The Salata Institute’s Climate Action Accelerator is proud to participate in Climate Week NYC, hosting three compelling panels featuring esteemed faculty and groundbreaking climate change research. These panels will delve into critical topics such as innovative solutions for carbon reduction, the latest advancements in climate science, and actionable strategies for sustainable development. An exclusive networking session will follow where participants can connect with leading climate experts, policymakers, researchers, and industry professionals dedicated to advancing sustainability and climate solutions. Join us to gain valuable insights and contribute to the global conversation on tackling climate change!

PROGRAM SCHEDULE: TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 24, 2024

1:00 – 2:30pm | Time to Think About Solar Geoengineering? 

Join us for a thought-provoking discussion on the emerging and controversial topic of solar geoengineering. This event will bring together renowned experts to explore the broader context of climate change and the rising interest in solar geoengineering.

Speakers: 

Elizabeth Kolbert | Pulitzer Prize-winning Author of Under a White Sky: The Nature of the Future and The Sixth Extinction: An Unnatural History, Journalist, and Visiting Fellow at Williams College

Holly Jean Buck | Salata-Radcliffe Climate Justice Fellow, Harvard University; Assistant Professor, Department of Environment and Sustainability, University at Buffalo; Author of After Geoengineering

Dan Schrag | Sturgis Hooper Professor of Geology; Professor of Environmental Science and Engineering; Co-Director of the Science, Technology, and Public Policy Program, Harvard University

Topics Covered:  

• What are the scientific and engineering challenges of solar geoengineering? 
• How should we think about the ethical and cultural dimensions of solar geoengineering?  Why does this technological approach seem frightening to many experts?  
• Why is solar geoengineering receiving more attention in recent years?  Does it imply that the decarbonization is failing? 
• What are the geopolitical challenges of solar geoengineering?  Will this interfere with the international climate agreements? 
• How should universities engage with solar geoengineering?  What are the research challenges for the next decade? 

---

3:00 – 3:45pm | Rising Methane: Opportunities for US Action 

An insightful discussion on the critical issue of methane emissions and the opportunities for US action to mitigate their impact from the landfill and agriculture sectors. 

Speakers: 

Daniel Jacob | Vasco McCoy Professor of Atmospheric Chemistry and Environmental Engineering, Harvard University 

Carrie Jenks | Executive Director, Environmental & Energy Law Program, Harvard Law School 

Topics Covered: 

• The importance of addressing methane emissions. 
• The agricultural sector’s contribution to rising methane levels. 
• Effective US policy options and incentives. 
• State-level regulatory approaches. 

---

4:00 – 5:30pm | Is It Already Too Hot to Work? 

Join this panel of Harvard faculty from medicine, public health, and law in conversation with experts and leaders from the domestic and global labor movements examining the impact of rising global temperatures on workers’ health, livelihoods, and productivity. 

Speakers: 

Reema Nanavaty | Director, Self Employed Women’s Association 

Caroline Buckee | Professor of Epidemiology, and faculty-lead of the Salata Institute South Asia Climate Adaptation Cluster, Harvard University 

Sharon Block | Professor of Practice; Executive Director, Center for Labor and a Just Economy, Harvard Law School 

José García | Director, Future of Work(ers)

Cathy Feingold | Director of the International Department, American Federation of Labor and Congress of Industrial Organizations (AFL-CIO)

Moderated by Satchit Balsari | Associate Professor of Emergency Medicine and of Global Health and Population; Director, Harvard Mittal Institute Climate Platform 

---

5:30 – 7:00pm | Networking Reception

An exclusive networking reception featuring Salata Institute Director, Vice Provost for Climate and Sustainability Jim Stock. Connect with leading climate experts, policymakers, researchers, and industry professionals dedicated to advancing sustainability and climate solutions.