Date: Tuesday, 2 November 2010
Time: 2:00 pm to 5:00 pm
Venue: Suntec Singapore International Convention & Exhibition Centre
Level 2, Room 203
For those interested in attending, please register via the SIEW website at singapore.iew.com.sg/SIEW-2010 For enquiries please contact Ms Jan Lui at esilyyj@nus.edu.sg or +65 65162000.
About the Roundtable
This tripartite panel is designed to address rising concerns about the climate change policies of the US, China and India. The panelists will be outlining the public policies, economic models and scientific concerns surrounding the current state of affairs from their own country perspectives. One focus will involve emissions reduction collaborations, as decisions by these three largest industrial players in the global economy will have a major impact on how the other nations would react/respond. The participants will be asked to tackle tough questions, such as “What sort of policy compromises will have to be undertaken to secure a mutually acceptable state of affairs?”, “What steps are you taking to sustain economic growth while constraining carbon emissions? ” We anticipate even more probing questions in the Q&A session following the speakers’ presentations. Professor Quah, Chief Scientist and Principal Fellow will lead the panel discussions.
About the Speaker
Dr. LIN Bo Qiang has a Ph.D. in Economics from University of California at Santa Barbara, United States of America. He is currently a “Chang Jiang Scholar” Professor and the director for the China Center for Energy Economic Research at Xiamen University He was a Principal Economist (Energy) of the Asian Development Bank. He participated in revising the “China Coal Law”, and was responsible for developing an energy strategy for “the twelth five years plan” for National Development and Reform Commission of China, and a power sector developing strategy for the State Electricity Regulatory Commission. He is currently helping the Ministry of Finance in its response to the G20 Leaders commitment at the Pittsburgh Summit to rationalize and phase out inefficient fossil fuel subsidies.
His main publication includes several books regarding energy economics theory and energy policy and more than fifty papers in top academic journals. He is currently a column writer for several main stream newspapers in China such as the 21st Century Business Herald, South Weekend, and First Financial Daily. He writes more than sixty papers for them each year. He has garnered substantial media publicity in China regarding energy policy.
He is a special analyst for the China Xinhua News Agency and consultant for many international organizations such as the Carbon Trust in the United Kingdom, the Asian Development Bank, the International Energy Agency, and the World Bank Group. His recent domestic clients include National Development and Reform Commission, Ministry of Finance, People’s Bank of China, State Electricity Regulatory Commission, State Power Grid, China Guangdong Nuclear Group, China Power Investment Corporation. He is frequently invited to deliver keynote speeches for high-level energy and environmental forums.
Mr. Suresh Prabhakar Prabhu is Former Union Minister and Chairperson, CII-ITC Sustainability Awards Jury. He was a four time Member of the Lok Sabha from Rajapur Constituency of Maharastra - one of the biggest states of India. He was Industry Minister, Government of India in his first spell. Then, he was Minister of Environment and Forests, Government of India and formerly, Minister of Fertilizers & Chemicals. He was the Union Minister for Power, Government of India until August 2002. As soon as he assumed charge, he would secure the blue-print of development for the next five years, fixing the target dates for the action points.
He is well known for his easy accessibility to the public, which not only acts as a deterrent to the bureaucratic delays and corruption in the functioning of the Ministry, but also encourages new ideas and view-points. Mr. Prabhu believes in listening to criticism of the Government's policies, which he says, helps in reorienting the policies towards the greater common good. He is also a believer in people's participation in the working of the Ministries under him, especially through the involvement of NGOs and people's groups.
Dr. Andrew Light is a Senior Fellow and Director of International Climate Policy at the Center American Progress in Washington, D.C. He is also Director of the Center for Global Ethics at George Mason University. Dr. Light is an internationally recognized expert on the relationship between environmental policy and ethics, specializing in restoration ecology, urban ecology, and climate change. He also comments frequently on the ethical and social impacts of new and emerging technologies, such as nanotechnology and synthetic biology. On these topics he has authored, co-authored, and edited 17 books including: Environmental Values (2008); Philosophy and Design (2008); Controlling Technology (2005); Environmental Ethics (2003); Moral and Political Reasoning in Environmental Practice (2003); Technology and the Good Life? (2000); and Environmental Pragmatism (1996). Dr. Light is also co-editor of the journal Ethics, Policy, and Environment.
About the Moderators
Professor Michael Quah Cheng-Guan holds the above positions at the National University of Singapore. He obtained the following degrees: Ph.D. (1980), M.Phil. and M.Sc. in Chemical Engineering from Yale University, New Haven, CT and a B.A. (magna cum laude) in Chemistry and Physics, from Harvard University, Cambridge, MA. Prof. Quah worked for the DuPont Company from 1979 to 1999, including stints with DuPont Japan and Singapore (1990-1993). At DuPont, he held positions in R&D, product and business development, and management. His technical work revolved around membrane technologies for reverse osmosis, gas separations, and electrochemical processes; the last area stimulating his interest in alternative energy innovations. After his early retirement from DuPont, he held management positions in several small commercial companies and non-profit organizations in the US, including a stint with the US Army (RDECOM/CERDEC) at Fort Belvoir. Prof Quah has lectured extensively in the following areas: Nafion* and perfluorinated ionomers for use in electrochemical systems (electrolysis, redox flow cells, and fuel cells), membrane separations, micro-grids, and energy/environmental sustainability.
Ms Hum Wei Mei is an Adjunct Fellow with the Energy Studies Institute. She was a Principal Analyst in the Energy Market Authority (EMA) where she conducted analysis of energy policy issues and managed EMA’s suite of analytical tools. Prior to joining EMA, Ms. Hum was a consultant to one of Malaysia’s subscription satellite TV providers and to the Chinese operations of one of the world’s largest breweries. Her area of specialization includes the design and application of quantitative methods to boost returns on marketing investment for private companies. She has also worked in International Enterprise, Singapore. Her international experience includes postings to China, the ASEAN countries and the United States. In 2004, she was a visiting scholar at the Federal Reserve Bank of Minneapolis. She has a Master's Degree from Yale University and graduated with a BSc. in Economics (Summa Cum Laude) from the University of Minnesota where she was awarded the Stockman and Fable Prize for Economics.
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