The Indonesian and Pakistani Transition from Coal to Renewable Energy

Isabella Suarez

Analyst, Center for Research on Energy and Clean Air, Philippines

Isabella Suarez is the Southeast Asia analyst at the Centre for Research on Energy & Clean Air (CREA), an independent research organization that analyses the trends, sources and solutions to air pollution as it relates to energy. Her work focuses on the health and economic impacts of fossil fuel generation, the implications of fossil fuel overcapacity on countries' energy security, and the tracking and analysis of Chinese overseas coal projects. She also leads the organization's strategy implementation and capacity building in Southeast Asia. Previously, Isabella served as the strategic engagement coordinator for the Global Commission on Adaptation at the World Resources Institute and worked as a researcher and consultant at the Advanced Energy Group, UN Women, and the UN Counter-terrorism Executive Directorate.

Dr. Angela Tritto

City University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong

Dr. Tritto is an Adjunct Assistant Professor at the Division of Public Policy and a Postdoctoral Fellow jointly appointed by the Institute of Emerging Market Studies and by the Division of Social Science. She has served as Fellow of the WEF's Global Future Council of Sustainable Tourism, and she will soon be visiting King’s College Lau China Institute to pursue her research. She has worked on China’s Belt and Road Initiative since 2017, covering a range of topics connected to sustainability issues. Her research interests include political economy of development, environmental policies and technologies, heritage management, and sustainable development. She is interested in examining the development outcomes of Chinese investments related to sustainability, especially in Southeast Asia. So far, the focus of her publications has been on energy, investments in minerals and metals, Special Economic Zones under the BRI, fintech, and smart city development. She holds a Ph.D. from City University of Hong Kong.

Dr. Hina Aslam

Sustainable Development Policy Institute, Islamabad, Pakistan

Dr. Hina Aslam's areas of expertise include natural resource management, ecosystem services assessment and valuations, energy, climate change, water resource management and governance and public-private partnerships. She conducts evidence-based analyses of policy and strategies in energy sector, including on issues of climate change, sustainable models for rural electrification, renewable energy and energy efficiency. At China Study Center, her work focuses on mainstreaming environmental and climate change aspects of China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC). Using her theoretical and practical expertise in research, she provides technical, operational and administrative assistance to the government in developing and implementing CPEC-related projects. Dr Aslam did her PhD in ecology from the Chinese Academy of Sciences and obtained her master’s degree in environmental engineering and sciences from Beijing Institute of technology, China.

Dr. Filda C. Yusgiantoro

Purnomo Yusgiantoro Center, Jakarta, Indonesia

Dr. Filda C. Yusgiantoro is the Chairperson of Purnomo Yusgiantoro Center (PYC). Since its inception in 2016, PYC has progressively developed under her direction. Passionate about research, she aims to expand her research interest on particular issues related to energy, environment and sustainability, as well as economic development at PYC. She is an economic lecturer for undergraduate and graduate program at Prasetiya Mulya University. She is also an Advisory Board member for the Faculty of Industrial Engineering and Faculty of Mining and Petroleum Engineering, Institut Teknologi Bandung and an Alumni Group Mentor for Monash University. Outside managing PYC, she simply enjoys reading a good book, traveling or spending time with her family. She received her Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.) degree at Faculty of Business and Economics, Monash University (Australia). Prior to that, she earned her bachelor degree in chemical engineering from Institut Teknologi Bandung (ITB), a master degree in business and management (MBM) at Università degli Studi di Padova (Italy) and a master of business administration (MBA) at Nanyang Business School (Singapore).

Dr. Rishikesh Ram Bhandary

Global Economic Initiative, Boston University Global Development Policy Center

Dr. Rishikesh Ram Bhandary is the Assistant Director of the Global Economic Governance Initiative at the Boston University Global Development Policy Center. He previously worked as a post-doctoral scholar at the Climate Policy Lab in the Fletcher School at Tufts University. He is also a member of the Task Force on Climate, Development and the International Monetary Fund. He is an expert on climate finance and international climate negotiations. His research focuses on how developing countries mobilize finance from different international sources. His current work revolves around the deployment of renewable energy through the Belt and Road Initiative. He has extensive experience engaging with the climate negotiations in various capacities and has helped to train negotiators from the Least Developed Countries and the Climate Vulnerable Forum. He has been a contributing author and chapter scientist in the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change’s Fifth Assessment Report. He was an Aspen-Avantha fellow at the Aspen Institute in New Delhi and a fellow at the Program on Negotiation at Harvard Law School. He serves on the editorial board of Global Policy: Next Generation.