Dr. Julius Gatune Kariuki joins the Frederick S. Pardee Center for the Study of the Longer-Range Future as a Post-doctoral Fellow focussing on development issues in Africa. Dr. Gatune, who specializes in public policy and future scenarios for African development will be an integral part of the Pardee Center team working on the Africa 2060 project.

Dr. Gatune holds a Ph.D. in Policy Analysis from Frederick S. Pardee Rand Graduate School and is currently completing a book on scenarios of Africa’s future development. At the Pardee Center, his current research interests will draw on his interest in investigating the drivers of Africa futures and in understanding what leverage Africa has in shaping desired futures. Read more.

Miquel Munoz, Michael Caramanis and William Moomaw

On Tuesday, November 17, 2009, The Frederick S. Pardee Center for the Study of the Longer-Range Future held a seminar on ‘Is The Future Renewable?‘ Part of the ‘Pardee House Seminars’ series, the event featured Prof. Michael Caramanis, Prof. William Moomaw and Dr. Miquel Munoz, and was moderated by Prof. Adil Najam, Director of the Pardee Center. The seminar was organized in collaboration with the Boston University Clean Energy and Environmental Sustainability Initiative (CEESI).

Prof. William Moomaw is Professor of International Environmental Policy and Director of the Center for International Environment and Resource Policy at The Fletcher School at Tufts University. Prof. Moomaw started the discussion by highlighting the recent rapid growth in the usage of renewable energy and the emergence of new technology and innovation in renewable energy. However, he cautioned that without energy efficiency gains, renewable energy will not be a viable source of energy. He also pointed out that by focussing on carbon and emissions so much we have been trying to negotiate the wrong treaty. What we have been trying to get is a ‘pollution’ treaty on climate change, instead what the world really needs is a ‘development’ treaty on climate change. Such a focus would be far more conducive to the transition towards a renewable future. He concluded that the future could be renewable but difficult policy choices would have to be made to make it possible.

Prof. Michael Caramanis is Professor of Engineering at the Department of Mechanical Engineering and Division of Systems Engineering at the Boston University College of Engineering. He adopted a systems perspective to the problem and pointed out that we need to focus not only on innovation in energy generation but also in energy distribution. In particular he stressed the need to focus on information technology and consumer behavior innovations in order to enable synergistic management of energy usage and generation in the home with centralized conventional and renewable generation. He pointed out that transformational changes will have to accompany an affordable and hence sustainable energy future where renewable generation plays the key role. These changes must build on a smarter electricity grid, new electric rate structures and the creation of new markets. These changes will motivate efficiency gains and render the new smart infrastructures resilient to the needed widespread adoption of distributed resources and grid friendly electricity uses such as that of the electric automobile.

Dr Miquel Munoz, who is a postdoctoral fellow at the Frederick S. Pardee Center for the Study of the Longer-Range Future, addressed the different drivers of renewable energy. He pointed out that the three key drivers of a possible energy transition to renewable energy are energy security, industrial policy, and climate change. However, he stressed that while climate is a driver it is not the most important driver of potential change towards renewable energy technologies. Dr. Munoz stressed that there are plenty of very good reasons to pursue a renewable future and we should not make climate change the only, or even the primary, reason to do so.

Following the presentations the audience engaged in a lively discussion with the panelists. Some of the issues discussed included how to collaborate with stakeholders with current vested interests to move renewable energy forward, whether the future is also ‘renewable’ for developing countries and the possibility of technology leapfrogging. The panelists concluded with notes of  optimism that the future is renewable given self sufficiency and interaction.

The video of the seminar will be made available at the Pardee Center’s multimedia webpage.

Moeed delivered two lectures, one on Regional Implications of WMD in South-West Asia: Pakistan and India and another on Role of Armed Forces in Preventing WMD Terrorism. On the panel, Moeed spoke on Pakistan’s Counterterrorism Strategy. In the first lecture, he explained the implications of nuclearization of South Asia. He argued that while nuclear deterrence may have prevented all out war between Pakistan and India, it has not brought peace to the region. He forecasted an unstable strategic regime for South Asia in years to come. The second lecture focused on the various roles armed forces can play in preventing nuclear and biological terrorism. He presented Pakistan’s protocol to ensure safety and security of its nuclear arsenal as a model to follow for other developing countries.

Moeed is also a Doctoral candidate and Senior Teaching Fellow at Boston University’s Political Science Department and is currently teaching a course on International Political Economy at the University’s Department of International Relations.

Dr Daniel Guhr

Dr Daniel Guhr, Managing Director of Illuminate Consulting Group,  dicussed  ‘Internationalization of Higher Education’ at a Pardee House Seminar on Thursday, November 12, 2009.  Prof. Ben DeWinter, Boston University’s Associate Provost for International Programs and Dean Jay Halfond of the Boston University Metropolitan College gave opening remarks at the Seminar.

Dr. Guhr serves as Illuminate Consulting Group’s (ICG) Managing Director and the Head of the Alumni Networks as well as Talent Acquisition Practice Areas. He has authored more than twenty research papers and studies on educational, organisational, and business issues.  He frequently speaks at international conferences and comments widely on educational policy-making and competition topics in the press.

Dr Guhr begin with an analysis of trends in key international education countries including Australia, Canada, United Kingdom, Germany and the United States. He noted that growth rates in every country has slowed down notably in recent years due to factors such as an increase in alternative destinations for international students such as China, India, and Singapore. He provided a perspective on the United States as a top destination for international students and a perspective on international students at Boston University.

Dr Guhr’s presentation was followed by a lively discussion and audience questions. Some of the issues discussed included the worth of an international student and ideas on engaging Latin American and African universities and students.

The first two papers in the series are Issue 001: Pushing “Reset” on Sustainable Development by Alan Atkisson and Issue 002:Rio + 20: Another World Summit? by Dr Miquel Munoz and Prof. Adil Najam.

The SDKP is a United Nations Public-Private partnership, with the UN Division of Sustainable Development as its secretariat, which brings together some of the leading organizations and individuals working on sustainable development for the partnership’s stated mission: “To organize the knowledge on sustainable development in order to make it more useful for practitioners and policy makers.” The goal of the partnership is to bring together individuals, institutions, and networks engaged in the production and dissemination of knowledge on sustainable development, including research institutions, universities, expert networks, governmental institutions, civil society organizations, private research entities, and individual researchers working on sustainable development.

The SDKP was established in May 2009 at the meeting of the UN Commission for Sustainable Development (CSD) after the Conclave of Though Leaders on Sustainable Development, in which the Pardee Center also participated. The SDKP currently has six working groups: Communications and coherence, Publications, Sustainable Development Assessment, Annual Sustainable Development Conference, Capacity Building and Partnership Development.

Prof. Michael Caramanis is Professor of Engineering at the Department of Mechanical Engineering and Division of Systems Engineering at the Boston University College of Engineering

Professor William Moomaw is Professor of International Environmental Policy and Director of the Center for International Environment and Resource Policy at The Fletcher School at Tufts University.

Dr Miquel Munoz is a postdoctoral fellow at the Frederick S. Pardee Center for the Study of the Longer-Range Future.

The Seminar will be held at Pardee House (67 Bay State Road, Boston) on Tuesday, November 17, 2009.

The Pardee Seminar Series focuses on a variety of issues and invites experts from different disciplines to discuss the long-range challenges and trends in that particular issue. This seminar is being organized in collaboration with the Boston University Clean Energy and Environmental Sustainability Initiative (CEESI).

Please note that this seminar will be 30 minutes later than the usual Pardee seminars. Lunch will be available from 12.00pm, and the seminar itself will start at 12.30pm. Please RSVP to pardee@bu.edu by Friday, November 13, 2009. Seating is limited to 30 participants.

The Frederick S. Pardee Center for the Study of the Longer-Range Future, the Office of the Dean of the BU College of Arts and Sciences and BU Latin America Studies Program co-organized a conference on US-Cuba policy on November 6, Friday. The conference, titled, Whither US Cuba Policy? is supported by a grant from the Christopher Reynolds Foundation and the CAS Dean’s Office, and headed by Professor Susan Eckstein and Ambassador Paul Hare.

Senator John Kerry was not able to make it to the conference at the last minute due to other commitments.

The program of the conference was as follows:

1:30 ~ 2:15 pm  The State of Cuba Today
Raphael Hernandez, Editor of Temas and Professor Jorge Dominguez

2:15 ~ 3:00 pm U.S. Business Prospects
Professor Paolo Spadoni and Ambassador Mark Entwistle

3:00 ~ 3:30 Address on US Cuba policy (via video conferencing)
Congressman Bill Delahunt

3:45 ~ 4:30 pm The Cuban Diaspora and the Future of Cuba
Carlos Saladrigas and Professor Miren Uriarte

4:30 ~ 5:15 PM Whither U. S. Cuba Policy?
Discussion led by Fulton Armstrong, Senior Advisor on the Western
Hemisphere to Senate Foreign Relations Committee; Carl Meacham,
Senior Foreign Policy Advisor to Senator Richard Lugar, Professor Susan
Eckstein and Ambassador Paul Hare

During his presentation, Dr. Munoz compared the relevant rights under the Universal Declaration of Human Rights with the principles of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC). Dr. Munoz identified human rights aspects of the three fundamental aspects of climate change negotiations: (1) compensation for historical emissions and damages; (2) distribution of the burden of action to combat climate change; and (3) allocation of global commons in the future, in particular distribution of GHG emissions rights.

Dr. Munoz outlined five specific challenges for the human rights community:

1. There is a need to ensure that individual and community human rights are not eroded by policies designed to curb climate change – or any other public good.

2. Coordinated international action on climate change is likely to result in many international mechanisms and bodies. These bodies and mechanisms should be designed in accordance with human rights, and ensure proper participation and legitimacy of its governing bodies.

3. The increasing numbers of people displaced (directly or indirectly) due to climate change (Climate Displaced People or CDP) will require a re-definition of the refugee concept. Work is needed to insure that that CDP have their human rights recognized when relocated.

4. In relation with the previous point, the disappearance or inviability of some States due to climate change, particularly low-lying island states, will require a specific measures to ensure the human rights of their citizens, particularly the human right to nationality and mobility.

5. With the expected increase in number and frequency of climate-related disasters and emergencies, there is a need to strengthen mechanism to ensure that human rights are ALSO respected during emergencies.

In his conclusions, Dr. Munoz remarked that while climate change has many human rights impacts, the solution to climate change cannot solely be based on a human rights approach.

The full TV show can be downloaded here: (Dr. Munoz intervention minute 20-30)
http://www.tv3.cat/videos/1604999/Taula-dactualitat—04112009

Dr. Munoz is currently in Barcelona participating in the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) negotiations.

Dr. Daniel Guhr serves as Illuminate Consulting Group’s (ICG) Managing Director and the Head of the Alumni Networks as well as Talent Acquisition Practice Areas. He has authored more than twenty research papers and studies on educational, organisational, and business issues.  He frequently speaks at international conferences and comments widely on educational policy-making and competition topics in the press.

Dr. Ben DeWinter is Associate Provost and Professor of Modern Foreign Languages and Literature (Spanish) at Boston University. He has executive responsibility for BU International Programs, including Study Abroad and Exhcnages, the International Students and Scholars Office (ISSO), the Center for English Language and Orientation Programs (CELOP), and the International Liaison Offices.

Dr Jay Halfond is currently Dean of Metropolitan College and Associate Professor of Administrative Sciences at Boston University. He also serves as the Chair of the President’s Council  for a global University .

The Seminar will be held at Pardee House (67 Bay State Road, Boston) on Thursday, November 12, 2009.

The Pardee Seminar Series focuses on a variety of issues and invites experts from different disciplines to discuss the long-range challenges and trends in that particular issue.

Lunch will be available from 11.30am, and the seminar itself will start at noon. Please RSVP to pardee@bu.edu by Monday, November 9, 2009. Seating is limited to 30 participants.