Dr. Jason Hui Hong Yapp is an expert in climate finance, renewable energy, energy efficiency and sustainable development with over 25 years of experience in consultancy services for high-profile international organizations, including UN agencies (UNDP, UNEP, UNIDO, WFP), the Green Climate Fund, ADB, EU Commission, USAID, GIZ, GGGI, IUCN, IISD, and the Commonwealth Secretariat. His extensive expertise encompasses a broad spectrum of areas critical to addressing climate change and promoting sustainable development:
1. Climate Finance Leadership: Dr. Yapp excels in climate finance, demonstrated through his significant contributions to the Green Climate Fund (GCF) readiness projects, capacity building, and the development of funding proposals. His work includes supporting NDAs in Asia, developing GCF proposals for countries like Malaysia, and crafting country programs for nations across the globe.
2. Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency: Dr Yapp possesses deep technical knowledge in renewable energy and energy efficiency, contributing to the scaling up of renewable initiatives and improving energy sustainability in various sectors.
3. Sustainable Agriculture Expertise: With a Ph.D. in crop genetics and physiology, Dr. Yapp brings a unique perspective to sustainable agriculture and land-use practices, focusing on climate-smart solutions and conservation agriculture to enhance agricultural competitiveness and sustainability.
4. Carbon Pricing Project Development: As Clean Development Mechanism (CDM) and Business Development Expert, Dr Yapp had supported AES (US Utility Corp) to develop carbon offset projects to generate carbon credits in Malaysia, Indonesia and Vietnam for sale at the Carbon Trading system. Dr Yapp is familiar with the Emission Trading System and the UNFCCC approved methodologies to calculate carbon credits based on the ex-ante (baseline) and ex-post GHG (project) emissions.
5. Project Management and Implementation: His role in managing and implementing multi-country climate-related projects showcases his adept project management skills, including leading international and national teams, and overseeing the execution of complex projects.
6. Policy and Strategy Development: Dr. Yapp has been instrumental in developing climate-related policies, strategies, and frameworks at national and regional levels, contributing to National Appropriate Mitigation Actions (NAMAs) and climate National Adaptation Plan. In Malaysia.
7. Capacity Building and Technical Training: His commitment to capacity building is evident in his role in conducting training workshops and capacity-building activities across various technical areas, thereby enhancing the skills of stakeholders in climate finance and sustainable practices.
8. International and Cross-cultural Experience: Dr. Yapp's work spans diverse geographic regions including Asia, Africa, the Middle East, the Pacific, and the Caribbean, highlighting his adaptability and ability to navigate diverse cultural and environmental contexts.
9. Engagement with Multiple Sectors: His expertise in fostering collaboration among public and private sectors, civil society organizations, and international financial institutions underscores his ability to build partnerships and engage a wide range of stakeholders in the climate finance domain.
10. Innovation in Climate Solutions: As the founder of Eden Environmental Consulting Ltd, Dr. Yapp continues to provide cutting-edge technical and financial consultancy, driving innovation in demand driven climate adaptation and mitigation solutions that are sustainable, scalable and replicable.
Dr. Gangadhara Narala Reddy is an academic and researcher in Civil Engineering, specializing in Geotechnical and Environmental Engineering. He holds a Ph.D. from IIT Bhubaneswar and master’s degree in Geotechnical Engineering from NIT Bhopal. Currently serving as an Assistant Professor at Fiji National University, Suva, Fiji.
Dr. Reddy’s work centers on developing innovative, sustainable solutions to address climate change impacts and enhance resilience in vulnerable regions. He has developed a proposal on geotechnical solutions for riverbank stabilization in Nausori City, Fiji in collaboration with Ministry of Environment and Climate Change reflects his ability to bridge research with practical applications. He is also actively engaged with stakeholders through workshops and training programs, such as the “Workshop on Enhancing Climate Resilience of Fiji’s Road Network” and “Short Term Training Program on Sustainable Materials & Resilient Buildings - Philosophy, Design, Implementation, and Performance”.
Dr. Reddy’s work highlights the critical importance of integrating climate science into civil engineering solutions. He has expertise in designing climate-resilient infrastructure networks in Fiji to withstand climate-induced challenges, ensuring sustainable and disaster-resilient systems including road network, slope stability analysis, and resilient design of foundation systems.
Dr. Reddy has extensive consultancy experience, including geotechnical investigations, soil and rock testing, earth retaining wall design, and addressing collapsible/swelling soils. He has conducted various geotechnical fieldworks for housing projects, red mud and fly ash audits, and pile load tests, contributing to sustainable infrastructure development and engineering solutions.
Dr. Reddy has over 32 Scopus-indexed publications. He co-authored the book "Advances in Sustainable Materials and Resilient Infrastructure" (Springer, 2022) and has delivered invited talks at over 10 international workshops and conferences. His leadership extends to editorial roles, serving as Associate Editor for Innovative Infrastructure Solutions and on editorial boards for Discover Civil Engineering and Discover Geosciences. He has received prestigious fellowships, including the CSC Fellowship for research in China.
Dr. Reddy’s expertise spans sustainable materials, geotechnical engineering, pavement Geotechnics, climate-resilient infrastructure, and use of sustainable material applications for soil stabilization. His commitment to advancing climate change adaptation and mitigation through community engagement and nature-based solutions underscores his contributions to Civil and Environmental Engineering.
