Main Website Launched And Other Exciting Updates!

Welcome back to Climate Ingenuity’s newsletter. In this edition, I’m breaking from my book recap series to make some overdue announcements on how this whole project has been progressing. Enjoy!

Main Website is Finally Up

After nearly two years of building up the Climate Policy Resource Stockpile but without a website to showcase it, I managed to get it up just in time for Aspen Ideas: Climate (more on that later). It includes links for all 125+ materials neatly presented in gallery form, with a whopping 23 total filters available by format, sector, scale, and knowledge level. If for example, you’re specifically interested in publications covering the national transportation sector at an intermediate level, you’ll find ones that help you learn about said topic!

Simply put, there’s something in it for everyone even remotely interested in climate policy, so I hope this proves to be the type of groundbreaking platform that can inform effective action in the space for years to come. Shoutout to the guy I met at a networking event who first encouraged me to create the site myself using no code software, and to my advisor Vamsi Sistla for having my back throughout this whole process.

Supporting Policymakers in Miami and DC

Back in March, I was fortunate enough to attend Aspen Ideas: Climate in Miami Beach for the second straight year. While the top focus was still of course learning as much as I could from the mainstage and panel sessions, it was very gratifying to be able to share what I’ve built in context during my conversations with others in the space. That was especially true for current policymakers since they’re the audience group I’ve been most wanting to support beyond just voting and constituent meetings.

Following that, I flew to Washington D.C. to attend the Collegiate Climate Policy Institute training program organized by The Climate Initiative, having been the only alumni member of last year’s virtual cohort to attend a second time. After a weekend filled with more compelling panels and space to make new connections, the highlight was going down to Capitol Hill for three informational meetings with current Senate climate staffers. My thought process going in was to share the then beta website at the end of each meeting so as to not detract from their main purpose, and needless to say, it paid off in a big way.

Notable New Resources in 2023

Below are two new climate policy resources added to the platform that were released earlier this year, courtesy of Evergreen Action and Energy Innovation. Both are very prominent organizations in the space.

Powering Toward 100% Clean Power by 2035 Report

Joe Biden committed in his campaign for President that the U.S. would achieve a 100% clean electricity sector by 2035. The Inflation Reduction Act was a historic step forward, but the work is far from over. This report from Evergreen Action (and NRDC) outlines an updated post-IRA roadmap towards meeting that goal and 80% clean power by 2030 in the interim. It covers areas such as the EPA’s upcoming power plant regulations, the role of FERC in expanding transmission, IRA implementation recommendations for states, among others.

Energy Policy Simulator Expanded to All 48 Continental U.S. States

This one’s pretty self-explanatory. Think tank Energy Innovation’s simulator had already been around for a while to help national policymakers navigate the intricate nuances of climate mitigation solutions, and now it can do the same for you no matter which state you live in. The tool lets you track the emissions reduction impact specific policies have through 2050 across all sectors (sound familiar?), and other valuable secondary data such as clean energy job growth, lives saved from air pollution, etc. The timing of its release also aligns well with both the newly divided Congress and the emphasis their founder Hal Harvey placed on state action in The Big Fix book I covered earlier.

Below is an example of a climate policy package I designed using the Washington state simulator. As you might expect, it’s challenging to hit both of any jurisdiction’s 2030 and 2050 climate targets.

Donation Page Now Available

Lastly, if you love what Climate Ingenuity offers and where it’s going, you can further support my work by donating. In addition to what I’ve already built, below are the projects coming up:

• An accelerated learning guide on navigating climate policy.
• Outreach to target audience members like political candidates and college professors for getting the platform used more in real life.
• Evaluating 125+ remaining resource leads to potentially add to the platform.
• More newsletter pieces on problem solving pressing climate issues.

It’s worth mentioning that youth-led climate initiatives like this one are almost always underfunded early on. Personally, I’ve also insisted on self-generating it all rather than being dependent on foundations or investors. Thus, your support would go towards not only sustaining this work longer term, but also me sharing with you everything I learn about climate policy going forward. Ultimately, what people most want to know regarding climate are its solutions and what they can do to advance them. It’s my intention to provide that at scale through this platform. Thank you.

On The Lighter Side