Jessica Weinkle

Jessica Weinkle, a UNCW associate professor and director of the graduate program in coastal and ocean policy in the Department of Public and International Affairs, testified March 1 before the United States Senate Budget Committee on the economic risks of climate change in coastal communities, a news release stated.

U.S. Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse, chairman of the Senate Budget Committee, invited Weinkle to the nation's capital to share her expertise at the hearing, “Rising Seas, Rising Costs: Climate Change and the Economic Risks to Coastal Communities," according to the release.  

Weinkle said in the release, “As our community grows, disaster losses will increase. It is vital that our policymakers have plausible estimates of risk.”   

During her five-minute testimony to the committee, Weinkle, who holds a doctoral degree in environmental studies from the University of Colorado Boulder and a master’s degree in climate and society from Columbia University, shared her perspectives on how climate change science, economics and public policy intersect, the release stated.  

“Dr. Weinkle reflects the expertise recruited by UNCW and the ability and willingness to engage with the community and contribute significant research to inform national (and often, foreign) policy,” said Remonda Kleinberg, chair of the UNCW Department of Public and International Affairs, in the release. “She brings a unique combination of science and public policy to our department that helps clarify our understanding of environmental policy and politics to the students, university community and the public.”   

According to the release, Weinkle is among a variety of economists, scientists, business leaders, and other risk experts who are testifying through a series of committee hearings.