Alumni Spotlight: Jeffrey Fralick, Climate Risk Analyst
Jeffrey Fralick, a 2020 graduate of the Sustainability Science program, is a Climate Risk Analyst at the Environmental Protection Fund.
Jeffrey Fralick is one of the first students to graduate from Columbia University Sustainability Science Program May 2020. The timing could not have been worse. It was the early days of the COVID-19 pandemic, and Fralick remembers several jobs disappearing as the economy contracted.
In the interview below (edited for length and clarity), Flaric explains how he made the most of the situation, finding what he could do before finally finding a job that perfectly matched his skills and interests Work. His story is a reminder that the road from graduate school to your dream job isn’t always straight, but with passion and persistence, you can find your way to where you want to be.
This last time we talked, you’ve just graduated and you’re thinking about growing cannabis on your family’s farm. What happened after that?
Well, cannabis farms aren’t quite there. I think that’s a lofty goal. But we’ve been able to incorporate some smaller, sustainable farming practices. I persuaded my parents to plant an acre of sunflowers for the pollinating garden adjacent to our crop, and as a natural means of controlling insects, I tried to keep them tilled as little as possible and incorporated cover crops.
After graduation, I was able to continue working as a research assistant in the project of Lynnette Widder, professor of sustainable management, to Orbital dust from bauxite mining Until January 2021. It was then that I was hired by Solv LLC as an environmental scientist to support a contract with the Department of Homeland Security.
What was that job like?
The day-to-day job is primarily to ensure that any proposed action complies with federal environmental regulations, such as the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) and the National Historic Preservation Act. Part of this process involves coordinating with state and tribal historic preservation officials to ensure that any activity involving construction and/or ground movement does not affect sites of historical or cultural importance.
Part of the work also involves conducting environmental compliance audits of various federal facilities and helping prepare projects for classification exclusions and environmental assessments as needed. I have also worked on some climate resilience-specific projects, such as preparing proper NEPA documentation for solar microgrid systems in regions vulnerable to extreme weather events. I think one of my personal highlights was the opportunity to review sectoral climate action plans.
Has your experience in sustainability science projects come in handy in this position?
Sometimes I can apply some specific graduate courses in the Sustainability Science program. On a more frequent basis, I can use some of the GIS skills I learned in the “GIS for Sustainable Science” course to make maps as part of the NEPA process. For example, map potential impact areas to assess whether proposed commitments will impact any historic property. Additionally, Sustainability in the Face of Natural Disasters underscores the importance of building resilient critical infrastructure and how to respond to extreme weather events.
I think my previous experience as a graduate research assistant with the Environmental Protection Agency, Office of the Attorney General of New York State, helped prepare me for this role by introducing me to the broader field of environmental law. With this job, there is an additional element of enforcing environmental law since I checked it myself. At OAG, I would say my focus is more on “this is what the law says, this is something that can or should be done from a scientific point of view”.
Tell us what are you doing now?
Currently, I am a climate risk analyst at the Environmental Protection Fund. Broadly speaking, this means that I use climate science to help assess financial risks. I can do all the climate research and writing I love, but more through a financial lens that I’m not traditionally accustomed to. I would say this is basically my dream job.
One of my favorite things to do is help draft comment letters in response to institutional requests for rules or information.My team has been really involved lately SEC Climate Disclosure Rules, which would require publicly traded companies to disclose information about their greenhouse gas emissions and climate risks.During the review, I worked with Columbia Law School’s Sabine Center for Climate Change Law draft a comment letter The physical science of climate change.In the letter, we discuss the science behind climate change attribution and detection, climate modelling and downscaling, and emission scenarios, and address [and dismissed] The opposition claims the model’s accuracy. For me, it felt like a real complete moment where I could apply everything I learned in the SUSC program and even write this letter with my first semester advisor, Radley Horton, and several other experts . Lamont.
I also participated Climate Risk and Resilience Law Initiative (ICRRL), a joint initiative between EDF, the Sabin Center, NYU Institute for Policy Integrity, and Vanderbilt Law School, focused on addressing the consequences of climate change.
Recently, I wrote about ICRRL’s debut annual reportand helped write three supplementary parts of the initiative Electric Resilience Toolkitdesigned to support policymakers and stakeholders in addressing issues surrounding Electricity sector regulation and climate resilience planning.
You mentioned that you are now looking at things through a financial lens. Can you talk more about how this lens helped you see things differently?
I’m used to looking at climate change through a scientific lens – for example, here’s what we know about the process how and why Greenhouse gases warm the planet. Unfortunately, science itself doesn’t seem to really motivate people, businesses and governments to make changes at the speed necessary to avoid a full-blown climate catastrophe.I think if we want to see action, put monetary value on climate-related risks and impacts forward Their occurrence is a place to start.
What do you think is next for you?
As long as they can keep me, I’m willing to stay where I am now.The field is developing rapidly and I believe there will be more opportunities to comment on climate risk and financial regulation, especially since it is a top priority Biden administration. As more record-breaking extreme events make national headlines, climate risk has attracted a lot of investor interest. It’s a very exciting (and emerging) space, and I’m excited to have the opportunity to help shape it.
In January of this year, I also received my Graduate Certificate in GIS from George Washington University and plan to use the course to improve my analytical skills to produce compelling climate risk visualizations.
This summer, I also (virtually) reconnected with Lynnette Widder as hungry city workshop,it’s great.
Do you have any advice for students interested in taking a similar path?
If you come from a more traditional scientific background but are interested in climate finance and ESG, I might encourage you to take more sustainability management courses.
Another piece of advice I would give is to really focus on the things you are interested in and let those interests and passions drive you forward, but be patient if you take a detour along the way. When I graduated in 2020, the job market was hit by COVID. When I did, I was lucky enough to get a job, I still work in the environment sector but with less focus on climate and sustainability. But in the back of my mind, I kept thinking, “I have to get back to what I want to do.” Now I feel like I’m finally where I should be.
