USJC co-hosted an in-person discussion and networking reception in New York on March 3 that examined innovative solutions to the climate crisis. Working in partnership with the Okinawa Institute of Science and Technology (OIST) Foundation, Renewable Nations Institute and the Pacific International Center for High Technology Research (PICHTR), the event was a follow-up to a webinar held earlier that week that examined the quest by the U.S. and Japan to achieve a zero-carbon energy sector.
Council Leader and OIST Foundation CEO David Janes moderated the panel featuring Allan Baer (President & CEO, Renewable Nations Institute), Michael Clain (Partner at Windels Marx Lane & Mittendorf), April De Simone (Principal, Trahan Architects), and Kevin Reed (Associate Professor, School of Marine and Atmospheric Sciences, Stony Brook University). Since New York City is a pioneer in developing innovative solutions to the climate catastrophe affecting coastal cities worldwide, the panel focused on the concerns and solutions that are of immediate importance to urban coastal populations in Japan and the United States. The panelists called for urgency and presented solutions reflecting their respective areas of expertise: workforce training and public policy, finance, architecture and academia. Baer proposed that climate change and sustainability be taught from K-12, especially in middle school, noting, “K-12 (education) has the moral stature to demand change like Greta Thunberg.”
The U.S.-Japan Council is proud to continue providing platforms for international leaders from the government, business, academia, and nonprofit sectors to discuss important issues and invest in the future of the next generation.