dhabi is an initiative that proposes a dynamic way of thinking about a new just and inclusive development paradigm for a net-zero world.

The US and Europe alone are responsible for over 65% of global cumulative greenhouse gas emissions yet the impacts of the climate crisis are felt the most in the regions that contributed the least to global heating. There is also a generational dimension to this injustice, where the future generation will not only face the worst of the climate crisis but also be deprived of a carbon budget that enabled past generations to achieve the current standard of living. It is not obvious that the current conversation around the transition to a net-zero world as it is being charted today will help to address all of these injustices. Intentional design of decarbonsation and net-zero pathways that take into account climate and intergenerational justice is necessary to build foundations for an equitable, inclusive, resilient and a sustainable future.

Speakers:
Beatriz Garcia, Adjunct Senior Lecturer of Legal Studies, NYU Abu Dhabi
Beatriz Garcia is an environmental lawyer and nationally accredited mediator. Her research interests include international environmental law and dispute resolution. Her research has been published by Cambridge University Press and international journals such as Oxford's Journal of Environmental Law, Ecosystem Services, and Review of European, Comparative & International Environmental Law, among others. She has recently received a grant from UNESCO to develop a comparative law study on biosphere reserve zonation in the Asia Pacific region. She has worked for Forests Alive, a carbon markets company based in Sydney, and also for the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD) in Geneva. She has conducted consultancy work for various United Nations' agencies and environmental NGOs.

Omnia El Omrani, COP27 Youth Envoy
Omnia El Omrani is the first Youth Envoy to the President of the UN 27th Climate Change Conference (COP27) and a medical doctor at Ain Shams University Hospital, a member of the Youth Sounding Board of the European Commission, and a Commissioner at the Lancet-Chatham House Commission on Post-COVID Planetary Health. Omnia served IFMSA for six years as National Public Officer, MENA Focal Point, and Liaison Officer for Public Health Issues representing more than 1.3 million medical students leading their global advocacy and policy work on climate change with the UNFCCC, UNEP, and WHO.

Climate and Intergenerational Justice with Beatriz Garcia and Omnia El Omrani

The eARThumanities: Reimagining Net-Zero project at NYU Abu Dhabi is an initiative that proposes a dynamic way of thinking about a new just and inclusive development paradigm for a net-zero world.

The power sector is a critical component of achieving the goal of net zero, as it is responsible for 27% of global greenhouse gas emissions. Transitioning to a low-carbon power system is essential for reducing these emissions and achieving a sustainable future. However, this process will require finding clean and renewable alternatives that will be as reliable and affordable as fossil fuels-based power generation. Investments in energy efficiency and energy storage technologies will be necessary to support the integration of intermittent renewable energy sources into the power grid. Moreover, the electrification of other sectors, such as transportation and buildings, will further increase the demand for clean electricity. Achieving net zero will require a coordinated effort to decarbonize the power sector, and it is essential for governments, businesses, and civil society to work together to achieve this goal.

Speakers:
Amy Myers Jaffe
Director of the Energy, Climate Justice, and Sustainability Lab, New York University’s School of Professional Studies
Amy Myers Jaffe is a leading expert on global energy policy, energy and sustainability, and geopolitical risk and author of “Energy’s Digital Future: Harnessing Innovation for American Resilience and National Security,” published by Columbia University Press in January 2021. Jaffe currently serves as Director of the Energy, Climate Justice, and Sustainability Lab and a research professor at New York University’s School of Professional Studies. She is co-chair of the Women in Energy Initiative at the Center on Global Energy Policy at Columbia University and a faculty research affiliate at the Climate Policy Lab at Tufts University.

Roland Roesch 
Acting Director at the Innovation and Technology Center (IITC), IRENA
Roland Roesch oversees IRENA's work on advising member countries on energy scenarios and planning, power sector transformation, renewable generation, cost and markets, technology status and innovation outlooks, and project development guidelines. Dr. Roesch joined IRENA in 2012 and has worked in multiple work programs since. For two years prior to joining IRENA, he was a professor for energy economics at the University of Applied Science in Damstadt. Previously, he worked for 15 years in the oil and gas and utilities industries for Shell and E.ON, latterly as General Manager Power with Shell and as Head of Division, Project Leader, Project Executive and Technical Project Developer with E.ON. Previously, he worked as an Energy Market Consultant for Lahmeyer International and as a researcher in renewable energy.

Power Sector with Amy Myers Jaffe and Roland Roesch

Shrishtee Bajpai is a researcher, writer, and activist working on themes of environmental justice, systemic alternatives, Indigenous knowledge systems, more-than-human governance, and rights of nature. She is a member of the environmental action group Kalpavriksh in India. She is also part of networks such as Vikalp Sangam, Global Tapestry of Alternatives and Global Alliance for the rights of nature.

Shrishtee joins us today to share her experiences and knowledge in navigating the implementation of rights of rives and nature in the complex social and geopolitical landscape of South Asia. Drawing on global experiences and indigenous knowledge systems she shares a reimagined governance system, clarifying the role and function of the approach.

This podcast was hosted by Haewon Yoon, Class of 2021, New York University Abu Dhabi

Podcast of GEHW

Rights of Rivers and Nature in South Asia

Emma Schaefer is a Thomas J. Watson Fellow, who is exploring music’s potential to inspire climate action by deepening people’s connection to nature and their communities.

Listening at Dawn: Music That Heals the Planet is the title Schaefer gave her project with plans to travel to multiple countries around the world from August 2023 to July 2024. She describes her project as traveling around the world listening to Earth and the voices that amplify it through song.  

In today's podcast, she takes us along the first 6 months of her journey specifically her experience of being in Nepal and listening to the sound of the Himalayas.

Emma Schaefer's Album

Earth Music 🎶

Yemeen Hassan Syed is an educator and researcher who is currently working as a grade 9 and 10 teacher at a private school in Lahore, Pakistan. She teaches environmental management with a focus on climate change and works with students on organizing awareness campaigns. Previously, she was a research intern who traveled to the northern regions of Pakistan and studied the impacts people and businesses are facing from climate change. She is most passionate about research on climate resilience and building prosperity. 

In this podcast, Yasmin shares her experience in fostering engaging conversations among youth and their compounding effects in forming a climate narrative amongst the next generation.

Educating Youth on Climate Change in Lahore

This is bilingual podcast that transitions between English and Urdu.

Malik Mahathir Muhammad is an undergraduate student of Media Studies at the Department of Development communication, University of Punjab Lahore. He is an emerging journalist and has experience working with some of the top media anchors in media channels in Pakistan. He is a member of Moeen Akhtar Dramatics Society, has participated in several competitions organized by the National Press Trust, and has also worked with the Sustainable Social Development Organization

In this podcast, Mahathir shares his experiences of advocating and communicating climate change in Pakistan. Furthermore, he shares his aspirations for a career in media and its role in Climate Change communication.

Navigating Climate Communication: An Early Career Perspective

Mohammad Ali is an activist, entrepreneur, and scholar based in Lahore with an undergraduate degree in Legal studies and Philosophy. 

From a young age, Ali has also done a lot of social work for women’s empowerment, transgender rights and the inclusion of people with mental and physical disabilities. He is passionate about uplifting socially marginalized groups and establishing equality in society.  He has also given a TedX talk on the significance of treating people with disabilities equally and including them in the mainstream discourse. In the talk, Ali argued that rather than the disabilities themselves, social biases and stigmas shackle people with disabilities and hinder their ability to flourish in society. 

In this podcast, Ali shares his lived experiences with Climate Change in Pakistan and its intersection with accessibility.

The Intersection of Climate Change and Accessiblity

After past experiences in the consulting and development (Youth empowerment) sectors, Jeanne Allard decided to switch to a career in sustainability. Her career shift and current work is driven by the realization that environmental degradation would impact all other development work such as gender equality and reduction of inequalities, and therefore sustainability plays an integral role for sustainable development. 

She is currently working as a workshop facilitator. She conducts various workshops that aim to raise awareness about pressing current challenges and create a space for action and solution oriented discussions. The workshop she is mostly focusing on presently and launching in Nepal is called Climate Fresk, which is a globally recognized workshop platform which has reached over 1.6 million people in the world.

In today's podcast, she explains to us in detail her background and the work she is doing as she organizes Climate Fresk in Nepal for a diverse range of participants. The podcast consists of vulnerable conversations on the success stories and challenges of organizing Climate Fresk, and the importance of raising action-oriented awareness on climate change.

Earth Music 🎶

eARThumanities

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