Yale Center Beijing, Yale School of Forestry and Environmental Studies and the Yale World Fellows Program jointly invite you to a discussion with Prof. Daniel Esty, Professor at Yale Law School and Yale School of Forestry & Environmental Studies, and Ma Jun, Yale World Fellow '04 and Director of Institute of Public & Environmental Affair.

Environmentalists fret over the looming consequences of climate change: rising sea levels, more intense hurricanes, changed rainfall patterns, intensifying floods and drought risks. Another worry is the failure of the global community to respond to these threats with greater vigor. The recent Paris Climate Change Conference (COP21) has given new momentum to the global response to climate change. The 2015 Paris Agreement is seen as a success in part because of the new commitments and leadership of the United States and China. Professor Esty will discuss the Paris COP21 outcome which goes beyond the formal "Paris Agreement" and offers the foundation for a ramped–up global push towards a future of clean energy. His talk will focus on the promise of a shift from a top-down approach, which focuses on nation states, toward more of a bottom-up strategy that draws cities, states/provinces, and companies into the global effort. As one of the US Environmental Protection Agency's negotiators of the 1992 Framework Convention on Climate Change, Professor Esty will offer a 25-year perspective on the evolving policies that have shaped the world's response to climate change. He will also reflect on how the COP21 negotiations represent a turning point in terms of climate change action. Yale World Fellow '04 Ma Jun will share his perspective after Professor Esty's remarks.

When: Monday, January 25 (7:30am ET/ 8:30pm China Standard Time)