The Climate Policy Lab Experience
By Seth Owusu-Mante
Working in the Climate Policy Lab (CPL) this summer has been one of the high points of my experience at Fletcher. Seeking to build a career in policy research and consultancy with a focus on climate change and the energy transition, the opportunity to work with CPL’s scholars and practitioners has sharpened my research and analytical skills and given me valuable insights into academic research. Along the way, I gained significant knowledge of the operations of academic research institutions and a greater understanding of what it takes to excel in the field of academic and policy research.
The key deliverable of my three-month journey with CPL was to produce a policy inventory of Ethiopia’s direct and indirect climate mitigation and adaptation policies which will be utilized for a Climate-Policy Gap Analysis for the Ethiopian government. To identify these policies, I conducted a detailed review of government documents, academic literature, and think tank reports across multiple sectors including industry, energy, transportation, land-use change and forestry, and agriculture. I filled the gaps in my desk research by following-up with policy-makers in Ethiopia to ask clarifying questions and seek more information.
It is inspiring to learn from my research that climate change is being mainstreamed across several sectors of the budding Ethiopian economy. Driven by the ambition of becoming a carbon-neutral middle-income country by 2025, the clarity of their policy goals, measurable targets, and strategy to meet the country’s Nationally Determined Contribution (NDC) reflect the ambition needed by governments to reach the goals of the Paris Agreement.
Through my day-to-day research responsibilities and collaborating closely with CPL faculty, predoctoral and post-doctoral fellows, my qualitative and quantitative research skills have been significantly enriched by their knowledge and perspectives. With this has come enhanced creativity, judgment and perseverance, as well as improved communication and organizational skills. I am applying these skills to study clean energy electrification efforts in Morocco and Ethiopia for my capstone thesis.
Overall, the CPL experience has been both enlightening and enriching. It has strengthened my interest in the career path I want to pursue and moved me a step closer to my professional goals.
Seth Owusu-Mante is MALD student studying International Environmental and Resource Policy and International Organizations. His research centers around policy related solutions to challenges of the energy transition, sustainable energy access, and climate finance, as well as international treaties and organizations governing climate change.
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