Please join us for a discussion by Penn faculty on their climate related work, on Wednesday, December 6 at 6:30 pm at the American School of Dubai.

Penn faculty, staff, alumni, and students play a major role in addressing climate change, including as negotiators, advocates, and researchers. Penn sends one of the largest, most interdisciplinary delegations to the annual COP climate conferences of any university, and this year, for the first time, Penn will have a pavilion space in the Blue Zone. Join us for a panel discussion and reception highlighting Penn’s engagement in this year’s United Nations climate conference, and how Penn is leading the search for solutions to global climate change.

Panelists:

Lauren Anderson is Director of Programs for Perry World House, Penn’s center for international affairs and policy

Prior to joining Perry World House, Lauren Anderson worked within the United Nations family of organizations in the field of sustainable development for over 15 years. She was a staff member of the UN Department of Economics and Social Affairs, where she supported the work of the Commission on Sustainable Development and the Small Island Developing States Unit. More recently, Anderson served as a consultant to the UN Development Programme Multi-Partner Trust Funds on Ebola and COVID-19. In addition to her work with the United Nations, Anderson was editor of the International Institute for Sustainable Development SDG Knowledge Hub and an adjunct professor in the Africana Studies Program of Rowan University. Anderson holds a BA in ecology and evolutionary biology from Princeton University and an MA in international relations from Johns Hopkins’ School of Advanced International Studies.

Genie Birch, Lawrence C. Nussdorf Chair of Urban Research and Education and Co-Director of the Penn Institute for Urban Research 

Professor Birch is the Lawrence C. Nussdorf Chair of Urban Research and Education, teaching courses in global urbanization and the doctoral seminar. Her primary research focus revolves around global urbanization, and she assumes key leadership roles within academic and global organizations. She is the chair of the Graduate Group in City and Regional Planning and co-directs the Penn Institute for Urban Research, playing a pivotal role in advancing knowledge and discourse in the field. Her editorial contributions extend to being the co-editor of the City in the 21st Century Series at the University of Penn Press, co-editor the SSRN Urban Research e-journal, and associate editor of the Journal of the American Planning Association. Professor Birch also serves as the President of the General Assembly of Partners (GAP), an engagement platform for implementing the UN’s New Urban Agenda and related global agreements. Throughout her career, she has been president of the Association of Collegiate Schools of Planning, the president of the Society of American City and Regional Planning History, the president of the International Planning History Society, and the co-editor of the Journal of the American Planning Association. She has chaired the Board of Trustees of the Municipal Art Society of New York and is currently a member of the Board of Trustees of the Regional Plan Association of New York. She received her PhD and MSUP from Columbia University and her AB from Bryn Mawr College.  

Lolita Jackson E’89, Visting Fellow, Perry World House and Adjunct Professor in Environmental Studies 

Lolita K. Jackson MBE is the executive director of sustainable cities at Sustainable Development Capital LLP, a multibillion-pound FTSE 250 climate investment firm, and an Adjunct Professor in the Masters of Environmental Studies program at the University of Pennsylvania. She is a Senior Advisor to Perry World House, a former Perry World House Fellow in 2020-2023 and a 2007 winner of the Penn Alumni Award of Merit. Jackson is a frequent speaker at global gatherings and universities on the topics of climate diplomacy and public and private sector engagement on climate. She previously worked for the NYC Mayor’s Office for fifteen years in a variety of roles, lastly as the Special Advisor for Climate Policy & Programs, where she was the climate diplomat for NYC. Jackson is a member of the British-American Project’s US advisory board, a member of GlobalScot; a trustee of the Jazz Museum in Harlem; a board member of the St Andrew’s Society of New York; and president of the Penn Alumni Class of 1989. She was named to the City & State's “Energy & Environment Power 100” list for 2022 and was named a Member of the Order of the British Empire in 2021. Jackson is a professional singer, having performed on four continents and at Carnegie Hall. She is an alumna of the University of Pennsylvania’s School of Engineering and Applied Science, majoring in applied science with a concentration in chemical engineering. 

Moderator: Scott Moore, Practice Professor of Political Science and Director of China Programs and Strategic Initiatives, Penn Global 

As Director of China Programs and Strategic Initiatives, Scott Moore works with faculty members from across the University to design, implement, and highlight innovative, high-impact global research initiatives in areas including sustainability and emerging technology. He also teaches classes on China, climate change, and environmental politics for the Department of Political Science, and conducts research on water issues as a Senior Advisor to the Water Center at Penn. His latest book, China’s Next Act: How Sustainability and Technology are Reshaping China’s Rise and the World’s Future, explores China’s role in addressing climate change. His other writing has been featured in Nature, Foreign Affairs, The China Quarterly, and The New York Times, among other outlets. Prior to Penn, Dr. Moore was a Young Professional and Water Resources Management Specialist at the World Bank Group, and Environment, Science, Technology, and Health Officer for China at the U.S. Department of State, where he worked extensively on the Paris Agreement on climate change. Before entering public service, Dr. Moore was Giorgio Ruffolo Post-Doctoral Research Fellow with the Belfer Center for Science and International Affairs at Harvard University. Dr. Moore holds doctoral and master’s degrees from Oxford University and an undergraduate degree from Princeton.