Sustainable Solutions Lectures

City of Boston

The lecture will feature local and state officials discussing the city’s sustainability and resilience initiatives:

• Chris Osgood, director, Office of Climate Resilience - City of Boston

• Oliver Sellers-Garcia, director, Green New Deal - City of Boston

• Trinh Nguyen, chief, Worker Empowerment Cabinet - City of Boston

• Kate England, deputy assistant commissioner, Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection and former director of Green Infrastructure for the City of Boston

UMass Boston Chancellor Marcelo Suárez-Orozco will provide opening remarks for the event.

Friday, May 16 from 3-4:30 p.m. 

UMass Boston’s Integrated Sciences Complex, ISC 3300 + online via Zoom.  All are invited to attend. 

Registration links: in person or remotely

Image: Istock

INAUGURAL TALK

October 15, 2024

Hosted at UMass Boston

Swenja Surminski

Professor in Practice at the Grantham Research Institute on Climate Change and the Environment,  London School of Economics and Political Science (LSE). 

Swenja explored the nexus between nature-based solutions and the insurance sector. 

This event was hosted by the School for the Environment at UMass Boston and catering was provided by the School of Earth and Sustainability. 

Carolyn Kousky

Acting Chief Economist at Environmental Defense Fund (based in DC). 

March 5, 2025 (online)

Title: Insurance in a warming world

As risks continue to grow, traditional models of insurance are being stressed. Are we headed for an uninsurable world? How can climate adaptation and insurance markets be more tightly coupled to preserve insurability in a warming world?

Bio: Carolyn is the vice-chair of the California Climate Insurance Working Group, a member of the Federal Advisory Committee on Insurance at the U.S. Department of Treasury, a member of the High-Level Advisory Board on the Financial Management of Catastrophic Risks at the OECD, a university fellow at Resources for the Future, and a non-resident scholar at the Insurance Information Institute. She was previously Executive Director at the Wharton Risk Management and Decision Processes Center at the University of Pennsylvania. 

 Register via Zoom

Michael Beck

Director of the Center on Coastal Climate Resilience and AXA Chair in Coastal Resilience at the University of California Santa Cruz. 

March 6, 2025 (in person at UMass Boston and online)

Title: Building Coastal Resilience, Naturally

Abstract: Local, state and national budgets are increasingly stretched in response to disasters and climate change. Most of these funds are destined for artificial solutions that further degrade ecosystems. In this talk, I will describe our work to rigorously value the natural defense benefits of coastal habitats and to create openings for new investments in conservation and restoration.  

Bio: Michael W. Beck is the Director of the Center for Coastal Climate Resilience & AXA Chair in Coastal Resilience at the University of California Santa Cruz. He was Lead Marine Scientist at The Nature Conservancy for 20 years. He collaborates with many agencies and companies including USGS, the World Bank, USACE, FEMA and all of the leading re-insurance firms.  He has authored more than 100 peer-reviewed scientific papers and numerous op-eds in major papers, including the LA Times, NY Times, The Hill, and the Miami Herald. He has been a Fulbright Fellow and a Pew Marine Fellow.

Register via Zoom

Resources:

https://climateresilience.ucsc.edu/

https://www.linkedin.com/in/michaelwbeckmarinescientist/

https://scholar.google.com/citations?hl=en&user=fLXCUREAAAAJ

Timon McPhearson 

Professor of Urban Ecology & Director of the Urban Systems Lab at the New School in NYC. 

Wed April 9 at 12pm EST

Timon will present his work on nature-based solutions for cities and their potential in enhancing social justice.

Register via Zoom

Daniela Rizzi 

(ICLEI)

Monday May 12 at 11am EST

Title: What the World Needs is a Nature-Positive Economy

Bio: Dr. Daniela Rizzi is a senior expert in Nature-based Solutions (NBS) and Biodiversity at ICLEI Europe, a network of local governments. She coordinates the NetworkNature Project, a platform dedicated to research, innovation, and practice, supporting cities, businesses, and policymakers in implementing NBS to address societal challenges such as biodiversity loss,  climate change adaptation, disaster risk reduction and sustainable livelihoods.

A strong advocate for a nature-positive economy, Daniela promotes an economy that not only respects planetary boundaries but also actively drives ecological regeneration. She plays a key role in shaping European standards for NBS as a Liaison in the CEN Nature-based Solutions Working Group and serves as an Expert Peer Reviewer for UNEP’s Global Environmental Outlook-7. She has contributed to high-level global discussions, including presenting NBS insights at the G7, bringing expertise in linking policy, science, and practice for NBS.

Register via Zoom