Climate Change

ERG is at the forefront of public and private efforts to develop, implement, and manage effective strategies to reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions and adapt for the future. From characterization and assessment to mitigation and adaptation, ERG’s Climate Change Team provides a full suite of services to support both voluntary and regulatory approaches to addressing climate change. We have served as the lead contractor supporting major EPA climate change programs, including the Global Methane Initiative and the Greenhouse Gas Reporting Rule. Our air quality specialists inventory emissions at facility, sector, national, and global scales to characterize and quantify GHG emissions, while our engineers, economists, and policy analysts assess the cost and performance of mitigation technologies to recommend reduction opportunities across a wide variety of technologies and sectors. On the adaptation side, we conduct vulnerability analyses, planning, and risk management to help clients evaluate potential adaptation responses and build their adaptive capacity. Across all these areas, ERG communication specialists engage stakeholders, develop outreach materials, and design and manage campaigns to increase public understanding of climate change issues and climate science.

Climate Action Plans
  • Vulnerability assessments
  • Hazard mitigation planning
  • Mitigation and adaptation strategies
  • Stakeholder engagement and collaboration
  • Economic impact assessments
GHG Inventories
  • Carbon due diligence
  • Emission inventories from project-level to global scale
  • Organizational strategies for GHG data management
  • Source-specific modeling and measurement
  • Emissions data review and verification
Sector-Based Policy and Technology Assessments
  • Energy companies and utilities
  • Industrial and manufacturing processes
  • Waste and wastewater processes
  • Service sector and consumer end-users
  • Emerging technology applicability
Transportation and Other Mobile Sources
  • Emissions modeling
  • Alternative fuels modeling
  • Dashboard data collection and maintenance systems
  • Alternative transportation and commuter choice programs
U.S. GHG Mitigation
  • Strategy development
  • Feasibility studies
  • Projections of mitigation costs and impacts
  • Cost-benefit analyses of GHG mitigation strategies
  • Offset project calculations and protocol development
  • Modeling of GHG emission reductions
  • Technology assessments
International GHG Mitigation
  • Site-specific data screening, collection, and analysis
  • Preliminary feasibility assessments
  • Modeling of GHG emission reductions
  • Onsite training and technical assessments
  • Country-specific technical guidance and tools
Clean Energy
  • Assessment of renewable energy policies
  • Energy efficiency audits for facilities and processes
Life Cycle Assessment
  • Modeling of net GHG emissions over the entire product life cycle
  • Cross-media impacts of GHG mitigation strategies
  • Multi-gas and pollutant reduction strategies
  • Life cycle carbon footprinting
Adaptation
  • Vulnerability assessments
  • Region-specific adaptation plans and strategies
  • Market and nonmarket economic analyses
  • Hydrologic modeling
  • Stakeholder engagement
  • Risk communication
  • Outreach
Climate Change Program Support
  • Voluntary program development, implementation, and evaluation
  • Trading scheme analysis
  • Program reporting and tracking
  • Regulatory program development and implementation support
  • QA/QC of program data
  • Technical guidance and tools
  • Training and outreach
Outreach and Communications
  • Public and stakeholder outreach
  • Education and training
  • Sustainability reporting
  • Capacity building for regulatory scheme implementation
  • Website development
  • Carbon-neutral meeting and event planning
  • Emission calculators and interactive models

Service Area Leads

Allison Berkowitz

In my years working for the natural gas industry, I learned firsthand that corporate stewardship is good for everyone: shareholders, natural resources, and the community. At ERG, in my work with individual companies, I particularly enjoy applying my industry experience to craft a specific and compelling case for why voluntary action makes good business sense for them.

Allison Berkowitz

Julie Blue Bio

I enjoy supporting decision-makers who are working to protect human health and the environment, adapt to climate change, and build community resilience with limited resources. In data-rich environments, I develop new methodologies that allow resource managers to access and utilize large amounts of data in a flexible way. When data are lacking, I manage bottom-up assessments that incorporate the experience of local stakeholders into collaborative decision support tools.

Julie Blue

Monika Chandra

I am inspired every day by my work with clients and colleagues dedicated to improving our environment—and by our shared goal of developing superior, technically sound solutions to some of our nation’s most challenging environmental issues.

Monika Chandra

John Crenshaw

Throughout my career, I have taken satisfaction that my work has focused on improving the environment. In all my projects supporting federal and state regulatory programs, I strive to make sure that our clients understand all the options available to them and that the regulatory analyses on which government decisions are made are accurately documented and technically sound.

John Crenshaw

Cortney Itle

I enjoy ERG’s collaborative work environment and helping to develop solutions to complex environmental problems. I find my work very fulfilling, both professionally and personally.

Cortney Itle

Chris Lamie

My work is all about continual improvement. Whether it’s tackling emerging challenges in our environment, setting and working toward incremental sustainability goals, or designing information products that reach new audiences in innovative ways, I enjoy opportunities to raise awareness, raise the discourse, and help our clients improve human well-being and the health of our planet.

Chris Lamie

Photo of Heidi Schultz

I have been privileged to lead ERG’s climate practice and help guide our strategic communications group over the past three decades. I'm proud of ERG's national leadership role in climate science and communications, and personally committed to the critical importance of climate action.

Heidi Schultz

Paula Fields Simms

After nearly three decades of consulting, it's still fun to come to work because there are always new challenges, new faces, and new opportunities to learn. I've worked on so many important projects, including developing the National Ambient Air Quality Standard for fine particles; estimating Mexico's first national emission inventory; and assessing the potential air quality impacts from oil and gas exploration on Alaska's North Slope. I've installed samplers to measure woodstove emissions in homes in Medford, Oregon, and even vacuumed the streets of Bangkok to collect silt loadings for a PM inventory. I cannot imagine a better career and would encourage anyone thinking about working in the environmental field to pursue it with passion.

Paula Fields Simms