Former White House Advisor to Discuss “Containing Climate Change”

BLOOMINGTON, Ill. –– Former Deputy Director for Energy and Climate Rick Duke will give a talk focused on the the United States’ role in combating climate change on Monday, March 4 at 7 p.m. in Illinois Wesleyan’s Center for Natural Sciences’ Room C101. Duke’s talk is free and open to the public.

Duke will focus on rapid action on climate change and the crucial role of the U.S. in propelling these efforts. He will summarize what he considers domestic and diplomatic progress under the Obama Administration, reversals under the current administration, and present his case for immediate action.

Duke, the brother of Illinois Wesleyan Associate Provost Lynda Duke, holds a Ph.D. from Princeton University. During the Obama administration, Duke worked at the White House as Special Assistant to the President, Office of Energy and Climate Change (2012-16), and as the Deputy Director for Energy and Climate (2016-17), where he helped to craft and implement the Climate Action Plan. Duke was also involved in negotiations on the United Nations-sponsored Paris Agreement.

Duke has since continued his efforts to promote clean energy and sustainability in his current position at Gigaton Strategies LLC (Washington, D.C.) where he advises philanthropies and international advocacy groups on low-carbon strategies.

Duke’s talk is co-sponsored by the Illinois Wesleyan Environmental Studies Program, the Political Science Department, and the John Wesley Powell Audubon.

By Megan Baker ’21