Sign In

Denise Young 楊 玲 玲

Sustainability and green finance communications expert; writer and podcast host

Denise Young 楊 玲 玲 is a prominent writer and communications expert specializing in sustainability and green finance. Currently based in Paris, she works as a writer for the IISD Earth Negotiations Bulletin, where she provides coverage of significant UN environmental negotiations, including topics such as climate change and biodiversity loss. She has held this position since September 2022.123

In addition to her role at the Earth Negotiations Bulletin, Denise is the founder and host of the New Climate Capitalism podcast, which focuses on emerging issues within the sustainability agenda. She also publishes a finance newsletter called The Zeroist, aimed at supporting the net-zero revolution.12

Denise has an extensive background in strategic communications, having previously served as the Head of Communications for the International Council for Science. Her work there involved leading innovative policy and communication projects that enhanced the organization's engagement with various stakeholders in the scientific community.13 She is also associated with the Edmund Hillary Fellowship, which fosters high-impact entrepreneurs and changemakers from New Zealand.1

Overall, Denise Young is recognized for her contributions to sustainability discourse through writing, podcasting, and strategic communication efforts.

Highlights

Jun 20 · linkedin

Three years ago, I embarked on a journey to study Mandarin Chinese at Institut national des langues et civilisations orientales (Inalco) in Paris, formerly known as “Langues O”.

Armed with a background in Cantonese from growing up in Hong Kong 🇭🇰 (both a help and a hindrance) it’s been an incredible adventure, with joys and challenges in equal parts and many moments when I asked myself “why am I doing this” and “is it time to stop?”.

When I started, I never expected to get beyond the first year. That’s because I’ve tried in the past, private tutors, night classes and so on, and nothing really worked.

Something changed this time, and it took me a while to figure out what. My previous attempts all happened on the sidelines of full-time work.

Now, as a consultant, I’m in charge of my own time. To my great surprise, not only did the combination of studying and consulting work, it turns out to be a win-win. Here’s why:

🗓️ Better Organization: Balancing both schedules is challenging and forces you to be very efficient with your time; it somehow eliminates procrastination and makes things happen.

⚡ Renewed Energy: Attending classes in literature and Classical Chinese is so different from my work that it drives energy to flip constantly between the two.

🧠 Mental Agility: Memorizing characters is a bit of a mental workout, and I believe it helps keep you agile and adaptable in other contexts.

I’m still processing my own takeaways and plan to write a series of posts exploring questions such as how learning and consulting inform each other and how to bring cross-cultural insights into your consulting practice.

Are there other professionals out there who’ve balanced language learning with full-time consulting work? Please share your experiences in the comments!

Dec 16 · linkedin

Why the "fail vs succeed" rating approach to COP28 may be missing the point. Read more in the latest edition of the Zeroist.

Related Questions

What are some key topics covered in the Earth Negotiations Bulletin?
How did Denise Young start her career in sustainability communications?
What is the focus of the New Climate Capitalism podcast?
Can you provide examples of Denise Young's work at IISD?
What inspired Denise Young to create The Zeroist newsletter?
Denise Young 楊 玲 玲
Denise Young 楊 玲 玲, photo 1
Denise Young 楊 玲 玲, photo 2
Add to my network

Location

Paris, Île-de-France, France