2022 - Evidence to Action: Achieving the Net-Zero 2050 Targets

11th Annual JRCPPF Conference | Conference Summary

Climate change has emerged as the defining issue of the twenty-first century, a root cause of social and economic upheavals that will affect multiple generations. In order to meet the 1.5°C (2.7°F) global warming target set by the Paris Agreement and minimize the impacts of climate change, carbon dioxide emissions have to reach net-zero by 2050 and total greenhouse gas emissions must reach net-zero in the 2060s. Transitioning to a carbon-neutral society in less than three decades means transformational changes in technology, behavior, and markets. Massive levels of investment and new financial instruments are required to deploy renewable energy at scale and develop new technologies for energy efficiency, carbon capture, and carbon storage. Smart policies and economic incentives are needed to shift consumer behavior and accelerate the switch away from fossil fuels.

What will it take for us to stabilize and reduce the concentration of carbon dioxide in Earth's atmosphere? How can we navigate this transition in a just manner that addresses the needs of workers in carbon-intensive sectors and the most vulnerable communities? This conference will bring together leading climate scientists, economists, and financial industry experts to explore the science behind the net-zero goals, optimal pathways to achieving the targets, the political and behavioral constraints, and the role of markets.

Co-sponsored by the Center for Policy Research on Energy and Environment, the Andlinger Center for Energy and the Environment, and the High Meadows Environmental Institute.

Videos, slides, papers (Evidence to Action)

Speakers

Speaker biographies

 

Leon Clarke
Leon Clarke, Research Professor; Acting Director of the Center for Global Sustainability, University of Maryland

 

Felix Creutzig, Professor for Sustainability Economics of Human Settlements, Mercator Institute and Technical University Berlin
Felix Creutzig, Professor for Sustainability Economics of Human Settlements, Mercator Institute and Technical University Berlin

 

Kristie Ebi, Professor, Center for Health and the Global Environment, University of Washington
Kristie Ebi, Professor, Center for Health and the Global Environment, University of Washington

 

Christian Gollier, Professor of Economics and Executive Director of the Toulouse School of Economics
Christian Gollier, Professor of Economics and Executive Director of the Toulouse School of Economics

 

Connie Hedegaard, (former) EU Commissioner for Climate
Connie Hedegaard, (former) EU Commissioner for Climate

 

Zelina Zaiton Ibrahim, Associate Professor of Environmental Management and Statistics, IPCC and University Putra
Zelina Zaiton Ibrahim, Associate Professor of Environmental Management and Statistics, IPCC and University Putra

 

Jesse Jenkins, Assistant Professor of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering and the Andlinger Center for Energy and the Environment, Princeton University
Jesse Jenkins, Assistant Professor of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering and the Andlinger Center for Energy and the Environment, Princeton University

 

Sarah Kapnick ’04, Managing Director, Senior Climate Scientist & Sustainability Strategist, JP Morgan Chase & Co.
Sarah Kapnick ’04, Managing Director, Senior Climate Scientist & Sustainability Strategist, JP Morgan Chase & Co.

 

Gunnar Luderer, Chair of Global Energy Systems, Technische Universität Berlin; Head, Energy Systems Research, PIK
Gunnar Luderer, Chair of Global Energy Systems, Technische Universität Berlin; Head, Energy Systems Research, PIK

 

Ilissa Ocko *13, Senior Climate Specialist, Environmental Defense Fund
Ilissa Ocko *13, Senior Climate Specialist, Environmental Defense Fund

 

Mar Reguant, Associate Professor of Economics, Northwestern University
Mar Reguant, Associate Professor of Economics, Northwestern University

 

Jessika Trancik, Professor at the Institute for Data, Systems, and Society, MIT
Jessika Trancik, Professor at the Institute for Data, Systems, and Society, MIT

 

Detlef Van Vuuren, Professor in Integrated Assessment of Global Environmental Change, Utrecht University; Senior Researcher, PBL Netherlands Environmental Assessment Agency
Detlef Van Vuuren, Professor in Integrated Assessment of Global Environmental Change, Utrecht University; Senior Researcher, PBL Netherlands Environmental Assessment Agency

 

Gernot Wagner, Clinical Associate Professor, New York University
Gernot Wagner, Clinical Associate Professor, New York University

 

Christopher Greig, Theodora D. ’78 and William H. Walton III ’74 Senior Research Scientist; Acting Associate Director for External Partnerships, Andlinger Center for Energy and the Environment
Christopher Greig, Senior Research Scientist, Andlinger Center for Energy and the Environment, Princeton University

 

Simon Levin, James S. McDonnell Distinguished University Professor in Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, Princeton University
Simon Levin, James S. McDonnell Distinguished University Professor in Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, Princeton University

 

Denise Mauzerall, Professor of Civil and Environmental Engineering and Public and International Affairs, Princeton University
Denise Mauzerall, Professor of Civil and Environmental Engineering and Public and International Affairs, Princeton University

 

Atif Mian, Professor of Economics, Public Policy and Finance, Princeton University
Atif Mian, Professor of Economics, Public Policy and Finance, Princeton University

 

Michael Oppenheimer, Albert G. Milbank Professor of Geosciences and International Affairs; Director of the Center for Policy Research on Energy and the Environment (C-PREE), Princeton University
Michael Oppenheimer, Albert G. Milbank Professor of Geosciences and International Affairs; Director of the Center for Policy Research on Energy and the Environment, Princeton University

 

 Elke Weber, Gerhard R. Andlinger Professor of Energy & the Environment, Professor of Psychology and Public Affairs, Princeton University
Elke Weber, Gerhard R. Andlinger Professor of Energy & the Environment, Professor of Psychology and Public Affairs, Princeton University
Evidence to action image

Keynotes

Patrick Bolton

Patrick Bolton, Barbara and David Zalaznick Professor of Business, Columbia Business School

Barbara Buchner, Global Managing Director; Executive Director for Climate Finance, Climate Policy Initiative

Barbara Buchner, Global Managing Director; Executive Director for Climate Finance, Climate Policy Initiative