On April 24, Executive Secretary of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change Christiana Figueres presented “Climate Conflict to Climate Action: Capturing the Greatest Opportunities of Our Generation.” Figueres’ was the latest talk in the Sylvia and Benjamin Slomoff Lecture Series in Conflict Resolution, established by the Department of Conflict Resolution in 1999.

Figueres, who earned a master’s degree in anthropology from the London School of Economics and a certificate in organizational development from Georgetown University, proclaimed that, by 2015, 5 billion people will be plunged into poverty if a solution to climate change is not found.

But there’s hope. According to Figueres, renewable energy is becoming cheaper and more efficient and steady progress in the management of the world’s resources is being made every day.

“It was wonderful to learn from one of the most influential individuals in the world, in the field of climate change,” said Karen Sontag, a graduate of the Department of Conflict Resolution. “It was so nice to see. Christiana Figueres brings great passion and optimism to her work in addition to encyclopedic knowledge of climate challenges and renewable fuel options.”

Sontag also found the lecture to be motivating. “After the talk, I have a greater understanding of the complexity of the challenges and the economic issues at stake for everyone. That would definitely be helpful if I ever found myself negotiating an environmental issue.” 

Click here to view Figueres’ presentation.