The Energy, Resources, and Environment Program

International Energy & Environmental Policy Practicum Presentations

Wednesday, April 30, 2014
Presentations will be held from 10:00am-3:00pm EST
Application Process and Q&A 12:20pm-1:00pm EST
SAIS Washington Campus, Rome Auditorium, 1619 Massachusetts Avenue NW WDC 20036
Event page: https://practicumpresentations.eventbrite.com
This event will be webcasted. Recordings may be viewed at: http://goo.gl/GwxFtW
Thank you for joining us to learn about the 2013-2014 International Energy & Environmental Policy Practicum. Our students look forward to
sharing the results of their project research and work. The Practicum (680.775) is a two-semester consulting opportunity for in-depth
investigation of a real-world issue of critical interest to a high-level client organization. This 2013-2014 academic year, 24 second-year ERE
students have worked on 6 project teams. The Practicum is managed by Dr. Jonathan Haskett.
First-year ERE students are highly encouraged to attend the informational Session about the Practicum Application Process from 12:20-
1:00pm.
Agenda
Welcome and Brief Introduction by Dr. Jonathan Haskett
10:00am-10:40am Project: Adaptation Measures in Mexico City for the BRT System
Client: World Resources Institute
Team: Beatriz Eraso Puig, Ann Shikany, Ilana Ginsberg, Markus Wilthaner
Faculty Advisor: Dr. Wil Kohl
10:40am-11:20 am Project: Building Resilience and Reframing Risk in the Columbia River Basin
Client: Swiss Re
Team: Maria Belenky, Hayden Brown, Gregory Gangelhoff, Xian Liao
Faculty Advisor: Professor Celeste Connors
11:20am-12:00pm Project: Low-Carbon Opportunities for Cement Production in China
Client: Carbon War Room
Team: Maxwell Cohen, Ann Dailey, Douglas Midland, Pat Van Grinsven
Faculty Advisor: Dr. Jonathan Haskett
12:00pm-12:20pm Lunch will be served
12:20pm-1:00pm Practicum Application Process Info Session and Q&A with Dr. Jonathan Haskett
1:00pm-1:40pm Project: Mapping Resilience: Creating an Adaptation Atlas Innovation Hub at SAIS
Client: c.dots development and Blue Raster
Team: Dyland Arnold, Brad Folta, Sohee Gu, Micol Chiesa
Faculty Advisor: Dr. Shalini Vajjhala
1:40pm-2:20pm Project: Rural Electrification: How Policy Mitigates and Compounds Risks to Private Sector Development of
Energy Services in India (Smart Power for Economically and Environmentally Sound Development)
Clients: The Rockefeller Foundation and the ERE SPEED Project in collaboration with the World Bank Group's
Climate
Team: Kieran Coleman, Julia Heckmann, Neda Oreizy, Yiqian Xu
Faculty Advisor: Dr. Irving Mintzer
2:20pm-3:00pm Project: Reduced Emissions from Deforestation and Degradation: Removing Barriers and Achieving Potential
Client: World Wildlife Fund
Team: Virginia Benninghoff, Helena Oh, Tristram Thomas, Elodie Manuel
Faculty Advisor: Dr. Jonathan Haskett
Closing Remarks by Dr. Jonathan Haskett

2013-2014 INTERNATIONAL ENERGY AND ENVIRONMENT PRACTICUM PROJECTS

Project: Adaptation Measures in Mexico City for the BRT System
Client: World Resources Institute
Practicum Team: Beatriz Eraso Puig, Ann Shikany, Ilana Ginsberg, Markus Wilthaner
Faculty Advisor: Wil Kohl

Recently, Mexico has assumed its global responsibility on Climate Change issues through a long-term vision established in the Climate
Change General Law (CCGL). The CCGL determines, among others, adaptation measures to develop; particularly, it mandates the
federation, the states and municipalities to execute actions for adaptation in areas such as transport and communications infrastructure
(Article 28). However, the law, due to its general character, did not state precisely what adaptation actions are or where these actions are
more necessary to implement. In this regard, CTS EMBARQ Mexico is interested in working on a Public Action Guide as a way to present to
the authorities, specific policies and measures to guarantee successful climate change adaptation. Specifically, the client i s interested in the
Mexico Citys Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) System due to its growing importance. The Practicum team has worked with CTS EMBARQ Mexico to
research and analyze climate change adaptation measures with respect to the BRT and will present an evaluation and a set of
recommendations in this regard.
Project: Building Resilience and Reframing Risk in the Columbia River Basin
Client: Swiss RE
Practicum Team: Maria Belenky, Hayden Brown, Gregory Gangelhoff, Xian Liao
Faculty Advisor: Celeste Connors

The Practicum team has worked with Swiss Re, a leading reinsurance company, to evaluate options for innovative sustainable development
and climate risk reduction projects in the Columbia River Basin in advance of the expiration of flood control and hydropower provisions of the
Columbia River Treaty. Key components of the Columbia River Treaty, a landmark agreement betwee n the US and Canada on the
development of water resources in the Pacific Northwest region, are set to expire in 2024. Both countries are required to provide 10 years
notice prior to terminating other provisions, making 2014 a critical moment to evaluate how flood and other regional climate risks can be
effectively managed. In addition to Swiss Re, the Practicum team has had the opportunity to engage with foreign policy officials, local and
state government representatives in the region, and non-government entities to develop a series of options for sustainable development and
risk reduction projects in the Columbia River Basin. The team will deliver a final report with recommendations for building resilience in target
sectors and catalyzing public and private investment in key project types with the greatest disaster risk reduction potential , especially for
vulnerable communities and Tribes in the region.
Project: Low-Carbon Opportunities for Cement Production in China
Client: Carbon War Room
Practicum Team: Maxwell Cohen, Ann Dailey, Douglas Midland, Pat Van Grinsven
Faculty Advisor: Jonathan Haskett

The cement industry is the worlds most carbon-intensive industry, and China has been the worlds leading producer of cement since 1985.
In terms of emissions, the cement industry in China is currently responsible for 1.2 Gt of CO2 emissions each year (half of the total emissions
of the industry ). Those 1.2 Gt are about 3.5% of the worlds total greenhouse gas emissions and approximately equivalent to the annual
emissions of all the cars on the road in the United States today. Focusing on the cement industry in China, this project will build on initial
Carbon War Room research into promising low-carbon technologies and processes for the cement industry, including advanced
technologies, alternative materials, alternative fuels. The aggressive pursuit of these proven carbon-intensity-reduction measures has the
potential to substantially reduce emissions from cement production while offering a major boon to local and international economies by
decreasing the price of a basic commodity and driving the development of new businesses and new jobs.
The study will: 1) assess the market barriers that are preventing the wider adoption of these opportunities, 2) gather insights on what is
needed for these barriers to be overcome, and 3) begin to create a framework for collaboration through which we can facilitate the
implementation of proven low-carbon technologies into the cement industry in China. The study process will consist of: 1) a literature review
and interviews with leading global firms, 2) a fieldwork session in China to test and refine the teams hypotheses, and 3) the development of
an industry-led initiative to put the teams findings into practice.

Project: Reduced Emissions from Deforestation and Degradation: Removing Barriers and Achieving Potential
Client: World Wildlife Fund
Practicum Team: Virginia Benninghoff, Helena Oh, Tristram Thomas, Elodie Manuel
Faculty Advisor: Jonathan Haskett

Changes in land use including large scale deforestation account for approximately 20% of global greenhouse gas emissions. Reducing
deforestation is an essential component of both climate change mitigation and adaptation strategies. Incentives can be brought about to
address the drivers of deforestation and forest degradation at scale by influencing global policy dialogue and finance flows through the
unprecedented political/financial opportunity represented by Reduced Emissions from Deforestation and Degradation (REDD+). But there are
many issues yet to be resolved in order to make this a reality. The World Wildlife Fund (WWF) has been a key non-governmental actor in this
international arena and has identified a set of critical questions that need to be addressed in order for REDD+ to achieve its potential as a
strategy for addressing climate change and biodiversity goals:
How can adequate financial incentives for countries with high forest cover and low deforestation rates be created?
What are the design elements for a results-based REDD+ financial mechanism with effective international monetary transfers?
How can the non-carbon benefits of REDD+ be incentivized?
What are the possible non-market based approaches to pay for REDD+?
How can the benefits of REDD+ become a reality for Indigenous Peoples?
Working with WWF the Practicum team will develop a research approach to address an issue or set of related issues in this investigative
space and develop a report with recommendations that contribute to the WWF REDD+ policy/strategy framework.
Project: Rural Electrification: How Policy Mitigates and Compounds Risks to Private Sector Development of Energy
Services in India
Client: The Rockefeller Foundation and the ERE SPEED Project in collaboration with the World Bank Group's Climate
Practicum Team: Kieran Coleman, Julia Heckmann, Neda Oreizy, Yiqian Xu
Faculty Advisor: Irving Mintzer

The team, in collaboration with the World Bank Group's Incubating Innovation for Rural Electrification Initiative, has studied the role of poli cies
and regulations in private sector efforts to develop rural mini-grids in India. Their work grows out of a three-year initiative of the Rockefeller
Foundation's Smart Power for Environmentally sound Economic Development (SPEED) project and studies the risks inherent in the business
environment of mini-grid development on a macro and micro scale. Some of these risks are the direct result of specific policy positions while
others are unintended consequences of policy implementation. In addition, the policy and regulatory environment of a country can impede or
accelerate the scalability of private sector involvement. Their research focuses on India and looks to compare and contrast the practices
observed there with those in other countries in order to examine what policies work in each context and how they could be implemented in
additional geographies. In conducting their research, the students interviewed a wide range of practitioners, politicians and policy experts, and
development professionals, as well as engaged with the World Bank Group's online platform, to gain on-the-ground insights. They plan to
share their findings with the World Bank and UN Foundation's practitioners' networks in an online webinar and published report.





The Adaptation Atlas (www.adaptationatlas.org) was tool launched in 2009 designed to: (1) compile the best-available science on regional
and local impacts of climate change; (2) map adaptation funding flows and on -the-ground projects to highlight hotspots of impact and
(in)action; and (3) help set priorities for future adaptation investment and development assistance. Using Geographic Information Systems
(GIS) software, the Atlas has served as an integrative platform on which multiple communities of users ca n contribute, layer, and view
adaptation science and project information through a quality-controlled crowd-sourcing platform. Since its launch, the underlying mapping and
spatial data management technology systems supporting the Atlas have evolved significantly and countries around the world have stated their
commitment to enhancing global adaptation finance. In thispracticum, a team of four students has worked with c.dots devel opment (Atlas
patent holder) and Blue Raster, a leading Geographic Information Systems technology firm, over 9 months (Fall 2013 - Spring 2014) to
develop a new strategic plan for launching the Atlas at SAIS as a spatial data and innovation hub.

Project: Mapping Resilience: Creating an Adaptation Atlas innovation hub at SAIS
Client: c.dots development and Blue Raster
Practicum Team: Dyland Arnold, Brad Folta, Sohee Gu, Micol Chiesa
Faculty Advisor: Shalini Vajjhala