UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. — Rhiana Gunn-Wright, one of the architects of the Green New Deal, has devoted her career to creating inclusive and equitable climate policy. Achieving that goal will require input from everyone, particularly members of Generation Z, who will shoulder the impacts of climate change.
Gunn-Wright will visit Penn State's University Park campus to deliver a lecture titled “Climate Change is Everyone’s Fight — Including Yours!” at 7 p.m. Sept. 8 in 100 Thomas Building. The lecture is co-sponsored by the McCourtney Institute for Democracy and the Sustainability Institute.
Gunn-Wright started a career in public policy after graduating from Yale magna cum laude in 2011. In the summer of 2013, she served as a White House policy intern for former first lady Michelle Obama.
She was the policy lead for the New Consensus think tank, where she worked with U.S. Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and U.S. Sen. Edward Markey to create the Green New Deal. She currently serves as director of climate policy at the Roosevelt Institute.
“For me, at the core of the Green New Deal is a desire to change power relationships, whether that’s between public and private sectors, workers and employers, or people of different racial groups,” Gunn-Wright told The Cut in June 2021. “We’re not just saying society should transform because then we’d have solar panels everywhere. We’re saying society needs to transform because these power imbalances are driving economic activity that is detrimental to the climate.”
Michael Berkman, McCourtney Institute for Democracy director and professor of political science, said climate policy allows students from across the political spectrum to take action and make their voices heard on an issue that will directly impact their lives.
“Young people will bear the brunt of the climate crisis, so they must lead the fight for change,” Berkman said. “We are excited to present an event that we hope will energize Penn State students to take action as the midterm elections approach.”
Gunn-Wright’s lecture is free and open to the public. The Penn State chapter of the League of Women Voters will conduct voter registration outside of 100 Thomas before and after the lecture.
For more information, visit the McCourtney Institute for Democracy website.