Join us for our upcoming Indiaspora Climate Summit on April 20th that will address topics around climate and environmental justice, and bring together policy experts, advocates, and leaders in the environmental, climate change, sustainability, and energy space, with talks, as well as breakout discussions.
Session I: The India Perspective
How do you prosper in a net-zero economy?
Featuring:
Session II: The U.S. Perspective
How does the U.S. get to a net-zero economy?
Featuring:
For a complete agenda, see tabs below.
Indiaspora Climate Summit
April 20, 2021
Session I: The India Perspective
How do you prosper in a net-zero economy?
8 – 10 pm IST | 7:30 – 9:30 am PDT | 10:30 am – 12:30 pm EDT
(All Times for this session IST)
Welcome Remarks
Keynote: A Paradigm Shift: The Net Zero Opportunity for India
Satya Tripathi, Secretary General at the Global Alliance for a Sustainable Planet, and former UN Assistant Secretary-General and Head of New York Office, UN Environment
Talk: Commiting to Antarctica, India & Climate Action
Rob Swan, the first person to explore North and South poles, and founder of 2041 Foundation; UN Goodwill Ambassador for Youth; Visiting Professorship of the School of Environment at Leeds University; Special Envoy to the Director General of UNESCO
Q&A: Climate Research in India & Going to Antarctica
Deepika Rawat, Ph.D. Candidate, University of Hamburg, and explorer on expedition to Antarctica
Fireside Chat: How to Grow A TREE in the Era of Climate Change
Breakout discussions
Contribute to one of these discussions.
Biodiversity and Livelihoods
India is focused on mitigation efforts through restoring lands and greening India. What are they? How does this effort relate to rural job creation? What are other ecosystem services provided? How do these efforts contribute to climate resilience? Anita Schwartz, The Nature Conservancy (Chair)
Business and Climate Change
What is the opportunity for the business sector to advance progressive climate practices, and are there direct benefits for them? What are barriers that corporates are uniquely positioned to address, and realise shareholder value while doing so? Is there an emergent opportunity for climate tech in India and what will it take to realise this? Hisham Mundol, EDF (Chair)
Counting the cost of air pollution
With economies opening up, air pollution has escalated again across cities such as Delhi. Alongside the health and environmental costs associated with air pollution, what are the economic costs? How does dirty air harm business and are some sectors of industry more affected than others? Find out about the headline findings of a new study on the economic impact of air pollution in India, and discuss how to meet the government’s ambitious National Clean Air Plan targets. Jane Burston, Clean Air Fund (Chair)
Summary of Breakout Discussions
Panel discussion: India Tomorrow: Perspectives from Climate Philanthropy
Talk: Driving Institutional Change for Climate Action (working title)
Arjun Divecha, Founder-Director, The Divecha Centre for Climate Change, Indian Institute of Science, Bengalaru
Performance: One With Earth
Ricky Kej, Grammy® Award Winner & US Billboard #1 artist, an internationally renowned composer and environmentalist
Concluding Remarks
Session II: The U.S. Perspective
How does the U.S. become a net-zero economy?
April 20, 2021
8 – 10 pm EDT | 5 – 7 pm PDT | 5:30 – 7:30 am (Apr 21) IST
(All Times EDT)
8 pm Welcome Remarks
8:05 pm Opening Keynote: The role of science and technology as a catalyst for social change
Gitanjali Rao, Scientist, Inventor, TIME’s 2020 Kid of the Year, creator of Tethys, a portable device for safe drinking water
8:20 pm Fireside Chat: Young Engagement, Interfaith Action, Agriculture &
Nature-centric Food Systems
8:30 pm Stay Tuned: DiasporaNEXT to launch this summer to engage the next generation
of the Indian diaspora
Sejal Hathi, Chair, DiasporaNEXT Advisory Board and Indiaspora Board member
8:35 pm Talk: Participation in Climate Action
Assemblymember Ash Kalra, California State Assembly, District 27, San Jose area
8:40 pm Talk: Financing the Scale-up of Clean Energy Innovation
Jigar Shah, Director, Loan Programs Office, U.S. Department of Energy
8:50 pm Fireside Chat: Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) & Corporate Sustainability
9:05 pm Performance: One Family
Ricky Kej, Grammy® Award Winner & US Billboard #1 artist, an internationally renowned composer and environmentalist
9:10 pm Fireside Chat: Leading as a Lighthouse, and A Fossil Free Future for India
9:25 pm Closing Keynote: An agenda for ambitious climate action and US-India collaboration
in this critical decade
Varun Sivaram, Senior Adviser to Special Presidential Envoy for Climate, Secretary John Kerry
9:35 pm Q&A with Varun Sivaram and Sumant Sinha
9:40 pm Breakout discussions
Contribute to one of these discussions.
Climate change and the impact on agriculture.
While climate change has created a need for increased agricultural productivity, climate change has also driven significant change in technology, agricultural practices, and within the social context of farming. As one of the only industries where up to 100% of the outcomes depend on external, environmental factors, this session will explore how climate change has impacted agriculture beyond the field in India and globally. Shefali Mehta, Founder and Principal, Open Rivers Consulting (Chair)
Microactivism: The combined power of small intentional actions to make a big impact.
The climate crisis sometimes feels so huge and overwhelming that most of us may feel small and helpless. We will talk about how each of us have the power to make a difference, with mindful, intentional actions: microactivism at the individual, local and community levels that when combined can have a huge impact. Gopal Patel, Director, Bhumi Global (Chair)
Shaping a Net-Zero World: Role of Customers & Citizens at the Intersection of Free Markets & Free Societies
You may be surprised at how much power we have as individuals to shape outcomes. Whether it is subscribing to green power with our electric utilities, electrifying our homes and personal transport, or decarbonizing our out-of-town travels, join to learn and discuss just how affordable and accessible it can be from someone who has done it for years! Raj V. Rajan, Vice President of Project Development at Direct Connect Development Company and Fellow of the Institute on the Environment, University of Minnesota (Chair)
10 pm Summary of Breakout Discussions and Concluding Remarks
