We face a future full of disruption. To keep global warming below 2°C, countries must adopt a simple rule: cut emissions in half every decade to 2050. Solutions may be market ready and economically attractive, but it will require economic transformation at an unprecedented speed and scale.

Meanwhile, Silicon Valley’s digital revolution is re-wiring the way we work, shop, live and socialize. Tech giants have had a profound influence on democracy and the modern economy, and the promise of artificial intelligence, robotics, and the internet of things will only bring more disruption.

Can the massive transformations of the digital revolution help drive us toward a climate-safe world? This talk explores the priorities for science, technology and policy to drive forward the integrated approach that is needed to tackle this challenge. Amy Luers and Future Earth are showing leaders, scientists and business that they must collaborate to put us on the road to a thriving, sustainable future.

SPEAKER BIO

Amy Luers comes to Future Earth from the Skoll Global Threats Fund (SGTF) where she was Director of Climate. Previously, she was the Assistant Director for Climate Resilience and Information at the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy (OSTP). Dr. Luers spent a number of years at Google as the Senior Environment Program Manager. Prior to Google she led the climate program at the Union of Concerned Sciences California office. Luers started her career in Latin America as co-founder and the first executive director of Agua Para La Vida (Water for Life), working with rural communities to enhance access to potable water.

She has published in both academic and the popular media on issues related to vulnerability to global environmental change, data, sustainability, climate policy, and science communication. A respected scientist and data innovator, Luers has been recognised as a PopTech fellow, a Switzer Environmental Fellow, Heinz Environmental Scholar, and has advised the California state government, the White House, and the United Nations. She is a member of the Council on Foreign Relations and has served on committees of the National Academies of Sciences. Luers holds a Ph.D. in environmental science and an M.A. in international policy studies, from Stanford University; a B.S. and M.S. in environmental systems engineering from Humboldt State University; and a B.A. in philosophy from Middlebury College.