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When I left NRDC, I was not quite ready to retire. I want to complement their expertise, which is very deep and very impressive, with some of my experience with how the policy arena works in its intersection with science.Ī: I have been a scientist working at the intersection of science and policy for more than 20 years. I went into it as a very deliberate professional decision after a number of years in academia because I wanted to be in a position to say, “This is what the science says, and based on what the science says this is what you should do.” Q: What is your role with the Project Drawdown Science team?Ī: I bring to Project Drawdown a very broad expertise and knowledge base, and I hope one of the values I offer is to help periodically identify some of the cross-connections and synergies that my teammates may not have yet considered. Here, Tina explains why Project Drawdown is the perfect next step in her long and illustrious career, describes how she once found herself clinging to a ship’s mast high above the ocean, vouches for the therapeutic value of punching clay, and more. Tina comes to Project Drawdown with more than two decades of experience in the environmental nonprofit arena, including with The Bay Institute and the Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC). An environmental scientist with a background in cross-disciplinary research and engagement at the science/policy interface, she is passionate about applying science to benefit society.
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Tina Swanson joined the Drawdown Science team as a visiting scholar in June 2023. This article is the sixth in a series introducing the members of Project Drawdown’s science team.
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