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)
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Opening Remarks: Atif Mian, John H. Laporte, Jr. Class of 1967 Professor of Economics, Public Policy & Finance; Director, Julis Rabinowitz Center for Public Policy & Finance, Princeton University
Session 1: Why Net-Zero 2050?
Moderator: Michael Oppenheimer, Albert G. Milbank Professor of Geosciences and International Affairs and the High Meadows Environmental Institute; Director of the Center for Policy Research on Energy and the Environment (C-PREE), Princeton University
Panelists:
- Zelina Zaiton Ibrahim, Associate Professor of Environmental Management and Statistics, IPCC and University Putra (Malaysia) | SLIDES
- Kristie Ebi, Professor, Center for Health and the Global Environment, University of Washington | SLIDES
- Detlef Van Vuuren, Professor in Integrated Assessment of Global Environmental Change, Utrecht University; Senior Researcher, PBL Netherlands Environmental Assessment Agency | SLIDES
- Leon Clarke, Research Professor; Acting Director of the Center for Global Sustainability, University of Maryland | SLIDES
Video: Session 1
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Barbara Buchner, Global Managing Director; Executive Director for Climate Finance, Climate Policy Initiative | SLIDES
Moderator: Chris Greig, Senior Research Scholar, Andlinger Center for Energy and the Environment, Princeton UniversityVideo: Keynote Barbara Buchner
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Moderator: Simon Levin, James S. McDonnell Distinguished University Professor in Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, Princeton University
Panelists:
- Jesse Jenkins, Assistant Professor of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering and the Andlinger Center for Energy and the Environment, Princeton University
- Ilissa Ocko *13, Senior Climate Specialist, Environmental Defense Fund | SLIDES
- Jessika Trancik, Professor at the Institute for Data, Systems, and Society, MIT | SLIDES
- Gunnar Luderer, Professor of Global Energy Systems Analysis, Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research | SLIDES
Video: Session 2
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Moderator: Elke Weber, Gerhard R. Andlinger Professor of Energy & the Environment, Professor of Psychology and Public Affairs, Princeton University
Panelists:
- Connie Hedegaard, (former) EU Commissioner for Climate
- Sara Kapnick ’04, Managing Director, Senior Climate Scientist & Sustainability Strategist, JP Morgan Chase & Co.
- Felix Creutzig, Professor for Sustainability Economics of Human Settlements, Mercator Institute and Technical University Berlin | SLIDES
Video: Session 3
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Patrick Bolton, Barbara and David Zalaznick Professor of Business, Columbia Business School | SLIDES
Moderator: Denise Mauzerall, Professor of Civil and Environmental Engineering and Public and International Affairs, Princeton UniversityVideo: Keynote Patrick Bolton
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How can we leverage markets to achieve the Net-Zero 2050 targets?
Moderator: Atif Mian, John H. Laporte, Jr. Class of 1967 Professor of Economics, Public Policy & Finance; Director, Julis Rabinowitz Center for Public Policy & Finance, Princeton University
Panelists:
- Gernot Wagner, Clinical Associate Professor, New York University
- Mar Reguant, Associate Professor of Economics, Northwestern University | SLIDES
- Christian Gollier, Professor of Economics and Executive Director of the Toulouse School of Economics | SLIDES
Video: Session 4
Speakers
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Keynotes
![]() 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 |