Events
Upcoming
Climate on Culture Conference
Galway, Ireland
September 18 – 20, 2024
DDL Director Angel Hsu will present on at the Idaho Museum of International Diaspora’s 2024 Climate on Culture Conference. She will join John Bieter, Peter McKeown and Stephanie Capaldo for a discussion on the “Interconnected Impacts on the Environment and Societies.”
The Climate on Culture Conference has two aims:
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Bring together a network of a multidisciplinary group of stakeholders, partners, and key participants in an immersive and cultural experience to #LearnDiscoverExplore the impact of climate on culture in broad and specific diasporic contexts; and
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Create a platform for exchanging ideas and igniting conversations and collaboration beyond the conference scope.
In this conference, climate can have two definitions: first, the external and environmental conditions over a period; and second, prevailing attitudes, opinions, standards, cultures, etc. in the context of geographical (local, national, international), cultural, organizational, industry sector, academics, political, technological environments and more.
Details
September 18, 2024
10 – 11:15 AM GMT+1
Idaho Museum of International Diaspora
Galway, Ireland (virtual option available)
University of Galway
Room: Aula Maxima
More information available here.
ENVX Symposium
Portland, OR
September 30 – October 4, 2024
DDL Director Angel Hsu will deliver a keynote speech on “Sustainable Cities in China and the U.S: Harnessing AI for Climate Solutions,” followed by discussion and audience Q&A at Lewis and Clark College’s ENVX Symposium.
The Environment Across Boundaries (ENVX) Symposium is an annual series of events in the fall semester at Lewis & Clark College that invites speakers and the community to engage with our community. The Fall 2024 symposium will focus on China’s role in and response to modern environmental change. Global cooperation appears essential to reduce global greenhouse gas emissions and adapt to global climate change. Yet differences in governance, culture, and geopolitics introduce challenges to internationally cooperative solutions.
In recent years China has massively increased production of solar panels, wind turbines, batteries, electric vehicles and high-speed trains, driving down global production costs and increasing the potential for global adoption. China’s urban environment has also grown rapidly, possibly holding compelling insights and warnings about city growth and design.
This year’s symposium will feature two keynote speakers, a panel on electric vehicles, a movie screening, and a closing banquet with the intention of investigating the questions: Can China’s progress in the renewable energy sector facilitate the global transition to renewable energy? How does the social and political setting in China enable and obstruct coordinated environmental action? Can we widen our imagination of possible futures from a comparison of approaches and challenges in the U.S. and China?
Details
September 30 – October 1, 2024
Lewis and Clark College
Portland, OR
Keynote Speech:
October 1, 2024
8:30 PM PT
Beth Miller Lounge (Council Chambers foyer) in Fowler Student Center
More information available here.
Shareable poster available here.
Past
You can find links to recordings of many of these past talks and panels.
Innovate4Cities Conference
Montreal, Canada
September 10-12, 2024
DDL is presenting our 2024 update of the Urban Environment and Social Inclusion Index at the Innovate4Cities Conference.
Details
September 10-12, 2024
Montreal, Canada
More details forthcoming; read more about the conference available here.
Lenovo AI x Climate Symposium
TBA
September 13 2024
DDL Director Angel Hsu and Postdoctoral Researcher Ying Yu will present at Lenovo’s AI x. Climate Symposium.
Details
September 13, 2024
Private event
ClimateNLP 2024
Bangkok, Thailand
August 16, 2024
DDL is participating in ClimateNLP 2024, a workshop dedicated to discussing how Natural Language Processing and how it can be incorporated into climate change science and help humanity mitigate and adapt to climate change.
We submitted our latest paper on ChatNetZero, “Evaluating ChatNetZero, an LLM-Chatbot to Demystify Climate Pledges,” which breaks down how our climate chatbot can help users distinguish credible climate pledges from greenwashing. DDL research assistant Mason Laney will attend the workshop to share more information on our publication and ChatNetZero.
DDL Director Angel Hsu is also one of four keynote speakers for the event. She will share her perspective on the opportunities at the intersection of climate change and NLP.
The workshop description is as follows:
In the past few decades, the importance of addressing climate change has been fully adopted by the scientific community. At the same time, most policymakers and regulators around the world and the economy start to catch up. Climate change leads to global, national, and local discussions, spanning various platforms and involving all sectors of society. There is only limited yet growing amounts of work at the intersection of climate change and NLP methods [1]. This workshop’s primary objective is to provide a platform for researchers and practitioners (and policymakers and other stakeholders) interested in contributing to the intersection of NLP and climate change. The workshop aims to fill the gap in the existing literature and shed light on the unique challenges, opportunities, and potential methods for applying NLP techniques in helping to combat climate change — and explore other potential applications in this domain. In contrast to ongoing discussions about tackling climate change with AI [2], we want a more focused discussion on how specifically NLP methods can help here.
NLP has the potential to support faster and scaleable climate mitigation and adaptation action considerably. To explore specific use cases and the most promising approaches in the intersection of NLP and climate change, We propose a workshop to collect insights gained so far, outline potential avenues for future research, and discuss challenges with domain experts from Academia, NGOs, and Industry. A core goal of the workshop is to bring together people from Academia, NGOs, and Industry. Also, we try to understand each others’ needs, and want to foster a discussion about the current state of this intersection and where this should be going in the future. Thus, we welcome contributions from NGOs and industry in the form of submitting abstracts about a talk highlighting their goals and perspectives on this intersection.
Details
August 16, 2024
Bangkok, Thailand
More information is available here.
Seminar with Dr. Yimeng Song
Virtual
July 31, 2024
DDL invites Dr. Yimeng Song, Postdoctoral research associate at Yale School of the Environment, for a presentation on “Leveraging Geospatial Data Fusion and Computational Methods for Environmental Exposure and Health Assessment.”
Abstract: Climate change and urbanization are major environmental challenges that have significant impacts on human health. Understanding how people are exposed to these changing environments is crucial for reducing health inequalities. In this context, it is essential to provide scientific evidence that offers a comprehensive understanding of spatial and temporal dynamics of human-environment interactions. Advances in multi-source geospatial big data, combined with innovative computational methods such as geospatial big data fusion, automated machine learning, and cloud computing enable detailed investigation into the dynamic interactions between humans and environments. This talk will introduce our recent studies on leveraging multi-source geospatial big data and computational methods to measure and analyze human mobility, environmental exposure and injustice, and environmental their health effects, aiming to uncover the complex relationships between environments and health. Our findings highlight the potential of these innovative computational methods to inform environmental management strategies and public health policies, ultimately contributing to more sustainable and healthy communities.
Bio: Dr. Yimeng Song is a postdoctoral associate at Yale School of the Environment, conducting data-driven research on environmental and health inequities. Before joining Yale, he served as a research assistant professor at The Hong Kong Polytechnic University. He earned his Ph.D. in Geographic Information Science from The Chinese University of Hong Kong. His research interests lie primarily at the intersection of geospatial science and environmental health. His innovative approach leverages geospatial big data fusion and cutting-edge computational methods to provide insights into population mobility, environmental hazards, environmental exposure and injustice, and environmental health. He has contributed to several high-impact publications and was listed in the World’s Top 2% Scientists’ List published by Stanford University and Elsevier.
Details
July 31, 2024
1:15 PM ET
Virtual, link available here.
Shareable poster available here.
Global Research and Innovation Symposium
São Paulo, Brazil
June 18th-21st, 2024
DDL Data Scientist Diego Manya is sharing some of the early key findings of our 2024 UESI at the ICLEI World Congress 2024. Presenting on the “digitalization” theme at the Research & Innovation Marketplace, Manya plans to engage with and get feedback from local governments, researchers and partners in attendance.
The UESI 2024 report launch will take place later this year at the Innovate4Cities Conference.
Details
June 18th, 2024
4:00 – 5:10 PM (GMT -3)
More information is available here.
International Symposium on Sustainable Systems and Technology – ISSST 2024
Baltimore, Maryland
June 17th-20th, 2024
DDL Postdoctoral research associate Ying Yu is presenting at the 31st International Symposium on Sustainable Systems and Technology (ISSST 2024) in Baltimore, Maryland. She will present our paper on “Revisiting Energy Inequity from a Climate Perspective Using Machine Learning” during a session on Energy Justice and Inequality.
Abstract: The lack of affordable, reliable, and resilient energy services is still plaguing U.S. households. Existing energy data are limited in spatial and temporal resolution, thus hindering the discussion on energy inequity from a climate perspective. By introducing multi-source geospatial data, including land surface temperature and nighttime light imagery, this study aims to upsample aggregated annual county-level energy data to monthly tract-level energy data using machine learning and remote sensing techniques in the conterminous U.S. over the past decade. Then, semiparametric models are employed to shape the potentially nonlinear relationship between climate variations and energy equity based on improved high-resolution energy data, with a particular focus on identifying the most vulnerable groups across geographic, demographic, and socioeconomic factors. By contributing to more accurate and precise energy data with a higher space-time resolution, this study is able to capture the most sensitive temperature response functions as the cornerstone of data-driven energy policies. The results show significant spatial and seasonal disparities in U.S. household energy equity. Increasing winter heating demand exacerbates energy inequity more than those associated with summer cooling demand. In addition, the disproportionate burden on energy-vulnerable communities places a higher demand on more equitable and inclusive energy policies.
Details
June 19th, 2024
11:35 – 11:50 AM
Westminster Room
The Royal Sonesta Harbor Court, Baltimore Maryland
550 Light Street
Baltimore, MD 21202
More information is available here.
What Works Climate Summit
Berlin, Germany
June 12th, 2024
DDL researcher and PhD student Katherine Burley-Farr will present on her meta-analysis of mitigation strategies and qualitative assessment of city-level climate action plans at the What Works Climate Solutions Summit as part of their session on “What works in non-state climate action: Evidence on progress and ambition from cities, companies, and initiatives.”
Momentum is building in non-state climate action, evidenced by the increasing number of climate pledges from cities, states, and regions around the world. Subnational governments can play a pivotal role in global efforts to avoid the worst impacts of climate change and limit warming to 1.5°C or below, yet the integrity of their commitments and plans remains uncertain. We address these critical questions through two related studies focused on understanding the efficacy of subnational climate action: a meta-analysis of mitigation case studies and a qualitative assessment of city climate action plans.
Based on a prior systematic literature review and synthesis of 234 subnational climate change mitigation case studies from peer-reviewed literature to understand the effectiveness and reliability of various subnational mitigation strategies and policy instruments, we found that there are substantial differences in the size and certainty of expected impacts from different mitigation strategies. A wide range of mitigation strategies are used in cities and regions, and misalignment exists between the strategies with the highest expected impacts and those that are most frequently implemented by policymakers.
This disconnect motivates the need for further research to understand subnational governments’ choices over mitigation strategies and the implications of these choices for the credibility of subnational climate action. Here, we introduce a framework for evaluating the transparency and integrity of city climate pledges and plans and present initial findings for Global North cities. This analysis will enable us to identify best-practice strategies for cities, highlight areas of weakness, and assess interactions between mitigation and other climate goals. Together, these studies provide the groundwork for more systematic, quantitative evaluations of integrity in subnational climate action and contribute to the ongoing discussion of the role of subnational governments in achieving global climate goals.
Details
June 12th, 2024
2:30 – 4:00 PM
H 0104
TU Berlin
Straße des 17. Juni 135
10623 Berlin, Germany
More information is available here.
2024 World Cities Summit
Singapore
June 4th, 2024
DDL Director Angel Hsu has been invited by the United Nations Development Programme to present at the World Cities Summit. As one of five experts on a lighting panel on “Designed for People: Expert Insights on Building Smarter Cities,” she will shed light on how connectivity, remote sensing, AI, cybersecurity, and the Internet of Things can enhance urban life.
Details
June 4th, 2024
8:45 – 10:30 AM GMT +8
Suntec Convention & Exhibition Centre
1 Raffles Boulevard Singapore, 039593 Singapore
Register and find more information here.
UNDP Panel: Exploring Innovative and Data-Driven Solutions for Air Pollution
Singapore
June 5th, 2024
The UNDP Global Centre in Singapore is hosting an event to explore innovative and data-driven solutions for tackling air pollution. This event is designed to serve as a platform for highlighting data-driven innovations in the field and to advance the conversation on tackling air pollution through the lens of data and policy. It convenes a group of experts from government agencies, international organizations, academia, and civil society to facilitate discussion on the multifaceted challenges of air pollution and deliberate on innovative solutions in the fight against it.
The event will feature three initiatives by field experts: Ms. Angel Hsu on Smogstripes, Prof. Steve Yim on Prudential EOS Climate Impacts Initiative at Earth Observatory Singapore, and Mr. Yerasssyl Kalikhan on UNDP’s approach to air quality in Almaty, each offering valuable ideas and lessons for the future of data- and policy-driven air pollution solutions.
The event will be held in a hybrid format and feature three 10-minute presentations from each expert followed by a 20-minute moderated Q&A.
Details
June 5th, 2024
12:00 – 1:30 PM
UNDP Global Centre for Technology, Innovation and Sustainable Development
Singapore (GC-TISD)
Net Zero Tracker: The Role of the Private Sector in Bolstering Ambitious & Credible NDCs on the Road to COP30
Bonn, Germany
June 5th, 2024
In the countdown to ‘NDCs 3.0’, countries should be preparing to submit new climate commitments by early 2025. The role of business in delivering emission reductions and supporting government ambition is more vital than ever. Despite corporate target-setting reaching new heights, recent analysis from the likes of InfluenceMap and the Net Zero Tracker show that the private sector is still falling short on integrity, implementation and advocacy.
This event will discuss the pivotal role of the private sector in supporting upgraded emissions-cutting Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs). It will showcase the importance of frameworks (such as the UN Expert Group’s recommendations); standards (such as the ISSB standards and the ISO Net Zero Standard); transparent data, policy alignment; and positive examples of credible commitments and action underway — with a particular focus on Latin America’s energy transition.
Details
June 5th, 2024
4:15 – 6:30 PM GMT +2
Room Berlin
UN Campus
Platz der Vereinten Nationen 1,
53113 Bonn, Germany
Email NICK.HAY@ECIU.NET to reserve your spot.
Scoping Meeting for IPCC's Special Report on Climate Change and Citie
Riga, Latvia
April 15-18th, 2024
Dr. Angel Hsu has been selected as one of six US scientists, out of 70 nominated, to provide expert insights at a scoping meeting for the IPCC’s upcoming Special Report on Climate Change and Cities.
Details
April 15-18th, 2024
Riga, Latvia
Lecture with Nathan Chan
Chapel Hill, NC
April 12, 2024
Dr. Nathan Chan, Associate Professor, Department of Resource Economics at the University of Massachusetts Amherst will join UNC-Chapel Hill’s Policy Research Group for a talk on “Who bears the burden of carbon taxes? Predicting households impacts in Washington State.
Details
April 12, 2024
3:00 – 4:15 PM ET
Phillips Hall 265
E Cameron Ave, Chapel Hill, NC 27514
Emory University China Town Hall
Atlanta, GA
April 9, 2024
DDL Director Angel Hsu will be a keynote speaker at Emory University’s China Town Hall with a focus on climate change and U.S.-China relations. Following her speech on climate change, there will be Q&A session and subsequent virtual presentation on U.S.-China relations by Deputy Secretary of State Kurt Campbell.
This event is co-sponsored by National Committee on U.S.-China Relations, The Carter Center China Focus, China Research Center, and Emory University’s Asia Global Collective.
Details
April 9th, 2024
6:00 – 8:00 PM ET
RSVP here.
Details on speakers available here.
UNC Science Expo
Chapel Hill, NC
April 6, 2024
DDL is tabling at the UNC Science Expo! Join us for free, science-based fun with the whole family.
The UNC Science Expo is a signature event of the annual North Carolina Science Festival and one of the biggest celebrations of science in the state. More than 100 booths staffed by UNC-Chapel Hill students, researchers, practitioners, and community volunteers fill the quads surrounding Morehead Planetarium and Science Center. From hands-on activities and games to science demonstrations and behind-the-scenes lab tours, the UNC Science Expo makes learning about science fun and engaging for people of all ages.
In addition to the day of hands-on science fun and learning, the Morehead Planetarium and Science Center is celebrating its 75th anniversary with food trucks, stage performances, prizes and more.
Details
April 6th, 2024
11:00 – 4:00 PM ET
250 E Franklin St | UNC Chapel Hill
Chapel Hill NC 27514
COP 28 Debrief
Chapel Hill, NC
March 27, 2024
Join five UNC students who attended COP28 and COP27, major recent international climate negotiations, to hear their insights on the proceedings and learn how to attend future UN climate conferences! Co-sponsored by the UNC Global Affairs Department, Dr. Angel Hsu’s Data-Driven Lab (DDL), and UNC Undergraduate Student Government’s Executive Branch, the panel will count as a CLE credit for students. It will be held on Wednesday, March 27th at 7 PM in the fourth-floor lounge of the FedEx Global Education Center.
Following opening remarks from Ambassador Barbara Stephenson (Vice Provost for Global Affairs and Chief Global Officer), panelists will discuss their key takeaways from COP, touching on topics such as climate diplomacy, science and technology, mitigation, adaptation, and multicultural cooperation. The discussion will be moderated by Katherine Burley-Farr (public policy PhD student and research assistant at DDL) and will conclude with an audience Q&A. We hope to make a complicated series of negotiations engaging and accessible to all who are curious!
Details
March 27th, 2024
7:00 PM ET
UNC-Chapel Hill
FedEx Global Education Center, 4th floor lounge
"Cities on the Climate Frontlines: Evaluating Urban Climate Change and Policy Responses" with UNC Center for Urban and Regional Studies
Chapel Hill, NC
March 20, 2024
DDL Director Angel Hsu will join he UNC Center for Urban and Regional Studies to speak at their March edition of their Spring 2024 monthly in-person lunch talks.
Cities are both contributors and potential problem solvers of the global climate crisis. They are also vulnerable to climate change impacts, including sea-level rise, extreme heat, and natural disasters. Consequently, they have risen to become prominent climate and environmental sustainability agents, with the UN’s Sustainable Development Goal 11 charging cities to be both sustainable and inclusive and the Paris Agreement’s recognition of their contributions. In this talk, I’ll present my lab’s work to understand to understand the dual nature of cities’’ vulnerability to climate change, such as urban heat, while also examining the diverse tactics cities are adopting to combat climate change
Details
March 20th, 2024
12:30 – 2:00 PM ET
UNC-Chapel Hill
RSVP by March 10th for catered lunch.
RSVP here.
Humanities on the Road: US-China Climate Relations: Cooperative Pathways or Competitive Crossroads?
Goldsboro, NC
March 22, 2024
The US and China, jointly responsible for 40% of global emissions, hold a crucial role in addressing climate change. Collaboration between these top emitters is essential to tackle the ‘super-wicked’ climate crisis. Joint efforts leading to the 2015 Paris Agreement signaled progress, but domestic politics and geopolitical tensions have complicated this relationship. Conflicts over sovereignty and technology challenge the once robust US-China climate partnership. This talk examines the evolving US-China climate dynamic, exploring obstacles, potential cooperation, and its global impact.
Details
March 22nd, 2024
5:30 PM ET
Wayne Community College
Goldsboro, NC
Recording available here.
Cracking the Code: Probing the Double-Edged Sword of AI's Environmental Promise
New Haven, CT
March 6, 2024
About the Seminar:
The dramatic growth in the capabilities and availability of artificial intelligence has prompted increased interest in its use in environmental research. The potential is vast with a wide range of applications. At the same time, AI has an environmental footprint that receives less attention. In this BIOMES session, Angel Hsu will describe emerging applications of AI, including large-language models and machine learning, for evaluating climate policy and impacts. Reid Lifset will describe the goals and projects of the Network for the Digital Economy & the Environment which is working to catalyze and disseminate research on the energy and environmental impacts of digital technology and digitalization. His talk will include discussion of a bibliometric analysis currently in progress to characterize the evolution of research on the environmental impacts of AI.
About the Series:
Over the last twelve years, the Yale School of the Environment has held a weekly seminar series, called BIOMES, which has been the School’s flagship forum for bringing cutting-edge research and impactful work to the community. BIOMES stands for ‘Bridging Issues & Optimizing Methods in Environmental Studies.”
Details
March 6, 2024
12:00 – 1:00 PM ET
Virtual Option Available
195 Prospect Street
New Haven, CT 06511
Registration and more information available here.
Lecture with Professor Deborah Seligsohn
Chapel Hill, NC
February 23, 2024
Prof. Deborah Seligsohn of Villanova University will speak from both her recent research on US-China health, climate and science diplomacy, and her long experience as a practitioner, both as the Science Counselor at the US Embassy in Beijing (2003-2007) and as a Senior Advisor to the World Resources Institute in Beijing (2007-2012). Her research is based on interviews, analysis of the documents and a survey she is currently conducting. She spent five months in the last two years in Beijing, enabling her to speak to the current state of the relationship and the continued need for scientific and health cooperation.
This event is free and open to the public.
UNC students: RSVP on HeelLife for CLE.
The Carolina Asia Center is proud to co-sponsor this event with the Data-Driven Lab, the Department of Public Policy, and the UNC Diplomacy Initiative.
Details
February 23, 2024
2:00 – 3:30 PM ET
Toy Lounge, Dey Hall (4th floor)
200 South Rd
Chapel Hill, NC 27514
More information is available here.
"Towards Climate Justice: Measuring Inequalities in Urban Heat Exposure" with UNC Environment, Ecology and Energy Program (E3P)
Chapel Hill, NC
February 22, 2024
DDL Director Angel Hsu will join UNC’s Environment, Ecology and Energy program as a speaker at their monthly seminar.
Justice has increasingly been discussed as a central tenet of environmental and climate policy, particularly for urban areas where more than 70 percent of the US population resides. Advancing environmental and climate justice entails acknowledging that not all communities within cities are exposed to the same levels of environmental burdens. In this talk, I’ll discuss some of my research measuring disproportionate exposure to the urban heat island impact for both US cities and globally, utilizing remote sensing and machine learning modelling techniques to evaluate the past, present and future. I’ll also discuss our plans for a recent NASA project to further climate justice on disproportionate heat disparities for vulnerability communities here in the Triangle and our plans to bridge high-resolution heat stress data to inform community and government responses at the local scale.
There will be a social hour prior to the event where students can meet Dr. Hsu and ask questions.
Details
February 22, 2024
4:00 PM ET
Mitchel Hall
104 South Rd,
Chapel Hill, NC 27514
‘Humanities in Action’ series by Carolina Humanities at Flyleaf Books
Chapel Hill, NC
February 14, 2024
DDL Director Angel Hsu will speak at Flyleaf Books on “US-China Climate Relations: Cooperative Pathways or Competitive Crossroads?” as part of Carolina Humanities’ “Humanities in Action” lecture series.
The lecture series, “Humanities in Action,” focuses on contemporary issues. In the spring, attention to global issues—a look at topics from various countries around the world.
Details
4:30 – 6:00 PM ET
February 14, 2024
752 M.L.K. Jr Blvd
Chapel Hill, NC 27514
Find registration & more information here.
Climate-diligent cities: Aligning mitigation ambitions with the Paris Agreement
Barcelona
December 15, 2023
DDL Director Angel Hsu was invited to be the keynote speaker at an international seminar on “Climate-diligent cities: Aligning mitigation ambitions with the Paris Agreement” hosted by the Barcelona Center for International Affairs with the support of Barcelona City Council.
The closed-door event will gather key representatives from city networks, city governments, academia, specialist partners, and a selected expert audience to discuss the concept of climate-diligent cities. Building on the overall higher ambition of city governments in comparison with their national counterparts in terms of GHG emission reduction goals, the concept of climate-diligent cities argues that cities’ mitigation efforts could leapfrog by adopting the very formal rules underpinning (countries’) international climate regime. More concretely, the debate will explore ideas to develop assessment instruments for city governments, following the example of tools to monitor mitigation strategies and determine their fair share developed for nation-states, such as the Climate Action Tracker.
Dr. Hsu will join the in-peson event virtually.
Details
December 15, 2023
8 AM ET
Barcelona, Spain
More information forthcoming.
COP28 Side Event: Ratcheting integrity of net zero commitments to unlock ambition loops and regain climate momentum
Dubai
December 8, 2023
DDL Director Angel Hsu is joining a panel on “Ratcheting integrity of net zero commitments to unlock ambition loops and regain climate momentum” at a COP28 mitigation and response measures side event.
National net zero targets and climate litigation have strengthened markedly in recent years, and UNFCCC’s new Recognition and Accountability Framework & implementation plan should drive further transparency. This event will discuss critical opportunities to unlock ambition loops and regain momentum.
Speakers:
Richard Black, Sr Assoc, ECIU
Dr Angel Hsu, Assistant Professor, UNC
Dr Takeshi Kuramochi, Researcher, NewClimate Institute
Alina Averchenkova, Grantham Research Institute, LSE
Todd Edwards, Tracking & Recognition, UNFCCC
Sharon Ikeazor, Minister of State Environment, Nigeria
Details
December 8, 2023
16:45 -18:15 GST (GMT+4)
Al Wasl Avenue
Dubai, United Arab Emirates
SE Room 3 (125 pax)
More information on COP28 side events available here.
COP28 Event: The data cities need: accelerating sustainability solutions with advanced data and AI
Dubai
December 6, 2023
DDL Director Angel Hsu is joining an unofficial side event hosted by the Global Covenant of Mayors and UNFCCC at COP28.
This session will showcase some of the latest tools and initiatives that aim to minimize the transition from climate and sustainability ambition to challenge-solving action across cities, networks, and businesses – highlighting the cross-sector opportunity for progress.
An interactive workshop invites participants to engage in the data needs that are crucial for cities and local governments around the world – leveraging insights from GCoM’s Innovate4Cities initiative and the Global Innovation Hub’s Systemic Innovation Workshops.
Dr. Hsu will join Martin Wainstein, Executive Director of Open Earth Foundation, and Pooja Mahapatra, Global Lead of Fugro, for a discussion about “Data-driven innovations to boost city climate action.”
The session has three main goals:
- Gather key influential actors and organisations to support cities in their climate action journey through the development and distribution of modern data and digital solutions.
- Bring awareness of new satellite and AI solutions that are applicable to cities and regions to empower their decarbonisation and adaptation journey.
- Connect with finance actors on how cities, through data and policy, can play a key role in scaling the deployment of climate action in the urban context.
Details
December 6, 2023
12:00 – 12:30 PM GST (GMT +4)
Blue Zone
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COP28: Pillars of the Green Transition with Newsweek
Dubai
December 5, 2023
DDL Director Angel Hsu will join a panel at COP28 hosted by Newsweek to share her expertise on the necessity for more transparency and accountability of non-state actors’ climate and net-zero commitments.
Details
December 5th, 2023
3:00 – 5:00 PM GST (GMT +4)
Impact Hub (DP World) Level 2 Prince Rupert Dubai
Register here
COP28: Net Zero Tracker Press Conference
Dubai
December 4, 2023
DDL’s Net Zero Tracker is hosting a press conference at COP28. In June 2023, the Net Zero Tracker revealed that fossil fuel companies’ net zero targets are “largely meaningless”, as they do not contain specific plans for phasing out fossil fuels, despite clear UN guidelines that credible net zero targets must include them.
Their latest analysis extends our earlier investigation of fossil fuel phase-out plans, or lack thereof, across net zero targets set by applicable national and subnational governments, and large public companies on the Forbes Global 2000 list.
At this event, panelists will discuss:
- Which nations, cities, states & regions, and companies with net zero targets are factoring in the phasing out of fossil fuels this century? Which fuels are they covering and by when?
- Which nations have not pledged to phase out fossil fuel production, running counter to their stated net zero goals?
- How do we drive societies towards a world where fossil fuels are phased out — in line with the IPCC and IEA pathways?
Panelists:
- John Lang, Project Lead, Net Zero Tracker (Energy & Climate Intelligence Unit)
- Natasha Lutz, Co-Data Lead, Net Zero Tracker (University of Oxford)
- Tzeporah Berman, Chair, Fossil Fuel Non-Proliferation Treaty Initiative
- Dr. Steve Smith, Executive Director of Oxford Net Zero and CO2RE
Details
10 – 10:30 GST
December 4th
Press Conference Room 2
Zone B6 – Building 77, Blue Zone
COP28, ExpoCity Dubai.
More information here.
COP28 Event: Greening Education through Clean Energy Innovation to Implement Climate Justice
Dubai
December 4, 2023
DDL Director Angel Hsu is joining a side event on “Greening Education through Clean Energy Innovation to Implement Climate Justice” at COP28 in Dubai.
Climate change is deeply intertwined with social injustices, working as an inequality multiplier to further oppress racialized communities, indigenous people, children and young people, women and girls in all their diversity, and other stakeholders in climate-vulnerable communities, including affecting their lack of access to education. Therefore, if we are to achieve climate justice, we must make these vulnerable stakeholders in all their intersectional diversity a part of the solution, with the first step towards socio-economic equity being climate-resilience education. Innovation in clean energy technology that drives the greening of education can substantively uplift those in climate-vulnerable communities suffering from loss and damage out of poverty, while ensuring their access to green education, stopping land degradation, creating decent green jobs and achieving a just transition to clean, renewable energy, leaving no one behind. Utilizing clean energy innovation to green education ensures not only the greening of schools, curricula and education systems’ capacities, but also safeguards the greening of the communities, since knowledge gives them the power to take actions to green their communities.
This side event will discuss how we can facilitate the greening of clean energy innovation to address the extensive negative impacts of loss and damage through climate justice, the role that our most vulnerable stakeholders are playing globally to ensure the greening of education at all levels of learning, from elementary school to higher education, as well as share case studies of positive actions undertaken by underserved communities in all their diversity across the world to implement clean energy innovations that are creating positive impacts in greening education, thereby achieving climate justice.
Dr. Hsu was generously invited by the Green Hope Foundation.
Details
December 4, 2023
9:00 – 10:45 AM GST (GMT +4)
Global Alliance for a Sustainable Planet Pavilion
(TA 2-130) in the Blue Zone
Al Wasl Avenue
Dubai, United Arab Emirates
More information on COP28 side events available here.
NUS Department of Architecture Graduate Research Symposium
Singapore
November 21-22, 2023
DDL Director Angel Hsu will be a keynote speaker at a Symposium hosted by the Department of Architecture at the National University of Singapore.
In her keynote address, she will discuss the role that cities and the built environment play in contributing to, adapting, and mitigating, climate change.
More details forthcoming.
Details
November 22, 2023
9:15 AM SGT
Toward Asian Blue Skies: Cleaning the skies and reducing CO2 in East and South Asia
Johor, Malaysia
November 15, 2023
DDL Director Angel Hsu MC’ed and moderated the Q&A session of a panel on “Cleaning the skies and reducing CO2 in East and South Asia” at an Asia Pacific Climate Week Affiliated Event.
Reducing air pollution reduces carbon emissions, and significantly boosts health and economic productivity. A recent World Bank report, Striving for Clean Air: Air Pollution and Public Health in South Asia, documents how pollution abatement in key economic sectors to meet the WHO interim goal I of 35 µg/m3 of average annual ambient PM2.5 concentrations can reduce CO2 by 25%, and Short-Lived Climate Pollutants, such as Black Carbon by 4/5ths and Methane by 1/4th. Moreover, the report has shown that meeting the WHO interim goal I, will avoid 750,000 premature mortalities each year, and contribute significantly to lifting the dampeners on human cognition unleashing productivity.
In another recent World Bank report, called Nature’s Frontiers, the progress that many countries have made in improving air quality was highlighted. The report shows that despite popular perception, South Asian (and other) countries have made significant inroads on abating air pollution emissions. However, the region’s airsheds continue to be the world’s most polluted, and far more action is needed. In East Asia, important progress has been made in some countries, yet given the persistence of the issue, there is renewed regional attention towards moving the needle.
The World Bank has been working on environmental health and pollution management issues for decades. From 2008 to 2023, the WB has financed projects worth more than USD 21 bn. Our new mission statement “reducing poverty on a livable planet” is also reflected in our recent actions. The current and upcoming fiscal years show pollution financing increases of about 40% compared to recent years. The WB is well positioned to support integrated multi-sectoral and multi-jurisdictional approaches to air pollution reduction.
At this event, experts set the stage for an exchange by countries on what has and has not worked, locally and globally, in terms of air quality management and reducing emissions. A high-level panel highlighted national opportunities for addressing air pollution, and the important synergies between air pollution action and climate action. The event aimed to identifying new collaboration opportunities across Asia.
Details
November 15th
10 – 11:30 AM
Johor, Malaysia
Persada Johor International Convention Centre
Room: Press Conference Room (Anjung Stulang) 202
APPAM Conference 2023
Atlanta, GA
November 9-11, 2023
DDL Researcher Dr. Evan Johnson and Student Researcher Katherine Burley are attending the 2023 Association for Public Policy Analysis and Management (APPAM) Conference in Atlanta, Georgia. The theme of the conference is “Policy that Matters: Making Public Services Work for All,” and aims to draw a direct link between empirical research and the practical effect that research and policy have on people.
Dr. Johnson will present at a panel on “Working with(in) Government: Unpacking Commercial Motivations and Sectoral Interactions in the Innovation Ecosystem” on “Drivers of Firm-Government Engagement for Tech Ventures” on Thursday.
Burley will be presenting on “Quantifying Subnational Climate Change Mitigation Solutions – a Meta-Analysis of Impacts” at the Saturday Poster Luncheon.
See details for both events below.
Details (Evan’s Event)
November 9, 2023
Embassy B (International Tower (LL2), Hyatt Regency Atlanta)
265 Peachtree St NE
Atlanta, GA 30303
More information on the panel is available here.
Details (Katherine’s Event)
November 11th
Grand Hall West (Exhibit Level (LL2), Hyatt Regency Atlanta
265 Peachtree St NE
Atlanta, GA 30303
More information on the poster session available here.
Climate Talk: ChatNetZero (LLMs for Climate)
Virtual
November 2, 2023
Talk: This talk will introduce ChatNetZero.ai, a pioneering LLM app exclusively for tackling climate change and decarbonization. By addressing challenges with Generative AI, like hallucinations, they’re empowering the climate change community with cutting-edge technology. The mission: enhance transparency, confront climate change accountability challenges like net zero credibility and greenwashing, and simplify the communication of complex climate information for all.
Speakers: Angel Hsu is the Founder and Director of Data-Driven EnviroLab, an interdisciplinary research group that innovates and applies quantitative approaches to pressing environmental issues. She was a contributor to the IPCC Sixth Assessment Report and a lead author of the 2018 UN Environment Emissions Gap Report Special Chapter on Non-State Actors.
James Zhang is the co-founder and CEO of the Dutch-based climate tech start-up Arboretica. James and his team at Arboretica is a pioneer in developing AI and NLP technologies to help policymakers, NGOs, researchers and corporates to accelerate their sustainability analysis and digitize environmental research.
Details
November 2, 2023
2:30pm – 3:30pm IST
Join the presentation here.
Energy Data Analytics Symposium: Accelerating Sustainability in the AI Era
Durham, NC
October 26-27, 2023
The Energy Data Analytics Lab at Duke University’s Nicholas Institute for Energy, Environment & Sustainability and the Energy Analysis and Policy (EAP) Program at the University of Wisconsin-Madison are hosting a symposium on “Accelerating Sustainability in the AI Era.”
Recognizing recent advancements in machine learning and data science, this event seeks to examine their impact on energy access, energy systems modeling, remote sensing, and ethics and social responsibility for data analytics. The goal of this Symposium is to build an understanding of how data science tools including AI can drive accessibility, affordability, and sustainability of our energy systems.
On the second day of the Symposium, DDL Director Angel Hsu will join a panel discussion on “Opportunities with Remote Sensing for Energy & Climate Data.” Other panelists for this session include:
- Kyle Bradbury (Duke University)
- Angel Hsu (University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill)
- Jeremy Freeman (WattTime / Climate TRACE)
- Elizabeth Reilly (Johns Hopkins University
Details
October 26-27, 2023
Duke University Fuqua School of Business
HCA Classroom 100 Fuqua Drive
Durham, NC 27708
More information available here.
Register here.
Workshop: Adaptation, Tracking, and AI
The Netherlands
October 22-25, 2023
DDL Director Angel Hsu will join Wageningen University & Research for their workshop on AI and climate change tracking and adaptation as a presenter during the “Policy Focus” discussion.
The focus for Monday, the day of Dr. Hsu’s presentation, is on laying the groundwork and identifying key problems.
The presenters in the “Policy Focus” session include:
- Tabea Lissner: meta-analysis of adaptation effectiveness
- Angel Hsu: lessons from mitigation; focus on policy and urban areas
- Matteo Grigoletto: analyzging climate change policy narratives with the character-role narrative framework
Other panels at the workshop include: LLM and generative AI;
Details
October 23, 2023
15:00 – 16:00 CET
Droevendaalsesteeg 4
Building: ATLAS (building 104)
Room: Atlas 1
Outer Space & Earth Interactions within Environmental Governance & Accountability Regimes
New York, NY
October 20, 2023
This Panel will explore two current environmental challenges involving the linkage between outer space and the Earth. First, with new commercial and governmental activities and plans involving human travel back to the Moon and to Mars, recent efforts to update the anti-contamination or planetary protection standards will be explored. These standards were first created decades ago in a scientific era of outer space activities but have undergone revisions and updating to account for the new commercial era of space exploration. The Committee on Space Research (COSPARS) and national authorities have updated their anti-contamination standards to take account of the realities of new commercial activities and ventures while still seeking to preserve celestial body environments for science research. Second, the use of space assets, specifically remote sensing satellites, is vital to combatting global climate change on Earth through enhanced data collection, accountability and transparency. Countries and companies have deforestation commitments and targets for carbon and other emissions in non-legally binding agreements but such agreements can be made effective through use of remote sensing. What are the challenges of developing and maintaining effective international governing regimes that will allow society to take full advantage of these Outer Space-Earth interactions in advancement of environmental protection while promoting economic efficiency and innovation?
The panel will take the form of a roundtable discussion.
Moderator: Matthew Schaefer, Clayton Yeutter Chair, University of Nebraska College of Law; Co-Chair, ABILA Space Law Committee
Panelists:
- Mike Gold, Chief Growth Officer, Redwire Space
- Angel Hsu, Assistant Professor, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill; Founder & Director, Data-Driven EnviroPolicy Lab
- Meg Vernal, Deputy General Counsel, Voyager Space
Details
Friday, October 20th, 2023
9:00-10:15 AM ET
Fordham University School of Law Room 2-01B
150 West 62nd Street, New York, NY 10023
Register for the conference here.
Program available here.
This event is sponsored by the ABILA Committee on Space Law.
Environmental and Sustainability Policy Leaders Programme for Southeast Asia
Singapore
September 28, 2023
DDL Director Dr. Angel Hsu will join as Panellist for the Temasek Foundation’s Environmental and Sustainability Policy Leaders Programme for Southeast Asia. She will join Panel 2 on the ‘Whole of Nations Approach: Role of Private Sector,’ moderated by Vinod Thomas.
Details
September 28, 2023
4 – 5:30 SGT
National University of Singapore
Li Ka Shing Seminar Room 1-2
Global Climate Ambition of Cities, Regions and Companies
Virtual
September 26, 2023
DDL, the Copernicus Institute for Sustainable Development, and CDP will host an event to explain the findings of our 2023 Global Climate Action Report: Ambition of Cities, Regions, and Companies.
Session speakers include:
- Kaihui Song (DDL)
- Katherine Burley (DDL)
- Chelsea Jones (Copernicus Institute for Sustainable Development)
- Mark Roelfsema (Copernicus Institute for Sustainable Development)
- Andrew Clapper (CDP)
Details
September 28, 2023
9:00 AM ET
Watch the recording here.
Climate Outlook Survey
Singapore
September 21, 2023
DDL Director Dr. Angel Hsu will join ISEAS – Yusof Ishak Institute for a survey discussion on how Southeast Asia can do its part for the climate.
The session will be moderated by Ms. Sharon Seah, a Senior Fellow and Coordinator at ISEAS – Yusof Ishak Institute.
Discussants include:
Ms. Jessica Cheam: Founder, Managing Director at Eco-Business
Dr. Winston Chow: Associate Professor of Urban Climate, Lee Kong Chian Research Fellow at Singapore Management University
Dr. Angel Hsu: Assistant Professor of Public Policy, Environment, Ecology and Energy Program at the University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill
Dr. Thang Nam Do (virtual): Fellow, Zero-Carbon Energy for Asia-Pacific Grand Challenge Program at the Australian National University Crawford School of Public Policy
Details
September 21, 2023
10 – 12 PM SGT
ISEAS – Yusof Ishak Institute
30 Heng Mui Keng Terrace, Singapore 119614
More information is available here.
Cities on the Climate Frontlines: Evaluating Urban Climate Change and Policy Responses
Singapore
September 18, 2023
DDL Director Dr. Angel Hsu will join the National University of Singapore’s Department of Architecture to share a presentation on ‘Cities on the Climate Frontlines: Evaluating Urban Climate Change and Policy Responses.’
Cities are both contributors and potential problem solvers of the global climate crisis. They are also vulnerable to climate change impacts, including sea-level rise, extreme heat, and natural disasters. Consequently, they have risen to become prominent climate and environmental sustainability agents, with the UN’s Sustainable Development Goal 11 charging cities to be both sustainable and inclusive and the Paris Agreement’s recognition of their contributions. In this talk, I’ll introduce how my research is utilizing data science to evaluate cities’ contributions to global climate mitigation efforts and urban sustainable development more broadly.
Details
September 18, 2023
11 AM SGT
National University of Singapore Room SDE3-LT421
21 Lower Kent Ridge Road
Singapore 119077
"Snapshot:Climate" Exhibition Opening
Chapel Hill, NC
September 7, 2023
Southern Cultures is hosting an Exhibition Opening event for their fall issue of “Snapshot:Climate.” Featuring the work of 60+ artists, scientists, photojournalists, and activists, the goal of their fall issue is to draw attention to climate impacts across the (global, Atlantic, gulf) South through snapshots. The exhibition will feature the work of 25 photographers.
Details
September 7, 2023
5 – 7 PM ET
University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
Center for the Study of the American South
Chapel Hill, NC 27514
More information available here.
Climate Change AI Webinar: Harnessing Machine Learning for Climate Policy
Virtual
August 31, 2023
DDL Director Angel Hsu was invited by Climate Change AI to lead their August webinar on “Harnessing Machine Learning for Climate Policy.”
This presentation explores applications of machine learning in the realm of climate policy, with a specific focus on evaluating the actions of subnational and non-state actors such as cities, regions, and corporations. In recent years, these actors have emerged as key players in driving climate action, and their efforts have the potential to significantly impact global emissions reduction targets. Leveraging machine learning techniques, we can effectively assess the initiatives and contributions of these entities towards climate mitigation and adaptation goals. This presentation showcases the diverse ways in which machine learning can analyze large-scale data sets, identify trends, and provide valuable insights for policymakers and stakeholders.
Climate Change AI (CCAI) is an organization composed of volunteers from academia and industry who believe that tackling climate change requires concerted societal action, in which machine learning can play an impactful role. Since it was founded in June 2019 (and established as a US domestic non-profit on June 14, 2021), CCAI has led the creation of a global movement in climate change and machine learning, encompassing researchers, engineers, entrepreneurs, investors, policymakers, companies, and NGOs.
Details
August 31st, 2023
12-1pm UTC (8-9am ET, 8-9pm SGT)
Virtual
Register and find more information here.
Asia Solar Energy for Climate Change Conference 2023
Virtual
August 22-25, 2023
DDL Director Angel Hsu will join the Asia Solar Energy for Climate Change Conference (ASECCC) as a guest speaker on a panel on “A Comparison of Asian cities’ Progress Towards Carbon Neutrality through Renewable Energy and Green Finance.”
The ASECCC strives to unite influential figures from the government, institutions, private sectors and civil sectors across the Asia Pacific region. The conference aims to foster communication regarding solar energy initiatives in climate mitigation and adaptation. It focuses on policy implementation, cross border collaboration, advanced technology, climate finance, and best practices that promote climate justice.
ASECCC 2023 will feature panel discussions, research poster presentations, and the publication of proceedings, all centered around the theme of expediting the transition to solar energy. The conference offers valuable opportunities for stakeholders, policymakers, professionals, and emerging researchers in the field to exchange their findings and establish connections with regional innovators.
Details
August 25th, 2023
14:00 – 15:30 HKT
Virtual
Register and find more information here.
Podcast recording available here.
2023 US CLIVAR Summit
Seattle, WA
July 31 – August 2, 2023
DDL Research scientist Xuewei Wang will present at the US CLIVAR Summit plenary session on Climate and humans: Impacts of recent heat extremes in the Pacific Northwest. Her presentation will focus on Citizen and machine learning-aided high-resolution mapping of urban heat exposure and stress.
The 2023 US CLIVAR Summit will bring together the members of the Scientific Steering Committee and its three implementation Panels, agency managers, and invited speakers to review progress, identify opportunities, and develop strategies to advance US CLIVAR goals under the direction of the Science Plan.
Details
July 31, 2023
10:00 AM PT
Seattle, WA & Virtual
More information is available here.
National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine: Climate Crossroads Summit 2023
Washington DC
July 11-12 2023
DDL Director Dr. Angel Hsu will join a panel on Emerging Challenges and Opportunities at the Climate Crossroads Summit 2023, hosted by National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine.
Advances in science, engineering, and medicine are bringing new opportunities to address the climate challenge. Many exciting new frontiers are emerging as advances in other fields—such as plant science, artificial intelligence, and social and behavioral sciences—are increasingly being applied to develop new ways to understand and respond to the climate challenge. Panelists in this session will discuss new development at these disciplinary crossroads and bring these advances to support climate action.
Moderator: Evan Michelson, Sloan Foundation
Panelists:
- Angel Hsu, University of North Carolina Chapel Hill & DataDriven EnviroLab
- Michael Vandenbergh, Vanderbilt University
- Cathie Woteki (NAM), Iowa State University
Details
July 12, 2023
1:00 ET
National Academy of Sciences Building
2101 Constitution Ave NW
Washington DC 20418
More information, including registration information, is available here.
City Diplomacy Masterclass: Accessing and Utilizing Knowledge and Data
Virtual
July 5th, 2023
DDL Director Angel Hsu has been invited to speak as a guest presenter at the City Diplomacy Masterclass, hosted by the Melbourne Centre for Cities. A major motivation for cities engaging internationally is gaining access to international expertise, knowledge, and data to inform local planning. When asked which benefits of international engagement were most impactful on policymaking in the 2022 Cities and International Engagement Survey, 71% said adapting policy, 61% benchmarking and 25% accessing data.
While there are more opportunities than ever for cities to access international knowledge and data — understanding, translating and utilising these resources for local benefit is a greater challenge. This session will focus on how cities can use international knowledge and data to inform and improve their climate action plans.
Key points:
- Where can cities find relevant knowledge and expertise related to climate action and decarbonisation?
- How can knowledge and data from other geographies be used for local benefit?
- What sort of internal skills and expertise are needed to benefit from international circuits of knowledge?
Details
July 5th, 2023
11 PM – 12 AM ET
More information available here.
Press Conference: Net Zero Tracker – 2023 Global Stocktake report launch
Virtual
June 12, 2023
Mark your diaries! The 3rd #NetZeroStocktake2023 launches this Monday 12th June @ 9.30am CEST, from the #BonnClimateConference.
Our third annual Stocktake this year shows how the #UN #HLEG guidelines on credible #netzero commitments that were announced at #COP27 have landed across ALL global entities. We show if the fossil fuel sector’s climate targets reflect the #fossilfuel phase-out plans that the scientific and policy consensus demands.
Plus, we provide a window on the increasing convergence across voluntary net zero standards, guidelines and accountability frameworks – which provide the crucial guidance and good practice for policymakers to put net zero on the road to regulation.
All are welcome to the press conference 09:30am CEST on Monday, plus the report, graphics and press release will be available here from June 12th.
Details
June 12, 2023
9:30AM CEST
UNFCCC Climate Conference in Bonn, Germany
UNFCCC webcast recording available here.
The Economist Sustainability Week: Harnessing data and technology to optimize ESG reporting
Virtual
May 29-31, 2023
DDL Director Dr. Angel Hsu will be joining the Economist’s 3rd annual Sustainability Week US.
Economist Impact’s 3rd annual Sustainability Week US is an event that makes a difference through its focus on immediate action by governments and organizations, with the goal to help create a better, much more sustainable, adaptable and resilient world tomorrow.
Sustainability Week US brings together the public and private sectors in a hybrid format and showcases the most practical initiatives to turn sustainable plans into actions. It analyses the success of not only best practices but also investigates the answers to difficult questions, such as making sustainability a priority across the whole organization and its supply chain.
Dr. Hsu will discuss the Net Zero Tracker, a collaboration between four organizations incluidng DDL. The aim of the Net Zero Tracker is to collect data on who has pledged net-zero targets and factors that indicate the integrity of those targets to separate quality pledges from greenwashing
Details
May 30, 2023
2:40-3:10 PM ET
Zoom
Duke Masters in Interdisciplinary Data Science Commencement Ceremony
Durham, NC
May 14, 2023
DDL Director Angel Hsu spoke at the graduation celebration for Duke’s 2023 graduates in the Masters in Interdisciplinary Data Science Program.
Details
May 14th
Duke University
Durham, NC
DDL Open House
Chapel Hill, NC
April 28, 2023
DDL is hosting an open house to celebrate moving into our new office space on Franklin St.
Local climate researchers, professors, and community members are welcome to join to check out our new space, enjoy some refreshments, and chat about our data-driven climate policy research!
We hope to see you there!
Details
April 28th
4:00 – 6:00 PM ET
134 E. Franklin St
Chapel Hill, NC
Monthly Seminar Series: How Social Media Influences National Park Vistitaion with Casey Wichman
Chapel Hill, NC
April 28, 2023
Casey Wichman, PhD will join DDL to present his research on the relationship between social media and national park visits.
Dr. Wichman is an Assistant Professor of Economics at the Georgia Institute of Technology.
National park visitation increased dramatically throughout the 2010s, providing much needed revenue for the National Park Service (NPS) and exposing new people to the outdoors, potentially leading to an increased ethic of environmental preservation. At the same time, increases in visitation generate externalities by straining park resources, contributing to environmental degradation, and overcrowding.
In his research, Wichman estimates the relationship between visitation at NPS sites and social media exposure, measured from a novel dataset based on parks’ Twitter and Instagram accounts as well as user-generated content. Parks with the largest social media exposure see visitation increase by 11-28% relative to parks in the lower half of this distribution, which see no change in visitation. These increases in visitation translate to an additional $658–$942million in revenue from entrance fees for parks with greater media exposure.
Details
10:30 AM
Wilson Hall, Room 107
110 South Road
Chapel Hill, NC
World Economic Forum: Global Future Council on the Future of Clean Air
Dubai
April 24-26, 2023
DDL Director Dr. Angel Hsu will join the Global Future Council meeting on the Future of Clean Air, hosted by the World Economic Forum.
The World Economic Forum Global Future Council meetings bring together experts from business, government, and research to discuss challenges and solutions to the most pressing challenges of our time.
Details
April 24th – 26th
Madinat Jumeirah Conference & Events Centre
Dubai, UAE
More information about the Global Future Council on the Future of Clean Air is available here.
University of Virginia: William and Carol Stevenson Conference
Charlottesville, VA
April 21, 2023
DDL Director Dr. Angel Hsu will join Panel 3 on Climate, tech infrastructure, and political influence. As the race to net zero intensifies, there are opportunities for both U.S.-China collaboration and U.S.-China competition. This panel will focus on the impact that new climate technologies will have on this relationship and other global political systems.
Angel will be joined by Joanna Lewis, Provost’s Distinguished Associate Professor of Energy and Environment and Director of the Science, Technology and International Affairs Program in the School of Foreign Service at George Washington University, and Scott Moore, Director of China Programs and Strategic Initiatives at the University of Pennsylvania. The panel will be moderated by Michael Lenox, Taylor Murphy Professor at the University of Virginia’s Darden School of Business.
Details
9 AM – 12:30 PM ET
April 21, 2023
The Miller Center, 2201 Old Ivy Rd
Charlottesville, VA
Virtual Option Available
More information about the conference is available here.
Smart Cities World: Climate Action Summit
Virtual
April 18-20, 2023
DDL Director Dr. Angel Hsu will join a panel with the central question, “what commitments and assistance are cities looking for from central government?” for Smart Cities World’s Climate Action Summit.
During this panel, city representatives and NGOs combine to discuss the existing financial and political support available to cities as they combat climate change and establish a wishlist of what is still needed from central governments to better join up climate action.
Other panelists include:
Aissata Camara: Deputy Commissioner for Policy & Strategic Initiatives / Chief of Staff, New York City
James Nowlan: Executive Director, Environment and Energy Division, City of Toronto
Christina Connelly: COO, City of New Bedford
Details
April 18th – 20th
11:00 AM – 12:00 PM ET
Virtual
More information about the Smart Cities World Climate Action Summit is available here.
COP27 Diplomacy Week Panel
UNC Chapel Hill
April 18, 2023
DDL Student Research Assistant Christian Chung will join as a guest on a panel on Environmental Diplomacy: Student Experiences from COP27. The panel will feature four Tar Heels who participated in the COP27 in November 2022.
Felix Dodds, adjunct professor in the Department of Environmental Sciences and Engineering, will moderate the panel. Lunch will be served!
This panel is part of Carolina Diplomacy Week, an annual week of events hosted by the Diplomacy Initiative of the Office of the Vice Provost for Global Affairs (OVPGA).
Details
12:30 PM
UNC Chapel Hill
FedEx Global Education Center Room 4003, zoom option available
Sustainable Carolina Research Symposium
UNC Chapel Hill
April 17, 2023
DDL Director Dr. Angel Hsu will present a 10-minute presentation on DDL’s work at Sustainable Carolina’s Earth Week Research Symposium.
Sustainable Carolina plans to bring together researchers in various fields, including STEM, law, policy, business, and more to draw connections between research done at UNC and the university’s sustainability.
Details
April 17, 2023
2 – 4 PM ET
Wilson Library
More information about Sustainable Carolina is available here.
A recording of the event is available here.
UNC Geography Colloquium Spring 2023
UNC Chapel Hill
April 14, 2023
DDL Director Dr. Angel Hsu will join as a guest speaker at UNC Geography’s Spring 2023 Colloquium on April 14th. The topic of her presentation is “Cities on the Climate Frontlines: Evaluating Urban Climate Change and Policy Responses.”
Details
3:30-5:00 ET
220 Carolina Hall
UNC Chapel Hill
More information available here.
Wake Forest University: Catalyzing Virtuous Cycles of Climate Action
Wake Forest University
April 13, 2023
DDL Director Angel Hsu will be speaking at Wake Forest University, where she earned her Bachelors degrees, on “Catalyzing virtuous climate action: an empiricial model of polycentric governance.”
Details
4:30- 6 PM ET
ZSR Auditorium
More information available here.
UNC Science Expo
UNC Chapel Hill
April 1, 2023
Morehead Planetarium and Science Center, in partnership with the students and faculty at UNC, celebrate science with our community.
This annual celebration of science features more than 100 hands-on activities and science demonstrations led by STEM students, researchers, and practitioners from UNC-Chapel Hill. The UNC Science Expo is your chance to get up close and personal with cutting edge science hands-on activities, demonstrations, games, and performances.
The UNC Science Expo is a signature event of the North Carolina Science Festival.
Details
11 AM – 4 PM ET
Morehead Planetarium
More information available here.
Duke-UNC China Leadership Summit
Durham and Chapel Hill, NC
March 24-26, 2023
In recent years, the trend of deglobalization has built up barriers between countries and among people. We witness a withdrawal from global interdependence in different ways: regional wars, border conflicts, increased tariffs, export restrictions, capital controls, anti-immigration, cultural protectionism, etc. The COVID-19 pandemic has only further exacerbated the trend of deglobalization. China and the U.S., two mutually globalizing influences, are shifting their strategies in this new world. Their interaction will not only influence the life of Chinese and American people but also the trajectory of international politics. In a less flat world, we look into the future with the hope of predicting crises, mitigating uncertainties, and redefining existing commonalities.
How do we define U.S.-China relations for the next decade? Will the two countries strengthen their economic interdependence? Will China reopen its borders? And what impacts will it bring to the world? How can a systematic study of history contribute to our predictions of future trends? How are individuals and the civil society shaping the U.S.-China relations? Dr. Angel Hsu will join as a guest speaker to explore these questions at the summit: Unwrapping Uncertainties: U.S.-China Relations in A Less Flat World.
Details
March 24-26, 2023
Durham and Chapel Hill, NC
Location varies by day.
Learn more here.
Brown China Summit
Brown University
March 19, 2023
DDL Director Angel Hsu joined Brown’s 2023 China Summit for a panel discussion on “Accelerating the Adoption of Renewable Energy, Globally and in China: Challenges and Opportunities.”
Brown brings leaders and scholars across different fields to engage in open discourse on International Politics, Finance, Sustainability, and other issues between the US and China, at their annual China Summit.
This summit creates constructive dialogues that engages and challenges young scholars at Brown and beyond.
Details
10:15 – 11:30 EST
Zoom
More information available here.
Urban Model Making: Knowledge, Technology and Society
Yale NUS, Singapore
March 2-3, 2023
DDL Director Angel Hsu will join as a guest speaker for Urban Model Making: Knowledge, Technology and Society, a workshop organized by the Asia Research Institute, National University of Singapore (NUS).
Dr. Hsu will give a presentation on “Modeling Inequalities in Urban Environmental Challenges” on the “Urban Models as Large-Scale Socio-Technical Systems” panel.
The objectives of this workshop are to:
1. understand and reflect on the practices of building scientific models of the built environment that manage, plan for
and simulate the future of cities in Asia;
2. compare different uses of models of environments (e.g. buildings, urban space, climate, economy, health) across
different Asian cites and inter–Asia;
3. understand the positionalities of multiple stakeholders in Singapore across academia, government agencies, and
industries;
4. begin to develop an Asian and global network of urban modelling scholars.
Details
10:30 AM SGT
AS8 Level 4, Seminar Room 04–04
More information available here.
Climate Cafe with Terrascope: Angel Hsu, self-proclaimed data geek influencing global climate policy
Singapore
March 2, 2023
DDL Director Angel Hsu will join Terrascope for a talk about how she uses data to influence global climate policy.
Terrascope is an enterprise grade, end to end, smart carbon measurement and management SaaS platform. By combining data science, machine learning and sustainability expertise, Terrascope provides the data, analytics and digital tools to help large companies to decarbonise their business operations and supply chains.
Details
4:30 – 5:30 PM
Terrascope office, Afro Asia (Level 8), 63 Robinson Road, Singapore
Understanding China’s Role in Climate Change – and Climate Solutions
Virtual
February 24, 2023
The 2nd annual Scholar of Global Distinction student and educator program will explore how the world’s most populous country, the People’s Republic of China, approaches questions of climate change. The program will feature UNC Professor Angel Hsu as the keynote speaker. Professor Hsu leads an interdisciplinary research group that innovates and applies quantitative approaches to pressing environmental issues. Scholar of Global Distinction students will have an opportunity to earn 4 hours towards the 8-hour international activity requirement of the Scholar of Global Distinction program. The program is open to Scholar of Global Distinction students and educators.
Details
Zoom
11:00 am – 12:00 pm ET
Webinar is free, but registration is required.
Learn more and register here.
Seminar with Paul O'Keefe: Why Telling Students to Follow Their Passion is Bad Advice
UNC Chapel Hill
February 21, 2023
Paul A. O’Keefe is a social psychologist, Associate Professor at Yale-NUS College, Associate Professor at the NUS Business School (by courtesy), and Director of the Mindsets & Motivation Lab. He studies motivation and goal pursuit, focusing on the roles of implicit self-theories (mindsets), interest, and passion.
Students are often told to find their passion, as though passions and interests are pre-formed and must simply be discovered. This idea, however, has hidden repercussions. The current research examined implicit theories of interest—the idea that personal interests are inherent and relatively fixed (a fixed theory of interest) or developed (a growth theory of interest). In laboratory studies, a growth (vs. fixed) theory led those with strong interests in one area to express greater interest in a new or different area, and to maintain a new-found interest when pursuing it became difficult. Similarly, a 1-year randomized controlled field experiment showed that incoming liberal arts undergraduates who learned about a growth theory (vs. control) developed more interest in their two mandatory math/science courses—areas outside of their pre-existing interests—which predicted a higher final grade in both courses. This openness and pursuit of new interests suggests that a growth theory might predispose people to see connections among disciplines and engage in more creative and innovative problem solving. Indeed, additional lab experiments showed that a growth (vs. fixed) theory leads to a stronger tendency to effectively integrate the arts and sciences. Taken together, as compared to a growth theory, a fixed theory tends to diminish the development and diversity of one’s interests, learning in new or different domains, and the ability to innovate. As the world continues to globalize, we will need creative, interdisciplinary approaches to solve new and old problems. Cultivating a growth theory of interest among students might spark that process, setting them on a trajectory for careers that will have a positive impact on the world.
Details
UNC Chapel Hill
Phillips Hall, Room 328 on East Cameron Ave.
12:30 PM ET
Monthly Seminar Series: The Local Impacts of Nigeria's 2012 Flood with Mook Bangalore
UNC Chapel Hill
February 16, 2023
Mook Bangalore, a friend of DDL and PhD Candidate in Environment and Development at the Grantham Research Institute at London School of Economics, will be discussing his research on the local impacts of Nigeria’s 2012 flood.
Details
12:30 PM ET
Toy Lounge, Dey Hall
200 South Rd., Chapel Hill, NC
Recording available here.
Monthly Seminar Series: Using Data to Understand Urban Heat Disparities
UNC Chapel Hil
February 3, 2023
DDL Director Angel Hsu, Post-doctoral Research Associate Kaihui Song, and Research Scientist Zhi Yi Yeo will present on understanding urban heat disparities through data for our January seminar series.
Details
1:00 – 2:00 PM ET
UNC Chapel Hill
Toy Lounge, Dey Hall
200 South Rd., Chapel Hill, NC
Panel Presentation for the Penn Project on the Future of US-China Relations
Philadelphia, PA
January 26, 2023
DDL Director Angel Hsu will join for a public panel discussion hosted by the Penn Project on the Future of US-China Relations.
The U.S.-China relationship is multifaceted, singularly important, and recently troubled. The Penn Project on the Future of U.S.-China Relations brings together leading scholars specializing in key areas to examine and make recommendations for U.S. policy toward China in key areas, including national security, economic competitiveness, technology, climate, education, and human rights. In the wake of the meeting between Biden and Xi on the sidelines of the G20 summit in Bali and on the eve of Secretary of State Blinken’s visit to China, this panel will feature several participants in the Project to discuss the current state of U.S.-China relations and possible paths for U.S. policy.
This public session is held in conjunction with the plenary meeting of the Penn Project on the Future of U.S.-China Relations, which is organized by Penn’s Center for the Study of Contemporary China and supported by Penn’s China Research and Engagement Fund and the Henry Luce Foundation.
Panelists:
Gerard DiPippo (Center for Strategic and International Studies)
Sophie Richardson (Human Rights Watch)
Angel Hsu (University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill)
Joel Wuthnow (National Defense University)
Moderator:
Susan Thornton (Paul Tsai China Center, Yale Law School)
Details
12:45 – 2:00 PM ET
World Forum, Perry World House, 3803 Locust Walk
Informal lunch provided
London School of Economics and Political Science Lecture: Polycentric Governance & Catalyzing Climate Action
Virtual
January 19, 2023
DDL Director Angel Hsu will discuss “Catalyzing virtuous cycles of climate action: An empirical model of polycentric governance” at the London School of Economics and Political Science.
Nations and international governing bodies are traditionally viewed as the primary actors working to mitigate global climate change. Yet subnational jurisdictions, such as states and cities, and non-state entities, such as businesses and civic organizations, have become increasingly important actors in efforts to reduce climate-warming greenhouse gas emissions and stem climate impacts. As the new paradigm and the Paris Agreement’s new “pledge, review and ratchet” system takes shape, scholars debate whether and how non-state and subnational policies and initiatives catalyze additional climate action. Many subnational efforts exceed their national regulatory counterparts, suggesting that non-state actors are able to adopt better targets than national governments. Evaluating non-state actors’ contributions to global climate mitigation and mapping this polycentric mode of governance requires an empirical foundation. In this presentation, I will discuss research efforts to quantify and assess non-state actor contributions to global climate mitigation and implications for the Paris Agreement’s polycentric governance.
Details
2:00 – 3:30 PM GMT
Zoom
Click here to learn more.
COP27 Debrief: Conversations with Students
UNC Chapel Hill
January 11, 2023
Last year, DDL Director Angel Hsu selected 14 of 45 student applicants to join her at COP27 in Sharm El Sheikh, where they got to experience firsthand climate-related presentations, negotiations, and policymaking decisions.
Join us for a conversation with the students about their experiences and key takeaways from the conference.
Details
4:00 – 5:00 PM ET
Zoom or Student Union Room 2518B
209 South Rd
Recording will be available shortly.
AGU 2022: Using Machine Learning to Predict Urban Climate Mitigation Performance
Chicago, IL
December 14, 2022
Research/Data Scientist Xuewei Wang will be present a paper entitled “Using Machine Learning to Predict Urban Climate Mitigation Performance,” co-authored with Director Angel Hsu, as part of the Global Environmental Change Session at the AGU Fall Meeting.
AGU Fall Meeting is the most influential event in the world dedicated to the advancement of Earth and space sciences. Every year, AGU Fall Meeting unites the Earth and space science community to share findings, connect like-minded scientists from around the world, and advance our profession and shared passion for the impact of science.
Details
December 14, 2022
4:45 – 6:15 CT
In-person, McCormick Place, S502ab
Learn more here: AGU Fall Meeting
DDL’s abstract: Using Machine Learning to Predict Urban Climate Mitigation Performance
2022 Forum on Carbon Neutrality & Sustainable Development
Virtual
November 28 – December 7-8, 2022
DDL Director Angel Hsu spoke about subnational climate action in China on the Urban panel of a virtual conference hosted by the Huazhong University of Science and Technology and the Program on Chinese Cities at the Center for Urban and Regional studies at UNC.
The forum consists of an opening ceremony and three parallel forums, with the themes of “Carbon Neutrality and Energy Transition”, “Carbon Neutrality and the Green Economy,” and “Carbon Neutrality and Urban Development” respectively, bringing together scholars from China and the U.S. to deliver academic report and discuss relevant topics.
Details
December 7-8
Zoom
Integrated Assessment Modeling Consortium Annual Conference
College Park, MD
November 28 – December 2, 2022
DDL Post-doctoral Research Associate Kaihui Song and Director Angel Hsu present two papers at the Integrated Assessment Modeling Consortium (IAMC) annual meeting. See the preliminary agenda.
Kaihui will present a paper along with UNC Prof. Noah Kittner, “Projecting Future Disparities in Heat Stress in the Continental US,” which utilizes climate change scenario models, an output of integrated assessment models used in the IPCC, to project future disparities in heat stress and energy burden. The paper also includes Prof. Wei Peng, Penn State, Angel Hsu (UNC), and Yu Ying (UNC).
Angel will present a paper, “Quantifying Non-state and Subnational Climate Mitigation Contributions with IAMs,” which discusses how integrated assessment models can incorporate insights from business and local government actors. The paper includes Mark Roelfsema (Utrecht University) and Takeshi Kuramochi (NewClimate Institute) as co-authors.
Details
8:00 AM November 28 – 5:00 PM December 2, CET
College Park Marriott Hotel & Conference Center, College Park, MD
Check the IAMC website for information on how to register.
COP27: Climate action by businesses, cities, and cooperative initiatives: faster, and stronger towards more ambitious NDCs
Sharm El-Sheikh, Egypt
November 17, 2022
Research/Data Scientist Zhi Yi Yeo will be speaking on “Climate action by businesses, cities, and cooperative initiatives: faster, and stronger towards more ambitious NDCs” at a side event at COP 27 on November 17.
Since the adoption of the Paris Agreement, a myriad of actors incl. businesses, cities, and cooperative initiatives have committed to a low-carbon and resilient future, promising to narrow emissions and financing gaps; to accelerate implementation; and to spur ambition. This event takes stock of efforts by businesses, cities, and international cooperative initiatives and discusses new reports, progress and impacts, and opportunities to enhance NDCs and accelerate action across all sectors.
Other speakers include from NewClimate Institute, Radboud University, German Institute of Development and Sustainability (IDOS), and PBL Netherlands Environmental Assessment Agency,
Details
5:30 – 6:30 PM EET
Virtual – Zoom / EU Pavillion in Sharm El-Sheikh, Egypt
Watch the recording here.
COP27: Balancing net zero integrity & momentum
Sharm El-Sheikh, Egypt
November 12, 2022
The Net Zero Tracker will host an event taking stock of Non-State Actor net zero commitments (from business & investors to cities), with remarks by Jessica Omukuti & Dr Arunabha Ghosh of the High-Level Expert Group (HLEG) on Net Zero Commitments of Non-State Entities, plus Daniel Barlow, lead of the new ISO net zero guidelines.
Speakers:
Jessica Omukuti, Oxford Net Zero.
Dr Arunabha Ghosh, CEO, Council on Energy, Environment and Water (CEEW)
Daniel Barlow, Head of Our 2050 World, The British Standards Institution (BSI)
Dr. Thomas Hale, Prof., the Blavatnik School of Government, University of Oxford
Dr. Angel Hsu, Prof. and founder, Data Driven Envirolab, UCL
Richard Black, The Energy & Climate Change Intelligence Unit (ECIU)
Details
4:45 – 6:15 EET
Sharm El-Sheikh, Egypt, Memphis (300)
Watch the recording here.
COP27: Opportunity Scope 3 – how to exchange emissions data across value chains and why
Sharm El-Sheikh, Egypt
November 10, 2022
DDL Director Angel Hsu will speak on the importance of tracking scope 3 emissions at a panel hosted by the World Business Council for Sustainable Development.
Clear, comprehensive, reliable and comparable sustainability information is increasingly seen as one of the foundational building blocks for companies to be able to take targeted action to tackle their climate impacts. You cannot manage, what you cannot measure and track.
In this session members of the Partnership for Carbon Transparency – an initiative led by WBCSD and supported by the We Mean Business Coalition which brings together different stakeholders working on this challenge to jointly put in place the methodological and technological infrastructure necessary for emissions data exchange – will share the progress made in enabling companies to truly understand their supply chain emissions.
Panellists will discuss the prerequisites for transparency, with a particular focus on technological interoperability, and will share details of a recently completed data exchange pilot. They will also discuss the further steps needed to ensure confidentiality and integrity of data, explore the opportunities transparency presents for organizations of all sizes and demonstrate the vital role of collaboration across systems and initiatives in this space.
If you are doubtful that the Scope 3 challenge can be resolved, this is the session for you!
Details
10:30 EET
We Mean Business Pavillion
COP27: Global Stocktake Datathon Winners Highlight
Sharm El-Sheikh, Egypt
November 10, 2022
DDL will be hosting an event at COP 27 on November 10 for World Science Day where winners of the GST Datathon will present their research and findings.
The Datathon is facilitates the understanding of data related to the technical dialogue of GST1 and could contribute to the assessment of collective progress. The datathon includes the preparation of prompts and datasets based on the different themes of GST1. The analytical work enables a visualization potential opportunities and identifies creative ways for overcoming challenges.
Two projects – one that created a database of climate action and a second that measured ocean protection – were recently crowned winners of the first Global Stocktake Climate Datathon.
Details
5:00 PM EET
COP27: Launch of the OpenClimate Network
Sharm El-Sheikh, Egypt
November 10, 2022
DDL Director Angel Hsu will speak at Open Earth Foundation’s launch of the OpenClimate Network – an open-sourced nested accounting platform that is designed to digitally enable the independent global stocktake.
This presentation will discuss how the OpenClimate Network is being built with open source digital technology to support nested climate accounting and integrate into key digital platforms such as the UGIH or the British Columbia government. To incorporate Non-State actor efforts under the Global Stocktake (GST), the OpenEarth Foundation and the Data Driven EnviroLab, through the Climate Action Data 2.0 community, have launched a Digitally-Enabled Independent Global Stocktake (DIGS).
To verify the nested emissions and mitigation outcomes of corporations or projects in a trusted manner, an open digital infrastructure must connect the key actors with verifier/auditors and the subnational government. In partnership with the British Columbia government, OpenEarth will showcase how Decentralized Identifiers and Verifiable Credentials play a role in the Energy & Mines Digital Trust, verified by the Open Climate Network and incorporated into jurisdictional registries. This same digital architecture and logic is being leveraged for the design and build of the UGIH Virtual Hub.
The goal of this session is to introduce new digital practices in climate accounting and digital MRV to incorporate actions of non-state actors (eg. corporations and cities) into the Paris Agreement efforts.
Speakers:
- Martin E. Wainstein & Louisa Durkin, OpenEarth Foundation
- Nathan Aman-Blake & Nancy Norris, British Columbia Government
- Vincent Caldeira, OS-Climate
- Angel Hsu, DataDriven Lab, University of North Carolina
- Catherine Atkin, Stanford University (moderator)
Details
11:00 AM EET
Blue Zone, COP27 – UN Global Innovation Pavillion – Zone C
Watch the recording here.
COP27 - Global Stocktake Poster Session
Sharm El-Sheikh, Egypt
November 9, 2022
DDL will attend an informal poster session where participants can learn more about actors and research involved in the Global Stocktake.
During the session, ask questions about their research methods, results, and applications of their findings.
Details
2:00 – 4:00 PM EET
Plenary 2 – Ramses
Rethinking Cities in the Face of Extreme Heat
Virtual
October 26, 2022
Protecting people from extreme heat in cities will be one of the central challenges of climate adaptation in the 21st century. At the same time, many cities have pledged to reduce their carbon footprints — even as the need for air conditioning expands — in an attempt to hit net zero by 2050.
How can cities balance the need to cool off with the urgent imperative to reduce carbon emissions? Join Annual Reviews, Knowable Magazine and Future Tense for a conversation about how we can make cities cooler — and save lives — without further heating the planet.
Attendees will learn:
- What causes the urban heat island effect and why it disproportionately affects people living in poverty, the elderly and minority groups.
- How green infrastructure can help to lower urban temperatures and protect biodiversity.
- Why transparent, accurate data are crucial to reducing cities’ carbon emissions and reducing health impacts from heat waves.
Speakers:
Angel Hsu, Assistant Professor of Public Policy at UNC Chapel Hill
Katie Gallego, Mayor of Phoenix, Arizona
Moderated by Henry Grabar, Correspondent at Slate Magazine
Details
9:00 am PST / 12:00 pm EST
Zoom
Click here to view a recording of the event.
Click here to read a Q & A with Dr. Hsu about what cities can do to survive extreme heat.
Carolina Data Science Now
Virtual
October 27, 2022
Carolina Data Science Now is hosting their semi-monthly October seminar on Zoom at 12 PM on October 27th.
DDL Director Angel Hsu, along with Greg Characklis and Brian Blanton, will be presenting at the October edition of Carolina Data Science Now to discuss their work at the intersection of data analytics and the environment.
Details
12:00 pm EST
Zoom
Check Carolina Data Science Now for information on how to register and more upcoming events.
IMSI Detection and Attribution of Global Climate Change
Chicago, IL
October 17-26, 2022
DDL Director Angel Hsu will speak on “Detecting and attributing climate policy performance of subnational and non-state actors” from 11:00 – 11:45 AM CDT on Friday, October 21st at the IMSI Detection and Attribution of Global Climate Change event.
This event is part of IMSI’s long program on “Confronting Global Climate Change”. This program aims to foster new multidisciplinary collaborations and integrate young scientists and researchers into industry, private sector, and academic research through these workshops and embedded research projects with affiliated universities, national laboratories, and private industry.
Detection and attribution of climate change refers to the procedures used in assessing whether or not climate is changing, and if so, how to pinpoint the causes of any identified changes. Quantification of the uncertainty in attribution statements is of critical importance. Detection and attribution methods inform mankind’s current influence on climate and increase confidence in projections of future climate change, and related studies aid climate policy decisions and suggest techniques for adaptation and/or remediation where needed.
This summit is intended as a research workshop on current issues related to climate change detection and attribution, including changes in extreme events and the attribution of individual storms and other weather events and their impacts.
Details
11:00 – 11:45 AM CDT
Chicago, IL
Learn more and register here: IMSI Detection and Attribution of Climate Change
The "E" in ESG: UC Davis Law Symposium
Virtual
October 22, 2022
The “E” in ESG refers to the application of environmental criteria to corporate behavior by investors and corporate managers. These environmental criteria may encompass not only greenhouse gas emissions and climate change impacts but also pollution mitigation, waste management, water usage, and other environmental concerns. This symposium explores this hot topic with provocative panels on “ESG and the SEC: GHG Disclosures,” “Corporate Net Zero Pledges,” and “Potential Legal Barriers to ESG Action.” Top industry professionals and academics will lead these important discussions.
ESG matters not only to investors, but also to corporate managers, employees, customers, and other stakeholders. ESG increasingly informs corporate decisions, is a critical tool for achieving environmental sustainability, and is essential for lawyers to consider in advising corporate clients.
Details
11:10 am – 12:35 pm PT
UC Davis King Hall Room 1001
Livestream over Zoom
Sign up here: UC Davis Law Symposium Registration
Learn more here: UC Davis Law Symposium Information
Global Symposium
Toronto, Canada
October 22-25, 2022
DDL will be presenting at the Samuel Centre for Social Connectedness 2022 Global Symposium.
In the past, the Samuel Centre’s gatherings have featured uniquely intersectional conversations and a keen focus on practical solutions, as well as a spirit of warmth, laughter, and rich connection. This year—as they imagine and chart new paths forward in the face of the ongoing pandemic and climate change— they will create the same camaraderie and ethos.
At the Global Symposium, DDL Director Angel Hsu and Research Scientist Xuewei Wang will present on the lab’s Urban Environment and Social Inclusion (UESI) Index and host a breakout session.
Details
Toronto, Canada
Learn more here: Global Symposium Information
Climate Data Extraction Workshop
Location TBD
October 16, 2022
DDL is hosting a climate mitigation data extraction workshop where students can contribute to emissions mitigation research, learn about mitigation strategies and gain valuable experience extracting data from academic studies.
Bring your computer and friends! Food will be provided.
Details
10:00 am – 3:00 pm EST
Location TBD
Sign up here: Sign Up DDL Climate Data Extraction
Event flyer: DDL Climate Data Extraction Flyer
Global Stocktake Climate Datathon
climatedatathon.org
October 15, 2022
DDL is collaborating with the Open Earth Foundation on a Global Stocktake Climate Datathon to support the Global Stocktake (GST) to track collective progress towards the Paris Climate Agreement.
Participants from all over the world are invited to join and will have three weeks to complete their projects. Climate organizations and exports have created prompts in three categories: mitigation, adaptation, and implementation and support.
The goal of the Datathon is to enhance the quality of data (where needed) for the Global Stocktake, enable aggregated data insights, further understanding around collective progress, ways to bridge remaining gaps, and visualize potential opportunities.
There will be cash prizes and the best projects will be able to present their findings at COP27!
Details
Taking Submissions from September 21st – October 15th
Sign up and learn more: Climate Datathon Info
Event flyer: GST Climate Datathon Flyer
Monthly Lab Seminar Series: Cassandra Davis
Dey Hall, Toy Lounge
October 13, 2022
Details
2:00 – 3:00 pm EST
Toy Lounge in Dey Hall
200 South Rd., Chapel Hill, NC
Event Flyer: DDL Seminar Cassandra Davis Flyer
Building the Climate Data Internet
Bogota, Colombia
October 12, 2022
DDL post-doctoal researcher Marco Schletz will be speaking at the Sustainable Blockchain Summit LATAM in Bogota 4:15 pm COT / 5:15pm EST on October 12th.
Details
4:15 pm COT / 5:15 pm EST
Check https://sbs.tech/ for more information on this event.
NASEM Report Release
October 4, 2022
The National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine invites you to join a public release webinar for the new report, Greenhouse Gas Emissions Information for Decision Making, on Tuesday, October 4 from 1pm to 2pm ET. Members of the committee will share key takeaways, and there will be an opportunity for audience Q&A.
DDL Director Angel Hsu is a member of the NASEM Committee of Development of a Framework for Evaluating Global Greenhouse Gas Emissions for Decision Making, who released this report.
Details
Watch the recording here: NASEM Report Release
Read the full report here: NASEM Report
Climate Data Extraction Workshop
Genome Sciences Building, Room 1370
September 28, 2022
DDL is hosting a climate mitigation data extraction workshop where students can contribute to emissions mitigation research, learn about mitigation strategies and gain valuable experience extracting data from academic studies.
Bring your computer and friends! Food will be provided.
Details
5:00-8:00 pm EST
Genome Sciences Building, Room 1307
250 Bell Tower Dr., Chapel Hill, NC
Event flyer: DDL Climate Data Extraction Flyer
Panel: Net-Zero Carbon Cities and Electrification: The Next Global Agenda
Virtual, Yale’s Hixon Center Urban Conference
September 23, 2022
DDL Director Angel Hsu will speak on a panel at the the 9th Annual Hixon Center Urban Conference at Yale University. The title of this year’s conference is “Cities as Solutions to Climate Change: Perspectives from IPCC Authors.”
The conference brings together researchers and practitioners focused on the potential impacts that cities have on climate change around the globe and features two Vice-Chairs and seven Authors from the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), the United Nations body for assessing the science related to climate change. We hope you will join us for these presentations and conversations, which will lead us from research to practice and applied solutions at the intersection of urban ecology, better cities, and climate change.
The conference will be held in a hybrid format: streamed online and with limited in-person attendance at the Yale School of the Environment. The conference is free and open to the public. It will be recorded and available for later viewing.
Details
9:30 am EST
Yale School of the Environment
Hixon Center for Urban Ecology
195 Prospect Street, New Haven, CT 06511
View the recording of the event here
Monthly Lab Seminar Series: Marco Schletz
Dey Hall, Toy Lounge
September 15, 2022
The Data-Driven EnviroLab, led by Angel Hsu, assistant professor of Public Policy and faculty member in the Environment, Ecology and Energy Program, is hosting its monthly seminar series this month with a presentation given by Marco Schletz, PhD – a Post-doctoral Research Associate in the lab.
Marco’s research focuses on how emerging technologies can create innovative economic and governance models, specifically in the complex context of the Paris Agreement and towards the Sustainable Development Goals. In his current roles as a Postdoc at the Data-Driven Lab and at the Open Earth Foundation, he investigates how a combination of IoT, machine learning, and blockchain can be used to build the ‘climate data internet’ and drive global climate action.
The seminar will take place on Thursday, Sept. 15th at 1pm, in Toy Lounge in Dey Hall. There will be snacks and interesting conversation – we hope to see you there!
Details
1:00 – 2:00 pm EST
Toy Lounge in Dey Hall
200 South Rd., Chapel Hill, NC
Event flyer: DDL Seminar Marco Schletz Flyer
Back From The Brink: A Framework For Climate Action
Furman University
August 30, 2022
DDL Director Angel Hsu will speak at the first session of Straight Talk 2022: A New Climate Movement, hosted by Furman University.
This speaker series will focus on exploring the roadmap to meaningful climate action, and feature speakers Former Vice President Al Gore, Bob Inglis of the Energy and Enterprise Initiative (E&EI) at George Mason University, John Lanier of the Ray C. Anderson Foundation, and Stinson Woodward Ferguson, an assistant municipal judge for the City of Greenville who focuses on environmental law.
Details
6:30 pm EST
McAlister Auditorium
3300 Poinsett Highway
Greenville, SC 29613
View the recording here.
Back From The Brink: A Framework For Climate Action
Furman University
August 30, 2022
DDL Director Angel Hsu will speak at the first session of Straight Talk 2022: A New Climate Movement, hosted by Furman University.
This speaker series will focus on exploring the roadmap to meaningful climate action, and feature speakers Former Vice President Al Gore, Bob Inglis of the Energy and Enterprise Initiative (E&EI) at George Mason University, John Lanier of the Ray C. Anderson Foundation, and Stinson Woodward Ferguson, an assistant municipal judge for the City of Greenville who focuses on environmental law.
Details
6:30 pm EST
McAlister Auditorium
3300 Poinsett Highway
Greenville, SC 29613
View the recording here.
Monthly Lab Seminar Series: Kaihui Song
Abernethy Hall, Room 102
August 18, 2022
DDL will kick off the fall semester with the first installment of the lab’s monthly seminar series on topics related to environmental
research, data analytics and
professional development. Our first speaker is DDL’s newest Post-doctoral Research Associate, Kaihui Song, PhD.
Kaihui will discuss her research on demand-driven climate mitigation in the U.S., and the challenges and opportunities to reduce carbon footprints
from households and state-level actors.
Details
1:00 – 2:00 pm EST
Abernethy Hall Room 102
131 Columbia St., Chapel Hill, NC
Event flyer: DDL Seminar Kaihui Song flyer
RTP180: Sustainability
July 21, 2022
Virtual or In-Person at Frontier RTP
Angel Hsu, Keith Weitz, James Davis, Jordan White, Matthew Pait
Join DDL Director Angel Hsu for a discussion on sustainability. Speakers from the founding Universities, Park companies and the North Carolina community at-large, are getting together for an insightful exchange of views.
Details
5:00-7:15 pm EST
Watch the recording here
Cities on the Sustainability Frontlines: Measuring Social Inclusion and Environmental Performance
July 14, 2022
Zoom
Angel Hsu, Kim Samuel, Xuewei Wang, Laura Ballesteros, Nicole Goddard
Join DDL Director Angel Hsu for the latest data and updates to the Urban Environment and Social Inclusion Index. As the first of its kind, the UESI Index leverages high-resolution, large-scale data to reveal how cities perform at the intersection of environment and social equity.
As DDL releases the 2022 updates for over 300 cities, this briefing will be held as a roundtable discussion with government policy experts, bringing in applicable reflections and suggestions for a new era of sustainability.
Details
10:00-11:30 am EST
Register here
The State of Open Data: Climate Action
June 23, 2022
Zoom
Angel Hsu, Johannes Friedrich, Aniket Ghai
Come and join us to discuss perspectives on the use and impact of open data on Climate Action around the world.
Details
3:00-4:30 pm GMT
Register here
Media launch: the Global Net Zero Stocktake
June 13, 2022
Bonn, Germany and Zoom
Angel Hsu, Takeshi Kuamochi, Thomas Hale, Richard Black
This briefing will introduce a new Global Stocktake of net zero commitments; assessing the status and trends of net zero target-setting across countries, sub-national governments, and corporates – released for the first time since the original ‘Taking Stock’ report in 2021.
Details
9:15-9:45 am GMT
Access the webcast here
Unpacking the New UN Panel Report on Climate Solutions
April 25, 2022
Zoom
Angel Hsu
In early April, the UN Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) released its third and final report assessing the state of knowledge on solutions for mitigating climate change. The punchline of the report was stark: unless deep and immediate cuts are made, limiting warming to 1.5 degrees C is out of reach. But the report also recommended a pragmatic view forward: many solutions exist across multiple sectors; many of them are compatible with achieving the sustainable development goals; and growing numbers of laws and policies across the world are seeking to implement these solutions. What does this glass half full picture imply for Singapore and the countries in South-East Asia? Join a distinguished panel including authors of the report and leading policy-makers.
Details
Monday, April 15
05:15 PM – 06:30 PM EST
Register here
HeatHack 2022
April 23, 2022
Zoom
DDL
This hybrid in-person/remote one-day hackathon will bring together coders, programmers, data visualization whizzes, and environmental enthusiasts to help us discover actionable insights, develop engaging data visuals, and create action plans to address the growing and intensifying challenge of climate change and urban heat in the Triangle. Teams will have the opportunity throughout the day to ask for feedback as they develop their ideas and final products, and at the end, a panel of judges composed of community stakeholders will provide feedback and award prizes for the winning entries. Several webinars will be hosted ahead of the event that brings climate and data scientists to provide free community data science training.
Details
Watch the recording of the final presentations here
Visit the HeatHack website to learn more
Panel: What Does the Green Smart City of the Future Look Like?
March 10, 2022
Zoom
Angel Hsu
With cities being the largest emitters of GHG emissions globally, city leaders are now faced with the challenge of transforming how cities function. In order to decarbonise cities across the world, cars, public transportation and heating need to be electrified putting more pressure on electricity grids and supply. How can leaders finance the transformation of cities? What is the right balance between centralised and decentralized grids? What are the innovations in construction and building development that can help cities to net-zero? Join DDL Director Angel Hsu at this panel, part of FT Climate Capital Live
Details
Watch the recording here
Chapel Hill Heat Watch 2021 Debrief Webinar
March 3, 2022
Zoom
Angel Hsu, Xuewei Wang
Join DDL as we discuss results from our 2021 Chapel Hill Heat Watch campaign, as well as how you can get involved with future campaigns.
Details
6:30-7:30pm EST
Join the Zoom meeting here
Fix Live: What's Next
Jan. 19, 2022
Zoom
Angel Hsu
With catastrophic heat waves and hurricanes, rapidly rebounding emissions, and a sobering IPCC report, 2021 was an “oh shit” year for climate awareness, but doom and gloom is never the full story. More awareness of this existential threat and the repercussions sure to come means that more people than ever are engaging with environmental and social justice issues. To make sense of what this all means for the year ahead, Fix Co-Director Jessica Stahl is sitting down with climate and justice leaders to talk about the changes they see coming in tech, infrastructure, food, energy, and culture in 2022.
Details
5:00-6:00pm EST
Register here
Reflections from COP 26
Jan. 14, 2022
Zoom
Angel Hsu
Join the UNC Science Policy Advocacy Group for a discussion with the UNC COP26 Delegation on reflections from COP26, moderated by our director and delegation lead Angel Hsu.
Details
1:00 PM – 2:00 PM EST
Register here
The Science of Net Zero at Environmental Research 2021
Nov. 18, 2021
Zoom
Angel Hsu
Environmental Research 2021 is a free-to-attend virtual conference for the international community that brings together leading environmental scientists and influencers to share knowledge and address important global challenges relating to the environment and sustainability. This panel will feature international experts on the science of net zero.
Details
17:00 to 18:30 GMT time
Register to attend here
Chapel Hill Urban Heat Island Research Presentation
Nov. 18, 2021
Zoom
Xuewei Wang
Join DDL’s Xuewei Wang as she presents her and Angel Hsu’s field research on the urban heat island effect in Chapel Hill to the Southeast Regional Climate Center
Details
1:00-2:00pm EST
Join the Zoom meeting here
Password: konrad
Takeaways from COP 26: What does US-China geopolitical competition mean for global climate action?
Nov. 17, 2021
Zoom
Angel Hsu
This event will reflect on COP26, specifically in regards to US-China geopolitical competition.
Details
9:00-10:15 am EST
Join here
Climate accounting guide: How to spot false climate action claims?
Nov. 9, 2021
Watch the recording here
Glasgow, UK and Zoom
Angel Hsu
This event will provide an accounting guide by focusing on the physical flows of carbon emissions into the atmosphere.
Details
16:00-17:30 GMT
Blue Zone at COP26, Hall 4, the Scottish Events Campus, Exhibition Way, Glasgow G3 8YW, UK
COP26: The Future of Climate Action Accounting
Nov. 5, 2021
Glasgow, UK
Data-Driven EnviroLab and Camda Climate Action Data 2.0
Join data, tech and policy experts of the Camda Climate Action Data 2.0 community to discuss the use of emerging digital technologies for next-generation climate accounting.
Details
Friday, November 5, from 5-8pm
Climate Action Lab – Strathclyde Student Union
51 Richmond Street, Glasgow, UK
RSVP: https://tinyurl.com/climateactioncop26
Agenda: https://tinyurl.com/climateagendacop26
Facing Code Red: Climate Change in Southeast Asia
Oct 19, 2021
Watch the recording here
Zoom Webinar (Virtual)
Angel Hsu
Viewed alongside other world regions, Southeast Asia is uniquely vulnerable to major damage by global warming. With this background in mind, Angel Hsu and Melissa Low, two scholars with deep regional and policy knowledge will consider questions like: Can currently worsening trends be reversed? Who will represent the interests of the unborn generations who will suffer the long-term consequences of present-day indifference and delay? Will effective policy require authoritarian politics? And how, if at all, will global versions of these questions be addressed and answered in November in Glasgow at COP26?
Details
8:00-9:30 pm
Register and learn more here
Climate Action Credibility in the Climate Decade
Sept 22, 2021
Watch the recording here
Data-Driven EnviroLab
Join us Wednesday, Sept. 22 for “Climate Action Credibility in the Climate Decade”, a Climate Week NYC event, to hear from experts about the critical importance of tracking climate action data. The event is hosted by Climate Group in partnership with Climate Works Foundation and the data and analytical network Camda, a network of data experts from nearly 100 organizations (including Data-Driven EnviroLab) dedicated to tracking climate action. Camda’s new Climate Data 2.0 initiative, which explores how cutting-edge data methodologies can be used to develop climate action progress and accountability, will be part of the discussion.
Details
10:30 am ET – 12:30 pm ET.
Register and learn more here: https://tinyurl.com/camda-nyc
Climate Action in China and Implications for Southeast Asia
August 6, 2021
Zoom Webinar (Virtual)
Angel Hsu
Speakers
International climate ambition is on the rise. To date, over a hundred countries have joined the Climate Ambition Alliance to work towards achieving net-zero carbon emissions by 2050. In September 2020, President Xi Jinping made waves when he announced that China’s new target of reaching carbon neutrality by 2060; and in March 2021, China’s 14th Five Year Plan set out concrete steps toward that goal, aiming for an 18% reduction in carbon emissions intensity, a 13.5% reduction in energy intensity and a 20% share of non-fossil fuels in the energy mix by 2025. China’s decarbonisation pathways promise an acceleration in both policy and technological innovation. As a major power and the world’s second largest economy, China has the potential to exercise influence over global climate action through its domestic and international policy. This webinar provides a platform for leading commentators on China’s climate policy to analyse these key developments and implications for Southeast Asia.
Details
9:00-10:15 am SGT
HeatWatch Mini-Webinar Series
June 24, 2021
Watch the recording here
Zoom Webinar (Virtual)
Angel Hsu, Xuewei Wang, Joyce Mei
Speakers
The NC Museum of Life and Science held a series of mini-webinars as part of their HeatWatch series. The Data-Driven EnviroLab gave an introduction to the Urban Heat Island and discussed the ways in which different populations all over the world are disproportionately exposed to urban heat. Xuewei and Joyce introduced a new smartphone/Apple Watch app that DDL has customized, called Cozie, to help collect data to better understand thermal comfort.
Details
6:00 pm EDT
Driving Global Emissions Reductions with Data Policy Innovation
April 22, 2021
Zoom Webinar (Virtual)
Angel Hsu
Speakers
Hosted by the Climate Data Policy Initiative of the Stanford CodeX Center for Legal Informatics, this panel explores current efforts to build the carbon data ecosystem – including the development of the legal, technical and policy frameworks – needed to radically accelerate public and private GHG emissions reductions.
Details
U.S.-China Climate Cooperation: The Path Forward
April 22, 2021
Zoom Webinar (Virtual)
Angel Hsu
Speakers
The United States and China jointly account for 40 percent of global greenhouse gas emissions, so avoiding the worst consequences of climate change will require collective action by the two countries. In the first program in a series on climate change and the environment, and coinciding with President Biden’s Leaders Summit on Climate, Professors Angel Hsu, Jonas Nahm, and Alex Wang will discuss the critical importance of U.S.-China climate cooperation at all levels of society, and offer practical proposals for policy action.
On April 22, 2021, the National Committee held a virtual program with Angel Hsu, Jonas Nahm, and Alex Wang to discuss the future of U.S.-China climate cooperation in a conversation moderated by China energy expert Joanna Lewis.
Details
4:00-5:15 pm EDT
USC US-China Institute: Is China Going Green?
April 22, 2021
Zoom Webinar (Virtual)
Angel Hsu
Speakers
China is the leading emitter of greenhouse gasses, but has also become a major investor in green technologies. It is among the biggest producers of renewable energy. The country has sought to address not just air pollution and climate change, but also water and soil pollution. Gathering and utilizing data is a big part of China’s environmental protection efforts. We are delighted to welcome two prominent observers of these efforts to discuss the use of data in making and implementing Chinese environmental laws and policies as well as what data trends actually show about the impact of these efforts.
Details
3:00-4:00 pm EDT
UC Berkeley California-China Institute:China's Carbon Neutrality Plans: Game Changer for Climate Change?
April 15, 2021
Zoom Webinar (Virtual)
Angel Hsu
Speakers
On September 22, 2020, China’s President Xi Jinping surprised the world by announcing a goal to achieve “carbon neutrality before 2060,” and peak carbon emissions “before 2030” at the United Nations General Assembly. Meanwhile, with U.S. President Joe Biden’s aims to achieve net neutrality by mid-century in the United States, this marks a unique opportunity to explore enhanced dialogue between the U.S. and China on their respective mid-century climate goals. Still, geopolitical tensions between the two nations remain fraught, and each faces significant obstacles toward rapidly decarbonizing their economies.
To further explore what barriers and opportunities exist for China’s carbon neutrality goals, this panel heard from the authors of China’s Carbon Neutral Opportunity, with commentary from U.S. and Chinese issue-experts.
Details
8:00-9:00 pm EDT
AI for the Planet Digital Conference
March 16th, 2021
Virtual
Angel Hsu
Speaker
Professor Hsu will speak on a Sustainable Mobility panel session of the “Tuesdays Together for the Planet” dialogue series – created by UNESCO, in collaboration with UNEP, StartUp Inside, and Microsoft.This dialogue series is dedicated to highlighting AI applications in domains related to sustainable development and the preservation of our planet.
Details
2:15 – 3:00PM EST, March 16th
Link to event:
https://aifortheplanet.org/en/session/28d7315a-9382-eb11-b566-000d3a20ecf5
NUS LKYSPP Water Policy Institute
November 17, 2020
Singapore (Virtual)
Angel Hsu
Speaker
Professor Hsu will elaborate on the Urban Environment and Social Inclusion Index (UESI) that creates a spatial framework to measure the progress of cities towards Sustainable Development Goal 11 (SDG-11). She will also present a new method for assessing environmental equity that identifies how evenly or unevenly cities are distributing environmental benefits and burdens across neighbourhoods.
Details
11:00 AM SGT
CHINA Town Hall: Health & Climate
November 18, 2020
Zoom Webinar (Virtual)
Angel Hsu
Speakers
Angel will join Margaret Hamburg (National Academy of Medicine) and Ryan Hass (Brookings Institution) to discuss the roles of the US and China in addressing the transnational issues of combating climate change and communicable disease.
Details
7:00 am SGT
View recording
CEREAL (Conversation on the Environment, Responsible Energy, And Life)
November 3, 2020
Princeton, NJ (Virtual)
Angel Hsu
Speakers
Angel will be joining as a guest speaker on CEREAL, a weekly talk on a variety of environmental topics hosted by the Princeton Environmental Institute
Details
9:00 pm SGT
More details coming
TED Climate Countdown
October 10, 2020 (Virtual Launch)
Virtual
Angel Hsu
Speakers
To make progress on climate action we need to collaborate on a global scale – and your community has an important role to play. On 10.10.2020, Countdown will launch globally with a virtual event, and we invite you to join us. Watch online at home with your family and friends.
Details
countdown.ted.com
Yale-NUS United Nations Society Panel Discussion
Thursday, October 8
Singapore
Angel Hsu
Speakers
Panel discussion on the intensification of climate change due to the COVID-19 pandemic with Prof. Winston Chow, Singapore Management University and Melissa Low, Energy Studies Institute.
Details
4:00-5:30 pm SGT
Yale-NUS College (in person and virtual)
Virtual Forum on Earth System Governance
Sept. 17, 2020
Virtual
Angel Hsu
Speakers
Semi-Plenary Session V : The transformative potential of transparency in climate governance. This semi-plenary brings together leading scholars and practitioners interested in the impact of transparency in tackling climate change. Calls for ever greater transparency are now a dominant feature of global climate governance. Under what conditions does (what kind of) transparency lead to more accountable, trustworthy and ambitious collective climate action, as is widely assumed? When is transparency transformative of multilevel climate governance? This semi-plenary takes on this complex and urgent question.
Details
Urban Thinkers Campus: Citizen Action Lab
Sept. 11, 2020
Virtual
Angel Hsu
Speakers
Citizen Action Lab for Safe and Inclusive and Inclusive Cities. The Urban Thinkers Campus (UTC) is an initiative of the World Urban Campaign driven by UN-Habitat. The UTC is conceived as an open space for critical exchange between urban researchers, professionals, and decision-makers who believe that urbanization is an opportunity and can lead to positive urban transformations. It is also intended as a platform to build consensus between partners engaged in addressing urbanization challenges and proposing solutions to urban futures.
Details
7:30 PM SGT
Asia-Pacific Centre for Environmental Law - COVID-19 and Climate Change in Asia: Opportunity or Red Herring?
July 1, 2020
Singapore (Virtual)
Angel Hsu
Speakers
Virtual Roundtables on Asian Law : COVID-19 and Climate Change in Asia: Opportunity or Red Herring? (in partnership with CALS). Speakers: Dr Joseph Chun, NUS Law, Assoc Prof Jolene Lin, Dr Linda Yanti Sulistiawati, NUS Law, APCEL, Ipshita Chaturvedi, C&C Advisors, Angel Hsu, Yale-NUS College.
Details
Register interest: https://bit.ly/2MnnDBj
World Urban Forum 2020
February 8-13, 2020
Abu Dhabi, UAE
Amy Weinfurter
Speaker
Amy will be representing our team in presenting updates to the Urban Environment and Social Inclusion Index (UESI) as part of the World Urban Forum’s Urban Library Series.
Details
13:00-13:45 Sunday, February 9 in the Urban Library.
Registration is free but required.
Moet-Hennessey Vinexpo 2020
February 10, 2020
Paris, France
Angel Hsu
Speaker
Angel will present on the panel, “Climate Change: What do we have to do to adapt?”
- Pauline Lhote, Winemaking Director, Chandon California
- Kees Van Leeuwen, Professor of Viticulture, Bordeaux University, France
- Angel Hsu, Professor of Environmental Studies, Yale-National University of Singapore
Details
More details on the program are here. Registration for the Vinexpo is required.
WEF Annual Meeting 2020
January 21-24, 2020
Davos, Switzerland
Angel Hsu
Speaker
Dr Hsu will be speaking at various events at the WEF Annual Meeting in Davos.
Details
Registration required. For a full list of Data-Driven Lab events, see this page.
COP25
December 4-7, 2019
Madrid, Spain
Angel Hsu
Speaker
Angel will be at the 2019 UN Climate Change Conference for a new round of meetings on climate action. She will also be unveiling digital solutions for climate data tracking from the recent Open Climate Collabathon.
Details
Registration required.
2019 Roundtable on Future District Energy Systems: Decarbonising the City and the Energy Sector
December 3, 2019
Singapore
Angel Hsu
Speaker
The Roundtable aims to uncover urban planning challenges to transform today’s cities into carbon-free cities. Dr Hsu will present on these challenges as well as join a roundtable discussion with Arno Schlüter and Danny Kennedy.
Details
Registration required.
Prosperity & Inclusion City Seal and Awards (PICSA)
November 21, 2019
Bilbao, Spain
Willie Khoo
Participant
Willie will attend the inaugural PICSA ceremony and roundtable, where city leaders and urban policymakers will come together and share best practices for scaling and replicating inclusive cities.
Details
Invitation only.
Subnational transatlantic partnerships ahead of COP25
November 21, 2019
Washington, DC
Angel Hsu
Presenter (remote)
Prof. Angel Hsu will make a remote presentation on Assessing and Tracking Non-state and Subnational Climate Action at this roundtable, which will discuss the EU’s role as a global climate leader, the state of EU engagement on climate action among U.S. States and cities, the state of transatlantic subnational partnerships (including at EU-to subnational and national-to-subnational levels, and the role of subnational stakeholders in the COP process.
Details
November 21, 10am-2pm EST George Washington University Invitation only
Open Climate Collabathon
November 16 & 23, 2019
Singapore
Contribute to the development of an open source and collectively owned global climate accounting system, platform, and portal. Hosted by Data-Driven Lab and Yale OpenLab, the collabathon will launch at Yale University and continue for two weeks in decentralized efforts around the world until December 6th at the UNFCCC COP25 summit.
Details
November 16, 10am-6pm Classroom 16, Yale-NUS College Open to all.
November 23, 11:30am-4pm Classroom 16, Yale-NUS College Open to all.
Food provided.
JRC Week on Composite Indicators and Scoreboards
November 7-8, 2019
Ispra, Italy
Angel Hsu
Speaker
Dr. Hsu will present on the Urban Environment and Social Inclusion index alongside other scorecard and composite indicator projects from the World Economic Forum and MIT.
Details
Registration required.
UN Science-Policy-Business Forum on the Environment: Second Meeting of the Governing Consortium
November 4-5, 2019
Canberra, Australia
Nihit Goyal
Speaker
On 4th November, Nihit will join the panel of the session titled “Science-based Decision Making – Key Issues for the Consideration of the Governing Consortium” to speak about the Emissions Gap Report and the role of non-state actors.
Details
Invitation only.
Annual Meeting of the Global Future Councils: Agenda for the Global Future Council on Global Public Goods in the 4IR
November 3-4, 2019
Dubai, United Arab Emirates
Angel Hsu
Co-Chair
As co-chair, Dr Hsu will lead various council working sessions and help set the goals and objectives of the Annual Meeting, with a focus on finding solutions to protect global public goods and usher the world into a radically equitable Fourth Industrial Revolution.
Details
Invitation only.
Blockchain & Digital Technologies for Global Climate Action Tracking and Accounting
September 24, 2019
New York City, NY
Angel Hsu & Amy Weinfurter
Speaker
Data-Driven Lab, in partnership with Yale openLab, will host roundtable to discuss the practical opportunities to use emerging digital technologies for the streamlining and incentivization of data collection, monitoring, verification, and analysis.
Details
Invitation only.
The Climate Group: Action and Reward
September 24, 2019
New York City, NY
Angel Hsu
Speaker
Dr. Hsu will participate in a panel discussion on how states, regions, cities, and businesses can accrue important investment and innovation benefits from implementing ambitious climate action.
Details
Invitation only.
Sustainable Development Impact Summit: The Big Picture on Urban Fragility
September 24, 2019
New York City, NY
Angel Hsu
Speaker
Dr Hsu will share insights from Urban Environment and Social Inclusion Index (UESI), addressing the themes of urbanization and growing fragility within cities.
Details
Invitation only.
Sustainable Development Impact Summit: Leveraging the Fourth Industrial Revolution for the 2030 Agenda
September 23, 2019
New York City, NY
Angel Hsu
Speaker
Dr. Hsu will lead a breakout discussion, focusing on the opportunities and challenges for collaboration in the “tech for good” space.
Details
Invitation only.
KDD 2019: Fragile Earth: Theory Guided Data Science to Enhance Scientific Discovery (FEED 2019)
August 5, 2019
Anchorage, AK
Angel Hsu
Keynote Speaker
Dr. Hsu will provide the keynote at the Fragile Earth workshop, which will be held on Monday, August 5, 2019, in Anchorage, Alaska, US, as part of the 25th ACM SIGKDD International Conference on Knowledge Discovery and Data Mining (KDD 2019).
Details
Registration required.
World Economic Forum - Annual Meeting of New Champions
July 1-3, 2019
Dalian, China
Angel Hsu
Speaker
Dr. Hsu will be presenting on ‘Cities and Environmental Inequality’ in the Global Situation Space as well as speaking on panels at the conference.
Details
Invitation only.
ICLEI Resilient Cities Forum
June 26, 2019
Bonn, Germany
Diego Manya and Ryan Thomas
Speakers
Diego and Ryan will present an update of the Urban Environment and Social Inclusion Index – the first spatially explicit index of how cities around the world perform on environmental and social inclusion goals.
Details
Registration required.
Women's Forum: Call to the G-20
June 26, 2019
Kyoto, Japan
Angel Hsu
Speaker
Dr. Hsu will speak at the Youth and Leadership Forum on climate change leadership.
Details
Invitation only.
The Data-Driven EnviroLab, led by Angel Hsu, assistant professor of Public Policy and faculty member in the Environment, Ecology and Energy Program, is hosting its monthly seminar series this month with a presentation given by Cassandra R. Davis, an Assistant Professor of Public Policy at UNC-Chapel Hill and a colleague of the lab.
Dr. Davis has researched environmental disruptions, specifically the impact of natural hazards on low-income schooling communities of color. Dr. Davis’ goal is to support community leaders, educators, and policymakers to improve responses, preparedness, and recovery in areas with the highest need. Her most recent project focused on gathering insight from community members and government officials on the best strategies to distribute equitable support to marginalized communities and build trust between groups.
The seminar will take place on Thursday, Oct. 13th at 2pm, in Toy Lounge in Dey Hall. There will be snacks and interesting conversation – we hope to see you there!