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Washington, DC – The Climate Leadership Council announced today that international trade law expert Matthew Porterfield, who most recently served as deputy director and adjunct professor at the Harrison Institute for Public Law at Georgetown University, has joined the Council’s staff as vice president of policy and research. His hiring comes just five months after the launch of the Council’s Center for Climate and Trade, in a continued push to address research gaps within this fast-emerging area of policy focus that’s sparked recent interest from both Congress and the Administration.
“Matt Porterfield is one of the most thoughtful and creative researchers in international law, particularly with respect to trade and environment. His valuable insights will drive our research agenda forward as conversations about leveraging the global market economy for climate ambition are gaining steam,” said Catrina Rorke, senior vice president for policy and research and executive director of the Climate Leadership Council’s Center for Climate and Trade.
“Matt is a phenomenal asset not only to the Council, but all the companies, environmental leaders, labor interests, think tanks, scholars, and organizations we work with. Matt will allow us to significantly ramp up our groundbreaking work exploring and developing emission cutting policies at the climate and trade nexus,” said Greg Bertelsen, CEO of the Climate Leadership Council.
In his new role, Porterfield will advance the research agenda and deliver influential new analysis for the Climate Leadership Council and its Center for Climate and Trade.
Porterfield has written extensively on various aspects of international economic law, with a particular focus on the relationship between international trade and investment rules and environmental policy. His recent publications include an assessment of alternative approaches to international climate clubs, a framework proposal for a U.S. upstream greenhouse gas tax with border adjustments (coauthor), and an analysis of the status of border adjustments for carbon fees under the World Trade Organization.
“I’m proud to join the Climate Leadership Council at a moment when climate and trade has drawn attention from policymakers in Washington, D.C. and abroad,” said Porterfield. “The Center for Climate and Trade is at the cutting-edge of exciting developments in research, and I’m looking forward to equipping leaders with the information they need to make strategic decisions about marrying climate with trade policy.”
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