Global Methane Economics & Policy Intern

The Global Methane Economics & Policy Intern at Environmental Defense Fund, Inc. in Boulder, CO, will engage in projects focused on reducing methane emissions from the oil and gas sector. Responsibilities include supporting policy engagement, developing emissions standards, and contributing to various deliverables such as policy memos and presentations. The role offers networking opportunities and is designed for those pursuing an environmental career, reporting to the Manager of Economics & Policy.
EDF internships provide high-quality experiences (including relevant projects and opportunities for networking) that form the foundation for any individual who is serious about pursuing an environmental career.

Program/Department Overview

EDF's Economics Team works to advance policies that make market forces work for - rather than against - the environment. Our work is guided by two closely linked missions: program support and thought leadership. We work closely with all of EDF's programs to ensure our work is based on sound economics and policy design. Through research and analysis, we work to strengthen economics throughout EDF, publish in peer-reviewed journals, and interact with policymakers and other stakeholders to build support for economically sound environmental policies.

Within this team, the Methane Economics group develops quantitative and qualitative analysis of a diverse range of policies and incentives that aim to rapidly reduce global methane emissions. This work focuses primarily on production emissions stemming from the oil and gas sector, which represent a high-impact opportunity to curb an outsized source of near-term atmospheric warming. The Methane Econ group works with diverse experts across EDF to design and advocate for impactful and equitable methane policy at state, national, and international scales.

Overall Function

The Methane Economics Intern will have the opportunity to engage in EDF's rapidly evolving global methane advocacy space, and to focus deeply on 1-2 topics aligned with the Methane Econ team's priorities as of Summer 2025. Due to the cross-programmatic and continuously evolving nature of the work, the specific projects that the intern takes on may be adjusted at the start of the internship period, taking into consideration both the team's highest priority needs during the summer of 2025, and the intern's interests and background. Project deliverables are expected to relate to one, or a combination, of the following two ongoing workstreams:

1. supporting EDF's engagement with US and Canadian state lawmakers on the topic of orphaned and idle oil and gas wells;

2. supporting the development of design and implementation criteria for methane emissions intensity standards for natural gas and other fossil fuels.

Specific tasks and deliverables for these workstreams will include contributions to, or leadership of, internal or external policy memos; regulatory comment submissions; blog posts; and/or briefing presentations for EDF staff and partners.

Other specific task requests may arise as the team receives rapid-response policy support requests from across EDF's Global Methane Initiative; these may include a mixture of literature synthesis, qualitative analysis, and quantitative modeling tasks, to help answer targeted questions at the forefront of EDF's advocacy on methane in North America, Europe, and/or Asia-Pacific regions.

The intern will report to the Manager, Economics & Policy, but will have opportunities to meet, engage and work with others across the Economics team and EDF's Global Methane Initiative.

Key Responsibilities

Tasks may include but are not limited to:
• Work with Economics staff and partners across EDF's science, legal, and advocacy teams to scope, carry out, and refine impactful and sound economics and policy analysis, primarily in support of 1. orphaned well advocacy, and/or 2. international methane import standard design.
• Assist in the development of quantitative economics modeling tasks in Excel, R, or another programming language.
• Contribute to EDF's understanding of emerging topics in oil and gas methane policy through literature search and analysis, focusing on topics such as regional energy security, high-integrity emissions monitoring reporting and verification (MRV), supply chain challenges, environmental health impacts of orphaned and abandoned wells, and credible certification of quantified methane emissions claims.
• Assist in writing and editing tailored knowledge products, including internal policy position papers, public-facing white papers, accessible blog posts, or targeted talking points for EDF's advocacy staff and leadership.
• Join meetings of the broader Economics team for occasional internal or visiting academic seminars on diverse topics, which help to expand the team's collective knowledge base related to economics methods and complementary subject matter areas.
• Contribute to advancing EDF Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) goals in which people from all backgrounds and experiences feel connected, included, and empowered to address the environmental and organizational challenges in alignment with EDF values.

Qualifications
• Enrolled in or a recent graduate of an undergraduate or graduate degree program.
• Demonstrated interest in environmental economics, clean energy transition, policy design, and/or related fields.
• Prior coursework in economics, climate science, and/or environmental law or policy recommended.
• Experience with formula-based Excel modeling, or other quantitative modeling. Basic proficiency in R recommended.
• Excellent written and oral communication skills.
• Must be well organized, motivated, and detail-oriented.
• Ability to multi-task, prioritize and meet deadlines.
• Ability to work in a team setting and have the ability to work independently when projects are due.
• Demonstrate self-awareness, cultural competency and inclusivity, and ability to work with colleagues and stakeholders across diverse cultures and backgrounds.
• Demonstrate initiative and problem solving skills.

Location

U.S. Remote, with option to be hybrid out of an EDF office in Washington, D.C., or Boulder, Colorado. Intern supervisor is in D.C., but some US team members are in Colorado.

Term

Summer 2025 (10 weeks)

Hours

Part-time (20 hrs/week min) or Full-time (35 hrs/week)

Compensation

This internship would involve compensation for work paid at a rate competitive with leading non-profits at $18-20/hr.

Application Materials

Interested applicants should attach their cover letter and resume to the EDF application.

Learn more about internships at EDF -http://www.edf.org/environmental-careers/internships