Jennifer Morgan

Global Director, Climate Program

Bio

Jennifer is the Global Director of the Climate Program at the World Resources Institute. In this capacity, she oversees the Institute’s work on climate change issues and guides WRI strategy in helping countries, governments, and individuals take positive action toward achieving a zero-carbon future. She is responsible for day-to-day management of the 50+ person program, and under her leadership, the program is in the process of deepening its engagement in China, India and Brazil. In addition, Jennifer is WRI’s lead representative at international climate meetings, including the UNFCCC negotiations.

Prior to joining WRI in 2009, Jennifer worked at E3G as Global Climate Change Director, where she led the organization’s climate change work on its full range of global activities, and remains a non-executive Board member. Before E3G, Jennifer led the Global Climate Change Program of Worldwide Fund for Nature (WWF), growing its climate program both in size and geography, with a focus on Asia Pacific. While at WWF, she headed its delegation to the seminal Kyoto Protocol climate negotiations. Jennifer’s career has also included working for the US Climate Action Network, and through the Robert Bosch Foundation, the European Business Council for a Sustainable Energy Future and for the German Federal Ministry of Environment, supporting the head of the German delegation to the UN climate change negotiations.

Jennifer holds a Bachelor of Arts from Indiana University in Political Science and Germanic Studies and a Masters of Arts from the School of International Service at The American University in International Affairs.

Jennifer has been cited in front-page articles in newspapers around the world on climate change and is regularly interviewed for radio and television programs. She is a Review Editor for Chapter 13 on “International Cooperation: Agreements and Instruments” for the 5th Assessment Report of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC). She is also a member of Siemens Sustainability Advisory Board, a member of the Scientific Advisory Board for the Potsdam Institute and a member of the Danish Institute CONCITO’s international advisory board. At Germanwatch’s 20th anniversary celebration, Jennifer was named an honorary member of the organization for her long-term commitment to international climate issues and the empowerment of civil society.

Blog Posts

COP20 Lays the Groundwork for Paris Climate Pact: 7 Key Developments
by Jennifer Morgan, David Waskow, Yamide Dagnet, Heather McGray, Cynthia Elliott, Athena Ballesteros, James Anderson and Benoit Lefevre - December 14, 2014
After two weeks of difficult negotiations and a nail-biting finale, delegates in Lima laid the groundwork for a successful international climate agreement in Paris next year.
A Blueprint for an Effective International Climate Agreement
by Jennifer Morgan and Yamide Dagnet - December 01, 2014
As part of the U.N. Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), countries are currently hard at work to create an international climate agreement by 2015 that can both respond to the growing impacts of climate change and drive a global shift to a low-carbon economy.
What Would Success Look Like at COP 20 in Lima?
by Jennifer Morgan and David Waskow - November 26, 2014
COP 20 is a major milestone on the path to Paris and the 2015 climate agreement.

By narrowing down the options for the agreement and setting the rules of the road for putting forward and evaluating national contributions over the next year, this can be the global climate conference that puts us on the way to an effective, robust, and ambitious agreement.
Race to the Top: Driving Ambition in a 2015 Climate Agreement
by Jennifer Morgan and Yamide Dagnet - October 20, 2014
What if an international climate change agreement could set the rules for years to come, driving greater emissions reductions, more renewable energy and energy efficiency and a shift away from fossil fuel?

A consortium of research organizations, ACT 2015, has been thinking hard about what structure, processes and rules would need to be put in place to create confidence and predictability of action under this agreement.
Analyzing Outcomes from the UN Climate Summit
by Jennifer Morgan, David Waskow, Nigel Sizer, Eliot Metzger, Samantha Putt del Pino, Holger Dalkmann, Benoit Lefevre, Alex Doukas and Clifford Polycarp - September 23, 2014
The UN Climate Summit brought together more than 125 heads of state and government officials—the largest-ever climate meeting of world leaders. Leaders clearly demonstrated their understanding that the impacts of climate change are real and costly, and that they no longer have to choose between economic growth and climate action—they go hand-in-hand.

WRI’s experts were in New York for all the action. While the outcomes from the Summit are still evolving, here’s our first look at progress made and next steps.
5 Reasons To Watch NYC’s Climate Summit
by Jennifer Morgan - September 02, 2014
On September 23, heads of state and leaders in finance, business and civil society will gather in New York City for the United Nations Climate Summit, aimed at jump-starting talks to reach a global climate agreement by December 2015. It's hardly the first time these actors have convened to counter climate change. Here's why this summit is worth watching.
A Renewables Club to Change the World
by Jennifer Morgan, Dirk Messner and Hans Joachim Schellnhuber - May 02, 2014
The meeting of climate change ministers in Abu Dhabi from 4 to 5 May 2014 represents an opportunity to develop the Renewables Club, established by Germany and nine other countries last year.

The club could play a key role in overcoming the climate crisis—provided that it becomes more than just an informal discussion group.
6 Functions for the International Climate Agreement
by Jennifer Morgan - March 17, 2014
The latest round of U.N. climate talks came to a close in Bonn, Germany last week, with negotiators agreeing to start drafting the international climate agreement set to be finalized in 2015. As negotiators look towards the next UNFCCC meeting in June, they’re faced with a key question: What does this agreement actually need to accomplish in order to help the world rise to the climate change challenge?
New Initiative Will Identify Ways to Create an Effective and Ambitious International Climate Action Agreement
by Jennifer Morgan - March 13, 2014
Negotiators are meeting in Bonn, Germany this week to make progress on establishing a global climate agreement by 2015. But they’re not the only ones working to secure a worldwide climate action plan.

WRI along with several other organizations recently launched a new global consortium, the Agreement for Climate Transformation 2015 (ACT 2015), to help inform and support countries’ engagement in the international climate negotiations—and ultimately, help the world rise to the climate change challenge before it.
Signs of Progress at World Economic Forum’s Climate Day
by Jennifer Morgan - January 27, 2014
For the first time, the meeting of many of the world’s pre-eminent political and business leaders held an official “Climate Day” to discuss the challenges posed by a warmer world. The day and the Forum’s several events and panels yielded encouraging talk—and the potential for some transformative initiatives.

Publications

Elements and Ideas for the 2015 Paris Agreement
This document offers the ACT 2015 consortium’s ideas on how the 2015 Paris international climate agreement can play the most effective and transformational role in shifting the world to a low-carbon, climate-resilient economy as quickly and fairly as...
by Jennifer Morgan, Yamide Dagnet and Dennis Tirpak - December 2014

publication
Topics: Climate
Race to the Top: Driving Ambition in a 2015 Climate Agreement
This paper reviews past practice in the UNFCCC and examines some of the most promising options to improve the effectiveness of the UNFCCC.

by Jennifer Morgan, Yamide Dagnet, Niklas Höhne (Ecofys), Sebastian Oberthür (IES) and Lina Li (Ecofys) - October 2014

publication
Topics: Climate
Guide for Responsible Corporate Engagement in Climate Policy
A Caring for Climate Report
This guide provides practical insights on why and how companies can provide constructive influences on climate policy. It is the output of a review and consultation on responsible corporate engagement, undertaken by the UN Global Compact in cooperation with UNEP, UNFCCC, WRI, UNGC, CDP, WWF,...
by Eliot Metzger, Yamide Dagnet, Samantha Putt del Pino, Jennifer Morgan, Lila Karbassi, Heidi Huusko, Fernando Castellanos Silveira, Merlyn VanVoore, Seraphine Haeussling, Ben Watson, Tom Carnac, Alberto Carillo Pineda, Lance Pierce, Anne Kelly, Jim Walker and Damian Ryan - November 2013

publication
Topics: Climate, Business
A Pathway to a Climate Change Agreement in 2015: Options for Setting and Reviewing GHG Emission Reduction Offers
The UNFCCC Parties need to put forward emission reduction offers as part of the 2015 climate change agreement that is currently being negotiated. This paper suggests options for the design of this process, including the content of the offers and how they will be reviewed. Ensuring that this...
by Jennifer Morgan, Dennis Tirpak, Kelly Levin and Yamide Dagnet - October 2013

publication
Topics: Climate, COP 19, Energy
Testimony: American Energy Security and Innovation: An Assessment of North America's Energy Resources
In this testimony, Jennifer Morgan, Director of WRI's Climate and Energy program, describes the energy risks and opportunities that climate change presents; the role that clean energy can play in the U.S. energy mix; and actions Congress can take to mitigate global warming's threats....
by Jennifer Morgan - February 2013

publication
Topics: Climate
Geography: United States
Remedying Discord in the Accord
Accounting Rules for Annex I Pledges in a Post-2012 Climate Agreement
This paper provides recommendations and options for harmonizing accounting rules for developed country, or Annex I, emissions reduction pledges for a post-2012 climate policy under discussion in the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change‘s (UNFCCC) Ad Hoc Working Group on Long-term...
by Kelly Levin, Dennis Tirpak, Florence Daviet and Jennifer Morgan - November 2010

publication

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Jennifer Morgan

COP20 Lays the Groundwork for Paris Climate Pact: 7 Key Developments

A Blueprint for an Effective International Climate Agreement

What Would Success Look Like at COP 20 in Lima?

Race to the Top: Driving Ambition in a 2015 Climate Agreement

Analyzing Outcomes from the UN Climate Summit

5 Reasons To Watch NYC’s Climate Summit

A Renewables Club to Change the World

6 Functions for the International Climate Agreement

New Initiative Will Identify Ways to Create an Effective and Ambitious International Climate Action Agreement

Signs of Progress at World Economic Forum’s Climate Day

Elements and Ideas for the 2015 Paris Agreement

Race to the Top: Driving Ambition in a 2015 Climate Agreement

Guide for Responsible Corporate Engagement in Climate Policy

A Caring for Climate Report

A Pathway to a Climate Change Agreement in 2015: Options for Setting and Reviewing GHG Emission Reduction Offers

Testimony: American Energy Security and Innovation: An Assessment of North America's Energy Resources

Remedying Discord in the Accord

Accounting Rules for Annex I Pledges in a Post-2012 Climate Agreement

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