These seminars are organized in close collaboration with the students in the Kennedy school course IGA-408, Climate Disruption: Emerging Topics in Policy, Politics, and Technology of Climate Change. In these practitioner seminars, invited experts and leaders from academia, business, government, or civil society present in a format designed to foster interactive engagement with students. Two or three students take the lead on organizing each seminar over the course of the semester, each of which typically includes statements or presentations by the invited speakers, and a segment of student-moderated Q&A. The current lineup is as follows:
|
Date |
Speaker name, affiliation |
Student organizers |
| 8th September | Yaga Richter, National Center for Atmospheric Research | Samuel Park |
| 22nd September | Dan Schrag, Harvard University Center for the Environment |
Shada El-Sharif Julian Erfurth Emily Fry |
| 6th October | David Roberts, Vox |
Emily Fry Emily Kent |
| 13th October | Rob Socolow, Princeton University |
Julian Erfurth Stephen Moch |
| 20th October | Jean Rogers, BlackRock |
Louis Chenat Nina Mesalles |
| 27th October | Jennie Stephens, Northeastern University |
Rani Murali Emily Kent |
| 3rd November | Rebecca Henderson, Harvard Business School |
Keith Forman Louis Chenat Shada El-Sharif |
| 10th November | Bill McKibben, 350.org |
Lennart Kuntze Keith Forman |
| 12th November | Rebecca Dell, ClimateWorks Foundation |
Wynn Tucker Rani Murali Noor Khalidi |
| 17th November |
Alzbeta Klein, International Finance Corporation Adnan Amin, Belfer Center for Science and International Affairs |
Shada El-Sharif Lennart Kuntze |
| 19th November |
Professor Qian Xiaojun, Tsinghua University Edward Cunningham, Harvard Kennedy School |
Phebe Bay Eu-Lin Fang |
|
24th November |
James Healy, Harvard Chan School of Public Health Saya Ameli Hajebi, Sunrise Movement David Hawkins, Natural Resources Defense Council |
Regan Plekenpol Emily Fry |
| 1st December | Ruud Kempener, European Commission |
Lennart Kuntze Regan Plekenpol |
| 3rd December | Jim McDermott, Rusheen Capital Management |
Nina Mesalles
|
Seminars are open to the Harvard community. If you’re interested in attending the seminars please email Selena Wallace (swallace@seas.harvard.edu) to be added to an email list where you’ll receive updated information on the seminars, topics and organization.
More information on the course and these "practitioner" seminars included in the following course description:
Climate Disruption: Emerging Topics in Policy, Politics, and Technology of Climate Change
This interactive seminar on climate change aims to build community among Kennedy School students interested in emerging topics in climate policy, politics, and technology. The course combines two linked seminars. In the practitioner's seminar, invited experts from academia, business, government, or civil society present in a format designed to foster interactivity with students. In the student seminar, small groups of students lead structured topical discussions or present their own work. Students are required to participate in choosing speakers and in preparing and moderating discussions in the practitioner's seminar. Students will work in small groups to present their own work or prepare readings and lead a discussion in the student seminar. The scope may include anything relevant to climate policy and will be substantially determined by students. Topics that might be covered include, UN-FCCC negotiations, youth climate strikes, US climate politics, strategy of major ENGOs or energy companies, public perception, low-carbon innovation in energy supply or transportation, climate finance, solar, nuclear, carbon capture, carbon removal, and solar geoengineering.