Author Profile
- Name: Daniel Bergamo
- GLOCAL Cohort: Cohort I (2017-2019)
- GLOCAL Track: B (Glasgow-Barcelona-Göttingen)
- Job Title and Company Name:
International Climate Finance Manager (Forests & Land Use) at the Foreign Commonwealth & Development Office (FCDO) - LinkedIn Profile
You are currently working at the FCDO and worked at IPAM, how did you get there? Did you start the job right after GLOCAL?
For getting the job at Amazon Environmental Research Institute (IPAM Amazonia), two main experiences were crucial:
- My previous experience as a climate activist when I volunteered in the organisation of an event in the Brazilian Amazon.
- GLOCAL background on trade and my studies in the field of ecological economics.
For my current role at the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO), I probably got there due to my technical experience in Amazon issues, knowledge of trade and environmental policies, and research publications on bioeconomy. But I only got to know about that opportunity because my colleague Nathalia from Cohort I informed me about the job position. The GLOCAL network is strong and active!
What exactly are you doing at your current job?
I am part of the International Climate Finance (ICF) team in the FCDO and the UK International Forests Unit (IFU). My responsibility is to provide programme management support to IFU’s existing forest and land use initiatives in Brazil, working directly with the implementers for REM (REDD for Early Movers), P4F (Partnerships for Forests), and MFF (Mobilising Finance for Forests). This includes building effective relationships with in-country stakeholders and helping to guide the ICF strategy, while ensuring coherence with political initiatives of the wider UK network in Brazil.
Did you already know that you were interested in these fields during your GLOCAL studies?
Sure. As a climate activist, I always thought of working in the field, but at that time during GLOCAL I did not expect I’d work with climate financing. It has been a great opportunity to learn how to mobilise resources for transformative projects and therefore achieve the global climate goals.
How are the topics you are working with connected with GLOCAL?
To be honest, at that time GLOCAL did not have a strong sustainability program. However, there were a few courses such as the Political Economy & Energy Transition taught by Professor Aurelia that were very useful to understand the challenges of a climate transition.
What skills and experience are valued in candidates applying to work in project management and research?
- For research: important to have written papers, extensive literature background, and ideally some publication.
- For project management: important to have experience in allocating resources, leadership, and a good holistic view. GLOCALs can have a great advantage for being ‘generalists’, with a great notion of the big picture.
Do you have any tips for current GLOCAL students for their job search after GLOCAL?
Get involved with the local environmental movements and global climate studies. The climate crisis is the biggest threat to our societies as it causes all other crises such as pandemics, mass migration, and economic crises. Professionals from all fields (blockchainers, businesswomen, designers, and journalists included!) will be needed to fix it by shifting the current economic paradigm into a truly sustainable and inclusive one, so engage with the agenda and the opportunity will come!
Author: Daniel Bergamo
Editor: SzuTung Chen
Featured Image Designer: ChangLin Yiin