2009 has been intense for us here at JANERA. We talked to established world leaders, provocative thinkers, and bold innovators, all of whom are tackling the biggest issues of our time. See below an overview of our 2009 events, and read what’s next on our agenda for 2010.
Global Religion in February with leading Buddhist thinker Sharon Salzburg and five other leading religious figures;
Modern-day Slavery in March with Peter Buffett and Dayton Literary Peace Prize winning author Benjamin Skinner;
Global Capitalism in March with ProfessorJeffrey Sachs and the New York Bureau Chief of The Economist Matthew Bishop;
Green Transportation in May with Robin Chase one of Time Magazine‘s most influential people in 2009 and Vijay Vaitheeswaran award-winning correspondent for The Economist;
Iranian Elections in June with journalist and author Hooman Madj and Nisid Hajari, Newsweek’s Foreign Editor;
Empowering Women & Girls in September with Pulitzer-Prize winning journalist Sheryl WuDunn and Camfed’s Executive Director, Ann Cotton.
Climate Change Debate in November with NRDC’s Ralph Cavanagh, Duke University’s Eric Roston, AEI’s Steven Hawyard, Reason Magazine’s Ronald Bailey, moderated by CNBC’s Dennis Kneale;
We undertook a complete redesign of our Web site and switched from being “the voice of global nomads” to “curating global conversations.” We now integrate video into the site more and think this better reflects our mission of making international affairs accessible and attractive.
And we launched a brand-new membership program with exciting benefits! We not only serve individuals with discounts to our events at our Nomad level, but we can also help causes spread the word at the GameChanger level, or even co-host events with authors, advocates and concerned citizens at the Leaders level. And this is just the beginning. Click on our Membership page and find out which level fits you best, and sign up today!
2010 promises to be amazing. We are taking the conversation to the next level by partnering with fabulous companies and individuals, and are expanding beyond New York. If you’re interested in bringing our events to your city, email us to set it up.
THANK YOU for being with us along this roller-coaster ride and HAPPY NEW YEAR!
At last night’s climate change debate (“Will Green Put us In the Red?”) Eric Roston, senior associate at the Nicholas Institute for Environmental Policy at Duke University said that his goal for the evening was to show the audience that the issues of climate change are far more confusing than we thought they were.
First off, the 1400-page Waxman-Markey bill that’s now before Congress, the primary component of which is a “cap-and-trade” program that will (among other things) cap greenhouse gases by 80% by 2050. Second, comprehending why there is rising skepticism of climate change around the world (amongst both liberals and conservatives), despite there being plenty of science proving that the atmosphere is warming due to man-made C02 emissions. Finally, what exactly is geoengineering and why is it getting a lot of attention on both Capitol Hill and The Daily Show?
Though the four panelists agreed that climate change is real and that there’s scientific evidence to prove it, they all had different ideas on how to go about fixing things. (So did moderator Dennis Kneale, anchor of CNBC’s Power Lunch.)
Ralph Cavanagh, senior attorney and co-director of the Natural Resources Defense Council’s energy program, reminded the audience repeatedly that there’s evidence that we (and various industries) can actually save money by reducing energy. Cavanagh cited a McKinsey report that shows that we can achieve energy efficiency merely by changing the appliances and building materials we use from here on out. (The report, summarized here, estimates we would save $1.2 trillion as a nation by 2020 if we invested $520 billion in efficiency improvements.)
While this notion of energy reduction saving money did not seem like earth-shattering news to most of us, apparently it was for some on the panel.
Steve Hayward, the F.K. Weyerhaeuser Fellow at the American Enterprise Institute for Public Policy Research (and host of “An Inconvenient Truth…or Convenient Fiction?”), argued that developing countries such as India and China cannot afford to adopt the clean technologies that the U.S. and other western nations are already starting to use. (There is reason to be concerned about this as China has already overtaken the U.S. in carbon emissions, and India is soon to follow.)
This is no reason not to do what we can to stop climate change here in the U.S., as one member of the audience pointed out.
Ronald Bailey, author and science correspondent at Reason magazine agreed with Cavanagh that the entire fossil fuel infrastructure is going to be replaced in 40 years—“The question is, will it be cost effective or not?” asked Bailey. Bailey was the panelist most skeptical of government intervention and urged trusting the genius of the marketplace. Roston concurred, at least in regards to ethanol, which the government mistakenly espoused even though it doesn’t make environmental sense.
“Drinking it is the best idea!” Roston continued, promising he’d have a few glasses of ethanol as soon as the panel concluded.
Towards the end of the evening, we learned about vaporizing ocean water (to create white clouds that would deflect the sun, reducing global temperatures) and other controversial “geoengineering” projects that are gaining currency in Washington. (Controversial because some people, such as author Steven Levitt, argue that we should turn to geoengineering instead of, not in addition to, reducing man-made CO2 emissions.)
A smirking Hayward mentioned that Jon Stewart had Levitt, one of the authors of SuperFreakonomics, on his show a few weeks ago and seemed to side with his (apparently poorly researched) chapter on “Global Cooling.”
“Have you stepped on a secular religion?” Stewart asks Levitt at one point, referring to the controversy generated by his chapter. (For more on this controversy, see this excellent post by Brian Merchant of Treehugger.)
Cavanagh says there’s something to these technological solutions, such as painting roofs white to deflect the sun (and thereby reducing planetary warming), but he cautioned that we’ve got to reduce our reliance on fossil fuels for other reasons than reversing climate change. “This is also about energy security and public health, not just climate change,” Cavanagh said.
Suzanne Dawson, a public relations executive for energy companies including Duke Energy and PPL, said she was surprised by how much she enjoyed the rowdy debate. “I loved the intimate setting,” said Dawson, referring to the cozy bar on the 3rd floor of the Norwood Club.
Asked what he got out of the evening, entrepreneur Locke Raper said, “The issue is complicated in terms of underlying science, possible outcomes of future scenarios and underlying politics. But we do know enough at this point to be rationally concerned and to invoke the human ‘fight or flight’ response at a collective level, which given the limited options for ‘flight’ means we need to ‘fight’ by systematically and simultaneously incentivising energy conservation (both in consumption/production) and reorienting energy supplies with a goal of reducing CO2 and other greenhouse gasses.”
On November 23rd 2009 at Norwood Club in New York, JANERA and InterConnect Events present the great debate:
Will Green Put us in the Red?
Details:
6PM cocktails
7PM Debate and Q&A
Norwood Club, 241 W 14th St, New York
Tickets—only available in advance—are $45.
For Live Streaming, in case you cannot make it to the debate, please click here.
President Obama wants America to save the world from itself by capping carbon emissions and imposing “greener” demands on carmakers and utilities. As the richest country in the world—and the earth’s biggest producer of greenhouse gases—the U.S. must lead the way, supporters say.
But this green crusade has sparked a rising cry of outrage and opposition. Doubters warn of draconian measures that would slap a huge carbon tax on our own economy and hurt U.S. competitiveness. Furthermore, while Obama’s goal to reduce carbon emissions by 80% over the next 40 years is admirable, how are we going to wean ourselves off fossil fuels in just four decades?
China and India, meanwhile, balk at Obama’s big push and may simply keep growing and polluting, unrestrained by any restrictions. One looming dilemma: Is “climate change”—which activists had called “global warming” until that trend abated in recent years—a threat imminent enough to require drastic measures now, when the world’s still-ailing economies can least afford it?
We chose this topic leading up to December’s Copenhagen Climate Conference, intending to highlight some of the issues that will be addressed there, here in New York. We hope to raise awareness and ignite a lively conversation. This is an important issue and we bring both sides together to foster dialogue.
The debaters will be tackling questions like:
- How are we going to achieve these ambitious targets given that our entire economy has been built around the use of fossil fuels?
- Is climate change really a threat imminent enough to require drastic measures now, when the world’s still-ailing economies can least afford it?
- What timeframes should be used, and are realistic, to measure the impact of environmental policy changes?
And should you not be able to make it, watch the debate live online on FORA.tv. Remote viewers can also participate in the conversation and submit questions. Spread the word too! The more people who watch the debate and learn about the most pressing climate change issues, the better!
The dialogue will spark new ideas and—as in any debate—there will be a winner, chosen by the audience. Which team will prove most persuasive?
The passionate environmental defenders:
Ralph Cavanagh, Senior Attorney and Co-Director, Energy Program, NRDC
Eric Roston, Author and Senior Associate, The Nicholas Institute for Environmental Policy Solutions, Duke University
Or
The fearless climate change skeptics:
Steven Hayward, F.K. Weyerhaeuser Fellow, American Enterprise Institute for Public Policy Research
Ronald Bailey, Author and Science Correspondent, Reason magazine and Reason.com
Dennis Kneale, Anchor of CNBC’s Power Lunch will moderate.
This event is held in partnership with:
-Global Nomads Group, an international non-profit organization that fosters dialogue and understanding among the world’s youth, discusses these issues each year, with more than 15,000 young women and men from around the world.
-Tablet Hotels, Hotels for Global Nomads, represents exclusive, hand-picked luxury and boutique hotels worldwide.
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, on his show a few weeks ago and seemed to side with his (apparently
On November 23rd 2009 at Norwood Club in New York, JANERA and InterConnect Events present the great debate: 