Africa’s Readiness for Climate Change (ARCC) Forum 2021

April 19 – 23, 2021

Zoom Webinar (RSVP here)

Times listed are in PDT (Los Angeles)

Speaker Biographies; Newsletter Vol 1; Newsletter Vol 2

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MONDAY 4/19

(9AM) WELCOME & OPENING REMARKS
with Dr. Andrew Apter and Ms. Annie de la Bouillerie Goeke
Andrew Apter is the Director of the James S. Coleman African Studies Center and Professor in the Departments of History and Anthropology at UCLA.
Annie de la Bouillerie Goeke is the Co-Founder and Executive Director of the Earth Rights Institute.

(9:15-10AM) KEYNOTE 1 and Q&A:
“Mobilizing African Youth for Climate Action and Conservation,” with Elizabeth Wathuti (Kenya), Founder of Green Generation Initiative and Head of Campaigns at Wangari Mathai Foundation.

(10:15-11:45AM) PANEL 1: Youth Leadership
UCLA Student Presentations Moderated by Nurit Katz, UCLA Chief Sustainability Officer

• Ronald (Ronnie) Thompson III, 4th year Environmental Science major, President of the Congo Basin Institute Club (Institute of Environment and Sustainability).
• Kian Nikzad, 3rd Year Computer Science major, and Ikuko (Coco) Nakane, 2nd Year Civil Engineering major, Bruin Home Solutions Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) Lab (Henry Samueli School of Engineering).
• Zoe Reinecke, 4th year International Development Studies major, Director of Project Incubator, Global Development Lab (International Institute).

(12-2PM) NETWORKING EVENT
Organized by UCLA Bruin Home Solutions Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) Lab
The Networking Event is being hosted on Gatherly. Click HERE to join.

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TUESDAY 4/20

(9-10AM) KEYNOTE 2 and Q&A:
“Leveraging Technology for Environmental Rights and Justice,” with Nnimmo Bassey (Nigeria), Director of Health of Mother Earth Foundation, 2010 Right Livelihood Laureate and one of Time magazine’s “Heroes of the Environment”.

(10:15-12PM) PANEL 2: Energy, Water, Climate—Regenerative Infrastructures & Indigenous Frameworks
Presentations:

• “Water Resource Management in Africa from Space,” by Mekonnen Gebremichael, Professor, Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, UCLA.
• “Quality of Carbon Offset Methodologies for Clean Water Projects in East Africa,” by Mason King, Carbon Neutrality Initiative (CNI) Fellow/MS student in Department of Environmental Engineering, UC Berkeley.
• “Solar and Livestock in Masaai Energy Interconnections,” by Turner Adornetto, Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, Ohio State University.
• “Adopt a Cookstove Carbon Offset Project,” by Yingfei Jiang and Ilayda Dinc, Bren School of Environmental Science and Management, UC Santa Barbara.

(12:15-1:30PM) PANEL 3: Food, Health, Education—Integrative Responses
Presentations:

• “Policy Frameworks on Climate Change Mitigation and Adaptation: Consideration of Local Indigenous Knowledge, Practices of Agrarian Communities in Western Highlands of Cameroon,” by Eric Ndeh Mboumien Ngang, Doctoral Student, University of Birmingham School of Law.
• “Climatizing Public Health Discourse: Integrating Health and Environmental Sustainability Solutions,” by Gbujie Daniel Chidubem, Founder and President of Project 54.
• “School Gardens Towards Feeding Programs and Deep Learning,” Joyce Misoi, Founder and CEO of Watu Health Innovation Summit Foundation Africa.

(3-5PM) INTERACTIVE STUDENT WORKSHOP: CLIMATE ACTION DESIGN THINKING JAM SESSION
120 Minutes to Change the World. Are you in?
Determining and clearly defining the problem to focus on is often the first step to solving it. Leveraging Enterprise Design Thinking is a powerful way to ideate quickly, with an intention to iterate on solutions over time. Join this fun, virtual, highly interactive, fast-paced Design Thinking Jam Session. Over the course of two hours, be prepared to engage, share, think, inspire, and be inspired. All problems are solved by starting with an idea, and maybe, just maybe you will be part of something that changes the world. Are you in?

**Please note that this session is only for students. Participants do not have to be UCLA students. Special registration is required: please fill out this form if you are a high school or college student and would like to participate. **
Register here for the workshop: https://forms.gle/KF3WLbq5gPEGxR7G9

Workshop led by John Ayers
John Ayers is the Salesforce Marketing Practice Lead for IBM, a Certified Design Thinking Co-Creator, a Blue Core Coach and Founder of the Los Angeles Service Design community. With over 25 years in traditional and digital marketing strategy, John brings experience leading large scale business transformations often guiding solutions for organizations’ most complex problems while maintaining focus on the human experience.

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WEDNESDAY 4/20

(9-10AM) KEYNOTE 3 and Q&A:
“Climate Refugees and Regenerative Communities,” with Ousmane Aly Pame (Senegal)
President of Global Ecovillage Network Africa and Founder and President of Network for Ecovillage Emergence and Development in the Sahel.

(10:15-11:45AM) PANEL 4: Climate Refugees and Precarious Lives and Livelihoods
Presentations:

• “Vulnerability of internally displaced persons outside camps to climate change induced farmers-herdsmen conflicts in Rural Communities of Nigeria,” by Ignatius A. Madu, Department of Geography, University of Nigeria, Nigeria.
• “Some Effects of Climate and Environmental Change on Migration in Northeast Africa,” by Pamela DeLargy, Professor of Practice, Department of Politics and Global Studies, and Senior Sustainability Scholar, Global Institute of Sustainability, Arizona State University.

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THURSDAY 4/22 EARTH DAY

(9-10:30AM) JOURNEYS: EXCHANGING STORIES
What inspired our keynote speakers to embark on their careers as environmental justice and climate change champions? Join us to learn more about their stories and share yours in this informal conversation.
African drumming with Giovanni Washington, UCLA Department of World Arts and Cultures/Dance Alum

ARCC co-sponsors and other climate allies have organized a day full of enriching events at and beyond UCLA: we encourage you to check out some of their phenomenal programs!
Check back for a list of events.

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FRIDAY 4/23

(9-10AM) KEYNOTE 4 and Q&A:
“Emerging Economic Opportunities for a Green Africa,” with His Excellency Ambassador Sidique Abou-Bakarr Wai (Sierra Leone) Ambassador to the United States.

(10:15-11:45AM) PANEL 4: Business, Politics and Culture—The Climate Action Ecosystem
Presentations:

• “Current Impacts and Future Risk Perceptions of Climate Change in the Red Sea Region,” Alden Young, Assistant Professor, Department of African American Studies, UCLA.
• “The Next Global Crisis: Africa’s Renewable Energy Financing Gap,” by Michael Olabisi, Assistant Professor, Department of Community Sustainability, Michigan State University.
  “The Cultural Politics of Emergency in ‘Climate Emergency,’” by Vinay Lal, Professor, Department of History, UCLA.

(11:45AM-12:15PM) CLOSING REMARKS AND THE PATH FORWARD

For more information, please visit our website at www.international.ucla.edu/africa
or email sbreeding@international.ucla.edu or call 323.335.9965.

 

ARCC CO-SPONSORS