Abstract: Solving the climate crisis will require new ways of doing business and allocating resources that can benefit both people and the planet. Climate science tells us that abating the most harmful greenhouse gasses and protecting nature’s role in stabilizing our climate have the potential to avoid runaway warming scenarios. While the solutions for effective climate action are largely known, it is the speed of implementation that will matter greatly, as will our ability to see the many dimensions of the scaling problem. This talk will roadmap technological and nature-based solutions, financing mechanisms, and effective policy - all of which play a critical role in addressing the most pressing issue of our times. It will highlight the key levers for action, such as methane mitigation, climate finance mobilization, and natural systems restoration - and our common but differentiated responsibilities for action in this most critical decade ahead. This talk will focus on methane, climate finance, and policy for emissions reductions.

Bio: Stephan Nicoleau is a General Partner at FullCycle, a sustainable infrastructure fund that is accelerating climate solutions globally. He is a member of the Board of Directors for Project Drawdown, a nonprofit organization that has built one of the most enduring climate solutions frameworks. Stephan is also on the board of the Mellon Foundation-funded Monument Lab, a PiTech Visiting Impact Practitioner at Cornell Tech, a climate judge for the Keeling Curve prize, and a thought leader who works across sectors to align policy, capital, and innovation for climate impact. Stephan advises leadership at the Departments of State and Energy on climate policy and implementation and is currently leading The Astra Project, a cross-sectoral collective aligning action at the intersection of methane reduction, nature-based solutions, and climate financing.

Hosted by The 2030 Project: A Cornell Climate Initiative - harnessing the collaborative scholarship, science, innovation, and entrepreneurialism of a world-class research university to scale tangible climate solutions.

March 27, 2023 | 2:45-4:00 P.M.
(155 Olin Hall or Zoom)

This event is presented as part of the 2023 Perspectives on the Climate Change Challenge Seminar Series:

• Most Mondays, Spring Semester 2023, 2:45-4:00pm

This university-wide seminar series is open to the public, and provides important views on the critical issue of climate change, drawing from many perspectives and disciplines. Experts from Cornell University and beyond present an overview of the science of climate change and climate change models, the implications for agriculture, ecosystems, and food systems, and provide important economic, ethical, and policy insights on the issue. The seminar is being organized and sponsored by the Department of Biological and Environmental Engineering and Cornell Atkinson Center for Sustainability.