Janos Pasztor (a Hungarian and a Swiss citizen) is a former senior fellow of Carnegie Council for Ethics in International Affairs and executive director of the Carnegie Climate Governance Initiative (C2G).
He has four decades of work experience in the areas of energy, environment, climate change, and sustainable development. Before taking up his current assignment he was UN Assistant Secretary-General for Climate Change in New York under Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon.
Earlier, he was Acting Executive Director for Conservation (2014), and Policy and Science Director (2012-2014), at WWF International. He directed the UNSG’s Climate Change Support Team (2008-2010) and later was Executive Secretary of the UNSG’s High-level Panel on Global Sustainability (2010-2012). In 2007 he directed the Geneva-based UN Environment Management Group (EMG). During 1993-2006 he worked and over time held many responsibilities at the Climate Change Secretariat (UNFCCC), initially in Geneva and later in Bonn.
His other assignments included: the Secretariat of the UN Conference on Environment and Development (Earth Summit ’92); Stockholm Environment Institute; United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP); Secretariat of the World Commission on Environment and Development (Brundtland Commission); the Beijer Institute; and the World Council of Churches.
He has BSc and MSc degrees from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT).
Featured Work
JAN 8, 2024 • Podcast
C2GTalk: Why does the world now need to consider solar radiation modification? with Kim Stanley Robinson
Many objections to solar radiation modification (SRM) have been overtaken by events, says "The Ministry of the Future" author Kim Stanley Robinson in this "C2...
JAN 23, 2023 • Podcast
C2GDiscuss: Youth Perspectives on the Governance of Solar Radiation Modification in the Face of Global Warming Overshoot
Moderated by C2G’s Executive Director Janos Pasztor, this "C2GDiscuss" podcast features a diverse all-youth panel of speakers discuss their perspectives about the ...
JUN 13, 2022 • Podcast
C2GTalk: How is the UNESCWA supporting Arab states in the green transition? with Rola Dashti
Countries in the Arab region are seeking substitutes to oil so they can diversify their economies and mitigate the impact of fossil fuels production. Rola ...
FEB 7, 2022 • Podcast
C2GDiscuss: From Net Zero to Net Negative: Policy Implications for Carbon Dioxide Removal (CDR)
According to the IPCC, large-scale carbon dioxide removal (CDR) is required in all of its pathways to limit global warming to 1.5°C. In this "C2...
JAN 31, 2022 • Podcast
C2GDiscuss: Ocean-Based Climate Altering Approaches in Context: the Ocean-Climate Nexus
The oceans and climate change are inextricably connected. On the one hand, the oceans are faced with significant threats posed by climate change through acidification, ...
JAN 24, 2022 • Podcast
C2GDiscuss: Exploring the role of trees in large-scale carbon dioxide removal
According to the IPCC, large-scale carbon dioxide removal (CDR) is required in all pathways to keep global warming under 1.5° C. A range of approaches to ...
JAN 18, 2022 • Podcast
C2GDiscuss: An Introduction to the Series, with C2G Executive Director Janos Pasztor
"C2GDiscuss" is a series of moderated in-depth conversations between diverse experts on some of the governance challenges of climate-altering approaches. In this podcast, Mark ...
DEC 20, 2021 • Podcast
C2GTalk: How the UN Economic Commission for Africa is using its climate goals to fuel prosperity and sustainable development for the continent, with Vera Songwe
Equity, justice, and transparency are needed to enable meaningful conversations around the the debate on solar radiation modification, because Africa has to be very careful ...
DEC 13, 2021 • Podcast
C2GTalk: How can the UN Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean help create governance for climate-altering approaches? with Alicia Bárcena
A global and regional discussion is needed to learn about and create governance for climate-altering approaches like solar radiation modification, says Alicia Bárcena, executive ...
DEC 9, 2021 • Podcast
Ethics, Governance, and Emerging Technologies: A Conversation with the Carnegie Climate Governance Initiative (C2G) and Artificial Intelligence & Equality Initiative (AIEI)
Emerging technologies with global impact are creating new ungoverned spaces at a rapid pace. The leaders of Carnegie Council's C2G and AIEI initiatives discuss ...