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Paul Simons
Career Foreign Service Officer and American Diplomat
Paul Simons is a prominent figure in the field of global energy and climate change policy, currently serving as the Founding Director of the Yale Emerging Climate Leaders Fellowship at Yale University.12 Here's a more detailed overview of his background and current role:
Professional Background
Paul Simons is a retired U.S. ambassador with over two decades of experience in global energy and climate change policymaking.1 His career highlights include:
- Deputy Executive Director and Chief Operating Officer of the International Energy Agency (IEA) from 2015 to 2020, where he led outreach activities with emerging economies and G-20 coordination.1
- Senior Fellow at Yale's Jackson Institute since 2020, teaching and mentoring students in the clean energy transition.4
Current Role at Yale
As the Founding Director of the Yale Emerging Climate Leaders Fellowship, Simons oversees a program that aims to:
- Create a community of committed clean energy and climate change leaders from emerging and developing countries.1
- Offer a six-month program for 16 emerging climate and clean energy practitioners from across the Global South.2
- Strengthen leadership skills, broaden technical proficiencies, and deepen professional networks of participants.2
Program Structure
The Yale Emerging Climate Leaders Fellowship, under Simons' direction, includes:
- Interactive sessions with prominent Yale faculty and practitioners at the Yale campus in New Haven.2
- Remote learning sessions featuring top international experts on climate change and clean energy transition.2
- A concluding week in Paris, including dialogues with top international energy and climate change leaders.2
Impact and Vision
Simons' leadership of the program focuses on:
- Developing a diverse cohort of fellows from multiple career tracks across Asia, Africa, the Middle East, and Latin America/Caribbean.1
- Creating lifelong partnerships to help reduce global emissions.2
- Exploring innovative Global South solutions to pressing global climate challenges.2
Paul Simons continues to be actively engaged in global climate initiatives, including participation in recent COP conferences.23
Highlights
A genuine honor to host sixteen top climate leaders from the Global South at Yale University last week to launch the second cohort of the Yale Emerging Climate Leaders Fellowship. Terrific to see our Fellows showcase innovative climate solutions with Yale researchers and students, and exchange policy options with leading global authorities from across Yale University's Planetary Solutions initiative.
Iman Ustadi Tiza Mafira Satrio A. Wicaksono Constanza Gomez Mont Luana Gaspar Zhouwei Diao Shalu Agrawal Siddharth Sinha Mluleki Shongwe Gilberto Ribeiro de Oliveira Filho Adedoyin Pearse Rafael Pástor Lorraine Njue, FIA Asghar Leghari Manja Kargbo Hu Jacky
Dan Esty Elizabeth Esty Julie Zimmerman Paul Anastas William Vance Anna Dyson Mae-ling Lokko Julie Paquette Anthony Leiserowitz Alex Muñoz Wilson Krzysztof F. Bocian Douglas Kysar Rohini Pande Todd Cort Ali Al-Saffar Rebecca Fleischman Dhawan Vivien Labaton Three Cairns Group Amelia Nierenberg Manuela Andreoni David Bercovici Zoe Chance Vincent Stanley ClimateHaven Our Common Air
A true honor and privilege to lead the inaugural cohort of the Yale Emerging Climate Leaders Fellowship. Over an eight-month journey, sixteen talented professionals from across the Global South engaged in dialogue with top global clean energy and climate change leaders; developed and shared climate policy, technology and finance solutions; and established enduring personal and professional bonds.
Special thanks to James Levinsohn, Dan Esty, Emma Sky, Yuval Ben-David and Kelly Campbell from Yale University; Fatih Birol and Mary Burce Warlick from the International Energy Agency (IEA); and Global Advisory Board members Christine Hogan, Mallika Ishwaran, Doug Arent, Xavier Chen, and Sascha Müller-Kraenner.
And hearty congratulations to our sixteen inaugural Climate Fellows: Doris Edem Agbevivi, Sarah Alharthey, Samir Elsadek Mahmoudi, Omar Al Braiki, Hang Dao, Cassandra Dewan, María José González, Gabriel Guggisberg, John Lee, Brurce Mecca, Bilha Ndirangu, Utkarsh Patel, Sandile Peta, Shilpi Samantray, Naomi Wagura, and Xiang Zhang. Onward to COP28 UAE !
