EDF offers internships and fellowships for students and recent graduates in a variety of programs and departments throughout the organization. The ultimate goal of our internship and fellowship program is to provide high-quality experiences (including relevant projects and opportunities for networking) that form the foundation for any individual who is serious about pursuing an environmental career.
Program/Department Overview
The intern will be joining EDF's People and nature Team, working on the EDF's Natural Climate Solutions (NCS) Initiative. The NCS Initiative addresses two of the biggest barriers to effective carbon credit markets: lack of clear scientific understanding and consensus on the realizable carbon storage or removal potential of the vast array of natural carbon sinks, and lack of market confidence in the integrity of carbon credits available for purchase. EDF's NCS team conducts research and convenes stakeholders to find agreement on the science, and the measurement and accounting standards that underpin high-integrity credits. The NCS Initiative focuses on natural climate solutions where we can accelerate carbon storage most quickly because of the scale of the potential storage and the current interest in those credits. These include the management, use and protection of tropical and temperate forests, agricultural soils and oceans.
Overall Function
Wildfire carbon emissions in the Pacific Northwest and Western Canada
EDF seeks an intern to investigate the drivers of wildfire carbon emissions in the Pacific Northwest and western Canada, regions with extremely carbon-dense forests but fire regimes that are rapidly changing due to a variety of factors. This research will be applied to the question of the potential carbon emissions associated with changing fire dynamics. At the end of the 10-week internship, the intern will have produced a short report and presentation of their tentative conclusions, based both on their review of existing research and their own original analysis, about the relative importance or interacting effects of environmental conditions on major fire events and emissions.
Key Responsibilities
Tasks will include but are not limited to:
- Review academic literature on the relative importance or interacting effects of drought stress, lightning strike frequency, pest-related tree mortality, or vegetation density/historical fire suppression for wildfire frequency, severity, size, or emissions intensity
- Identify a particular topic or geographical sub-region of focus for original analysis according to the intern's academic interest and gaps in the existing literature
- Explore datasets such as remotely sensed fire and fire emissions datasets, vegetation indices, drought indices, or other environmental datasets
- Learn statistical methods relevant to spatial data and/or time series analysis
- Map spatial patterns, plot trends, and perform statistical analyses of environmental conditions and their relationship with wildfire
- Write a short report and compile a presentation on findings of both literature review and original research
- Participate in advancing EDF DEI goals in which people from all backgrounds and experiences feel connected, included, and empowered to address the environmental and organizational challenges in alignment with EDF values
Qualifications
- Interest in climate science, forest ecology, and/or human-forest interactions
- Experience with GIS and/or statistical software such as R is helpful (however, a willingness to learn is more important than prior experience)
- Excellent written and oral communication skills.
- Must be well organized, motivated, and detail-oriented.
- Ability to multi-task, prioritize and meet deadlines.
- Ability to work in a team setting and have the ability to work independently when projects are due.
- Demonstrates self-awareness, cultural competency and inclusivity, and ability to work with colleagues and stakeholders across diverse cultures and backgrounds.
- Demonstrate initiative and problem solving skills.
Location
U.S. Remote
Term
10 weeks (June to August 2022)
Hours
Full time (35 hours per week)
Compensation
This internship would involve compensation for work paid at a rate competitive with leading non-profits.
Application Materials
Interested applicants should submit their resume and a cover letter explaining their interest in the position along with the EDF application.
