On The Environment

Climate change is fundamentally about people. In California, environmental justice activists have galvanized around human impacts of climate action—such as air pollution, poverty alleviation, and green jobs—to build a policy response that focuses on local communities and public health. Dr. Michael Méndez, assistant professor of environmental planning and policy at the University of California, Irvine, joins Charles Harper (YSE ’22) to discuss his book, Climate Change from the Streets: How Confli

U.S. financial regulators lag behind other countries in requiring corporations to disclose their financial risks from climate change. Hana Vizcarra, staff attorney at Harvard Law School’s Environmental & Energy Law Program, joins Charles Harper (YSE ’22) to discuss the financial sector, climate risk disclosure, and how courts and President Biden’s SEC can improve climate reporting. Hana contributed a chapter to the recently released book, Values at Work: Sustainable Investing and ESG Reporting,

Aisha Saad, a Fellow of the Program on Corporate Governance at Harvard Law School, joins Jhena Vigrass (YSE ’22) to discuss the current challenges of corporate sustainability reporting and investing in ESG funds. Aisha contributed to the recently released book, Values at Work: Sustainable Investing and ESG Reporting, which explores how companies and investors can respond to pressing environmental and social issues.

Sue Biniaz, a lecturer at Yale Law School and former lead climate lawyer for the U.S. State Department, joins Jhena Vigrass (YSE ’22) and Charles Harper (YSE ’22) to discuss what might lie in store for the Paris Agreement and international climate cooperation after the U.S. election in November.

Tatiana Schlossberg, an award-winning journalist and author of Inconspicuous Consumption: The Environmental Impact You Don’t Know You Have, joins Jhena Vigrass (YSE ’22) and Charles Harper (YSE ’22) to talk about individual consumption and action on climate change.

Amanda Maxwell, Director of the Latin America Project at the Natural Resources Defense Council, recently spoke with Alix Kashdan (FES ’20). Amanda discussed sustainable capital for Latin America, climate change challenges in the region, and challenges and opportunities in North American trade.