Photo Credit: Igor Spasic
This Panel Discussion is Sponsored by the Pakistan Forum at the Johns Hopkins SAIS Foreign Policy Institute, the American Pakistan Foundation, and The East-West Institute.
Extreme heat, cold, droughts, and floods are having both immediate and long-lasting effects on the economic activity of megacities such as Karachi, Chennai, and Beijing. At the same time, continued migration and economic activity place increasing pressure on local environmental resources, threatening both human and ecosystem health. Using the lens of rapid population growth, migration, and human economic activity, this panel will explore the following questions:
What are the economic and environmental impacts of megacity development on the climate?
What are the local, national, and international dynamics associated with climate change mitigation in Karachi, Chennai, and Beijing?
How can states support economic growth while also responding to the dangers of climate change?
Panelists:
Tanvi Nagpal, Director of International Development Program, Johns Hopkins SAIS
anvi Nagpal has over two decades of experience in international development policy research and program management in East Asia and sub-Saharan Africa. She has applied her academic training in political economy to a wide range of development issues including sustainable and equitable water, sanitation and solid waste service delivery; supporting communities and local governments to manage environmental resources; and generating support for pro-poor urban policies and programs. Dr. Nagpal is a dynamic and effective leader, building coalitions and consensus among a range of actors including non-governmental organizations, bilateral and multilateral funders, foundations and civic groups. Her work experience ranges from positions at the World Bank to think tanks and non-government organizations. She has also served as a consultant to the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation and the Conrad N. Hilton Foundation.
Jennifer Turner, Director, China Environment Forum, Woodrow Wilson Center for International Affairs
Jennifer Turner has served as Director of the Wilson Center’s China Environment Forum for nearly two decades. She is a widely-quoted expert on U.S.-China environmental cooperation as well as climate-related challenges and governance issues facing the world’s most populous country. As head of the Center’s Global Choke Point multimedia reporting initiative, Turner's work combines on-the-ground research with visual storytelling. She has convened water-energy-food nexus dialogues in China, India, Mexico, South Africa, and the U.S. and blogs for the Center’s New Security Beat.
Uzair Younus, Director, South Asia Practice, Albright Stonebridge Group
Uzair Younus is a Director with ASG’s South Asia practice. In this role, he helps clients develop strategies for long-term growth in the region. Prior to joining the firm, Mr. Younus was a consultant for IBB Consulting in New York City, where he developed dynamic models to analyze national cable infrastructure and participated in efforts to identify emerging cable and telecommunications markets. In addition, he worked as a consultant at Deloitte focusing on global technology strategy, digital assessment management, and web strategy and implementation. Mr. Younus regularly publishes articles on South and Central Asian politics and trade for The Diplomat and Dawn, and has been featured in Bloomberg, CNN, and CNBC. He earned his M.A. in Law and Diplomacy with Concentration in Economic Policy and South Asia from The Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy at Tufts University. He has a B.S. in Economics and Finance from Bentley University. Mr. Younus is fluent in Urdu.
Shamila N. Chaudhary (moderator), Fellow, Foreign Policy Institute
Chaudhary is the President of the American Pakistan Foundation and a foreign policy expert specializing in U.S. foreign policy with a focus on South Asia. Her work is regularly cited and published in Foreign Policy, The Washington Post, the New York Timesand she has frequently appeared on CNN, BBC News America, NPR, Fox News and other outlets. She also writes on American socio-economic and political issues, including immigration, civic engagement, refugee resettlement, and identity politics. She previously worked at the political risk firm Eurasia Group from 2011-2013 and has twelve years of experience working in the U.S. government, including at the White House as Director for Pakistan and Afghanistan on the National Security Council from 2010-2011 and on the U.S. Department of State’s Policy Planning Staff, where she advised Secretary Clinton and the late Ambassador Richard Holbrooke on Afghanistan and Pakistan. Chaudhary is the co-editor of documentary photography book UnPresidented: The Inauguration of Donald J. Trump and the People’s Response.