Yale Center Beijing, Yale School of Forestry and Environmental Studies (F&ES) and the Yale World Fellows Program jointly invite you to a discussion with Prof. Daniel Esty, Professor at Yale Law School and Yale School of Forestry & Environmental Studies, and Ma Jun, Yale World Fellow '04 and Director of Institute of Public & Environmental Affairs.

Time and Location

Monday, Jan 25, 2016
Registration: 8:00 - 8:30pm
Talk and Q&A: 8:30 - 9:30pm

Yale Center Beijing
8 Jianguomenwai Avenue, 36th Floor, Tower B, IFC Building (Yong’anli Station, Exit C)

Registration and Fees

Ticket: Free; at the event, we will provide a cash refund to those who have already paid.

Click HERE to register via EventBank.

Please email yalecenterbeijing@yale.edu if you have any questions, or call Yale Center Beijing at (10) 5909 0200.

The Event

Environmentalists fret over the looming consequences of climate change: rising sea levels, more intense hurricanes, changed rainfall patterns, intensifying floods and drought risks. Another worry is the failure of the global community to respond to these threats with greater vigor. The recent Paris Climate Change Conference (COP21) has given new momentum to the global response to climate change. The 2015 Paris Agreement is seen as a success in part because of the new commitments and leadership of the United States and China. Professor Esty will discuss the Paris COP21 outcome which goes beyond the formal “Paris Agreement” and offers the foundation for a ramped–up global push towards a future of clean energy. His talk will focus on the promise of a shift from a top-down approach, which focuses on nation states, toward more of a bottom-up strategy that draws cities, states/provinces, and companies into the global effort. As one of the US Environmental Protection Agency’s negotiators of the 1992 Framework Convention on Climate Change, Professor Esty will offer a 25-year perspective on the evolving policies that have shaped the world's response to climate change. He will also reflect on how the COP21 negotiations represent a turning point in terms of climate change action. Yale World Fellow '04 Ma Jun will share his perspective after Professor Esty's remarks.

LANGUAGE

The language of the event will be English.

The Speaker(s)

Daniel Esty
Professor at Yale Law School, Yale School of Forestry & Environmental Studies

Daniel Esty is the Hillhouse Professor at Yale University with primary appointments in both the Environment and Law Schools – and a secondary appointment at the Yale School of Management. He also serves as the Director of the Yale Center for Environmental Law and Policy (www.yale.edu/envirocenter). Professor Esty is the author or editor of ten books and dozens of articles on environmental protection, energy, and sustainability -- and their connections to policy, corporate strategy, competitiveness, trade, and economic success. His prizewinning book Green to Gold: How Smart Companies Use Environmental Strategy to Innovate, Create Value, and Build Competitive Advantage has recently been named the top-selling “green business” book of the past decade.

Prior to taking up his Yale Professorship in 1994, Professor Esty served in a variety of senior positions at the US Environmental Protection Agency (where he helped negotiate the 1992 Framework Convention on Climate Change).

Jun Ma
Director at Institute of Public & Environmental Affairs

Ma Jun began his career in environmental activism in 1993, when his research and reporting on China’s environmental problems inspired him to write China’s Water Crisis. Following his selection to the Yale World Fellows Program in 2004, in 2006, he was awarded as China’s “Green Person of the Year” and was named as one of TIME Magazine’s "World’s 100 Most Influential People." That same year, Ma Jun founded a non-profit organization called the Institute of Public & Environmental Affairs (IPE) and directed the development and completion of China’s first environmental public database -- the “China Water Pollution Map.” In 2009, he led the development of the Pollution Information Transparency Index (PITI), which for six consecutive years has evaluated key cities’ environmental information. In 2013, IPE and 25 other organizations launched the Total Transparency Initiative to advocate real-time monitoring of online pollution data. The following year, Ma Jun directed the development of the Blue Map app (Weilan Ditu). The app has helped the public use “micro-reports” as a means of pushing several hundred major emitters to address and correct their violation problems.

Ma has received many awards because of his innovative approach to “lifting the veil” on China’s pollution problems.