The Future of U.S. Climate Policy
The Future of U.S. Climate Policy
Join Us in G-01 Gates Hall or via Livestream
This panel is co-hosted by Cornell Atkinson Center for Sustainability and the College of Arts & Sciences
The next decade of climate action will be pivotal to reshape the rapidly evolving global landscape in climate and environmental policy. Moderated by Anne Thompson, NBC News’ chief environmental affairs correspondent, this panel brings together experts to explore the tools beyond government regulation that can drive meaningful change — from economic incentives and education to grassroots activism and corporate innovation. They’ll also consider how universities, NGOs, and businesses can effectively work together towards long-term impact, and the role that students can play in collective action. Join us for a forward-looking conversation on the challenges and opportunities that lie ahead in the collective effort for a sustainable future.
Anne Thompson is the NBC News’ chief environmental affairs correspondent where her work appears across all platforms of NBC News, including “NBC Nightly News,” “Today,” MSNBC, and NBCNews.com. Her reporting has won five Emmys as a correspondent for NBC News; an Alfred I. duPont-Columbia Journalism Award for coverage of Hurricane Katrina; and two Gerald Loeb Awards for distinguished business and financial journalism. Thompson is a Spring 2025 Zubrow Distinguished Visiting Journalist in the College of Arts and Sciences at Cornell University.
Gina McCarthy is a Senior Advisor at Bloomberg Philanthropies, the Managing Co-Chair of the America Is All In coalition, and a Senior Fellow at The Fletcher School’s Climate Policy Lab at Tufts University. The first White House National Climate Advisor and former U.S. EPA Administrator, Gina McCarthy is one of the nation’s most respected voices on climate change, the environment, and public health. As head of the Climate Policy Office under President Biden, McCarthy’s leadership led to the most aggressive action on climate in U.S. history, creating new jobs and unprecedented clean energy innovation and investments across the country. Her commitment to bold action across the Biden administration, supported by the climate and clean energy provisions in the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law and the Inflation Reduction Act, restored U.S. climate leadership on a global stage and put a new U.S. national target to cut greenhouse gas emissions by 50-52 percent below 2005 levels by 2030 within reach.
Mary Nichols is the former Chair of the California Air Resources Board, where she occupied the attorney seat. She has served on the Board under Governor Edmund G. Brown, Jr. (1975–82 and 2010–18), Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger (2007–2010) and Governor Gavin Newsom (2019–2020). She also served as California’s Secretary for Natural Resources (1999–2003), appointed by Gov. Gray Davis. When not working for the State of California, Mary was a senior staff attorney for the Natural Resources Defense Council; Assistant Administrator for U.S. EPA’s Office of Air and Radiation, in the administration of President William Jefferson Clinton; and headed the Institute of Environment and Sustainability at UCLA. Over a career as an environmental lawyer spanning over 45 years, Mary Nichols has played a key role in California and the nation’s progress toward healthy air. She has also led the Board in crafting California’s internationally recognized climate action plan.
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Celebrating 15 Years of Cornell Atkinson
Join Us Online 9 a.m. – 4 p.m. That Day | Full Agenda and Registration
