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WWF Experts
Lou Leonard
Director for U.S. Policy on International Climate Affairs
Education
- JD – Certificate in Environmental Law, Boston College Law School
- BA – Georgetown University
Areas of Expertise
- Global climate change policy
- U.S. climate change policy
- Conservation law and policy
- Environmental law
- Water rights issues
"Our political system in America is a bit like an ocean liner…neither is good at sudden changes in direction. But there are moments in time when we must act quickly and decisively. If we are to stop the climate crisis, that time is now."
About Lou Leonard:
You might say Lou took a “ground up” approach to the climate issue. He began his career working on endangered species and Native American water rights issues for the U.S. Department of the Interior. This was followed by several years in California tackling legal challenges surrounding energy and water development at the local, state and federal level.
Interestingly, the impact of the climate change crisis really hit home while he was a Fulbright Scholar and visiting lecturer at the University of Dar Es Salaam in Tanzania. In addition to teaching classes on environmental and constitutional law, Lou served as a legal advisor to several local and non-profit groups - including WWF -working on problems related to climate change. He traveled to remote villages and tropical forests, learning firsthand from the people who lived there about how climate change is already impacting their forests and water supplies.
Lou decided that the best way he could help developing countries avoid the worst impacts of climate change would be to come home and work to advance strong climate policies in the United States. Climate change is a global problem that requires a global solution; but as the world’s largest contributor to the climate crisis, the United States must lead. Progress toward a strong policy in the U.S. will play a key role in forging a new global climate agreement that will help address current and future impacts on a global scale.
He joined WWF in November 2008 after serving as an environmental policy analyst and field organizer for the “Obama for America” campaign. As an environmental lawyer and climate policy expert, you can imagine the list of “to-do’s” he has for the new administration.
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