Tuesday, March 07, 2023

Dr. Jessica Weinkle, a UNCW associate professor and director of the graduate program in Coastal and Ocean Policy in the Department of Public and International Affairs, testified on March 1 before the United States Senate Budget Committee on the economic risks of climate change in coastal communities.

U.S. Senator Sheldon Whitehouse, Chairman of the Senate Budget Committee, invited Dr. Weinkle to the nation's capital to share her expertise at the hearing, “Rising Seas, Rising Costs: Climate Change and the Economic Risks to Coastal Communities.”  

“It was a great honor to visit with the U.S. Senate Budget Committee to discuss climate change and the economic risks to coastal communities like our own Wilmington, NC,” Dr. Weinkle said.  “As our community grows, disaster losses will increase. It is vital that our policymakers have plausible estimates of risk.”   

During her five-minute testimony to the committee, Dr. Weinkle, who holds a doctoral degree in environmental studies from the University of Colorado Boulder and a master’s degree in climate and society from Columbia University, shared her perspectives on how climate change science, economics and public policy intersect.  

“Dr. Weinkle reflects the expertise recruited by UNCW and the ability and willingness to engage with the community and contribute significant research to inform national (and often, foreign) policy,” said Dr. Remonda Kleinberg, chair of the UNCW Department of Public and International Affairs. “She brings a unique combination of science and public policy to our department that helps clarify our understanding of environmental policy and politics to the students, university community and the public.”   

Dr. Weinkle is among a variety of economists, scientists, business leaders, and other risk experts who are testifying through a series of committee hearings. 

-- Krissy Vick 

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