From the UN Climate Action Team to the Bezos Earth Fund: Lessons Learned and Hope for the Future
Daniel Schensul
This session was recorded but consent to publication from the presenter has not yet been received.
About the talk
On Tuesday, Feb. 25 we will have the pleasure of learning about Dr. Daniel Schensul's professional journey focussing on world issues relating to population, climate action and the environment. Daniel's background and current work are critical for the long term sustainability of our planet.
The Bezos Earth Fund was created by a commitment of $10 billion from Jeff Bezos in 2020 — the largest philanthropic commitment ever to fight climate change and protect nature. Daniel's role there is to find and build projects with communities, social enterprises, scientists, and entrepreneurs that generate profits and improve lives in ways that reduce greenhouse gas emissions and protect nature. He leads the program on forest-protecting economies, focused on the Brazilian Amazon and the Democratic Republic of Congo. When he presented at Science Plus, he had just returned from Belém, Brazil, following the first workshop of a newly funded initiative on the socioambiental economy: funding cooperatives of indigenous and extractivist communities that collectively hold land rights over 150,000 square kilometres of rainforest, “so they can stay on their lands, protect their forests from invaders, and do it for the long term.”
A Science Plus family note: Daniel's parents, Jean and Stephen Schensul, renowned anthropologists (and Ray's sister and brother-in-law), presented to the salon in its early years on their projects around the world. As Ray put it: “Daniel is my nephew — but that is really the least of his accomplishments!”
About the speaker
Dr. Daniel Schensul joined the Earth Fund after 14 years in the United Nations. Most recently, he was Senior Programme Officer with the Climate Action Team in the Executive Office of the Secretary-General, responsible for strategic advice and stakeholder coordination on climate change and nature, as well as peace and security, humanitarian affairs, cities, and multilateralism. Before that he served in multiple capacities with the UN Population Fund. He has published extensively on climate change and sustainable development, including multiple reports of the UN Secretary-General. He received his B.A. from Columbia University and his Ph.D. in Sociology from Brown University.
We are always looking for recommendations for and introductions to presenters who will appeal to the Science Plus audience. Please send to Ray Schachter at Schachter.ray@gmail.com.