Climate change is one of the most urgent challenges facing our country today. Our leaders are constantly wrestling with how to confront this crisis at the scale and scope needed. Navigating this challenge requires bold, innovative, and equitable policy solutions. 

To do this, policymakers need the latest scientific evidence, expert advice, and up to date information on emerging solutions to inform policy development, implementation, and oversight.  

Yet, policymakers and Congressional staffers alike are constantly stretched thin – jumping from one crisis to another across an array of policy areas. The connections between climate change, its impacts, and possible solutions are complex and cross into a vast array of sectors involving deep knowledge. It’s a tall order for any one staffer to have all the scientific knowledge and also keep up with emerging solutions.  

In 2023 the National Academies of Science, Engineering, and Medicine chartered a new path in supporting the next generation of federal policy makers with the Climate Crossroads Congressional Fellowship. Unlike a traditional fellowship where organizations bring STEM professionals to D.C. and embed them in the policy making ecosystem, this program flips that model on its head by uniting policy professionals as they learn directly from the experts in the field to increase their own scientific literacy.  

This is a bold strategy to bridge the gap between the scientific enterprise and the federal policymaking ecosystem, all while creating community amongst Hill staff eager to pursue science-informed policymaking. 

The inaugural cohort consisted of 31 Hill staffers working for Members from 13 states and representing 7 committees, as well as the Congressional Research Service. Their experience varied widely – spanning multiple policy portfolios and included longtime Hill staffers as well as those new to Congress. This range of focus areas, perspectives, and experience levels fostered a rich environment for the exchange of viewpoints within the cohort. 

A former fellow praised the fellowship by saying, "The program has helped me learn how to think more critically about how these topics apply to my work and how constituents see policy." 

The Fellowship is a nine-month educational experience, where this group of diverse staffers formed lasting bonds through a series of sessions each focused on a different aspect and the complex dimensions of the climate crisis. Here, the National Academies brought to the forefront the latest emerging knowledge and thinking from the full range of academic disciplines. Fellows engaged with speakers who have vast experience in multiple professional sectors, which contribute to our understanding of climate change and highlight relevant policy solutions available to address the crisis at the scale and scope needed. This provided a forum to not only learn from experts, but to facilitate a dialogue between each other and the experts regarding the benefits, risks, and costs associated with the solutions to address societal challenges stemming from climate change.  

To facilitate and encourage community-building amongst the fellows, the Climate Crossroads Congressional Fellowship held a three-day weekend seminar hosted on the eastern shore of Maryland. During this time, fellows toured a working oyster hatchery to learn about the ecological importance of oysters to the Chesapeake Bay and met with local officials working to build a living shoreline, which will contribute to the costal resilience. This field experience complimented the classroom learning and helped to cement strong bonds within the cohort.   

“Engaging in climate research and dialogue in such a localized context helped me see how the application of climate strategies plays out in real life,” noted a former fellow. 

The opportunity to learn and grow together as a community is at the heart of any fellowship. As the program director, I saw first-hand how this cohort embraced the guiding principles of this program. And despite the busy schedules and demanding workloads, it was gratifying to see this cohort embrace the educational experience. The fellows dove into the complex topic of climate change – committed to learning the scientific dimensions and how it impacts every aspect of our society – and most importantly, learned from each other.  

This won’t be the end of the line for these fellows. The learnings and networking will stay with them through their career and my hope is that this network will serve as a vital support mechanism to enhance life-long learning.  

The latest scientific knowledge and future fellows will continue to shape this program, and this week marks the start of the second cohort, where we aim to find new and innovative ways to connect the fellows with each other and also with previous fellows. This will create an on-going, ever-expanding network of policy professionals focused on combating climate change and working to create a healthier, equitable, and prosperous planet for all.  

The world is in a critical window to address climate change, and the decisions policymakers make now will have ramifications for future generations. The Climate Crossroads Congressional Fellowship sets up the participants for success, giving them the tools needed to help shape climate policy for decades to come.  

Ryan Gallasch, Congressional Affairs Officer, and
Director, Climate Crossroads Congressional Fellowship