Environmental and Energy Study Institute (EESI)

Back to School

A live webcast will be streamed at 03:00 PM EDT at www.eesi.org/livecast.
The Environmental and Energy Study Institute (EESI) invites you to a briefing on catalyzing climate action in K-12 schools. Public K-12 schools in the United States operate 480,000 fossil fuel-powered school buses, produce 530,000 tons of food waste, and are one of the largest public-sector energy consumers—all of which contribute to climate change. From electric buses to energy-efficient, resilient buildings, implementing climate solutions in schools can reduce greenhouse gas emissions while also creating a healthier environment for students and teachers to learn and work in. At the same time, schools need to be made more resilient to worsening climate impacts such as wildfires and extreme heat, which can disrupt school operations and impact student learning.
During this briefing, panelists will discuss the federal policy levers needed to scale up climate mitigation and adaptation actions in schools to build a more sustainable, resilient, and equitable education sector.
Tour an electric school bus from 4:30 - 5:15 PM at Maryland Ave SW next to the Capitol Reflecting Pool and the United States Botanical Garden.

What Congress Needs to Know About Corporate Climate Risk, Resilience, and Disclosures

A live webcast will be streamed at 11:00 AM EDT at www.eesi.org/livecast.
The Environmental and Energy Study Institute (EESI) invites you to a briefing on corporate climate risk, resilience, and disclosures. The climate crisis is increasingly impacting companies of all sizes by threatening valuable assets, operations, and supply chains. At the same time, many companies contribute to the climate crisis by emitting greenhouse gases, and efforts to curb those emissions could impact companies. In March 2022, the Securities and Exchange Commission proposed a rule that, if adopted, would require publicly-traded companies to disclose climate-related risks and report their greenhouse gas emissions.
Panelists will discuss the role of Congress in designing and overseeing policy for climate risk disclosures, and the benefits and impacts that the proposed rule would have on federal agencies, companies, and shareholders.

Living with Climate Change: Integrating Equity into Emergency Management

A live webcast will be streamed at 12:00 PM EDT at www.eesi.org/livecast
The Environmental and Energy Study Institute (EESI) invites you to a briefing on how the federal government as well as states and cities around the country can better incorporate equity into emergency management. Climate change is driving more frequent and severe impacts such as polar vortices, sea level rise, wildfires, and extreme heat, which were covered in EESI’s Living with Climate Change briefing series. When disaster strikes, underserved communities are often hit hardest and longest. Ensuring that equity is incorporated into all aspects of emergency management—from preparedness to response to recovery—creates more resilient communities that are better able to live with climate change.
Panelists will discuss the steps that Congress can take to more comprehensively integrate equity into emergency management, including how to ensure that large federal investments such as the ones in the bipartisan Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act do not cause harm to communities.

How Start-Up Accelerators Can Drive Climate Action

A live webcast will be streamed at 12:00 PM EDT at www.eesi.org/livecast
The Environmental and Energy Study Institute (EESI) invites you to a briefing on how startup accelerators can transform innovative ideas into deployable, scalable climate change solutions. Ramping up green hydrogen, direct air capture, electric vehicle charging infrastructure, and offshore wind energy can help mitigate climate change, as explored during EESI’s briefing series, Scaling Up Innovation to Drive Down Emissions. But how do we quickly and efficiently scale up these and other innovative climate solutions?
During this briefing, panelists will discuss how accelerators help commercialize early-stage technologies that have the potential to transform the fight against climate change, and steps Congress can take to bolster U.S. private sector momentum to deploy cutting-edge climate solutions in the United States.

Offshore Wind Energy

A live webcast will be streamed at 1:00 PM EDT at www.eesi.org/livecast.
The Environmental and Energy Study Institute (EESI) invites you to a briefing on offshore wind energy. In March 2021, the Biden-Harris Administration announced an interagency goal of deploying 30,000 megawatts of offshore wind energy by 2030—an extraordinary increase from the 42 megawatts of offshore wind currently operating in the United States. Meeting this goal will require a rapid and historical deployment of offshore wind energy that has the potential to create tens of thousands of jobs, spur the economy, and provide renewable energy to significantly reduce greenhouse gas emissions.
During this briefing, panelists will discuss opportunities, challenges, and considerations for scaling up offshore wind energy in the United States, as well as the policies that could support such a ramp-up.

Living with Climate Change: Extreme Heat

A live webcast will be streamed at 12:00 PM EDT at www.eesi.org/livecast.
The Environmental and Energy Study Institute (EESI) invites you to a briefing on policies and practices to address extreme heat. Across the country, the number of days per year with temperatures over 100 degrees Fahrenheit is increasing, and heat causes more deaths than any other type of weather event. In April 2022, the Biden-Harris Administration announced the first Department of Labor program to protect workers from the impacts of extreme heat. Additional steps are needed to reduce the risk of dangerously hot conditions and increase community resilience to heat.
Panelists will discuss ways that built and natural infrastructure can reduce temperatures, steps to protect outdoor and warehouse workers, and how communities and cities are designing and implementing heat action plans.

Pathways to Regenerative Agriculture

A live webcast will be streamed at 12:00 PM EDT at www.eesi.org/livecast.
The Environmental and Energy Study Institute (EESI) and the Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC) invite you to a briefing on regenerative agriculture. Regenerative agriculture, or farming in sync with the local environment and climate, produces multiple economic, climate, and societal benefits. Examples of these practices include reducing or eliminating synthetic pesticide and fertilizer use and soil tillage. The briefing will feature findings from NRDC’s new report, Regenerative Agriculture: Farm Policy for the 21st Century, which was informed by conversations with farmers and ranchers from 47 states and Washington, D.C.
As Congress begins to craft the 2023 Farm Bill, the briefing will cover how federal policies can incentivize and invest in regenerative agriculture, including by making reforms to scale up regenerative agriculture stewardship, supporting the next generation of farmers and ranchers, and funding regenerative agriculture research and education programs. Panelists will describe how these steps can lead to a more resilient and productive agricultural system.

Living with Climate Change: Wildfires

A live webcast will be streamed at 01:00 PM EDT at www.eesi.org/livecast.
The Environmental and Energy Study Institute (EESI) invites you to a briefing on policies and practices to address wildfires. Billions of dollars are spent fighting wildfires every year, and the cascading economic, health, and societal impacts of wildfires are enormous. Compounding these challenges, wildfires also release greenhouse gases and harmful aerosols into the atmosphere. Over the last century, battling wildfires after they have started has been the main approach to address this threat. Yet, with record-setting fire seasons happening almost every year, more proactive and preventative steps are needed.
Panelists will discuss policies and practices that would allow the United States to reduce the overall risk of wildfires, including how innovations in community-centered wildfire protection can improve resilience for humans and ecosystems.

Building Out Electric Vehicle Charging Infrastructure

A live webcast will be streamed at 1:00 PM EDT at www.eesi.org/livecast.
The Environmental and Energy Study Institute (EESI) invites you to a briefing on building out electric vehicle charging infrastructure. Electric vehicles are crucial for decarbonizing the U.S. transportation sector, which accounts for 29 percent of U.S. greenhouse gas emissions—more than any other sector. While electric vehicles have gained traction in recent years, insufficient charging infrastructure is a significant barrier to widespread adoption. The $7.5 billion allocated to charging infrastructure in the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act and existing programs like the Rural Energy Savings Program present a significant opportunity to deploy widespread and equitable electric vehicle charging infrastructure.
How can charging infrastructure be rapidly expanded? What are the considerations for ensuring that charging infrastructure is accessible, equitable, and efficient? How can innovation improve charging infrastructure? Panelists will discuss these questions and the policy solutions that can help scale up electric vehicle charging infrastructure to drive down emissions.

Direct Air Capture

A live webcast will be streamed at 3:30 PM EDT at www.eesi.org/livecast.
The Environmental and Energy Study Institute (EESI) invites you to a briefing on direct air capture, which chemically removes carbon dioxide from the atmosphere. The captured carbon can be permanently stored underground or used in industrial processes. While climate change mitigation efforts are the priority, carbon dioxide removal will be necessary to help meet climate goals and limit global warming to below 2 degrees Celsius (3.6 degrees Fahrenheit) as outlined in the Paris Agreement. The scale of carbon removal needed will depend on how fast the world curbs greenhouse gas emissions.
During this briefing, panelists will explain what Congress needs to know about direct air capture, including the considerations, challenges, and opportunities involved in responsibly scaling it up.