PLENARY SESSION 1
The Role of Innovation for Addressing Climate Change

David Sandalow [Moderator]

Current position:

Inaugural Fellow, Center on Global Energy Policy, Columbia University

Country:

United States

Career history:

2009-2013
Under Secretary of Energy and Assistant Secretary for Policy & International Affairs, US Dept of Energy
2005-2008
Energy & Climate Working Group Chair, Clinton Global Initiative
2003-2008
Senior Fellow, Brookings Institution
1999-2001
Assistant Secretary for Oceans, Environment & Science, US State Dept
1994-1998
White House staff, US

Areas of expertise:

Energy and climate policy

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Vaclav Smil

Current position:

Distinguished Professor Emeritus, University of Manitoba

Country:

Canada

Career history:

1976-2014
Author of 35 books on energy environment and technical advances
2013
Member of the Order of Canada
1996
Fellow of the Royal Society of Canada (Science Academy)
1972-2011
Distinguished Professor, University of Manitoba
1966-1969
Consultant in energy and environmental affairs (Czech Republic)

Areas of expertise:

Interdisciplinary research in energy, environmental and population change, food production and nutrition, technical innovation, risk assessment and public policy

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Mitsutsune Yamaguchi

Current position:

Visiting Professor, Komaba Organization for Educational Excellence (KOMEX), The University of Tokyo

Country:

Japan

Career history:

2013-
Visiting professor, Komaba Organization for Educational Excellence (KOMEX), The University of Tokyo
2012-
Special Advisor, Research Institute of Innovative Technology for the Earth (RITE)
2006-2013
Visiting professor, later Project Professor, Research Center for Advanced Science and Technology (RCAST), The University of Tokyo
2002-2010
Visiting professor, The Open University in Japan
1996-2005
Professor, Faculty of Economics, Keio University
1962-1999
Tokio Marine and Fire Insurance Company, Limited
He is a lead author of Third, Fourth and Fifth Assessment Report of Intergovernmental
Panel for Climate Change (IPCC). He has written many books and articles including Climate Change Mitigation, A Balanced Approach to Climate Change, Springer, London (2012) (Editor & Co-author).

Areas of expertise:

Environment Economics focusing mainly on Climate change

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Nguyen Minh Quang

Current position:

Minister of Natural Resources and Environment, Viet Nam

Country:

Viet Nam

Career history:

2004-2005
Chairman of Lai Chau Provincial People's Committee
2005-2010
Secretary of Lai Chau Provincial Party Committee
2006-
Member of Central Party Committee
2010-2011
Deputy Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development
2011-
Minister of Natural Resources and Environment

Areas of expertise:

Natural Resources and Environment

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Matthew Hancock

Current position:

Minister of State for Business, Enterprise and Energy, in the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills and Department for Energy and Climate Change, United Kingdom

Country:

United Kingdom

Career history:

2014-Present
Minister of State for Business, Enterprise and Energy
2013
Minister of State for Skills and Enterprise
2012
Minister for Skills
2010
Selected for the West Suffolk constituency in the 2010 general election
2005-2010
Worked for the then Shadow Chancellor of the Exchequer, George Osborne

Areas of expertise:

Economics, Politics

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Laurence Tubiana

Current position:

Special Representative for COP21, Ambassador for Climate Change Negotiations, Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Development, France
Professor, Sciences Po Paris and Professor, Columbia University
Founder and Director, Institute for Sustainable Development and International Relations (IDDRI)
Co-Chair, Sustainable Development Solutions Network (SDSN) Leadership Council
President, French Development Agency (AFD) Board of Governors

Country:

France

Career history:

2012
Appointed by the French government to the National Steering Committee on Energy Transition
1997-2002
Served as a Senior Advisor to the Prime Minister, Lionel Jospin, on environmental issues
Member of the French Council of Economic Analysis and research director for the French National Institute for Agricultural Research (INRA)

Areas of expertise:

Published a number of articles and books on environment, development and international issues

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Norio Sasaki

Current position:

Vice Chairman, KEIDANREN (Japan Business Federation) 
Vice Chairman, Toshiba Corporation
Member of the Council for Industrial Competitiveness

Country:

Japan

Career in Toshiba Corporation:

2013
Director, Vice Chairman of the Board
2009
President and Chief Executive Officer
2008
Director, Representative Executive Officer, and Corporate Senior Executive Vice President
2005
Executive Officer and Corporate Vice President
2003
Vice President, Nuclear Energy Systems and Services Division
1972
Joined Toshiba Corporation
1972
Graduated Waseda University with a degree in Mechanical Engineering

Areas of expertise:

Energy and Low-Carbon Technologies

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