Penn Summer Academy: Environmental Policy Academy

Policymakers around the world are confronted daily with the challenge of addressing a wide range of environmental concerns such as adapting to the impacts of climate change, eliminating micro-plastics in our oceans and rivers, providing clean drinking water for communities and protecting threatened and endangered species from extinction. Fortunately, they possess numerous policy tools that can be used to manage these issues including enacting new legal requirements, implementing voluntary compliance programs, and establishing market-based regulatory systems. In this program, students will learn about current environmental problems and explore potential solutions from a policy and regulatory perspective. The program is designed to encourage critical thinking, debate, and discussion. Case studies and presentations by expert guest speakers will play a central role and will assist students in understanding the “real world” implications of policy choices. Additionally, the program will utilize field trips as a means to provide a “hands on” experience and appreciation for how policy decisions are implemented in the field. There are no pre-requisites for this program and students with a variety of academic interests and backgrounds across the social sciences and humanities; sciences and the arts are both welcomed and encouraged to join. 

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