Events

At Zurich we sponsor and participate in various events to generate insights that will help our customers. This commitment to knowledge sharing and knowledge creation is just one way we realize our goal of being a responsible thought leader in our industry.

Zurich Distinguished Visitors Program on Climate Change

Zurich has endowed a program to bring international leaders to the University of California at Santa Barbara's Bren School of Environmental Science and Management. The Zurich Distinguished Visitors Program allows the Bren School to attract international leaders in environmental policy, law, business, and scienceand to share their insights on climate change.

Lynn Scarlett, Environmental Consultant and Former Deputy Secretary of the U.S. Department of the Interior, is the latest Distinguished Visitor. On October 22, 2009, Ms. Scarlett presented the lecture "Cities Meet Nature: Responding to a Changing Climate." She will also be teaching classes at the Bren School. For more information, see the Bren School Web site.

Stephen H. Schneider was the inaugural visitor of the program. Dr. Schneider is Professor of Biological Sciences at Stanford University. In October 2008 he presented the lecture "Is the Science of Global Warming Settled Enough for Policy?"

Dr. Schneider's research focuses on climate-change science, integrated assessment of ecological and economic impacts of human-induced climate change, and identifying viable climate policies and technological solutions. He has consulted for federal agencies and White House staff in six administrations.

Involved with the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) since 1988, he was Coordinating Lead Author, WG II, Chapter 19, "Assessing Key Vulnerabilities and the Risk from Climate Change" and a core writer for the Fourth Assessment Synthesis Report. He, along with four generations of IPCC authors, received a collective Nobel Peace Prize for their joint efforts in 2007.