The “Road From Paris” is planned as a series of symposia and discussions concerning the outcomes, both positive and negative, of the Paris 2015 Conference on climate change.

Invited to attend and participate in the sessions will be leaders of front-line communities struggling with environmental injustices, environmentalists, urban planners, design professionals, community activists, as well as national and international environmental organizations, and governmental representatives.

The goal of the Paris meeting was to obtain a global commitment to limiting greenhouse gases with the objective of finally coming together as a planet to tackle climate change. Through the “Road to Paris” campaign, civic organizations, environmental justice groups and advocacy groups attempted to unite citizens, corporations, and organizations on every continent to demand a strong agreement that would “dramatically cut emissions and accelerate the planet-wide shift to clean energy.”

The “Road From Paris” lecture series will address the accomplishments and the shortcomings of the Paris 2015 Conference. A fundamental concern of the series will be how the recommendations address the issues of social, economic and environmental justice and the impact of the recommendations on very low, low and moderate-income communities and people in the US and abroad.  The questions of how we can implement the recommendations that were agreed upon and how we should move forward to address the shortcomings of the agreements will be discussed including the role that planners, urban designers, architects, community activists and environmentalists committed to social and economic justice can and should play.

This first session will be a briefing on the outcomes of the Paris talks. Its successes and failures — what was achieved and what was not achieved.  Speakers will share their assessment of those talks and what they believe the impact that the recommendations will have on our region, cities, and on our front-line communities. The discussion will focus on communities that are comprised of low-income people, as well as emerging economies and nations struggling to overcome colonialism. Included will be a discussion of the role that emerging and new professionals could and should play and the importance of addressing climate change in an equitable and inclusive manner.

Speakers 

Laura Jay (to be confirmed), Manager of the Sustainable Urban Development Network at the C40 Cities Climate Leadership Group

Jeffrey Raven, Director of the Graduate Program in Urban & Regional Design at New York Institute of Technology, Co-Chair of the AIANY Planning and Urban Design Committee, technical advisor for STAR Communities and the Global EcoDistrict Protocol

Andrew Revkin, Senior Fellow for Environmental Understanding at Pace University’s Pace Academy for Applied Environmental Studies, writer and journalist for the award-winning New York Times blog Dot Earth

Kellie Terry, Program Officer for the Sustainable Environments program at the Surdna Foundation, former Executive Director of The Point CDC