Hello and welcome!

My name is Emily and I am a staff scientist and economist at the Climate Law Institute for the Center for Biological Diversity. My work provides the economic analysis and support for, among other policies and projects, the equitable decomissioning of abandoned oil wells and remediation of surrounding lands in the U.S.

I am a Ph.D. candidate (ABD) in the Economics Department at the University of Massachusetts Amherst, which is renowned globally for its emphasis on heterodox economic research to advance social justice. My dissertation focuses on the political economy of plastics production and policy. I examine global demand for plastics across sectors, plastics legislation in the U.S., and the prospects for improving markets for recycled plastics globally.

My work on environmental and social justice is inspired in part by my experiences growing up on a small farm nestled in the Great Smokey Mountains of Western North Carolina. I lived in a log cabin overlooking a valley, which was painted with blue wildflowers in spring and golden orchardgrass in autumn. There was a shallow stream at the bottom of the hill, where I would search for salamanders, forage for mushrooms, and build fairy houses. My experiences on this land embedded in me a great love and respect for nature, and have motivated my work in environmental research and advocacy ever since.

In addition to advocating for the just treatment of ecosystems and people, I enjoy drinking tea, watercolor painting, and embroidery.