Introducing our new Leadership Series: “Post-Paris — Efforts to Ensure a Sustainable Climate Future”
Late last year, I founded the McCourt Energy and Environmental policy student organization to fill what I thought was a void at Georgetown’s McCourt School of Public Policy. A premier institution in our nation’s capital, Georgetown is uniquely positioned to not only train students in today’s most important policy fields but to also help them find jobs. The demand for well-trained E&E policy professionals is clear. Federal, state, and local lawmakers will all face policy choices related to climate change in the coming years. These may include how to: ensure coastal cities are resilient in the face of rising sea levels and increased storm surge, address reduced water supply in agriculture, develop and deploy new sources of power, increase energy efficiency in the industrial, commercial, and residential sectors, address public health concerns by improving air and water quality, secure a sustainable food supply for growing populations, and much more. As the list of public and private sector climate change mitigation and adaptation challenges grows, building a community here at Georgetown that enables us to keep pace just makes sense.
Last semester, McCourt E&E engaged students, academics, and practitioners in a number of ways. We collaborated with other student organizations on campus and helped to promote their events; we moderated a panel discussion at this year’s Sustainable Oceans Summit organized by the Georgetown Sustainable Oceans Alliance; we held multiple round-table policy discussions covering U.S. and international ocean conservation policy, coastal resiliency and climate change adaption, and the price of oil and its policy and political ramifications on a volatile market; we hosted an environmental film screening night; and much more.
This semester, we aim to do things a little differently while still staying true to our mission. There will be fewer small public events as we build capacity for a larger conference-style event. We’re really excited about the speakers and themes that will develop and we’ll be sharing more as we finalize plans so make sure to stay connected for updates!
We will also be utilizing this blog and other communications tools in a more robust manner. I am happy to introduce to you here our new “Leadership Series” blog that will feature a new post from one of our leadership team members, on a weekly basis, between now and the end of the year. Each team member brings a different background and strength to our organization. We will apply these perspectives to different topic areas under a common theme for our leadership series: “Post-Paris — Efforts to Ensure a Sustainable Climate Future.”
We will speak with leaders in their fields, convey the most recent scientific understandings and reports, and provide suggestions for ways that you, the reader, can get involved.
In our new series, we will explore the international climate negotiating framework known as the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) with those who have first-hand knowledge. We’ll discuss the importance of documentary film-making, and other communications efforts to educate the public and engage civil society, on the creation of energy and environmental policy. We’ll analyze United States, Chinese, and Latin American domestic efforts to create effective climate change policies. We’ll talk about carbon markets, droughts, changing energy portfolios and much more. We will speak with leaders in their fields, convey the most recent scientific understandings and reports, and provide suggestions for ways that you, the reader, can get involved.
We hope this new series will be as action-oriented as it is educational and will become a source of knowledge on energy, environmental, and climate change topics for the Georgetown community. We also strongly encourage anyone who would like to respond to or expand on any points we raise to do so. We welcome blog posts by all members of the Georgetown community as well as academics and practitioners in related fields.
Without further adieu, please follow this link to our first leadership series post “Five Things to Follow during the U.N. Climate Conference in Marrakech, Morocco: and how to understand the international negotiating structure.”
Thanks,
Will Hackman
Founder and President, McCourt E&E
