Climate Change

The Green New Deal proposal has provided a vision of what a sustainable future in the United States could look like. Introduced in the U.S. House of Representatives in February 2019, the resolution proposes a transformation of the U.S. economy to enact major societal change and actively address climate change. Key among its goals is achieving economy-wide net zero greenhouse gas emissions and establishing millions of high-wage jobs.

For many years, the scientific community perceived quantitative knowledge as free from human biases. However, this understanding has been challenged by broadening the processes through which quantitative knowledge is generated. These more open processes provide a role for different points of view in the construction of knowledge and allow for a more inclusive approach to knowledge generation.

Amanda Wallace is excited about the “G” of ESG investing. Her work as Managing Director at J.P. Morgan Asset Management heavily involves the governance factor of the Environmental, Social, and Governance principles that drive socially responsible investing. The environmental components of ESG are well known, including climate change and greenhouse gas emissions, air pollution, water security, and waste disposal considerations. Many people are also familiar with social metrics that include human rights, labor standards and working conditions, and gender and diversity.

Big ideas for the future of sustainability were the focus of this month’s Yale Environmental Dialogue Symposium. The Symposium convened thought leaders from across sectors to formulate, discuss, and debate new ideas for solutions to today’s major environmental problems. Throughout the Symposium, participants generated ideas around the role of cities, the future of smallholder farms, how law can address the climate crisis, how we can shift our thinking to create equitable and lasting change, and more.