Climate Resilient Temperate Forests Intern

Overview

Put your passion and skills to work for the planet. Climate change is the most urgent issue of our time, and we need people like you to help us build a vital Earth — for everyone.

We’re Environmental Defense Fund, a fast-paced nonprofit with a growing staff of more than 1,000 people in nearly 30 countries. We deliver game-changing solutions that cut climate pollution and strengthen people’s ability to thrive despite the effects climate change is already having. We work wherever we can have the most impact, from local communities to top companies to governments worldwide, and even in space.

Our culture, values and commitment to diversity make EDF an exciting and meaningful place to work. Every job here makes a difference. Won’t you join us?

Responsibilities

Program/Department Overview

EDF’s Natural Climate Solutions Initiative (NCS) is a new global initiative and matrixed team whose goals rise to the level of the enormity of the climate crisis. Through taking a systems change approach that harnesses EDF’s unique capabilities in science, economics, policy, corporate partnerships and market design, we seek to bring forward catalytic solutions that, by 2030, will result in critical global-scale contributions to halting destruction and degradation of forest, peatlands, coastal and other natural systems, while rapidly growing natural carbon accumulation through sustainable management and restoration. The scope of this work is global in nature, with near-term priorities on tropical forests and emerging priorities on temperate and blue carbon systems, amongst others.

Overall Function

The intern will work with members of the Climate Resilient Forests Team to analyze policies and market instruments designed to provide forest-based natural climate solutions in the western US. This would include analysis of elements of the U.S. federal Bipartisan Infrastructure Law (2021); Inflation Reduction Act (2022); and state laws and policies in key western states. The intern would conduct analysis on the factors that lead to successful implementation of public/private partnerships to address rural economic development and forest management.

Concrete deliverables include 2-3 written reports on topics assigned by supervisor and relevant to advancing the emerging climate resilient forest initiative.

Key Responsibilities

Tasks will include but are not limited to:

• Perform literature reviews and prepare annotated bibliographies based on review of academic and other literature relevant to the development of the Climate Resilient Temperate Forest strategy.
• Conduct interviews with community practitioners and government officials.
• Prepare 2-3 synthesis reports on topics relevant to the development of the strategy and present results to the NCS team.
• Participates in advancing EDF Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) goals in which people from all backgrounds and experiences feel connected, included, and empowered to address the environmental and organizational challenges in alignment with EDF values.

Qualifications

• Must be enrolled in a bachelor’s degree program in forestry; ecology; natural resources public policy or economics; behavioral science; or related discipline.
• Demonstrated interest in western US forestry and forest resilience, forest health, wildfire dynamics, traditional ecological knowledge.
• Experience in policy research, literature review, policy and/or economic analysis.
• Excellent written and oral communication skills.
• Must be well organized, motivated, and detail-oriented.
• Ability to multi-task, prioritize and meet deadlines.
• Ability to work in a team setting and have the ability to work independently when projects are due.
• Demonstrate self-awareness, cultural competency and inclusivity, and ability to work with colleagues and stakeholders across diverse cultures and backgrounds.
• Demonstrate initiative and problem solving skills.

Location

Hybrid in San Francisco, CA; Washington, DC; New York, NY preferred, or U.S. Remote, with the option to work out of workspace in Sacramento, CA.

Term

Summer 2023 (10-12 weeks)

Hours

Full-Time (35 hours/week)

Compensation

This internship would involve either compensation for work paid at a rate competitive with leading non-profits at $17/hr.

Application Materials

Interested applicants should attach their cover letter and resume to the EDF application.

Pay Ranges

We offer a strong total rewards package encompassing competitive salary, robust benefits, and professional development opportunities consistent with a modern global organization. We take into account factors such as candidate experience, skills, training, internal team equity and local norms.

The pay range for this role is shown below.

Please note that pay ranges are country specific. As a result, the stated currency is not meant be converted into any other currency.

Minimum Salary

USD $17.00/Hr.

Maximum Salary

USD $17.00/Hr.

EEO Information

Environmental Defense Fund is an equal opportunity employer where an applicant's qualifications are considered without regard to race, color, religion, sex, national origin, age, disability, veteran status, genetic information, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, or any other basis prohibited by law.