Co-organized by St Antony’s College and the Blavatnik School of Government

Climate change impacts-more heat, drought, extreme rainfall, and stronger storms-have already harmed communities around the globe. Even if the world could cut its carbon emissions very significantly, further significant global climate change is now inevitable. Although we cannot tell with certainty how much average global temperatures will rise, we do know that the warming we have experienced to date has caused significant losses, and that the failure to prepare for the consequences of further warming may prove to be staggering.  Building a Resilient Tomorrow does not dwell on overhyped descriptions of apocalyptic climate scenarios, nor does it travel down well-trodden paths surrounding the politics of reducing carbon emissions. Instead, it starts with two central facts: climate impacts will continue to occur, and we can make changes now to mitigate their effects. While squarely confronting the scale of the risks we face, this pragmatic guide focuses on solutions-some gradual and some more revolutionary-currently being deployed around the globe. Each chapter presents a thematic lesson for decision-makers and engaged citizens to consider, outlining replicable successes and identifying provocative recommendations to strengthen climate resilience.

Leonardo Martinez-Diaz is the Global Director, Sustainable Finance Center of the World Resources Institute. Before WRI Leo spent six years at the U.S. Department of the Treasury. As Deputy Assistant Secretary for Energy and Environment, he was responsible for overseeing multilateral climate and environmental funds, directing Treasury's domestic and international work on climate finance, and leading on climate change elements of international negotiations, including at the G7, G20, UNFCCC COP, and the U.S.-China Strategic and Economic Dialogue. He stands out for his intimate knowledge of relevant institutions—he has worked for the IMF, World Bank and USAID, and served on the board of the Green Climate Fund—as well as his fresh ideas and force of intellect. Martinez-Diaz received an M.Phil. degree in 2001 and D.Phil. in 2007 from Magdalen College, Oxford University, where he was a Marshall Scholar.

Sangjung Ha is Strategy and Investment Officer at the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank. She leads many of the Bank’s activities to promote sustainability in infrastructure financing through its strategies, operational policies and investment projects. She brings a wide range of experience from diverse sectors, thematic areas, and geographies from her previous experience. She contributed to the development of the first Economic Inclusion Strategy and set up the Economic Inclusion Technical Assistance Framework at the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development and the was one of the founding staff members at the Global Green Growth Institute in Korea. She has Master of Public Policy from the Blavatnik School of Government at the University of Oxford, and M.A. in International Relations from the University of Edinburgh.

This event is part of a series of public discussions on climate policy in advance of the UK’s hosting of the 26th Conference of the Parties of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change in Glasgow in November 2020.