Princeton University Hosts New Jersey Climate Policy Forum

A student-led New Jersey Climate Policy Forum took place this weekend at Princeton University to answer the question; “what policies should New Jersey pass in the next 10 years to achieve its 2050 emissions goals?”

The forum, hosted by Princeton University, and organized by The Princeton Student Climate Initiative, sought to understand the perspectives of a diverse group of stakeholders on eight different topics, including; long-term emission reductions, transportation, buildings, economic transition, coastal resiliency, and solid waste. Invited guests included representatives of sustainability groups, academia, labor, business, energy, government, and environmental justice sectors.

The forum is intended to be used as a launchpad for the creation of a summary report designed to help policymakers charged with formulating New Jersey’s 2019 Energy Master Plan, a strategic vision for the production, distribution, consumption, and conservation of energy in the State of New Jersey.

Ciel Power LLC Managing Member, Scott Fischer, joined the “Buildings” Round Table discussion, one of eight parallel discussions taking place at the full-day event. Other invited stakeholders on the “Buildings” panel included Brandon Castro, Work Environment Council; Julianne Cort, The Climate Mobilization; Senator Linda Greenstein, Molly Jones, Sustainable Princeton, and Trina Mallik, The Nature Conservancy.

The summit was organized, moderated, and attended entirely by students. 

The Princeton Student Climate Initiative, a student group with the Pace Center for Civic Engagement at Princeton University, hosted the event in collaboration with NJPIRG Student Chapters, Princeton Citizen Scientists, Rutgers Students for Environmental Awareness, Science Policy and Advocacy at Rutgers, Chi Epsilon NJIT Chapter, Stockton Echoing Climate Optimism, and West Orange Fight for Green Club.

Event sponsors included the Andlinger Center for Energy and the Environment, the Center for Policy Research in Energy and the Environment, the Princeton University Chemical Biological and Engineering Department, the Princeton University Chemistry Department, the Graduate School Government Events Board, the High Meadows Foundation Sustainability Fund, the Keller Center, and the Pace Center for Civic Engagement, the Princeton Environmental Institute.