Columbia MPA-ESP, New York, NY Videos

Columbia University’s Research Program on Sustainability Policy and Management (SPM), Columbia Global Center Rio de Janeiro, and Enel Brasil collaborated to host a conference, "Climate Change: Resiliency and Energy in the Niterói and Rio de Janeiro Regions" ("Mudanças Climáticas: Resiliência e Energia nas regiões de Niterói e Rio de Janeiro"), from April 24 - April 26 in Rio de Janeiro.

Dr. Steve Cohen presented “Strategies for Urban Energy Resilience” (“Estratégias para a resiliência energética urbana”) on the second day of the conference. He used New York City's response to Hurricane Sandy in 2012, a natural disaster that devastated the city, as a case study to discuss climate mitigation and adaptation tactics in the infrastructure and energy spaces. The lecture explored how to build resilience, with a particular emphasis on energy systems, in urban areas located in regions that will experience increased climate impacts in the coming decades. He also discussed strategies spanning public and private sectors, with a focus on opportunities for partnership, capacity-building, and
overall preparedness with equitable and fair outcomes.

Steve is a Professor in the Practice of Public Affairs at SIPA, the Senior Vice Dean at SPS, the Program Director of the M.S. in Sustainability Management program at SPS and the Program Director of the MPA in Environmental Science and Policy program at SIPA, and the Director of the Earth Institute’s Research Program on Sustainability Policy and Management.

For more information about SPM, please visit spm.ei.columbia.edu