The Pacific Institute for Climate Solutions has strengthened its climate policy team, bringing together senior experience from Alberta, Yukon, New Zealand, and Europe to help decision makers navigate complex choices on energy, the economy and climate.
Dr. Barry Anderson has joined the institute as Director of Policy and Research Impact, while Kirsten Burrows has taken the role of Mitigation Impact Lead.
“Barry and Kirsten are well-rounded climate policy leaders with senior government experience at the provincial, national and international levels,” says PICS Executive Director Dr. Ian Mauro. “Together, they give British Columbia’s decision makers access to trusted, practical advice on the issues shaping the province’s prosperity and resilience.”
Climate policy leaders bring global expertise
Barry Anderson joined the institute earlier this fall as Director of Policy and Research Impact. Anderson holds a PhD in economics and policy and brings a strong fiscal responsibility and policy impact lens to his work. With the Government of Alberta, he held senior roles modelling the impacts of climate policies and administering the province’s emissions offset trading system. He is a national leader on market-based approaches to industrial emissions. Most recently, he served as General Manager of Evidence and Advice at the New Zealand Climate Commission, an independent agency that informs the government of the day on reducing emissions and adapting to climate impacts, weighing trade-offs such as cost and feasibility.
“I’m excited to help PICS further emerge as a key player and evidence base that supports decision makers across various orders of government and types of organizations in B.C.,” Anderson says. “There is a lot of going on in the world these days, but here in B.C. we have many opportunities to make great choices, for today and the future. I believe PICS can play a significant role in making sure those decisions are based on trustworthy information coming from world-class research.”
Kirsten Burrows joined the team as Mitigation Impact Lead in October, bringing more than a decade of senior climate policy experience. Most recently, Burrows served as Director of the Climate Change Secretariat with the Government of Yukon, providing strategic advice to elected officials and senior decision makers in a northern, resource-based economy. She has worked with federal, provincial, territorial, municipal and Indigenous governments, as well as academia and industry, to advance practical, evidence-based climate solutions. Earlier in her career, she was a senior sustainability consultant in the United Kingdom, focused on energy-efficient building retrofits that lower energy costs.
“To create effective climate-related policy, we have to appreciate the opportunities and the trade-offs,” says Burrows. “I’m excited to join PICS in bringing the newest and freshest research to decision makers in B.C. that makes climate action easier to understand and implement.”
Building policy impact on climate and the economy
Other members of the PICS staff have shifted their roles over the fall. Former director Stephanie Cairns has moved to a Senior Advisor role after a three-decade career leading climate change and environmental non-governmental organizations. Cairns will be working on select projects with PICS, supporting the organization’s continued progress towards the goals of its strategic plan. Meanwhile, Alyssa Hill is now Adaptation Impact Lead, and Dylan Clark has moved into the role of Senior Researcher, Policy Analysis and Special Projects. Together, the team gives PICS the internal capacity to pair in-depth research with applied policy analysis on climate and the economy through its Decision Impact program, which balances PICS’ priorities with close collaboration with governments and other partners.
“Our independence and our university network are our strengths,” says Mauro. “This team brings experience from inside governments across Canada and abroad, and an understanding of how climate, energy and the economy connect. That lets us turn university research into timely, practical advice for decision makers across B.C.”
