Educating for Careers in Climate Finance – Initiatives and Opportunities with Higher Education
Background
The Climate Finance landscape is in a dynamic state. Company disclosures, concessional finance schemas, and climate mitigation and adaptation of financial support vehicles continue to evolve with technologies, country needs, as well as with regional and global efforts to guide these efforts for maximum efficacy. This requires new paradigms in education that support those entering the field as well as upskilling for those already immersed in the complex array of stakeholders for climate finance. The Columbia Climate School at Columbia University engages education any many levels of learning. This includes a flagship Master of Science in Climate Finance degree program in collaboration with the Columbia Business School, customized and open enrollment executive education programs, pre-college programming, partnerships across other schools within and beyond Columbia University, and direct industry relations through research centers and impact programs.
Focus/Objectives
This panel will explore the different modalities of education and partnerships between higher education and industry partners to provide baseline and continuous learning in the areas of climate finance. This panel will enable participants to:
- Understand the shifting dynamics of climate finance for integration into educational programming
- Discuss different learner profiles and different methodologies employed for meeting the learning needs of full-time students and professionals
- Discuss new models of collaboration and collaborative potential between industry and higher education
- Explore skillsets that can be developed for future generations of leaders in a constantly changing world
Moderator: Charlotte Munson, Associate Director of Strategic Initiatives and Partnerships, Columbia Climate School, Columbia University
Panelists:
- Alexis Abramson, Dean of the Columbia Climate School
- Jeff Schlegelmilch, Director of Executive Education and Non-Degree Programs at the Columbia Climate School and Director of the National Center for Disaster Preparedness at the Columbia Climate School.
- Amy Campbell, graduate of the Columbia Climate school, former UK Climate Negotiator, and currently working in the Executive Office of the Secretary General on climate adaptation.
- Alejandra Valdivia, current student MPA, Climate, Energy and Environment, School of International and Public Affairs, Columbia University. Global Energy Fellow, Center on Global Energy Policy, School of International and Public Affairs, Columbia University.
