Sustainability has emerged as a global priority over the past several years with important commitments made through the 2015 Paris Agreement on Climate Change and the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals. But political divides, regional disputes, and deep disagreements over core principles have made it nearly impossible to chart a course toward a sustainable future. This talk highlights fresh thinking on sustainability from a new book that emerged from a multi-year initiative from the Yale School of the Environment that engaged a diverse set of environmental thought leaders from diverse disciplines and across the political spectrum. The book’s 40 essays cover such subjects as innovation, communications, environmental justice, Big Data, public health, and climate change — all with an emphasis on identifying pathways to a sustainability future.
Dan Esty is the Hillhouse Professor of Environmental Law and Policy at Yale’s School of the Environment and Yale Law School. He served as head of the Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Protection from 2011 to 2014 and in several leadership roles at the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency from 1989 to 1993.
