Climate Watch Data Intern

About the Program:

Climate change is an urgent threat to humanity that demands swift, decisive action. WRI’s role is to help businesses, policymakers and civil society at the local, national, and international levels advance the deep structural shifts necessary to address climate change. We focus on ensuring near-term decisions align with our long-term temperature and resilience goals so all people can benefit from a safer world and thriving economies. Climate Watch is an online platform designed to empower policymakers, researchers, media and other stakeholders with the open climate data, visualizations, and resources they need to gather insights on national and global progress on climate change.

This position is fully remote.

What you will do:

In this role, you will help develop new approaches and apply existing approaches to extract key data points from original climate policy documents such as nationally determined contributions (NDCs) and long-term strategies (LTS) to populate and refine the contents of Climate Watch platforms. You will have the opportunity to work with other WRI programs such as the Global Climate Program, the Climate Resilience Practice, and the Data Lab. You will be supported by the Climate Watch data team. You will report to a member of that team.

Internship Learning Outcomes:

You will gain experience in several of the following areas, depending on interest and qualifications:

• Reviewing climate commitments in Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs) to extract relevant data for the Climate Watch platform.
• Applying reproducible data science practices to Climate Watch data collection.
• Developing and testing automated data collection and processing methods, potentially to include machine learning and natural language processing.
• Applying, reviewing, revising, and publishing a codebook to guide data collection.
• Engaging and liaising with other programs and centers, WRI’s international offices, and external partners.
• Applying data and analytical skills to collect, clean, and manipulate various large-scale climate-relevant datasets.
• Analyzing countries’ climate actions on a qualitative and quantitative basis.
• Contributing to and co-authoring blog posts that highlight compelling stories and trends in data through visualizations.

What you will need:

• Currently pursuing or recently completed an undergraduate or graduate degree.
• Some exposure to one or more of the following topics: (1) climate change mitigation options in key sectors (energy, industry, agriculture, forestry, waste), (2) climate change adaptation and resilience options, including Loss and Damage, (3) a programming language such as Python or R, and/or (4) machine learning/natural language processing.
• Research, data analysis, quantitative and qualitative skills.
• Advanced proficiency in Microsoft Excel.
• Demonstrated interest in climate change and data.
• English fluency required, knowledge of French or Spanish is a plus.

Compensation

The pay range for this internship opportunity is $20/ hour for undergrads and $22/ hour for graduates.

Length of Contract:

This is a full-time, 3-month internship with a flexible start and end date.

Location:

• This is a remote-based internship with the option to work out of the Washington D.C. office once it reopens.
• WRI will provide a laptop for the duration of your internship.

**How to Apply:
**
Please submit a resume with a cover letter. Applicants must apply through the WRI Careers portal to be considered.

About Us: Founded in 1982, World Resources Institute (WRI) is an independent, nonprofit global research organization that turns big ideas into action at the nexus of environment, economic opportunity, and human well-being. We are working to address seven critical challenges that the world must overcome this decade to secure a sustainable future for people and the planet: climate change, energy, food, forests, water, sustainable cities, and the ocean. WRI has a global staff of over 1,800 people with work spanning 60 countries. We have offices in Africa, Brazil, China, Europe, India, Indonesia, Mexico, Colombia and the United States, as well as a growing presence in other countries and regions.

The foundation of our work is delivering high-quality research, data, maps, and analysis to solve the world’s greatest environment and international development challenges and improve people’s lives. We work with leaders in government, business, and civil society to drive ambitious action and create change on the ground. Equally important, we bring together partners to develop breakthrough ideas and scale-up solutions for far-reaching, enduring impact.

Internships at WRI are learning experiences designed for current students, recent graduates, and other candidates who wish to gain knowledge about a specific area of our work. We strive to attract diverse, intellectually driven candidates who have a passion for sustainability and development. WRI provides many internship opportunities throughout the year in all our programs.

WRI is committed to advancing gender, racial, and social equity for human well-being in our mission and applies this principle to our organizational and programmatic practices.

Our mission and values:

WRI’s mission is to move human society to live in ways that protect Earth’s environment and its capacity to provide for the needs and aspirations of current and future generations.

Our values are shared ideals that bind us together: Integrity, Innovation, Urgency, Independence, Respect.