Climate Optimism: A fireside chat with Michael Mann and Dan Utech

Please join the Penn Center for Science, Sustainability and the Media (PCSSM) for this fireside chat between PCSSM Director Michael Mann and EPA Chief of Staff Dan Utech. The two will discuss progress that has been made by the current administration over the past few years in addressing the climate threat, including critical climate legislation signed into law by the Biden-Harris administration, the carbon emissions reductions we’re seeing in the U.S. and around the world, and the importance of young voters in spurring action.

Speakers

Dr. Michael E. Mann

Presidential Distinguished Professor University of Pennsylvania

Dr. Michael E. Mann is Presidential Distinguished Professor in the Department of Earth and Environmental Science at the University of Pennsylvania, with a secondary appointment in the Annenberg School for Communication. He is the director of the Penn Center for Science, Sustainability, and the Media (PCSSM).

Dr. Mann received his undergraduate degrees in Physics and Applied Math from the University of California at Berkeley, an M.S. degree in Physics from Yale University, and a Ph.D. in Geology & Geophysics from Yale University. His research interests include the study of Earth's climate system and the science, impacts and policy implications of human-caused climate change.

Dan Utech

Chief of Staff United States Environmental Protection Agency

Dan Utech is the Chief of Staff of the United States Environmental Protection Agency. Dan has over 20 years of experience in environmental policy. Dan served as Deputy Assistant to President Obama for Energy and Climate Change, leading The White House and cross-governmental teams to develop and implement energy and climate change policy, including President Obama’s Climate Action Plan. Dan also served as a Senior Advisor to Energy Secretary Steven Chu.

Prior to his federal agency experience, Dan worked in the Senate for 10 years, where he worked on a range of environmental and energy policy issues for Senators Clinton, Corzine and Baucus. Dan started his Washington career at EPA as a Presidential Management Intern. He has been a lecturer at the Yale School of Forestry and Environmental Studies, from which he received a M.E.S. degree. He also holds degrees from the Yale School of Management and Amherst College.