Environmental and Energy Study Institute (EESI)

Innovation as Climate Action: Advances in Weather Forecasting

The Environmental and Energy Study Institute (EESI) invites you to a briefing on federal policies and programs supporting innovation in weather forecasting, an essential capability to help communities prepare for and adapt to extreme weather.
Weather forecasts rely on a wide array of technologies both on-the-ground and in space: satellites to observe the atmosphere, land and oceans; powerful computers to run forecasting models; and decision-support tools to interpret and convert forecasts into actionable information. Innovation across these areas can improve the accuracy and actionability of weather forecasts, saving crucial response time.
During this briefing, experts will discuss the policies and programs that guide public-private partnerships, emerging weather forecasting technologies, and new business models enabling the government to more effectively tap into private-sector innovation across the weather forecasting value chain.

Reducing Emissions by Reducing Food Waste

Our live webcasts will be streamed at www.eesi.org/livecast

Reduce and Reuse:
How to Cut Greenhouse Gas Emissions of Building Materials, Plastics, and Food



Find out more about the briefings in this series below:



Dec 08
Building Materials: From Production to Reuse


Dec 09
The Climate Consequences of Plastics


Dec 10
Reducing Emissions by Reducing Food Waste

The Environmental and Energy Study Institute (EESI) invites you to join us for a briefing series about the climate impacts of producing building materials, plastics, and food. Panelists will explain the upstream greenhouse gas emissions generated from the production of these materials and discuss solutions designed to reduce those emissions at scale.
While composting is a solution for downstream food waste management, upstream reduction of food waste and food waste diversion can be the first steps to reduce emissions and resources unnecessarily used across the sector. Panelists will discuss some strategies available to policymakers that could bolster food waste reduction and diversion efforts.

The Climate Consequences of Plastics

Our live webcasts will be streamed at www.eesi.org/livecast

Reduce and Reuse:
How to Cut Greenhouse Gas Emissions of Building Materials, Plastics, and Foo



Find out more about the briefings in this series below:



Dec 08
Building Materials: From Production to Reuse


Dec 09
The Climate Consequences of Plastics


Dec 10
Reducing Emissions by Reducing Food Waste

The Environmental and Energy Study Institute (EESI) invites you to join us for a briefing series about the climate impacts of producing building materials, plastics, and food. Panelists will explain the upstream greenhouse gas emissions generated from the production of these materials and discuss solutions designed to reduce those emissions at scale.
Plastic production is expected to account for an increasing portion of global oil consumption and its resulting greenhouse gas emissions as plastics become more ubiquitous worldwide. Panelists will discuss findings from Beyond Plastics’ new report, The New Coal: Plastics and Climate Change; how emissions associated with plastic production affect communities across the country; and potential policy solutions.

Building Materials: From Production to Reuse

Our live webcasts will be streamed at www.eesi.org/livecast

Reduce and Reuse:
How to Cut Greenhouse Gas Emissions of Building Materials, Plastics, and Food



Find out more about the briefings in this series below:



Dec 08
Building Materials: From Production to Reuse


Dec 09
The Climate Consequences of Plastics


Dec 10
Reducing Emissions by Reducing Food Waste

The Environmental and Energy Study Institute (EESI) invites you to join us for a briefing series about the climate impacts of producing building materials, plastics, and food. Panelists will explain the upstream greenhouse gas emissions generated from the production of these materials and discuss solutions designed to reduce those emissions at scale.
The built environment uses an immense amount of carbon-intensive materials such as concrete and steel. Switching building materials to lower-carbon alternatives can reduce the climate impacts of the built environment, but first, systems must be put in place to assess and reduce the carbon intensity of materials. When buildings reach the ends of their lives, there are also opportunities to reuse materials. Panelists will discuss ways to reduce emissions and material waste in the built environment from construction and deconstruction.

Recap of COP26: Key Outcomes and What Comes Next

Our live webcasts will be streamed at www.eesi.org/livecast

What Congress Needs to Know in the Lead Up to COP26: Briefing Series on the U.N. Climate Change Conference in Glasgow



Find out more about the briefings in this series below:



Oct 08
Creating Policies, Coalitions, and Actions for Global Sustainable Development


Oct 15
Momentum on Climate Adaptation


Oct 20
The Role of International Climate Finance


Oct 22
The Negotiations: What’s on the Table


Nov 18
Recap of COP26: Key Outcomes and What Comes Next

The Environmental and Energy Study Institute (EESI) invites you to join us for a briefing to review what took place at the U.N. climate change conference in Glasgow—the 26th Conference of the Parties (COP26) to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change—and why it matters for Congress.
With dozens of events and negotiating sessions happening at any one time during the two weeks of COP, it can be challenging to keep up with all the details. This briefing will review the key outcomes of COP26 and provide context and nuance to the main headlines coming out of the meeting. Panelists will then dive into takeaways from international, private sector, and local government perspectives.

The Negotiations: What’s on the Table

Our live webcasts will be streamed at www.eesi.org/livecast

What Congress Needs to Know in the Lead Up to COP26: Briefing Series on the U.N. Climate Change Conference in Glasgow



Find out more about the briefings in this series below:



Oct 08
Creating Policies, Coalitions, and Actions for Global Sustainable Development


Oct 15
Momentum on Climate Adaptation


Oct 20
The Role of International Climate Finance


Oct 22
The Negotiations: What’s on the Table


Nov 18
Recap of COP26: Key Outcomes and What Comes Next

The Environmental and Energy Study Institute (EESI) invites you to join us for a briefing series on what Congress needs to know in the lead-up to the 26th Conference of the Parties (COP26) to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change.
COP26 is set to cover a wide range of topics, from negotiations on carbon markets to discussions on loss and damage, climate finance, and updated emission reduction goals in countries’ nationally determined contributions (NDCs). This briefing will bring together experts to explain the key areas of negotiation expected to be at play at COP26, review possible outcomes, and explore what it all means for Congress.

The Role of International Climate Finance

Our live webcasts will be streamed at www.eesi.org/livecast

What Congress Needs to Know in the Lead Up to COP26: Briefing Series on the U.N. Climate Change Conference in Glasgow



Find out more about the briefings in this series below:



Oct 08
Creating Policies, Coalitions, and Actions for Global Sustainable Development


Oct 15
Momentum on Climate Adaptation


Oct 20
The Role of International Climate Finance


Oct 22
The Negotiations: What’s on the Table


Nov 18
Recap of COP26: Key Outcomes and What Comes Next

The Environmental and Energy Study Institute (EESI) invites you to join us for a briefing series on what Congress needs to know in the lead-up to the 26th Conference of the Parties (COP26) to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change.
International climate finance is a critical tool to increase access to climate mitigation and adaptation resources to address the growing threat of climate change. The briefing will discuss the current state of international climate finance, the role and status of the Green Climate Fund and other funding mechanisms, and Congress’s role in meeting U.S. climate finance commitments. Panelists will also describe how international climate finance dovetails with ongoing efforts of the State Department, Department of Defense, and the U.S. Agency for International Development to address the impacts of climate change abroad.
Introductory remarks by Kate Hughes.

Momentum on Climate Adaptation

Our live webcasts will be streamed at www.eesi.org/livecast

What Congress Needs to Know in the Lead Up to COP26: Briefing Series on the U.N. Climate Change Conference in Glasgow



Find out more about the briefings in this series below:



Oct 08
Creating Policies, Coalitions, and Actions for Global Sustainable Development


Oct 15
Momentum on Climate Adaptation


Oct 20
The Role of International Climate Finance


Oct 22
The Negotiations: What’s on the Table


Nov 18
Recap of COP26: Key Outcomes and What Comes Next

The Environmental and Energy Study Institute (EESI) invites you to join us for a briefing series on what Congress needs to know in the lead-up to the 26th Conference of the Parties (COP26) to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change.
Climate adaptation is one of the priority work areas for COP26. This briefing will focus on the initiatives launched or scaled up in recent years that underpin the momentum on adaptation and resilience and that will inform conversations at COP26. Speakers will discuss national adaptation plans, country dialogues on adaptation, early-warning systems, and locally-led adaptation. The briefing will explore how these efforts advance work towards the global goal on adaptation ‘to enhance adaptive capacity and reduce vulnerability.’ Intro remarks by Gonzalo Muñoz, a High-Level Climate Champion for Climate Action.
This briefing series is co-sponsored by the British Embassy Washington.
We are grateful for the partnership with the Henry M. Jackson Foundation that helped make this briefing possible.

Creating Policies, Coalitions, and Actions for Global Sustainable Development

Our live webcasts will be streamed at www.eesi.org/livecast

What Congress Needs to Know in the Lead Up to COP26: Briefing Series on the U.N. Climate Change Conference in Glasgow



Find out more about the briefings in this series below:



Oct 08
Creating Policies, Coalitions, and Actions for Global Sustainable Development


Oct 15
Momentum on Climate Adaptation


Oct 20
The Role of International Climate Finance


Oct 22
The Negotiations: What’s on the Table


Nov 18
Recap of COP26: Key Outcomes and What Comes Next

The Environmental and Energy Study Institute (EESI) invites you to join us for a briefing to explore cross-cutting challenges—climate change, biodiversity loss, land degradation, and pollution—facing the United States and countries around the world, and how policymakers are finding and implementing solutions to these challenges.
This briefing kicks off EESI’s Congressional briefing series, What Congress Needs to Know in the Lead Up to COP26. To sign up for the briefings in the series, visit www.eesi.org/1021cop26.
Distinguished Speakers:
Sir Robert Watson, lead author of the U.N. Environment Programme’s report Making Peace with Nature: A scientific blueprint to tackle the climate, biodiversity, and pollution emergencies, will discuss the current and projected changes in climate and biodiversity and share the range of solutions that emerge when these issues are considered together in policy design and implementation. He is the former chair of the Intergovernmental Science-Policy Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services (IPBES) and former chair of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC).
Former U.N. Framework Convention on Climate Change Executive Secretary Christiana Figueres will discuss the opportunity presented by the upcoming U.N. climate change conference (COP26) and will dive into ways governments and leaders can take meaningful action on climate change globally—an urgent need underscored by the findings of the Making Peace with Nature report. Ms. Figueres is a Founding Partner of Global Optimism, co-presenter of climate podcast Outrage + Optimism, and co-author of The Future We Choose: The Stubborn Optimist's Guide to the Climate Crisis.
Co-moderated by Daniel Bresette, Executive Director, Environmental and Energy Study Institute, and Rosina Bierbaum, Professor, School for Environment and Sustainability, University of Michigan; School of Public Policy, University of Maryland.
This briefing is part of a series made possible by our partnership with the Henry M. Jackson Foundation.

The Growing Climate Workforce:

Our live webcasts will be streamed at www.eesi.org/livecast
The Environmental and Energy Study Institute (EESI) invites you to join us for a briefing about the current state of the climate workforce and the job creation potential of key climate policies.
Decarbonization provides an opportunity for job growth in multiple sectors, including energy efficiency, renewable energy, transmission and storage, and clean transportation. As businesses and government agencies seek to understand and mitigate their climate risks, climate adaptation and resilience are likewise rapidly emerging as attractive career options. EESI’s recent Climate Jobs fact sheet examines 2020 climate employment and provides further context for the briefing.
Climate policies currently being considered in Congress--including a clean energy standard, tax policies for renewable energy, and the Civilian Climate Corps--have potential to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, build resilience to a changing climate, strengthen environmental justice, and contribute to job creation.
Panelists will discuss the state-of-play for climate jobs and explore the benefits that could come with well-designed and durable climate policies.
Civilian Climate Corps
Danielle Owen, Director of Government Relations, The Corps Network
Hannah Traverse, Communications Manager, The Corps Network
Rural Energy Savings Program
Kate LaTour, Director of Government Relations, National Cooperative Business Association
Clean Energy Tax Incentives
Uday Varadarajan, Principal, Carbon-Free Electricity, RMI
Clean Electricity Payment Program
Yvonne McIntyre, Director of Federal Electricity and Utility Policy, Natural Resources Defense Council