Goals
- Fostering dialogue on sustainable actions to promote prosperity while protecting the planet. -- Our lectures will explore themes connected with the United Nations SDGs including goals to end poverty, reduce inequality, improve health and education, promote a transition toward renewable energy and tackle climate change
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Strengthening or sparking new research collaborations in the field of sustainability between faculty members, scholars and students from the UMass system
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Creating a forum where academia, the public sector and the private sector can meet and accelerate the design of sustainable solutions. We hope that this lecture series will help develop an wide network of scholars and experts from universities, think tanks, national laboratories, government agencies, and international organizations that work to identify and develop solutions to sustainable development challenges
Questions? Contact Marta Vicarelli at @email.
Upcoming Lectures
Presented by: Daniela Rizzi, Senior Expert for Nature Based Solutions, Green Infrastructure and Biodiversity at ICLEI Europe
Bio: Dr. Daniela Rizzi is a senior expert in Nature-based Solutions (NBS) and Biodiversity at ICLEI Europe, a network of local governments. She coordinates the NetworkNature Project, a platform dedicated to research, innovation, and practice, supporting cities, businesses, and policymakers in implementing NBS to address societal challenges such as biodiversity loss, climate change adaptation, disaster risk reduction and sustainable livelihoods.
A strong advocate for a nature-positive economy, Daniela promotes an economy that not only respects planetary boundaries but also actively drives ecological regeneration. She plays a key role in shaping European standards for NBS as a Liaison in the CEN Nature-based Solutions Working Group and serves as an Expert Peer Reviewer for UNEP’s Global Environmental Outlook-7. She has contributed to high-level global discussions, including presenting NBS insights at the G7, bringing expertise in linking policy, science, and practice for NBS.
Past Lectures
Presented by: Timon McPhearson, Professor of Urban Ecology & Director of the Urban Systems Lab at the New School
McPhearson presented his work on nature-based solutions for cities and their potential in enhancing social justice.
Presented by: Michael Beck, Director of the Center on Coastal Climate Resilience and AXA Chair in Coastal Resilience at the University of California Santa Cruz
Abstract: Local, state and national budgets are increasingly stretched in response to disasters and climate change. Most of these funds are destined for artificial solutions that further degrade ecosystems. In this talk, I will describe our work to rigorously value the natural defense benefits of coastal habitats and to create openings for new investments in conservation and restoration.
Bio: Michael W. Beck is the Director of the Center for Coastal Climate Resilience & AXA Chair in Coastal Resilience at the University of California Santa Cruz. He was Lead Marine Scientist at The Nature Conservancy for 20 years. He collaborates with many agencies and companies including USGS, the World Bank, USACE, FEMA and all of the leading re-insurance firms. He has authored more than 100 peer-reviewed scientific papers and numerous op-eds in major papers, including the LA Times, NY Times, The Hill, and the Miami Herald. He has been a Fulbright Fellow and a Pew Marine Fellow.
Presented by: Carolyn Kousky, Acting Chief Economist at Environmental Defense Fund
As risks continue to grow, traditional models of insurance are being stressed. Are we headed for an uninsurable world? How can climate adaptation and insurance markets be more tightly coupled to preserve insurability in a warming world?
Bio: Carolyn is the vice-chair of the California Climate Insurance Working Group, a member of the Federal Advisory Committee on Insurance at the U.S. Department of Treasury, a member of the High-Level Advisory Board on the Financial Management of Catastrophic Risks at the OECD, a university fellow at Resources for the Future, and a non-resident scholar at the Insurance Information Institute. She was previously Executive Director at the Wharton Risk Management and Decision Processes Center at the University of Pennsylvania.
Presented by: Swenja Surminski, Professor in Practice at the Grantham Research Institute on Climate Change and the Environment, London School of Economics and Political Science (LSE).
Surminski explored the nexus between nature-based solutions and the insurance sector.