Jonathan Lash, an internationally respected leader in pragmatic environmental policy and finance, will share his insights into climate change policy and politics at an open lecture and discussion in Concord on Thursday, Nov. 1.
Lash is the president of the World Resources Institute, a global organization based in Washington, D.C.
His success at bringing business leaders and the environmental community together on climate change policy earned him recognition as “one of the world’s 100 most influential people in finance,” in 2005 by Treasury and Risk Management magazine.
Lash’s appearance will be the concluding event in New Hampshire Audubon’s 2007 Environmental Research Lecture Series, which has focused on climate change and emerging energy technologies.
Other speakers have included Harvard professor James McCarthy, president of the American Association for the Advancement of Science, and Dartmouth professor Lee Lynd, a founder of Mascoma Corp., which hopes to commercialize a process for converting wood to ethanol.
The series has been underwritten by Stonyfield Farm, Bob and Sylvia Larsen, and Mike Smith.
Lash will speak from 7 to 8:30 p.m. at New Hampshire Audubon’s McLane Center on Silk Farm Road in Concord. The event is open to the public; a $10 donation is suggested from non-members.
Earlier that day, Lash will be the guest on New Hampshire Public Radio’s public affairs program, The Exchange.
The World Resources Institute is a global environmental think tank that goes beyond research to provide practical solutions to problems of environment and development. Under Lash’s leadership, WRI has pioneered the use of digital technologies to solve environmental problems, engaged the business community in helping to foster development that is sustainable, and created new mechanisms to empower civil society groups.
From 1993 until 1999, Lash served as co-chairman of the President’s Council on Sustainable Development, a group of U.S. government, business, labor, civil rights and environmental leaders that developed visionary recommendations for strategies to promote sustainable development. At various times, he served as a member of advisory groups to the administrator of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and the U.S. Trade Representative.
He has served on a broad range of national and international groups, including: the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development’s Round Table on Sustainable Development; the Tata Energy and Resources Institute (India); the Keidanren Committee on Nature Conservation (Japan); the China Council for International Cooperation on Environment and Development; and the Research Institute of Innovative Technology for the Earth (Japan). He is a member of the board of the Institute for Sustainable Communities, the Wallace Global Fund, and the Heinz Center.
New Hampshire Audubon is an independent statewide membership organization whose mission is to protect New Hampshire’s natural environment for wildlife and for people. It is also involved in statewide conservation research and wildlife monitoring projects, protects thousands of acres of wildlife habitat, and advocates for sound public policy on conservation issues.
For information on New Hampshire Audubon, including membership, volunteering, programs and publications, call 224-9909, or visit www.nhaudubon.org.