• CERAWEEK 2025 | March 10-14, 2025
  • CERAWEEK
  • March 10 - 14, 2025

Kilaparti Ramakrishna

Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution

Director of Marine Policy Center & Senior Advisor to the President on Ocean and Climate Policy

Kilaparti Ramakrishna (Rama) joined the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution from October 2021 as the Senior Advisor to the President and Director on Ocean and Climate Policy. While he continues to hold this position, he was given additional charge of Director, a.i. of the Marine Policy Center with effect from November 1, 2022. Prior to this he had worked extensively with the United Nations, as Head of Strategic Planning at Green Climate Fund; head of the UNESCAP ENEA Office, covering six member States of ESCAP- China, Democratic People’s Republic of Korea, Japan, Mongolia, Republic of Korea and Russian Federation, and two Associate members – Hong Kong and Macao; as Chief of Cross Sectoral Environmental Issues and Principal Policy Advisor to the Executive Director of UNEP. Dr. Ramakrishna also provided secretariat services to the North-East Asian Subregional Programme for Environmental Cooperation (NEASPEC) and was a lead author of the fifth assessment (and many before it) by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC). Before joining the United Nations, Dr. Ramakrishna worked for many years as director of science in public affairs and vice president at the Woods Hole Research Center (now Woodwell Climate Research Center) in Massachusetts. During this time, he taught at several law schools including at the Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy, Harvard Law School, Boston University and Boston College Law Schools, Brandeis and Yale Universities. He is an elected life member of the U.S. Council on Foreign Relations (CFR). He is also the Chair of Strategic Advisory Group of the Nippon Foundation-GEBCO Seabed 2030 Project, Member of the Advisory Board of Back to Blue – a global initiative of Economist Impact, and a Member of Board of Directors of the Woodwell Climate Research Center. Dr. Ramakrishna holds B.Sc and B.L degrees in sciences and law, masters and PhD degrees in international law.

Sessions With Kilaparti Ramakrishna

Wednesday, 20 March

Thursday, 21 March

  • 11:00am - 11:30am (CST) / 21/mar/2024 04:00 pm - 21/mar/2024 04:30 pm

    Blue Ocean Economy
    Climate & Sustainability

    “The blue economy”—economic activities associated with the oceans—represents over $1.5 trillion annually and will double in size to $3.0 trillion by 2030. Oceans absorb greenhouse gases and mitigate the impacts of climate change, determine weather patterns and temperatures, serve seaborne trade, provide critical minerals and are targets for offshore wind, nuclear, oil and gas development and more.  And now the blue economy is expanding beyond material goods extraction to knowledge-based activities. What is the future of the blue economy—and why should we care? What is its impact on energy and sustainability? How can we develop the blue economy while ensuring ocean health and sustainability? What is the transition to a knowledge-based blue economy and how can it benefit energy, climate and society as a whole?