Ashton Oh is a second-year at the University of Chicago majoring in Economics & Environment, Geography, and Urbanization. This summer, he interned at a Chicago-based Foundation and examined the connection between social inequity and environmental degradation. He is interested in low-carbon development, sustainable urbanism, and renewable energy transition.
“Reflecting on COP28, corporate discussions in the Green Zone highlighted the need to reduce investment risk in green-tech solutions. However, equity concerns complicate investment strategies that favor industrially competitive, profitable climate solutions. As I consider the debate between decarbonization and development in emerging markets, I hope the public sector will implement market incentives that drive private capital to green-tech, deploying infrastructure in countries most susceptible to climate change.”