“Creating a resilient and sustainable future for all” is the theme of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) Summit, taking place in San Francisco November 11-17. The Summit brought together 21 heads of state–including U.S. President Joe Biden and Chinese President Xi Jinping–and 1,200 CEOs to negotiate international trade policy. Many demonstrators also came together under the demand “don’t trade away our future”, calling on APEC member economies to shift away from fossil fuels and truly work towards resilient communities and climate justice. The Summit was full of contrasts on climate. Even as the APEC Secretariat emphasized the interdependence of a healthy environment and thriving economy, and APEC Energy Ministers developed Non-Binding Just Energy Transition Principles for APEC Cooperation, Bay Area climate activists rallied against the greenwashing in Exxon Mobil CEO’s speech. (For more about oil company greenwashing, see this recent post in USF News.)
Within the MSEM program, we prepare our graduates to tackle these challenges in courses such as Environmental Policy, Renewable Energy, Climate Change Mitigation, Resilience in Climate Change, Advanced GIS, and Sustainability Leadership. MSEM graduates have analyzed these issues in their Master’s Projects, including:
- Composite Climate Risk Exposure in High-Emitting California Industries, Nicholas M. Graves
- Evaluating the Top Two Carbon Offset Certification Frameworks on the Voluntary Carbon Market: Major Risks and Concerns, Sophia E. Fries
- Community Microgrids as an Equitable Climate Resilience and Adaptation Strategy in California, Savanna Olivia Smith
We look forward to the new climate research and action by our students and alumni. Please share your stories with msem@usfca.edu.
