His family comes from a small farming community in southern Florida, but Jarrod Sims was born and raised in New York City. This contrast helped shape Sims’ curiosity about the environment around him. His background in environmental geoscience allowed him to explore a range of fields, from soil testing to corporate sustainability, before finding his calling. Now, after working as a sustainability analyst in the New York Mayor’s office and registering as a graduate student at Columbia Climate School of Technology, Sims is honing his skills to tackle one of the biggest challenges of our time. policy. “I’ve always loved to break things down and figure out how they work,” says Sims. “That’s what the policy is like, not dismantling the system, but making small adjustments that ripple and create widespread impact.”
We talked about his experiences in Sims and His Road to Climate, Climate and Social Program MA in Columbia Climate School And his vision for the future. Find out more about Sims’ Journey in the Q&A below.
How did you find your way to climate space?
I have always been drawn to science, especially ecology and environmental systems. During my undergraduate graduates, I explored many different subjects and tried to find the major that suited me. I tried psychology at one point and at another before landing on the Advanced Capstone Course on Climate Mitigation with Elizabeth Thomas. It was the first time that the University of Buffalo has offered courses on climate change, particularly climate change mitigation. Partnered with Sustainable business round table in West New York– A coalition of companies interested in acquiring sustainability initiatives. Students met with staff and operations personnel to develop plans to reduce emissions in ways that made sense to them. This was my first exposure to creating a mitigation and policy type framework to reduce corporate emissions and save operational costs.
After graduating, I bounced back between roles before doing soil testing, restoration work and environmental consulting in the lab. NYC Mayor’s Management and Budget Bureau. I joined when they were launching the Environmental Sustainability and Resilience Task Force. There, we analyzed greenhouse gas emissions across New York City’s policy. Its role has solidified my passion for climate policy and I find myself focusing on systematic change.
I’m really interested in solving problems, especially when it comes to tackling urban challenges. I like to analyse existing systems and identify changes that can drive us to a more sustainable and healthy community. For example, the transition from diesel buses to electric buses can help reduce hospitalizations for asthma in your neighborhood. Such small changes can have a real impact on people’s lives.
“I love to break things down and come up with ways to make them better, whether it’s a social system, an energy grid, or a policy framework. Life is a big puzzle and I solve it. I want to help you with that.”
Why did you decide to apply for a climate and society program?
I wanted to return to school for my master’s degree, but I didn’t know which field I would pursue. What stood out about this name when I explored the various programs was that it focused on both climate and society, in line with the name. It really highlights the human side with a course centered on climate justice and how to evaluate and implement policies that truly improve people’s lives. It was a big draw for me to apply to Climate School.
Another factor was the importance of the cohort. This is something someone mentioned to me while I was studying the school. My cohort includes people from a wide range of backgrounds and experiences. These are eye-opening in understanding the different ways that climate issues intersect with different disciplines. The program is sold as intensive and interdisciplinary, and so far it has lived up to that point. I wanted an intensive experience where I could register a cross register for the course and explore different aspects of climate policy. The one-year timeline also makes sense to me.
Which class was most memorable and why?
There are two classes that most affected me during my first semester at Climate School. The first is the energy regulation course I attended law school with Michael Gerrard. I had never taken a law class before. Understanding the legal situation is important. Whether it’s a regulatory hurdle that shapes climate litigation, environmental justice laws, or policies. This class provided tools to analyze what is feasible, barriers exist, and how legal frameworks can drive change.
Climate justice theory and policy with Sheila Foster was another shocking course from last semester. In the mayor’s office in New York, I worked on the city’s climate budget, and the big question was how to operate environmental justice. This course provided a framework for understanding the intersections of policy, justice and climate. How can the energy transition not exacerbate inequality? How do policies prevent the community from leaving behind? Alongside the legal perspective, this class gave us a new perspective to consider these challenges and what to consider when drafting and assessing policies.
This spring semester, I look forward to receiving forecasts for the local climate science and climate service. This is a course that examines local and regional climate change using risk analysis and climate data. The climate resilience aspect of this course is something I find very interesting. Having a climate-based policy with high levels of data analytics is a best practice and necessary.
What do you imagine as a future role in solving the climate crisis?
I myself have fallen into the role of a research analyst, focusing on energy transitions. We have experienced the Industrial Revolution before, and many other social transitions, how do we move? At this time Without repeating past mistakes? How can we ensure that low-income communities are not left behind once again when we move to renewable energy? How do you decarbonize the grid without making the community worse? This is definitely a difficult topic, but these are the questions I want to answer. Ideally for me, I’d be in a space where I can create policies and do some research on how equity lenses can improve people’s quality of life.
Initially, I was planning to go back directly to the workforce, but the program encouraged more questions than answers. Right now I’m considering a doctoral program or a doctoral degree. We will dig deeper into these issues. My goal is to conduct non-theoretical research. It must be viable, informing policy and directly benefiting the community. I don’t want my work to be on the shelf. I hope this will lead to concrete and measurable changes. I am particularly interested in the urban energy systems and the impact of electrification in very dense cities like New York. I find myself asking the following questions: If we switch to electricity completely, how will it affect low-income families? What are the unintended consequences?
Is there anything else you would like to add?
After all, I’m a data nerd who wants to apply his skills to climate justice. I love to break things down and come up with ways to make them better, whether it’s a social system, an energy grid, or a policy framework. Life is a big puzzle and I want to help solve it.
