Irene Nielson

Irene Nielson has focused on keeping communities healthy and safe from climate change for more than two decades. At NRDC, Nielson worked in several roles to advance building decarbonization and to integrate city, state, and federal funding and with mayors on passing and implementing ambitious climate policies through the American Cities Climate Challenge and the Bloomberg American Sustainable Cities project. At the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's New York office, Nielson's work spanned three administrations across a host of Tribal, territorial, and international programs, including air quality, citizen science, and climate adaptation planning. Nielson holds a bachelor's degree in urban and environmental planning from the University of Virginia's School of Architecture and an MPA from Columbia University's School of International & Public Affairs. She is based in NRDC's New York office.