Kelly Levin

Senior Associate, Pillar Lead TRAC Policy

Bio

Kelly Levin is a senior associate with WRI’s global climate program. She focuses her work on supporting countries in the design and tracking of climate commitments, as well as planning for long-term transitions associated with decarbonization. Kelly closely follows the negotiations under the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change, and analyzes related emissions reduction commitments. Kelly also plays a leading role in WRI on communicating climate science developments.

Kelly pursued her doctoral work at Yale’s School of Forestry and Environmental Studies, where her research focused on adaptation policies to contend with climate impacts to biodiversity. During her PhD studies, she was also a writer for the International Institute for Sustainable Development (IISD) Reporting Services, covering the UN climate change negotiations. Kelly has also worked as a climate policy/technical analyst at NESCAUM (Northeast States for Coordinated Air Use Management), where she devoted her time to developing a regional greenhouse gas registry in the Northeast and assisting states in the development of the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative (RGGI).

Kelly holds a PhD and Master of Environmental Management from Yale’s School of Forestry and Environmental Studies and a B.A. in Ecology and Evolutionary Biology from Yale College. She has been awarded the Google Climate Science Communication Fellowship and the Academic Council on the United Nations System Dissertation Award, and is a Switzer Fellow, Teresa Heinz Scholar, and Udall Scholar.

Blogs

4 Things to Know About the IPCC Special Report on the Ocean and Cryosphere
by Kelly Levin and Eliza Northrop - September 25, 2019
The ocean has absorbed 20-30% of our carbon emissions since the 1980s. It's feeling the effects.
This Month in Climate Science, August 2019: Persistent Summers, Bumpier Plane Rides and More Heat Deaths
by Kelly Levin and Dennis Tirpak - September 24, 2019
This Month in Climate Science summarizes significant new research and provides a clearer picture of the threats posed by climate change. Studies published in August 2019 reveal disappearing sea ice, changing harvest seasons and more turbulence for airplane passengers.
What Does "Net-Zero Emissions" Mean? 6 Common Questions, Answered
by Kelly Levin and Chantal Davis - September 17, 2019
More and more countries are setting goals to reach net-zero emissions. Here we unpack what "net-zero emissions" really means, and why these goals are important.
From Climate Researcher to Climate Spectator: Witnessing a Melting Arctic
by Kelly Levin - August 22, 2019
The Arctic is warming twice as fast as the rest of the world. One climate researcher experienced some of the impacts firsthand in Svalbard.
This Month in Climate Science, July 2019: Raccoon Explosions, Climate-friendly Elephants and More 100-Degree Days
by Kelly Levin and Dennis Tirpak - August 19, 2019
This Month in Climate Science summarizes significant new research and provides a clearer picture of the threats posed by climate change. Studies published in July 2019, the world's hottest month on record, show that U.S. residents will see double or triple the number of days exceeding 100 degrees F.
How Effective Is Land At Removing Carbon Pollution? The IPCC Weighs In
by Kelly Levin - August 08, 2019
A new IPCC report found there could be significant benefits to land-based carbon removal, such as through afforestation and restoration. But if deployed incorrectly, these strategies could create greater pressures on land and compromise food security and ecosystem health.
7 Things to Know About the IPCC’s Special Report on Climate Change and Land
by Kelly Levin and Sarah Parsons - August 08, 2019
The latest IPCC report finds that while land sequesters almost a third of human-caused carbon dioxide emissions, it will be impossible to limit temperature rise to safe levels without fundamentally changing the way the world produces food and manages land.
This Month in Climate Science: Primate Extinctions; Ice-free Greenland; A Dengue Explosion
by Kelly Levin and Dennis Tirpak - July 30, 2019
This Month in Climate Science summarizes significant new research and provides a clearer picture of the threats posed by climate change. Studies published in June 2019 show that primates could face unprecedented levels of extinction due to warming, and that dengue fever could threaten 60% of the world population by 2080.
This Month in Climate Science: Fertility Impacts, Accelerating Extinctions and Green Oceans
by Kelly Levin and Dennis Tirpak - June 20, 2019
This Month in Climate Science summarizes significant new research and provides a clearer picture of the threats posed by climate change. Studies published in May 2019 reveal climate change's effects on fertility, a mass puffin die-off in Alaska, and drying lakes in Greenland, among other findings.
This Month in Climate Science: Warming-driven Economic Inequality, Disappearing Alps and Plummeting Penguin Populations
by Kelly Levin and Dennis Tirpak - May 20, 2019
This Month in Climate Science summarizes significant new research on climate change. Studies published in April 2019 show that warming is suppressing economic growth in poorer nations, decreasing Emperor penguin populations and more.

Commentaries

Climate Action for Today and Tomorrow: The Relationship between NDCs and LTSs

September 19, 2019

This commentary explores how two critical elements of the Paris Agreement – nationally determined contributions (NDCs) and long-term strategies (LTSs) – relate to one another, and how countries can allocate resources efficiently to develop both in a synergistic manner.

External Publications

"The Interplay between Accounting and Reporting on Mitigation Contributions under the Paris Agreement."
By Levin Kelly.
Carbon & Climate Law Review 12 (2018): 203-208 DOI: 10.21552/cclr/2018/3/6.

"Overcoming the tragedy of super wicked problems: constraining our future selves to ameliorate global climate change."
By Levin Kelly, Cashore Benjamin, Bernstein Steven, Auld Graeme.
Policy Sciences 45 (2012): 123-152 DOI: 10.1007/s11077-012-9151-0.

"National GHG emissions reduction pledges and 2°C: comparison of studies."
By Höhne Niklas, Taylor Christopher, Elias Ramzi, Elzen Michel Den, Riahi Keywan, Chen Claudine, Rogelj Joeri, Grassi Giacomo, Wagner Fabian, Levin Kelly, Massetti Emanuele, Xiusheng Zhao.
Climate Policy 12 (2012): 356-377 DOI: 10.1080/14693062.2011.637818.

"Building the Forest-Climate Bandwagon: REDD+ and the Logic of Problem Amelioration."
By McDermott Constance, Levin Kelly, Cashore Benjamin.
Global Environmental Politics 11 (2011): 85-103 DOI: 10.1162/GLEP_a_00070.

"Tradeoffs in the Policy Process in Advancing Climate Change Adaptation: The Case of Australia's Great Eastern Ranges Initiative."
By Levin Kelly, Petersen Brian.
Journal of Natural Resources Policy Research 3 (2011): 145-162 DOI: 10.1080/19390459.2011.557879.

"The Climate Regime as Global Forest Governance: Can Reduced Emissions from Deforestation and Forest Degradation (REDD) Initiatives Pass a ‘Dual Effectiveness’ Test?."
By Levin Kelly, McDermott C., Cashore B..
International Forestry Review 10 (2008): 538-549 DOI: 10.1505/ifor.10.3.538.

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Kelly Levin

4 Things to Know About the IPCC Special Report on the Ocean and Cryosphere

This Month in Climate Science, August 2019: Persistent Summers, Bumpier Plane Rides and More Heat Deaths

What Does "Net-Zero Emissions" Mean? 6 Common Questions, Answered

From Climate Researcher to Climate Spectator: Witnessing a Melting Arctic

This Month in Climate Science, July 2019: Raccoon Explosions, Climate-friendly Elephants and More 100-Degree Days

How Effective Is Land At Removing Carbon Pollution? The IPCC Weighs In

7 Things to Know About the IPCC’s Special Report on Climate Change and Land

This Month in Climate Science: Primate Extinctions; Ice-free Greenland; A Dengue Explosion

This Month in Climate Science: Fertility Impacts, Accelerating Extinctions and Green Oceans

This Month in Climate Science: Warming-driven Economic Inequality, Disappearing Alps and Plummeting Penguin Populations

Climate Action for Today and Tomorrow: The Relationship between NDCs and LTSs

Commentary: Climate Action for Today and Tomorrow: The Relationship between NDCs and LTSs

Enhancing NDCs: A Guide to Strengthening National Climate Plans

Good Governance for Long-Term Low-Emissions Development Strategies

Scaling Up Ambition: Leveraging Nationally Determined Contributions and Long-Term Strategies to Achieve the Paris Agreement Goals

Tracking Progress of the 2020 Climate Turning Point

Long-Term Low Greenhouse Gas Emission Development Strategies: Approaches and Methodologies for Their Design

Foundational Questions on Carbon Removal in the United States

Technological Carbon Removal in the United States

Recommendations For Accounting for Mitigation Components of Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs) Under the Paris Agreement

Setting the Paris Agreement in Motion: Key Requirements for the Implementing Guidelines

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