Investing in Climate Action for Jobs, Health, and Equity webinar #2: Maximizing Benefits from Climate Investments – Thursday 16 December 2021
The Clean Coalition was a partner organization for this webinar, which took place on 16 December 2021 at 10am PST.
The head of the United Nations called the UN’s latest IPCC report a “code red” warning for humanity. His message: act on climate change now or pay the price for years to come. In the midst of record-breaking fires, drought, floods, and extreme heat, it is clear that massive investments will be required to ensure a climate-safe future for California. Creating a prosperous, zero-carbon economy for the state presents enormous opportunities, including economic and job benefits, community benefits through creating more equity and resilience and improving health outcomes, and through protecting our agricultural industry and restoring wildlands.
The Climate Center’s Investing in Climate Action for Jobs, Health, and Equity webinar series will bring together diverse experts and policymakers to discuss how much we need to invest, what the areas are for priority for investment, and what returns can we expect.
See below for more information on the second webinar of the series.
Webinar #2: Maximizing Benefits from Climate Investments
Thursday, 16 December, 2021 at 10am to 11:30am PST
Hear from policymakers, economists, and business leaders as they discuss the levels of investment needed to accelerate climate action in California. This webinar explored the routes to achieving more ambitious climate goals and outline the economic and health benefits of investing in bold, equitable climate solutions.
+ Click here for more information
Presenters
Irena Asmundson is the Managing Director of the California Policy Research Initiative and a Policy Fellow at the Stanford Institute of Economic Policy Research. From 2013 to mid-2021 she was the Chief Economist at the California Department of Finance, where she oversaw the demographic, economic, and revenue forecasts for the state, and advised the Governor on economic policy issues. Previously she was a Senior Economist at the International Monetary Fund, providing advice on international trade and monetary system issues, as well as providing forecasts on a range of countries including the United Kingdom and Afghanistan. She has also served as a Staff Economist on the President’s Council of Economic Advisers. A second-generation California native, she received her BS in Mathematics and Economics from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, and her PhD in Economics from Stanford University.
Dr. Manuel Pastor is a Distinguished Professor of Sociology and American Studies & Ethnicity at the University of Southern California. He currently directs the Equity Research Institute at USC. Pastor holds an economics Ph.D. from the University of Massachusetts, Amherst. Pastor’s research has generally focused on issues of the economic, environmental and social conditions facing low-income urban communities – and the social movements seeking to change those realities. He has published numerous books on different aspects of these issues.
Pastor was the founding director of the Center for Justice, Tolerance, and Community at the University of California, Santa Cruz. He has received fellowships from the Danforth, Guggenheim, and Kellogg foundations. In 2017, he received the Champion for Equity Award from the Advancement Project for his work with community-based organizations fighting for social change.
Dr. Daniel Kammen is the Distinguished Professor of Energy at the University of California, Berkeley, with parallel appointments in the Energy and Resources Group, the Goldman School of Public Policy, and the department of Nuclear Engineering. Kammen is the founding director of the Renewable and Appropriate Energy Laboratory (RAEL), Co-Director of the Berkeley Institute of the Environment, and Director of the Transportation Sustainability Research Center. He has founded or is on the board of over 10 companies, and has served the State of California and US federal government in expert and advisory capacities. Kammen is currently serving as the Senior Adviser for Energy, Climate and Innovation for the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID), and is part of the Power Africa team.
Dan Adler is Senior Advisor for Climate Finance at the California Governor’s Office of Business and Economic Development (GO-Biz) and the Infrastructure and Economic Development Bank (IBank), where he is leading the development of the Climate Catalyst Fund. Prior to this role, he was Vice President for Policy at the Energy Foundation, a partnership of philanthropies advancing clean energy markets across the U.S. He was previously Managing Director of the California Clean Energy Fund (CalCEF) and President of CalCEF Ventures, where he led the firm’s efforts to identify and catalyze transformational new investment theses across venture capital and project finance.