Source Codes of Regeneration: Art, Nature & Indigenous Innovation – Data/AI & Policy for Systems Change
Sponsored by NYU Wagner School, Nirvana Carbon Solutions, Indrani Pal-Chaudhuri, Shakti Regeneration Institute, The Regeneration Generation, and the Science Summit at the United Nations.
9:30 – 11:00 — Opening Plenary
Join us for a powerful gathering at New York University (Wagner) on September 24, 2025, as part of the Science Summit at the United Nations. This event brings together Nobel laureates, visionaries, innovators, investors, and Indigenous thought leaders, to explore how creative and technological breakthroughs and ancestral knowledge can drive resilient systems including green energy, AI, regenerative agriculture, and finance, amidst an art exhibition supporting the nature-protectors.
Indigenous peoples steward 80% of the world’s intact ecosystems, despite receiving less than 1% of climate finance. Their leadership, combined with science and systemic finance, is proving that regeneration is not only possible but already underway.
Case studies from India, Brazil, and beyond show how communities facing dispossession are transforming crises into innovation—advancing AI-powered biodiversity monitoring, biocultural credits, green infrastructure, and Indigenous-led governance.
Speakers:
WarīNkwī Flores – Founder of Kinray Hub – Indigenous R&D Think-Do Tank and PhD researcher at the University of Arizona, advancing Indigenous rights and planetary justice.
Valcléia Lima (with translator Giiulia Galebe) – Superintendent at the Fundação Amazônia Sustentável (FAS), leading Latin America’s largest forest community program serving 40,000+ people.
Frederique Van Der Wal – Supermodel, entrepreneur, and founder of Frederique’s Choice, championing sustainability through fashion and biodiversity.
Beatrix Ost – Celebrated artist, author, and cultural icon recognized for her avant-garde vision and ecological creativity.
Mary Ann Thompson-Frenk – Co-founder and President of The Memnosyne Institute, award-winning philanthropist advancing cross-cultural dialogue and systems change.
Shaun Paul – Regenerative finance authority and serial climate entrepreneur, president of Artezal Mezcal and Resin & Forests, with 30 years structuring innovative finance to scale Indigenous and rural climate solutions.
Eliah Aronoff-Spencer, MD, PhD – Director of the Center for Health Design at UCSD Design Lab, physician-scientist advancing global health innovation and outbreak resilience.
Convenor:
Indrani Pal-Chaudhuri (Convenor)– Futurist & Filmmaker of The Regeneration Generation, CEO Shakti Regeneration Institute and Founder Open Origin, convening the Science Summit at the UN to advance Indigenous-led systems change and planetary regeneration.