On June 10, AmCham Shanghai was pleased to welcome 16 year old Taylor Francis for a powerful presentation on climate change and the pressing need to address it.  Speaking to an audience of AmCham members, their children and other students from the community, the young Californian outlined the gravity of the threat, how it will likely worsen still, and what steps should be taken, on both a macro and micro level, to address it.  Galvanized into action after watching Al Gore’s An Inconvenient Truth, Taylor was trained to be a presenter on climate change by the former U.S. Vice President’s Climate Project.  Among the potential outcomes of unchecked climate change are stronger and deadlier storms, rising sea levels and a major loss of irrigable land.  In China, where as many as 500 coal power plants will come on line in the next 10 years, the impact of the changes could be devastating.  Taylor ended his presentation on an upbeat note, pointing out the numerous small steps that individuals can take to better conserve electricity and reduce their carbon footprint.  He urged those in attendance, both young and old, to take greater ownership over their planet and their stewardship of it. 

Taylor was joined on stage by Peggy Liu, Chair of the Joint U.S.-China Cooperation on Clean Energy (JUUUCE) and Zee Zee Zhong, Operations Director of Roots and Shoots.

This event is part of AmCham Shanghai’s Sustainability Program, a multi-disciplinary approach to examining this important and timely global issue. For more information and to get involved, please contact Patrick McNally at patrick.mcnally@amcham-shanghai.org. 

Al Gore's Academy Award winning film An Inconvenient Truth brought increased awareness to the issue of global warming and climate change.  Many businesses and individuals have taken steps to limit their impact on the environment.  For one young Californian, however, the film led him to do far more than reduce his carbon footprint.

Personally trained by former Vice President Al Gore as part of his Climate Project, Taylor Francis speaks to a wide range of audiences, from students to business executives, about the importance of solving the global climate crisis.  Taylor has recently been profiled in the New York Times, Time, and the San Francisco Chronicle.  Though one of the youngest spokespersons on the issue, he is also among the most eloquent and celebrated. 

AmCham Shanghai's Environmental Committee is pleased to welcome Taylor to address this timely global issue, why it matters so much and what must be done to address it.  This is a great event for both adults and children.  Shanghai is his first stop during his visit to China as a guest of the Ministry of Environmental Protection.  He will be addressing thousands of PRC students as well as training new presenters. 

We hope you will join us in welcoming him and hearing his important message.

Special Offer: Free entrance for students. AmCham require confirmation of attendance (RSVP) and the student ID MUST be shown upon entrance to the event. Please register yourself to Viola Huang at viola.huang@amcham-shanghai.org.

Agenda

17:00    Check-in and Networking

17:30    Speech and Q&A

19:00    Event Ends