Erica Goldman has served in various roles spanning the boundaries between science and policy throughout her career. She has a diverse background that includes science writing, science policy, and academic research and her passions lie in making connections between these domains. Most recently, Erica served as the Deputy Director of the Global Council for Science and the Environment, where she worked across a network of institutions and diverse groups of scientists to improve the scientific basis of environmental decision-making. Previously, she served as the Director of Policy Engagement for COMPASS, a nonprofit organization that helps environmental scientists effectively share their knowledge in the public discourse and decision-making. She also served a six-month term in the White House Council on Environmental Quality on the Land & Water Ecosystems Team during the Obama Administration. She has worked as a science writer for the Maryland Sea Grant College Program; served as a Knauss marine policy fellow in the Natural Resources Committee of the U.S. House of Representatives; and worked as a news intern at Science Magazine. Erica received her Ph.D. in Biology from the University of Washington and her Bachelor’s of Science degree from Yale University.
Over the last year we’ve devoted considerable effort to understanding wildfire in the context of U.S. federal policy. Here’s what we learned.
A tipping points framework can help forecast different aspects of the decarbonization transition and ensure that accelerated transitions happen in a just and equitable manner.
Over the past two years, the federal government has invested unprecedented amounts of funding in wildfire suppression, hazardous fuels reduction, community preparedness, and restoration through the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA) and the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA). Together, the IIJA and IRA provide $24 billion in funding for wildfire issues, distributed over 40 different programs and administered […]
This week, we’re launching a Wildland Fire Policy Accelerator to develop policy ideas aimed at improving how we live with fire in the United States.
A growing body of research suggests that positive tipping points could just as rapidly accelerate transitions to a more sustainable way of life.
Two weeks ago, the IPCC released their most dire warning yet – that we have just three years to prevent the most catastrophic storms, natural disasters, and droughts human civilization might ever see. We are getting closer and closer to the temperature that scientists have warned us for decades would do irreversible damage to our societies and […]
When my dad turned 75 this October, he told me that it was the first birthday that really got under his skin and made him realize his age. Something about 75 years conveys the gravitas of a lifetime, encompassing three distinct generations and witnessing epic societal transformation over decades. For perspective, it was 75 years […]
The COVID-19 pandemic has highlighted the crucial need for science to inform policy. This proposal identifies five key areas for action.