Climate Change

Uncontrolled releases of household, industrial, and agricultural chemicals during natural disasters pose an underappreciated hazard to humans and ecosystems. Fellow Kimberley Rain Miner lays out what we can do.

New research shows that the extreme weather and fires of recent years, similar to the flooding that has struck Louisiana and the Midwest, may be making Americans sick in ways researchers are only beginning to understand. By knocking chemicals loose from soil, homes, industrial-waste sites or other sources, and spreading them into the air, water and ground, disasters like these — often intensified by climate change — appear to be exposing people to an array of physical ailments including respiratory disease and cancer. ...

Fellow Kristen Pratt Kalaman has joined the team at Resource Innovations. As their new Program Manager she will be focused on income-qualified energy efficiency programs in northern Illinois in partnership with community action agencies and local electric and gas utilities. Learn more about Resource Innovations

In December 2017, Henry Herndon and Clean Energy NH (formerly NH Sustainable Energy Association) were awarded a Switzer Leadership Grant to fund a new position of Local Energy Solutions Director. The purpose of the new position was to expand organizational capacity to provide technical assistance to local energy committees, municipalities, and other energy actors across the state towards implementing clean energy projects.

A green wave is sweeping through Washington, and it’s picking up Republicans who are eager to share their ideas on clean energy and climate change. Tennessee senator Lamar Alexander has talked about launching a “Manhattan Project for Clean Energy.”

Fellow Colleen Callahan is deputy director of the UCLA Luskin Center for Innovation, which conducts research and advises civic partners on the design and implementation of policies, plans and programs with a focus on advancing environmental sustainability. Part of Callahan’s job is to make sure the center’s findings get into the hands of the right decision makers.

Fellow Stuart Cohen, who recently transitioned to private consulting practice after serving as the Founding Executive Director of TransForm for 21 years, is passionate about ensuring that urban communities that need mobility solutions the most get them.

Fellow Derek Lemoine is an Associate Professor of Economics at The University of Arizona, where his research combines economic theory and computational methods to better understand the dynamics of environmental policy and of energy systems.

As the policy manager for autonomous vehicle policy at AAA Northern California, Nevada and Utah, Fellow Xantha Bruso is developing and implementing AAA’s AV policy strategy to advance AV safety while enabling innovation. She also supports strategic initiatives to accelerate AV deployment and foster mobility solutions.