Graphic by Maralmaa Munkh-Achit
The Cornell Policy Review invites Dr. Luis Aguirre-Torres to discuss Luis’s role with the Ithaca Green New Deal, how sustainability practices in Ithaca, New York can be modeled elsewhere, and other timely climate topics such as the 2021 United Nations Climate Change Conference, or COP 26.
Dr. Luis Aguirre-Torres is the Director of Sustainability for the City of Ithaca, where he leads the implementation of the Ithaca Green New Deal, including the City’s Net-Zero 2030 and Justice50 strategies. Prior to joining the City of Ithaca, he spent 12 years assisting Latin American countries in formulating innovation and climate change legislation, sponsored by USAID and the US State Department, and providing technical assistance for the design, implementation and financing of long-term climate change and climate justice projects, sponsored by the UN Industrial Development Organization, the IFC-World Bank and the Breakthrough Energy Coalition.
He is the founder of GreenMomentum, a market intelligence and innovation firm focused on climate change and clean technology, as well as Cleantech Challenge and Cleantech Labs, the largest cleantech and hard-tech business incubator in Latin America.
He holds a first degree in Computer Engineering, a master’s degree in Computer Science and a PhD in Electrical and Electronic Engineering from University College London.