Special Report from New Orleans: The ISA Conference

If there was still any doubt about the extent to which climate change pervades the public policy discourse, it was dispelled at this year’s International Studies Association convention. Held in New Orleans, a city no stranger to the future—and past—perils of a changing climate, the conference showcased the topic in a wide array of panels and lectures. Climate change is now routinely discussed in workshops on African security, global health, governance, urbanization and international relations.

The View from Southeast Asia: Does one Size fit all in the Battle Against Climate Change?”

From Special Correspondent Suzanne Kelly-Lyall, PISA Deputy Director:

Thailand has a great deal about which to feel proud: abundant natural beauty, delicious cuisine, a complex and highly textured culture shaped by Theravada Buddhism and other influences.  One might add the city of Bangkok to this list – a major Asian city attempting to balance tradition with radical modernity.  A new rapid transit line, the “BTS”, plans for the introduction of electric vehicles as part of a Clinton Foundation initiative under the C-40 plan, coupled with efforts to retrofit many of the older, energy inefficient buildings of downtown Bangkok, are all tribute to the nation’s mitigation efforts.