Joseph E. Stiglitz, Nobel Laureate in Economics, today delivers
the keynote speech at the Alcoa Foundation's Advancing Sustainability
Conference, a gathering of leaders in the sustainability and
conservation movement.
The Brussels conference will mark the launch of the Alcoa
Foundation Global Conservation and Sustainability Network - a platform
for future collaboration and more informed decision making on
sustainability issues by industry, governments, and communities around
the world.
In his keynote speech, Joseph Stiglitz, University Professor at
Columbia University, the widely-noted author on globalization, called
for leadership action on sustainability and climate change by the
developed world's governments.
"Our future well-being depends on taking actions now for
conservation and environmental sustainability. If we lack the
leadership from the top, then we must have leadership from below,"
said Professor Stiglitz.
Alain Belda, Chairman and CEO of Alcoa, Inc., highlighted the need
for concerted action and broad accountability: "To be true catalysts
for change, we must work on all fronts across all sections of society.
The Alcoa Foundation's Global Network will bring together many of the
world's best minds from academia, government, NGOs and industry to
find new paths toward sustainability. Simply put, our commitment is to
work for step change through innovation and concerted action."
The Alcoa Foundation Global Conservation & Sustainability Program
is funding research into sustainability. This Network will provide the
means to accelerate the diffusion and application of
cross-disciplinary research outcomes.
From Australia to Zambia, dozens of Alcoa Foundation fellows are
currently conducting research and tackling issues that have local
impact and global implications. The program's combination of pure and
applied research and unique interdisciplinary structure means that
these researchers and practitioners are providing responses that
provide decision makers in governments and business with usable
information they can apply to meet specific sustainability and
conservation challenges.
The Alcoa Foundation's Advancing Sustainability Conference is
centered on four critical themes:
-- Climate Change and Energy
-- Conservation of Fragile Ecosystems and Biodiversity
-- Integrating Sustainability into Public Policy and Governance
-- Sustainability, Livelihoods and Economic Growth
Conference speakers include:
-- Alain Belda, Chairman and CEO of Alcoa, Inc.
-- John Elkington, Founder, SustainAbility (U.K.)
-- Magnus Johannesson, Secretary General of the Ministry of the
Environment of Iceland
-- Thomas E. Lovejoy, President of the Heinz Center in the U.S.
-- David O'Connor, Chief, Policy Integration Branch, UN Division
for Sustainable Development
-- Leena Srivastava, Executive Director of The Energy and
Resources Institute, New Delhi
-- Joseph E. Stiglitz, Nobel Laureate in Economics, University
Professor at Columbia University
WHAT IS THE ALCOA FOUNDATION?
-- A non-profit corporation founded in 1952
-- The second-largest asset-based U.S. corporate foundation
-- Has assets of $497 million
-- Has given grants totaling more than $411 million since 1952
-- In 2005, gave out 921 individual grants totaling $22.7 million
-- Serves more than 30 countries worldwide
For more information, including a copy of Alain Belda's remarks at
the conference, visit
http://www.alcoa.com/global/en/community/info_page/foundation.asp.
