Executive Director, Kelly Wanser
““Today we have slow-moving solutions to a fast moving problem. [Science-based proposals for intervention] could mean that we have a fast-acting way to reduce warming—emergency medicine for our climate fever if we needed it—and it’s a medicine with origins in nature.” ”
Kelly Wanser is an innovator committed to pursuing near-term options for ensuring a safe climate. In her role as Executive Director of SilverLining, she oversees the organization's efforts to promote scientific research, science-based policy, and effective international cooperation in rapid responses to climate change. In that capacity, she has helped develop legislation; testified before Congress; served as a reviewer for the IPCC, NSTC, and NOAA; and launched a research fund.
Prior to founding SilverLining, Wanser co-founded—and currently serves as Senior Advisor to—the University of Washington Marine Cloud Brightening Project, an effort to research and understand one possible form of climate intervention: the cooling effects of particles on clouds. Wanser currently sits on the Board of Directors of Dendra Systems, a company that deploys automation (including aerial drones) and artificial intelligence to restore natural ecosystems. She is also a member of the President's Circle of the National Academy of Sciences, where she works with prominent scientists and science funders to advance strategic priorities for the nation.
Wanser previously served as a strategic advisor to national environmental and energy groups, assisting with ocean-climate risk efforts at Ocean Conservancy and developing industry strategy for fusion energy for the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory. A technologist and entrepreneur, Wanser previously founded companies in the IT infrastructure, analytics, and security fields, and has authored more than 20 patents. Early in her career she served as a corporate strategy consultant in London and taught Economics and Philosophy as a volunteer at St. John’s College in Belize City. Wanser holds degrees in economics and philosophy from Boston College and the University of Oxford. She is based in Boulder, Colorado and Washington, D.C.
TALKS AND APPEARANCES
Australian environmentalist Tim Flannery joins Kelly Wanser onstage after her TED talk and endorses her ideas on how cloud brightening could help reduce the earth's temperature.
At The Interval in San Francisco, Kelly Wanser discusses her work educating and coordinating research on efforts to reduce atmospheric heat through climate intervention. See Kelly’s full presentation here.
Kelly Wanser discusses the need for American research leadership to ensure a safe climate with U.S. Rep. Jerry McNerney, Amanda Staudt of the Board of Atmospheric and Climate Sciences at the National Academy of Sciences, and McKie Campbell of BlueWater Strategies.
Kelly Wanser testifies at the House Committee on Space, Science, & Technology's hearing titled "Geoengineering: Innovation, Research, and Technology" as the Principal Director of the Marine Cloud Brightening Project.
Host Caterina Fake joins Kelly Wanser at Palo Alto Research Center (PARC) for a conversation that explores some of the biggest questions related to the idea of using technology to intervene in climate and the technology research at PARC related to Marine Cloud Brightening.
Host John Rives joins Kelly Wanser and Dr. Maria Neira of the World Health Organization for a conversation on fighting the war against climate change through innovation and collaboration.
Future of Life Institute joins Kelly Wanser for a discussion on the risks of climate change, the need for additional research into climate interventions, and the critical role of international cooperation in fighting the climate crisis.
SELECT PUBLICATIONS
Medium Blog: Climate Intervention Research May be Critical to a More Just and Safe Society
Medium Blog: Toward International Cooperation on Solar Climate Intervention
U.S. House Committee on Science, Space, & Technology: Written Testimony for the Hearing - Solar Geoengineering to Reduce Warming in the Earth System: The Imperative for Research
Response to the Select Committee on the Climate Crisis: Research in Climate Intervention and Earth Systems Prediction
AWS Public Sector Blog: Using the AWS Cloud to Restore Ecosystems Around the World
World Economic Forum: Can We Geo-engineer Our Way Out of Climate Change?
American Geophysical Union: Emerging U.S. Policy in Atmospheric Climate Intervention (Geoengineering) Research and Oversight and Its Implications for Democratic Engagement