Climate Cohort Fellow Feature: Meet Mira Chokshi

The Aspen Climate Cohort, our 10-week climate policy training program co-hosted with the Aspen Institute’s Energy and Environment Program, is in full swing! Our fellows are currently completing their 6-week policy projects on a variety of climate policy topics. Example projects include reducing textile waste in athletic apparel, creating jobs in the offshore wind sector, and adding bus lanes in disadvantaged communities in Los Angeles.

This week, we’re excited to introduce you to another fellow, Mira Chokshi. Mira is an engineering leader with experience with building environment, water, and climate-focused programs and projects.

What motivates you to work on climate policy?

I have a very strong technical background in environmental engineering, climate data science, urban planning, and infrastructure. Learning climate policy will allow me to scale my experience to make a bigger impact in solving the climate crisis.

How has this program changed the way you look at policy?

Before coming to this program, I often saw policy as a slow moving mechanism for change at the government level. During this fellowship, I’ve met climate policy experts in many different roles: federal, state, and local governments, nonprofits, academia, corporate companies, and start-ups. This fellowship has helped me realize that policy can be a very effective tool for making a lasting change and that advocacy can be a very strategic aspect of policymaking.

What has surprised you most about your experience so far? 

The diversity and wealth of knowledge that the fellows in this cohort bring to the program. I was also surprised by my own ability to learn the policy framework and apply it to the final project in just 10 weeks, as well as shift my approach to problem solving.

What are you most looking forward to heading into the final month of your fellowship?

During the policy classes, I learned about mapping stakeholders, evaluating solutions, and using advocacy tools. I look forward to applying these skills as part of my final project on carbon removal and storage in the agriculture sector.

I am also excited and hopeful that the skills I’m learning in this fellowship can be used for new career opportunities in corporate climate policy or at climate start-ups.

What do you do when you’re not an Aspen Climate Cohort Fellow? 

I am deeply passionate about finding innovative solutions to problems related to the built and natural environment. In my recent role at the City and County of San Francisco, I managed a team of engineers, modelers, and data analysts on a diverse set of projects, including the development of machine learning systems, evaluation of billion-dollar infrastructure projects, and management of flood/climate resiliency programs. I am a life-long learner, and I am happiest when I am learning new skills.

What’s your climate policy “bumper sticker” – something everyone should know? 

Climate policy is more than reducing carbon emissions; it is about clean air, clean water, and a biodiverse ecosystem on this earth.

To learn more about Mira, read her full bio here and follow her on Twitter here.