New York City Mayor Eric Adams and the Trust for Governors Island on April 24 that a consortium led by Stony Brook University will found and develop a world-leading climate solutions center on Governors Island in the city鈥檚 harbor. The will be a first-of-its kind international center for developing and deploying dynamic solutions to our global climate crisis.听

The 天美影视传媒 is among the core partners of the consortium, along with Georgia Institute of Technology, Pace University, the Pratt Institute, the Good Old Lower East Side community group, Boston Consulting Group and IBM. Other academic partners include Duke University, Rochester Institute of Technology and the University of Oxford.听

鈥淲e are very proud to bring our University鈥檚 deep and diverse strengths in climate and clean energy research and innovation to the New York Climate Exchange,鈥� said UW President Ana Mari Cauce. 鈥淎s the only core partner on the West Coast, we are excited to leverage our regional and global relationships to accelerate efforts to address and adapt to the impacts of climate change. This work is vital and urgent for the health and survival of our people and our world.鈥�听

In addition to convening the world鈥檚 leaders and climate experts, the exchange will host green job training and skills-building programs and partner with local institutions on addressing the social and practical challenges created by climate change.听

鈥淭he UW serves as a global hub for innovative research into climate change action and adaptation, and the resources and relationships provided by the Climate Exchange will help us grow our impact even further,鈥� said Maya Tolstoy, Maggie Walker Dean of the UW College of the Environment. 鈥淭his is a truly exciting partnership, and it presents a fantastic opportunity for us to collaborate with a diverse group of peers across academia, business and community organizations.鈥�听

Tolstoy will serve as the UW鈥檚 representative on the New York Climate Exchange board. The initiative will bring together universities, governments and businesses to address climate change action and adaptation.听

The New York Climate Exchange with 400,000 square feet of green-designed building space, including research labs, classroom space, exhibits, greenhouses, mitigation technologies and housing facilities. The facility will feature:听

• An all-electric-powered campus with onsite solar electricity generation and battery storage with capability to serve the local grid听
• All non-potable water demand met with rainwater or treated wastewater collection听
• 95% of its waste diverted from landfills听
• Climate-resilient design of new buildings, all raised to the design flood elevation of 18 feet above sea level听

鈥淲e are honored, excited, and proud to partner with the City of New York to build this historic center that will cement New York City as the world leader on climate change, the most pressing issue of our time,鈥� said Stony Brook University President Maurie McInnis.听

The Exchange鈥檚 activities will include:听

• A Research and Technology Accelerator that will source and nurture ideas, projects and new ventures dedicated to solving the climate crisis听
• Workforce development opportunities for communities disproportionately affected by climate change听听

• Partnerships and collaborative grant opportunities with community-based organizations already working to mitigate the impacts of climate change听
• Academic and community programs that prepare students at every level for careers focused on climate change solutions and environmental justice, encompassing hands-on learning, a semester 鈥渁broad鈥� on Governors Island, fellowship and internship programs and continuing education听

“The UW Clean Energy Institute is proud to bring our expertise in advancing clean energy research, training and stakeholder engagement to the New York Climate Exchange,” said Daniel Schwartz, director of the UW Clean Energy Institute and Boeing-Sutter Professor of Chemical Engineering. “Working as part of this global team, we see great opportunities to accelerate the energy transition through equitable deployment strategies.”听

UW faculty members who worked with UW leadership in the initial planning efforts include Shuyi Chen, UW professor of atmospheric sciences; Dargan Frierson, UW associate professor of atmospheric sciences; Jessica Kaminsky, UW associate professor of civil and environmental engineering; Jonathan Bakker, UW professor of environmental and forest sciences; and Himanshu Grover, UW assistant professor of urban design and planning.

鈥淎lthough built environments are intensely place-based, the systems that they influence are not bound by geography,鈥� said Ren茅e Cheng, dean of the UW College of Built Environments. 鈥淟inking our college’s research and teaching on carbon, water and socio-environmental factors with the New York Climate Exchange will facilitate positive impact at a national and global scale.鈥�听

The difference between them lies in the deadline: What should Washington aim for, right now?

On March 11, will highlight a goal, based on the state鈥檚 own policies and recommendations 鈥� 鈥淲ashington State Can Decarbonize in a Decade鈥� 鈥� and feature Schwartz, Simonen, and local youth activists Julia Barnett and Sarah Starman. The event will be broadcast live from the KUOW studios at 7 p.m. The event was originally scheduled before a live audience at Seattle University but was relocated due to public health guidance regarding large gatherings.

, upcoming chair of the 天美影视传媒 Department of Architecture and director of the , focuses on building materials and the carbon emissions of a building over its lifetime. The Carbon Leadership Forum brings together academics and building industry professionals working听to eliminate embodied carbon in buildings and infrastructure by inspiring innovation and spurring change through collective action.听Last fall they introduced the Embodied Carbon in Construction Calculator, or EC3 tool, which is a free听tool for architects, engineers, owners, construction companies, building material suppliers and policy makers to evaluate and reduce embodied carbon emissions from construction materials.

is a UW professor of chemical engineering and director of the , which supports development of next-generation solar energy and battery materials and devices, and integrating them with systems and the grid. Created by the state in 2013, the institute鈥檚 mission is to 鈥渁ccelerate the adoption of a scalable clean energy future that will improve the health and economy of our state, nation and world.鈥�

So the irony is not lost on Schwartz that, in this debate, he鈥檚 arguing the 鈥渃on鈥� side of decarbonizing 鈥� or lowering greenhouse gas emissions to zero 鈥� in a decade. Simonen will argue the 鈥減ro.鈥�

But for Schwartz, it鈥檚 not about whether lowering emissions is a good idea 鈥� that gets a resounding 鈥測es.鈥� It鈥檚 about setting what he sees as realistic targets and time frames.

鈥淚 am the most optimistic person about how we鈥檙e going to tackle this problem, but I want us to focus on the real challenges, and I believe Washington focusing its attention on 100% elimination of emissions from energy use in 10 years we take our eyes off the most important prize, which is decarbonizing the planet,鈥� he said.

Schwartz said he supports goals that have realistic pathways to success, like the Clean Energy Transformation Act or a low-carbon fuel standard, because they provide wins along the way, reduce fear of change, and empower people to do more.

鈥淲hen you start with a goal that鈥檚 unachievable, you don鈥檛 get started, And when you don鈥檛 get started, you don鈥檛 learn how to go faster,鈥� Schwartz said.

Simonen, meanwhile, is enthusiastic about the chance to engage the public on the issue. She wants listeners to recognize the urgency of climate change and the need to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, and that there are steps everyone can take to be part of that solution.

Simonen approaches the topic from a construction angle: the carbon impacts of buildings and infrastructure. Buildings, she pointed out, are responsible for over 40% of global carbon emissions.

鈥淪cience-based targets tell us that globally emissions must reduce by over 50% in the next decade,鈥� she said. 鈥淲hile our work at the Carbon Leadership Forum at UW is keenly focused on building material impacts, we鈥檝e been interacting with global organizations setting regional decarbonization targets, and I will bring knowledge about these initiatives to inform the debate.鈥�

Both Simonen and Schwartz want listeners to come away with a sense of optimism and opportunity.

鈥淲e in Washington have an opportunity and responsibility to be global leaders,鈥澨齋imonen said.