Name of the event: Clean energy – the answer to win this race against time Date: December 17, 2016 Time: 5pm
The U.S. Consulate General Hyderabad and Lamakaan invite you to the screening of the documentary A Race Against Time, a part of the Years of Living Dangerously series by National Geographic. The documentary will be followed by a panel discussion on clean energy and the role it can play in countering climate change.
About A Race Against time: Popular American television talk show host, comedian, and producer, David letterman recently travelled to India as a part of the National Geographic Channel’s show “Years of Living Dangerously”. As a part of this documentary on climate change and clean energy he interviewed Prime Minister Narendra Modi, U.S. Ambassador to India Richard Verma, and Arunabha Ghosh, CEO of the Council of Energy Environment. The documentary focuses on how India seeks to develop solar energy to provide electricity to 300 million people that reside in rural India and live without power. It also raises questions about whether coal would be used in the process and would climate be affected.
The moderator:
Dr. Shalini Sharma leads the climate change & development domain at the Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) in Hyderabad. As the Senior Counsellor at CII, she assists industries in GHG accounting & management, carbon neutrality in the paper sector, and leads the India Greenhouse Gas program (indiaghgp.org). She also advises state governments to formulate 'climate adaptation plans' and ‘low carbon development pathways’. Dr. Sharma has taken on various large scale national and international assignments focused on climate change issues. She has attended COP 17 (2011), and COP18 UNFCCC meetings, and also presented at COP18 (2012). Dr. Sharma has done three international fellowships, the DAAD fellowship; Fulbright-Nehru Environment Leadership fellowship and Chevening Rolls-Royce Science, Innovation, Policy & Leadership fellowship. Dr. Sharma has authored 18 publications in various SCI journals and proceedings, as well as other reports and manuals.
The panelists:
Dr. Ira A. Levine, Ph.D. is a tenured Professor of Natural and Applied Sciences at the University of Southern Maine, Chairperson of the USM Lewiston Auburn College Faculty, Director of the USM, LAC Aquatic Research Lab. Additionally, Dr. Levine is the President and Board Chair of the Algae Foundation, President and Board Chair of Professors Beyond Borders. He was awarded the 2016-2017 U.S. State Department , Distinguished Chair Fulbright and the 2009-2010 Fulbright New Century Scholar. Dr. Levine combines 30 years of applied and basic research in the molecular, physiological ecology and cultivation of algae, aquatic farming management, and aquaculture engineering. His current efforts include algal cultivar enhancement for algal-based biofuels, biofeeds, biofoods, and biotechnology.
Dr. Farshid Ahrestani is a wildlife scientist and Fulbright scholar whose research focuses on understanding the distribution and dynamics of species over space and time. He has studied large herbivores (deer, antelope, elephant) for over a decade, and is lead editor of a recently published volume titled The ecology of large herbivores in South and Southeast Asia. Farshid is keenly interested in research and action focused at biodiversity conservation, and is involved in the conservation of the Kodaikanal Wildlife Sanctuary, southern India.
Mr. Harsha Yadav is the co-founder of Zolt Energy that offers rooftop solar power solutions to households, and Efficient Carbon, a sustainability and renewable energy consulting firm that focuses on providing specialist advisory solutions to companies in the areas of sustainable development, climate change strategy, renewable energy, and carbon management. Harsha has led Zolt Energy and Efficient Carbon on large scale solar energy projects such as the installation of more than 2000 rooftop solar panels in Guntur, Andhra Pradesh. He has also designed curriculum on sustainability and green business management for college and university students. Harsha has played a pivotal leadership role in promoting energy efficiency in the private sector. He is passionate about discovering and implementing new sources of clean energy, and believes clean energy sources will help people generate their own low carbon intensive power.