Kelly Levin

Senior Associate, Pillar Lead TRAC Policy

Bio

Kelly Levin is a senior associate with WRI’s major emerging economies objective. She leads WRI’s Measurement and Performance Tracking Project, which builds capacity in developing countries to create and enhance systems that track emissions reductions associated with low-carbon development goals. She closely follows the negotiations under the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change, and analyzes related emissions reduction targets and actions. Kelly has conducted an annual review of climate change science for WRI since 2005. She was also the Research Director and lead author of the 2010-2011 World Resources Report, which was dedicated to climate change adaptation, and specifically to how governments can improve decision making in a changing climate.

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 biodiversity and climate change meetings, including 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. Kelly’s publications can be found in Climate Policy, Global Environmental Politics, the Journal of Natural Resources Policy Research, International Forestry Review, Policy Sciences, among other journals.

Blog Posts

This Month in Climate Science, August 2018: Runaway Warming, Marine Heat Waves and Foods Get Less Nutritious
by Kelly Levin and Dennis Tirpak - September 17, 2018
This month's discoveries inch us towards a more perfect understanding of the carbon cycle, and the various ways we are changing it.
Recent Scientific Advancements Show New Connections Between Climate Change and Hurricanes
by Kelly Levin - September 14, 2018
Scientists have known for years that global warming can exacerbate storms. But our understanding of the connection between hurricanes and climate change has evolved significantly in just the past year.
6 Ways to Remove Carbon Pollution from the Sky
by James Mulligan, Gretchen Ellison and Kelly Levin - September 10, 2018
To prevent the worst impacts of climate change, we'll need to not just reduce emissions, but actually remove some carbon dioxide from the sky.
INSIDER: 10 Reasons Why Accounting for NDCs Matters
by Cynthia Elliott and Kelly Levin - September 07, 2018
You could say the heart of the Paris Agreement on climate change are countries’ NDCs, their commitments to mitigate and adapt to climate change. If your heart was underperforming, your doctor might recommend an EKG to monitor it and look...
This Month in Climate Science: Extreme Weather, Glaciers Losing Mass and Ecosystems Less Effective at Storing Carbon
by Kelly Levin and Dennis Tirpak - August 07, 2018
Recent research is summarized, including information about ocean currents, the summer fires and heatwaves, and a conclusion that the carbon budget might be smaller than previously believed.
This Month in Climate Science: Faster Antarctic Melt, Slower-Moving Storms and Disappearing Artifacts
by Kelly Levin and Dennis Tirpak - July 19, 2018
Every month, climate scientists make new discoveries that advance our understanding of climate change's causes and impacts. Research published in June 2018 revealed record flooding in the United States, dying ancient trees, threatened corals and more.
INSIDER: What’s Changing As Countries Turn INDCs into NDCs? 5 Early Insights
by Mengpin Ge and Kelly Levin - April 18, 2018
As countries formalize their climate action plans, some are shifting to more stringent targets, increasing transparency, and reflecting recent developments in knowledge and technology. Some countries, however, have lowered their ambition or made tweaks that make their commitment less clear.
INSIDER: Long-term Strategies: Climate Action Today with Tomorrow in Mind
by Kelly Levin, Taryn Fransen, Katherine Ross and Cynthia Elliott - April 12, 2018
Long-term strategies aren't required by the Paris Agreement, but every country would benefit from creating one. Here, perspectives on how to craft a long-term strategy, from three dozen experts.
INSIDER: Long-term Strategies: Climate Action Today with Tomorrow in Mind
by Kelly Levin, Taryn Fransen, Katherine Ross and Cynthia Elliott - April 10, 2018
Under the Paris Agreement, Parties have agreed to hold the increase in global average temperature to well below 2°C and to pursue efforts to limit the increase to 1.5°C. Mid-century, long-term low-GHG emission development strategies (" long-term strategies") underpin...
Taking Greenhouse Gases from the Sky: 7 Things to Know About Carbon Removal
by Kelly Levin, James Mulligan and Gretchen Ellison - March 19, 2018
Most climate change solutions focus on mitigation—ways to slash emissions as quickly as possible, such as by adopting renewable energy. But research shows these aren't enough. To prevent the worst impacts of climate change, the world will need to reach net-negative emissions, a point at which we're actually removing more carbon from the air than we're putting in.

External Publications

No external publications listed for: Kelly Levin

Making Big Ideas Happen™

Donate to WRI

Other Sites

Menu

Topics

You are here

Kelly Levin

This Month in Climate Science, August 2018: Runaway Warming, Marine Heat Waves and Foods Get Less Nutritious

Recent Scientific Advancements Show New Connections Between Climate Change and Hurricanes

6 Ways to Remove Carbon Pollution from the Sky

INSIDER: 10 Reasons Why Accounting for NDCs Matters

This Month in Climate Science: Extreme Weather, Glaciers Losing Mass and Ecosystems Less Effective at Storing Carbon

This Month in Climate Science: Faster Antarctic Melt, Slower-Moving Storms and Disappearing Artifacts

INSIDER: What’s Changing As Countries Turn INDCs into NDCs? 5 Early Insights

INSIDER: Long-term Strategies: Climate Action Today with Tomorrow in Mind

INSIDER: Long-term Strategies: Climate Action Today with Tomorrow in Mind

Taking Greenhouse Gases from the Sky: 7 Things to Know About Carbon Removal

Technological Carbon Removal in the United States

Foundational Questions on 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

Enhancing NDCs by 2020: Achieving the Goals of the Paris Agreement

Designing the Enhanced Transparency Framework Part 1: Reporting under the Paris Agreement

Turning Points: Trends in Countries’ Reaching Peak Greenhouse Gas Emissions over Time

MRV 101: Understanding Measurement, Reporting, and Verification of Climate Change Mitigation

Staying on Track from Paris

Advancing the Key Elements of the Paris Agreement

Driving Transformative Change: The Role of the Private Sector in Advancing Short-term and Long-term Signals in the Paris Climate Agreement

Stay Connected

Donate to WRI

Get Involved

Making Big Ideas Happen™

Donate to WRI

Other Sites

Menu

Topics

Search

You are here

Advancing the Key Elements of the Paris Agreement

Stay Connected

SIGN UP FOR OUR NEWSLETTERS

Donate to WRI

Get Involved

Follow WRI