The 2024 election will have a profound impact on climate justice, energy regulation, and the legal frameworks governing climate action. An equitable and sustainable energy transition is vital for community health, social equity, and environmental sustainability.

In this timely panel, experts Sheila Foster and Michael Gerrard will explore the links between social equity, energy policy, and environmental sustainability, assessing how election outcomes could shape key laws and policies. Join us to discuss strategies for promoting justice in the energy sector and collaborative approaches to addressing climate challenges in a shifting political landscape.

***Please note, the Earth Series is a private event. This is for ColumbiaDC members only***

Reception 6:00 PM - 7:00 PM
Discussion 7:00 PM - 8:00 PM

This event is sold out

Sheila Foster is a leading scholar of environmental and climate justice. She is well known for her articles and books on environmental and climate justice, land use, local government, and urban policy. Her work has been recognized by the IUCN Academy of Environmental Law and the American College of Environmental Lawyers, which recently elected her as a fellow. Throughout her career, Foster has also worked with local governments, federal agencies, and public officials on various issues related to environmental and climate justice. Foster led the advisory committee of the Global Parliament of Mayors from 2017-2020. She has been a member of the New York City Panel on Climate Change since 2016. She is also the co-editor and a founding Advisory Board member of the Journal of Climate Resilience & Climate Justice. Foster also co-directs LabGov, an applied research laboratory that pioneered the award-winning Co-City approach that has been applied in different cities, helping to create more collaborative and community-oriented solutions for a range of urban challenges, including climate change.

Michael Gerrard, Andrew Sabin Professor of Professional Practice at Columbia Law School, teaches courses on environmental law, climate change law, and energy regulation, and founded and directs the Sabin Center for Climate Change Law. He holds a joint appointment in the Climate School. He joined the Columbia faculty in 2009. From 1979 through 2008, he practiced environmental law in New York. He has chaired the faculty of the Columbia Earth Institute; the environmental sections of the American Bar Association and the New York State Bar Association, and the Executive Committee of the New York City Bar Association. He has written or edited 14 books on environmental law.

Jeffrey Shaman, PhD, works in the fields of climate and environmental health, climate dynamics, infectious disease epidemiology, and infectious disease modeling and forecasting. He uses mathematical and statistical models to describe, understand, and forecast the transmission dynamics of disease systems, and to investigate the broader effects of climate and weather on human health. During the Covid-19 pandemic, his team built one of the first models to project the spread and understand the epidemiological properties of the SARS-CoV-2 virus. Shaman was awarded his PhD by the Department of Earth and Environmental Sciences. He received an MA and MPhil from Columbia University in 2000 and 2002 respectively.

The climate crisis is a challenge like no other. Tackling it requires innovative, coordinated, and transdisciplinary approaches from top universities, like Columbia. The Columbia Climate School is marshaling and expanding the University’s work in climate research and education to advance vital research, train future leaders, and develop pioneering solutions for the benefit of society.