THE NEXT GLOBAL CRISIS

Re-joining the Rest of the World: The U.S. and the global politics of climate change and poverty
October 4, 2007

This session addresses the current discussions under the UN climate negotiations, including funding mechanisms for addressing the needs of developing countries and the role of international financial institutions in climate change, energy, and carbon finance.

PROGRAM
12:30 pm	Welcome Todd Shelton Senior Director, Public Policy & External Relations InterAction
12:40 pm	Introduction Moderator: Heather McGray Senior Associate, Climate and Energy Program World Resources Institute
12:45 pm	Panel Presentation Alden Meyer Director of Strategy and Policy Union of Concerned Scientists Saleemul Haq, Ph.D. Head, Climate Change Group International Institute for Environment and Development
1:15 pm	Discussion/Q&A
2:00 pm	Conclusion

PANELIST BIOS:

Heather McGray

Heather McGray is a Senior Associate in the Climate and Energy Program of the World Resources Institute (WRI) in Washington, DC. She currently leads WRI’s policy research on vulnerability and adaptation to the impacts of climate change. Ms. McGray’s previous work, within WRI’s Institutions and Governance Program, focused on the role of transparency, participation, and access to justice in addressing environmental problems, including research and civil society training in China’s Yunnan Province. Prior to joining WRI, Ms. McGray’s professional experience included research and negotiations on ISO 14000 environmental standards; coordination of an urban education and development network; management of educational exchange programs with the Yale-China Association; and English instruction at a variety of levels. Ms. McGray holds a Master’s of Environmental Management from Yale University and a Bachelor’s degree in Biology from Oberlin College.

Alden Meyer

Alden Meyer is Director of Strategy and Policy for the Union of Concerned Scientists and the Director of its Washington, D.C. office. He provides general oversight and strategic guidance for UCS's advocacy on energy, transportation, agriculture, and arms control issues. He is also UCS's principal advocate on national and international policy responses to the threat of global climate change. In addition, Mr. Meyer works extensively on renewable energy and electricity policy issues. Before coming to UCS in 1989, he served as executive director of four national organizations: the League of Conservation Voters, Americans for the Environment, Environmental Action and the Environmental Action Foundation. Before that, he worked as a policy analyst on electric utility issues and nuclear power economics for the Environmental Action Foundation and as energy issues coordinator for the Connecticut Citizen Action Group. Mr. Meyer received his undergraduate degree from Yale in 1975, concentrating in political science and economics. He received a Master's degree in human resource and organization development from American University in 1990.

Saleemul Huq

Dr. Saleemul Huq completed his BSc (with Honours) in 1975 from Imperial College, London, United Kingdom and his PhD in plant sciences also from Imperial College in 1978. He then taught at the University of Dhaka until 1984 when he set up (and became the first executive director) of the Bangladesh Centre for Advanced Studies (BCAS) in Dhaka, Bangladesh. When he left BCAS in 2000, it was the leading scientific research and policy institute in the country in the field of environment and development. In 2000 he became an Academic Visitor at the Huxley School of Environment at Imperial College in London where he taught a course on global environmental policies. In February 2001 he joined the International Institute for Environment and Development (IIED) in London as Director of the Climate Change Programme. His interests are in the inter-linkages between climate change (both mitigation as well as adaptation) and sustainable development, from the perspective of the developing countries (with special emphasis on the least developed countries). He has published numerous articles in scientific and popular journals and was the lead author of the chapter on Adaptation and Sustainable Development in the third assessment report of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) and is a co-anchor of the cross cutting theme on Adaptation and Mitigation for the fourth assessment report.

For details on Session 1 and 2 of this series, click here.

For more information, email Kimberly Darter.