International Climate Expert Tapped to Lead The New York Climate ... - Duke Today
International Climate Expert Tapped to Lead The New York Climate Exchange on Governors Island | Duke Today
International Climate Expert Tapped to Lead The New York Climate Exchange on Governors Island
Stephen Hammer brings 30 years of local and global experience to the new role
“I’m excited The Exchange has selected Stephen to be our inaugural CEO, given the resonance between his own bold vision and that of The Exchange,” Lynch said. “His leadership will be a driving force behind the acceleration of The Exchange’s pursuit of interdisciplinary solutions to the vexing climate problems facing our communities.”
Partners from 14 academic and corporate organizations and more than 30 community entities from environmental justice, research and government have begun to work together to advance climate education, research, job training, public programs and commercialization to prepare communities to respond to climate challenges. The Climate Exchange campus on Governors Island in New York Harbor is being designed for an expected 2025 groundbreaking.
Related Knowledge Center: Climate economics
Climate change is now a driver of the world’s economy. The impact is profound:
- Catastrophic weather events — hurricanes, floods, droughts, high temperatures — are more frequent and more extreme. The cost can be measured in both the initial damage caused and the longer-term impact on the economy.
- Vulnerable communities are increasing climate-related investments, hardening infrastructure and taking other protective measures.
- Investment in carbon capture and storage technologies is increasingly rapidly.
- Governments are making investments and crafting regulations to reduce emissions of carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases.
On top of all of this is the cost of uncertainty. As the Fourth National Climate Assessment, released in 2018 by the U.S. Global Change Research Program, says, “The assumption that current and future climate conditions will resemble the recent past is no longer valid.”