WRI Appoints Energy Expert as Director of Climate Program 6/18/2003
From: Christopher Lagan of the World Resources Institute, 202-729-7684 or clagan@wri.org; http://newsroom.wri.org WASHINGTON, June 18 -- Dr. Jonathan C. Pershing, an international expert on energy and climate change, has been appointed director of the Climate, Energy, and Pollution Program (CEP) of the World Resources Institute (WRI). Dr. Pershing, who will join WRI in September 2003, currently leads the Energy and Environment Division of the International Energy Agency (IEA) in Paris. He directs the IEA's work on energy and the environment, including climate change and sustainable development, and provides policy advice to senior government officials, industry representatives, and other environment experts. Dr. Pershing is actively involved in the development of operational rules for the implementation of the Kyoto Protocol, in the analyses of national policies and measures to mitigate climate change, and in work on the post-Kyoto Protocol evolution of the international climate change regime. He headed the IEA's delegation to the World Summit on Sustainable Development in Johannesburg, South Africa last year. "We are delighted to welcome Dr. Pershing to WRI," said WRI president Jonathan Lash. "He brings an exceptional set of skills and experience to help ensure WRI's research on climate and energy issues will continue to meet the highest professional standards and have a lasting impact on policy decisions." From 1990-98, Dr. Pershing served as the deputy director of the Office of Global Change, U.S. Department of State. He served as principal negotiator for the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change, the Kyoto Protocol, and the Montreal Protocol on the Depletion of the Stratospheric Ozone Layer, and led delegations to the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change. During this period, Dr. Pershing was actively involved in shaping U.S. climate change policy, including the U.S. Initiative on Joint Implementation, and the U.S. National Action Plan. Dr. Pershing is the author of dozens of books and articles on climate change, energy, and environmental policy. They include "Climate Action: Near-term Levers on a Long-term Problem," (forthcoming), "Beyond Kyoto: Energy Dynamics and Climate Stabilization," and "Dealing with Climate Change: Policies and Measures in IEA member Countries." Dr. Pershing has taught at American University and the University of Minnesota. He also worked in Alaska as a geologist. Dr. Pershing holds a doctorate in geology from the University of Minnesota. ------ The World Resources Institute (http://www.wri.org/wri) is an environmental research and policy organization that creates solutions to protect the Earth and improve people's lives. |