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Jeffrey Peterson | An Island Press author

Jeffrey Peterson

Jeffrey Peterson has 40 years of experience in environmental policy development and program management, particularly focused on water issues. Most recently he was Senior Advisor in the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Office of Water responsible for climate change policy. In that capacity he co-chaired the EPA Sea Level Rise Workgroup and was a member of the Federal Interagency Sea Level Rise Workgroup. He also worked for almost four years at the White House Council on Environmental Quality (CEQ) during the first Obama term. At CEQ, he co-chaired the Interagency Water Resources and Climate Change Workgroup and authored the first national plan addressing water resources management and climate change. Returning to EPA in 2012, he chaired the National Water Program Climate Change Workgroup and served for five years as the Federal co-chair of the Climate Change and Water Workgroup of the Federal Advisory Committee on Water Information (ACWI). Before joining EPA in 1995, he worked for the U.S. Senate Committee on Environment and Public Works.

Sustaining Coastal Wetlands in a Time of Severe Storms and Rising Seas

Thursday, January 19, 2023 - 2:00pm EST
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More severe storms and rising sea levels resulting from a changing climate pose a threat to ecosystems along the American coast, including beaches, dunes, wetlands, and marshes. These ecosystems provide significant environmental, recreation, and...

More severe storms and rising sea levels resulting from a changing climate pose a threat to ecosystems along the American coast, including beaches, dunes, wetlands, and marshes. These ecosystems provide significant environmental, recreation, and economic benefits. Practices to sustain these ecosystems are available but are not well understood, face legal and financial obstacles, and have not been widely implemented. ELI will host two webinars with the goal of building understanding of measures to sustain coastal ecosystems and removing obstacles to the wider application of needed practices:

  • Sustaining Coastal Wetlands in a Time of Severe Storms and Rising Seas; and
  • Managing Threats to America’s Beaches from Storms and Rising Seas.

The webinar is intended to provide the audience with an overview of measures and practices that will sustain coastal wetlands as a changing climate drives more severe storms and rising seas. Presenters will review work to develop tools for improved planning, investments, and regulations that can protect existing wetlands and the upland areas that wetlands will migrate to as sea levels rise. Background information about the climate change risks to coastal wetlands will be summarized briefly by the moderator but more detailed information will be included in read ahead materials rather than presented in detail during the webinar.

Panelists:
Jeff Peterson, Visiting Scholar, Environmental Law Institute, and Co-facilitator, Coastal Flood Resilience Project, author of A New Coast, Moderator
Nicole Carlozo, Section Chief, Waterfront and Resource Planning, at Maryland Department of Natural Resources
Emily Donahoe, Policy Specialist for Resilient Coasts and Floodplains, National Wildlife Federation
Mallory Eastland, Project Coordinator, South Atlantic Salt Marsh Initiative
Amanda Santori, Ecologist, U.S. EPA Office of Wetlands Oceans and Watersheds

An Environmental Law Institute webinar. 

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Ticco retreat

Day 2 of Current Events: A Virtual Retreat -- Co-Hosted by Ticco and Island Press

Wednesday, September 30, 2020 - 11:00am EDT
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Climate change continues to pose a serious threat to both urban and rural areas nationwide. How can our work and the programs we create help these places adapt and remain resilient in the face of related challenges?

Ticco retreats are a...

Climate change continues to pose a serious threat to both urban and rural areas nationwide. How can our work and the programs we create help these places adapt and remain resilient in the face of related challenges?

Ticco retreats are a way to manifest a few of the core Ticco values - breaking barriers that divide city building practices and supporting the education of future leaders in our fields.

At this virtual retreat, sessions will dive into current research as well as tools and strategies to shape our practice in light of our changing environment. Topics covered will include items such as:

  • Housing and Racial Justice
  • Whiteness in Environmental Advocacy
  • Mentor Power Hour: Starting a Climate-Based Business: From Nonprofit to For Profit, Everything you Need to Know
  • Trump Administration Policies: Their Impact on the Battle Against Climate Change
  • Greening the Trade: How we can Reduce the Output of Building Construction and Renovation

Speakers include: 

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A New Coast: Strategies for Responding to Devastating Storms and Rising Seas

Wednesday, September 23, 2020 - 3:00pm EDT
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What can we do to preserve the social fabric of vulnerable communities, maintain essential services, and assure just transitions to new coasts in the face of climate change? Please join...

What can we do to preserve the social fabric of vulnerable communities, maintain essential services, and assure just transitions to new coasts in the face of climate change? Please join Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse of Rhode Island for this conversation, featuring a presentation by Jeffrey Peterson, author of " New Coast: Strategies for Responding to Devastating Storms and Rising Seas"

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