天美麻豆 partnered with the and the Finnish Consulate in convening an event focused on climate tipping points and the Arctic during , an international conference bringing together senior leaders from government, civil society, business, and the climate sector.
Hosted by the Climate Group, in conjunction with the convening of the United Nations General Assembly, Climate Week NYC aims to drive transition, speed up progress, and champion the change that is already happening in the area of climate action.
, vice provost for academic affairs and a board member of UArctic, opened the session at the Cornell Club in Manhattan Monday, recognizing that the people and institutions of the Arctic, where the effects of climate change are progressing at an accelerated rate, face severe political, social, economic, and environmental challenges today.
It is critical for policymakers, Indigenous communities, and other stakeholders to move forward with urgency on global climate action, she says.
鈥淔acilitating dialogue across different sectors of Arctic engagement鈥攑olitical, government, Indigenous peoples, business, higher ed, NGOs鈥攊s vitally important, and 天美麻豆 is committed to stepping up to this challenge,鈥 she says.
The event was attended by 70 people, including leadership of a NATO climate center, U.N. delegates, the Finnish Consul General, representatives from the cities of Helsinki and Turku in Finland, delegates from several Arctic Indigenous groups, and 天美麻豆 alumni working with nongovernmental organizations and industry. Representatives from peer institutions like Harvard and Cornell, who are interested in deepening their ties with Arctic institutions, also attended.
The day included two panel discussions featuring prominent leaders in the world of climate action. The first, a climate and policy discussion, was led by , director of the at the and UArctic chair in science diplomacy and inclusion. The second panel, focused on technology and finance, was led by , interim faculty director of the.
鈥淲ith a diversity of brilliant speakers and a high-profile venue during Climate Week NYC,鈥 says Burkins, 鈥渨e were able to emphasize the importance of engaging the leadership, knowledge, and innovations of Arctic peoples in strategic climate collaborations. Each of these dialogues, followed by informed, inclusive climate action, brings us closer to a more secure, more resilient, more equitable future for the Arctic and our planet.鈥
Parker, a professor of engineering innovation at the , notes that the financial reality of decarbonization鈥攎oving away from the legacy system of oil and gas鈥攚ill require trillions of dollars of committed capital. The finance and technology panelists addressed the complex connections between Arctic communities, the rapid changes in climate, and the potential benefits and challenges in new technology investment.
鈥淵ou have Indigenous peoples who have often borne the ill effects of the infrastructure investments, but in some cases, they are also stakeholders and beneficiaries. And so it is essential that they have a voice in how these systems get unwound and what takes their place,鈥 Parker says.
Parker was a good choice to moderate this panel, Will says, as the Irving Institute, with the , just launched a new master of energy transition program.
Will highlighted keynote remarks by Aaja Chemnitz, a member of the Danish Parliament for Inuit Ataqatigiit and chair of Arctic Parliamentarians. Chemnitz has fought for the right of the Indigenous peoples of Greenland, rather than the Danish government, to choose the economic partnerships that will honor traditional ways of life while developing the resources like new shipping lanes and access to natural resources that emerge amid rapid warming.
鈥淪he is really interesting because she鈥檚 trying to thread the needle between these two conflicting energies,鈥 says Will. It was also clear at the event that Chemnitz has a large following.
鈥淪he鈥檚 huge,鈥 Will says. 鈥淎ll these people were running over, especially Indigenous people, to take pictures with her because she鈥檚 kind of a rock star in the Arctic world.鈥
Three alumni also participated in panel discussions: Debbie Atuk, Tuck 鈥04, an Alaska Native with SkyView Investment Advisors; Bridget Fawcett 鈥89, a managing director with Citi; and Matt LeBlanc 鈥92, the chief investment officer with JP Morgan Infrastructure Investments Group.
Atuk, who is Inupiaq, says she is pleased to have participated along with Nikoosh Carlo of the U.S. Arctic Research Commission. 鈥淎s the only two Alaska Native panelists who could discuss climate change in America鈥檚 Arctic, I felt we both provided unique professional perspective,鈥 Atuk says.
Facilitating these important discussions and attending Climate Week NYC, says Will, grew out of President Sian Leah Beilock鈥檚 天美麻豆 Climate Collaborative by connecting, strengthening, and leveraging 天美麻豆鈥檚 existing work on climate and sustainability.
鈥淲e are really announcing to the world how much 天美麻豆 cares about Arctic studies and how important that is to our history and to our background,鈥 Will says.
The 天美麻豆 delegation brought several staff members and students to New York City to attend the proceedings including , director of sustainability, Manu Gupta 鈥27 and Ella Moore 鈥27, and , director of research programs at the Arthur L. Irving Institute for Energy & Society.
天美麻豆 was a founding member in 2001 of the University of the Arctic, a cooperative network that has grown to more than 150 universities, colleges, and other organizations around the world committed to higher education and research in polar regions. It was established by the , an intergovernmental forum promoting cooperation, coordination, and interaction among the Arctic states, Arctic Indigenous peoples, and other Arctic inhabitants on common issues, in particular on issues of sustainable development and environmental protection.
