Building Transition Momentum: U.S.-China Perspectives on the Future of Climate Action
About the Event
As the world moves from climate ambition to implementation, the central challenge is building sufficient transition momentum — ensuring that economies, businesses, and capital systems are not simply setting targets, but actually moving in the direction required for a more sustainable and resilient future.
Inspired by the central theme of Professor Cary S. Krosinsky’s new book, Transition Momentum: A Framework for Moving Forward, this Climate Week event will explore a fundamental question: How do we know whether our economies are truly making progress, and what will it take to accelerate that progress?
Professor Krosinsky will open the conversation by introducing the Transition Momentum framework, including the limitations of relying on traditional measures such as GDP alone to understand economic, environmental, and social progress.
From there, a broader group of guest speakers will explore what building transition momentum means in practice through U.S. and Chinese perspectives — examining how the two markets are approaching climate action, where progress is emerging, what each can learn from the other, and how business, finance, innovation, and cross-border collaboration can help translate ambition into measurable outcomes.
Event Agenda:
5:30 PM – 5:45 PM Registration & Welcome Reception
5:45 PM – 5:50 PM Opening Remarks
5:50 PM – 6:35 PM Fireside Chat
Professor Cary S. Krosinsky, President and Co-Founder, Sustainable Finance Institute
Kenny Chen, Managing Partner, Turbo Net Zero
6:35 PM – 7:35 PM Panel Discussion
Mathew Lee, Vice President, Energy and Climate Research, MSCI
Stephen Markscheid, Investor & Director, Aerion Capital - US China Business
Allison Bleaney-Lewin, Climate Partnerships Director, Asia Pacific, The Nature Conservancy
Elaine Chow, Columbia Climate School
7:35 PM – 8:00 PM Networking Reception
Event Organizers:
China Institute Next Gen x Serica (CINGS)
The China Institute Next Gen x Serica (CINGS) convenes next generation leaders with a passion for tangible social and environmental impact through connecting and inspiring like-minded leaders to create actionable change.
Young China Watchers (YCW) is a dynamic group of China-focused young professionals. Through regular roundtables and talks with senior figures in the China academic, policy and business communities, it provides a chance for engaged individuals to interact and discuss the most pressing issues emerging from China today. Through our growing global network, we seek to foster the next generation of China thought-leaders.
Founded in New York City in 1926 by American educators John Dewey, Paul Monroe, and Chinese scholars Hu Shi and Kuo Ping-Wen, China Institute of America is an internationally-renowned U.S. nonprofit organization dedicated to deepening the world’s understanding of China through programs in art, business, culinary, culture, and education.