Here’s a link to my first ever Op-Ed: Oregon needs to set an example with climate action.

My First Opinion Piece: The Oregonian

Right now UNFCCC COP-19 is underway in Warsaw, Poland. For the second year in a row, I am missing the negotiations after having gone to Cancun and Durban (i.e COP-16 and -17). Unfortunately, not much is expected until COP-21 Paris. This Op-Ed was my attempt to pay it forward to friends and colleagues working out in the field and at the negotiations. I’ve seen the impacts of climate change with my own eyes in Latin America and Africa and can’t help but get a bit frustrated with the gridlock so succinctly described by David G. Victor in his book, Global Warming Gridlock. Amidst this gridlock, we have 2 years to get our ducks in a row by increasing political will in our home countries and, most importantly, building awareness and support for good ideas. On that note, I like what I have seen thus far with respect to the Pacific Coast Action Plan on Climate and Energy. With 52 million people and a combined GDP of $2.8 trillion, this is going to be a pilot project for the world. Paris, here we come!