BY: CATHERINE STALLSMITH
On Wednesday, Nov 8, SAIS Perspectives hosted an event to launch our 2023-2024 theme: “Towards a Just Transition”. We were honored to welcome Chen-Chen Tung and Shiyana Gunasekara, two SAIS alumni, to speak about their careers and to answer questions from the audience. Johannes Urpelainen, SAIS Professor of Energy, Resources and Environment and the founding director of the Initiative for Sustainable Energy Policy, led the panel discussion.
Chen-Chen Tung leads carbon data quality improvement programs at Amazon as a Senior Program Manager for Carbon Impact. She talked about the important role that data can play to demonstrate credible actions in a just climate transition. She discussed embracing holistic and multidisciplinary approaches to teaching and learning sustainability mindset. She also spoke about evaluating biodiversity impacts and ensuring meaningful stakeholder consultation where renewable energy projects are implemented.
Shiyana Gunasekara works in the U.S. Department of Energy, where she leads analysis and international engagement on global natural gas and LNG markets and security as Senior Economic Advisor. Early in her career, she studied abroad in India and completed a Fulbright in Sri Lanka. This serves as a foundational framing for her later work, as she constantly found herself asking - “What are the impacts on fishermen in Sri Lanka? What about women in India?” in conversations about a green energy transition. Shiyana noted the importance of including people who are not a part of big security conversations - because they are just as affected as decision makers.
Students were eager to ask questions about policy towards a green energy transition, what carbon pricing would look like across the world, and how national governments can improve their energy policies. Both panelists shared their insights about what carbon pricing would look like in the United States. Both Shiyana and Chen Chen emphasized the collective nature of addressing the climate crisis: either everyone wins or everyone loses, so it is important to make sure no one gets left behind in the green energy transition.
SAIS Perspectives is currently accepting submissions for our theme: “Towards a Just Transition”. We invite contributors to explore the principle of a ‘just transition’ through a range of interdisciplinary lenses. Whether your passion is development or security, human rights or finance, we want to uplift your ideas about equality and justice in the sustainable transition. Articles and blog posts can be submitted here on our website.
The opinions expressed in this article are the speakers’ own and do not reflect the view of Amazon, or the United States government.