Haub Law Holds Side Event on Renewable Energy at UN Plaza
On Wednesday, July 18, Dean Emeritus Richard Ottinger, Haub Law, and Pace University held a Side Event at the Ministerial Meeting of the High Level Political Forum on Sustainable Development Goals (HLPF) on “Reaching the 1.1 billion people without power through renewable energy.” The event was well-attended by individuals from all over the world, from Nigeria to Chile. The event panel examined field experience and policy options to make use of the renewable energy “cost miracle” as a an attractive and feasible option for extending access to energy unserved populations. Experts in utilizing renewable energy with storage and microgrids explained how they and the United Nations can assist in helping communities to access energy through use of these modern technologies.
Discussions included how renewable energy with storage can provide power for schoolwork, communications, refrigeration of food and medicine, cooking and warmth essential to economic development and community health and education – and avoid ingesting the deadly pollution from burning wood, charcoal, kerosene and diesel for these purposes. Presentations included how these programs are financed and administered. After the panelist presentations there was time for audience questions and answers.
The Side Event was organized by Pace Law professors, Dean Emeritus Richard L. Ottinger and Narinder Kakar. Keynote presentations were made by Ambassador V. Va’inga Tone, Permanent Representative to the United Nation from Tonga, and Mrs Shiranthi Rathnayake, Additional Director General, Department of National Planning, Ministry of Nation Polices and Economic Affairs, Government of Sri Lanka.
The panel was moderated by Dean Ottinger. Panelists included Achinthi Vithanage (former Research Assistant to Dean Ottinger and currently Visiting Associate Professor & Environmental Law Program Fellow with George Washington Law School; Professor Vijay Modi, Professor of Engineering at Columbia and an internationally recognized expert on renewable energy to provide electricity access to unserved communities; Eco Matser, Global Coordinator for Climate Energy & Development with the Humanist Institute for Cooperation with Developing Countries in The Hague Netherlands; and Divyam Nagpal from the International Renewable Energy Agency, each of the experts describing their extensive experience with relevant projects in developing countries.
The Event was sponsored by the United Nation Missions of Germany, the United Arab Emirates, Tonga and Sri Lanka; the International Renewable Agency, the International Commission on Environmental Law and Pace University’s Elisabeth Haub School of Law. More than 700 UN Missions and organizations applied to hold side events at the HLPF, and only a handful of them were accepted. This prestigious Event is a major distinction for the University and the Law School.
