Carbon Dioxide Removal Policy Analysis
Carbon Dioxide Removal (CDR) is gaining attention as a measurable tool for climate change mitigation and will likely be necessary to reach net-zero emissions goals this century. A range of CDR methods, from nature-based solutions to engineered solutions like direct air capture (DAC), are starting to be deployed at scale. NRDC is engaged in the emerging CDR technology and policy space and is seeking a climate policy intern to build upon existing work.
The Bekenstein intern at NRDC will contribute to its CDR work through several activities, including:
- Conducting consultation, research, and quantitative analysis to help the broader environmental community understand, and coming to consensus around, the need for right-sized CDR that accounts for unavoidable and legacy emissions, including an assessment of different categories of CDR (e.g., technological vs. biological CDR) and their impacts
- Evaluating the safety and impacts of various aspects of technological CDR and determining appropriate monitoring and safety controls and other protections for communities near CDR facilities
- Compiling an overview of policy options that support the commercialization of different technologies at this incipient stage in the market’s development and protect against harmful projects and use cases
Timetable
| Week(s) | Tasks and benchmarks |
| 1-2 | Onboard with team members and begin literature review of CDR approaches and status of the market |
| 3-4 | Create and complete outline of scope of work; collaborate with team members |
| 5-6 | Summarize assessments of CDR approaches and potential harms |
| 7-8 | Compile overview of existing and proposed policy options |
| 9-10 | Prepare draft presentation with key findings |
| 11-12 | Present to team on findings and recommended next steps |
Qualifications
- Dependable and responsible
- Hard working
- Attention to detail
- Strong verbal and written communication skills
- Strong analytical thinking
- Self starter
- Collaborative – works well with others on a team
- Knows when to ask for help
- Creative problem solver
- Good personal time management
Background
NRDC is a non-profit environmental advocacy organization. We use law, science, and the support of 3.1 million members and online activists to protect the planet’s wildlife and wild places and to ensure the rights of all people to clean air, clean water, and healthy communities. NRDC was founded in 1970 and our people helped write some of America’s bedrock environmental laws, including the Clean Water Act and many of the implementing regulations. Today, our team of more than 700 lawyers, scientists, economists, policy advocates, communications experts, and others work across the United States and the globe from our offices in Beijing; Chicago; New Delhi; New York; San Francisco; Santa Monica; and Washington, D.C.
