Parallel 2A
Moderator: Smita Nakhooda
Research Fellow, Overseas Development Institute
Smita Nakhooda is a Research Fellow in the Climate and Environment and Programme at ODI where she leads work on energy and low carbon development, and on international finance to help developing countries address climate change. She was previously a Senior Associate in the Institutions and Governance Program at the World Resources Institute, where she led research and engagement programmes on the environmental impacts of development finance, and developed a program of work addressing governance of forests in the context of global efforts to reduce emissions from deforestation and degradation. Smita holds a B.A from Dartmouth College in Environmental Studies and Government, and an MSc from the London School of Economics and Political Science in Environmental Policy and Regulation.
Christiane Ehringhaus
Coordinator of the REDD+ for Early Movers Program, German KfW Development Bank
Dr. Christiane Ehringhaus is the Coordinator of the REDD+ for Early Movers Program at the German KfW Development Bank. Previously she has worked as an Advisor on Forests and Climate Change at KfW/GIZ and advised the German Ministry of Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ) on REDD+ and the FCPF Carbon Fund. Christiane Ehringhaus has also worked as GIZ Advisor to the Amazon Fund/BNDES in Brazil and as a researcher for the Center for International Forestry Research (CIFOR). She has many years of field experience in the Amazon basin and holds a PhD from the Yale School of Forestry and Environmental Studies.
Michael Wolosin
President, Forest Climate Analytics
Michael Wolosin is the President of Forest Climate Analytics, the new home for his efforts to advance forests as a climate solution. Michael works with clients to lead strategic analyses that turn forest knowledge into climate action, such as: mapping the potential of global forest emissions and sinks; advancing economic models for REDD+ and forest-friendly rural economic development; addressing agriculture as a driver of deforestation through corporate action; advancing policies to stop illegal forest clearing for agriculture; and assessing the scale and effectiveness of climate and forest finance. He is also a Senior Fellow at Climate Advisers and a Visiting Scholar at Resources for the Future. In all three of these roles, Michael is a trusted adviser to the world's top NGOs, think tanks, foundations, and governments that focus on forests. Follow him on Twitter @mwolosin
Swapan Mehra
CEO, IORA Ecological Solutions
Swapan Mehra is a CEO at IORA Ecological Solutions. He is a post graduate in Forest Management with over 10 years of experience. He has co-authored India’s National REDD+ Strategy and is leading the development of REDD+ pilots in 5 Indian states. He is involved in the development of REDD+ MRV systems in India as part of USAID India’s Forest PLUS Program.
Tao Wang
Director of Mitigation and Adaptation, Green Climate Fund (GCF)
Mr. Tao Wang is Director of Mitigation and Adaptation at the Green Climate Fund (GCF), in charge of developing and implementing the Fund’s public sector mitigation and adaptation investments and operational policies and procedures. Prior to joining the GCF, Mr. Wang worked at the Climate Investment Funds (CIF) as Senior Portfolio and Risk Manager, overseeing the portfolio across the CIF’s four programs. Before that, he headed the operations team at the Carbon Finance Unit of the World Bank. Tao holds a Master’s degree in Finance/Financial Engineering from University of California at Berkeley.