Ira Feldman, president & senior counsel of greentrack strategies, is a US-based sustainability leader with an interdisciplinary skill set and a global reach. He has over 25 years experience as an attorney and management consultant focusing on environmental regulatory innovation, strategic environmental management, sustainable business practices and corporate social responsibility. Ira is now at the leading edge of the convergence of sustainability, climate adaptation and ecosystem services.
Among his leadership roles relating to resilience, preparedness and adaptation to climate change, Ira coordinates climate adaptation initiatives for the Greenhouse Gas Management Institute (GHGMI) and he represents GHGMI in ISO TC 207 SC7. He chairs the SC7 Adaptation Task Force (ATF), which is currently developing a roadmap for climate adaptation standards. As the top adaptation group within the ISO global network, the ATF’s membership includes the foremost global adaptation experts representing major stakeholder groups. Other examples of Ira’s diverse work in the climate adaptation community of practice include:
- Serving as lead editor for the planning and governance section of “U.S. Cities and Climate Change: Urban, Infrastructure and Vulnerability Issues,” the 2015 revision of a U.S. National Climate Assessment technical report.
- Developing and delivering the graduate-level climate adaptation course at the University of Pennsylvania;
- Establishing the “Climate Adaptation Scholars” ™ LinkedIn group (currently with 2000 members in 140 countries) and curating its over 60 substantive discussion threads;
- Writing and editing the e-textbook, The Challenge of Climate Adaptation, for Trunity Publishing;
- Serving on the Adaptation Working Group of the State of Maryland’s Climate Commission and advising on adaptation planning processes in Florida and Alaska;
- Introducing climate adaptation to the practicing legal community in the US through his role in the American Bar Association (ABA) and leading adaptation policy activities for the policy affinity group of the American Society of Adaptation Professionals (ASAP);
- Convening webinars on climate adaptation for such organizations as Bloomberg and the Security and Sustainability Forum on UNFCCC and White House adaptation and resilience initiatives.
Qualifications
B.A. (interdisciplinary environmental studies, University of Pennsylvania, 1979)
M.S. (interdisciplinary environmental studies, University of Pennsylvania. 1980)
J.D. (Columbia University School of Law, 1985)
Advanced Certificate (Risk Assessment and Environmental Toxicology, Johns Hopkins School of Public Health, 1995)
Advanced Certificate (Management of Public and Not-for-Profit Organizations, Georgetown University School of Public Policy, 2003)
Work History
Greentrack Strategies, president & senior counsel (1996 – present)
Capital Environmental, vice president (1995 - 96)
US Environmental Protection Agency, Special Counsel, Office of Enforcement and Compliance Assurance (OECA) (1990 – 95)
Skadden Arps, associate attorney (1987 - 89)
Kaye Scholer, associate attorney (1985 - 87)
Current Academic Appointments
University of Pennsylvania (Philadelphia, PA)
Lecturer, Masters in Environmental Studies (MES) (2002 – present)
City University of New York (New York, NY)
Adjunct professor, Urban Sustainability Graduate Program (2015 – present)
International Standards Development
International Organization for Standardization (ISO TC 207)
ISO TC 207 SC 1 and SC 4 (ISO 14000 series)
January 1994 – September 2001
US/ANSI Expert, ISO 14031 (Environmental Performance Evaluation); ISO 14050 (Terms & Definitions); ISO 14063 (Environmental Communications) US TAG to TC 207, Vice Chair, Sub-TAG 4 on Environmental Performance Evaluation
International Organization for Standardization (ISO WG/SR)
Working Group on Social Responsibility (ISO 26000)
March 2005 – November 2009
US/ANSI Expert to WG/SR for SSRO stakeholder group
Member, Chairman's Advisory Group (CAG) for WG/SR
Co-Chair, Service, Support, Research & Others (SSRO) Stakeholder Group in WG/SR
Co-Chair, Drafting Team Environment in WG/SR
International Organization for Standardization (ISO TC 207)
ISO TC 207/ SC 7
April 2015 – present
GHGMI Expert to SC 7
Chair, Climate Adaptation Task Force (ATF)
Law Associations & Initiatives
ABA President's Task Force on Sustainable Development, April 2013 – Present
Member, ABA Delegation to World Summit on Sustainable Development (WSSD) in Johannesburg (2002)
American Bar Association (ABA-SEER)
Section on Environment, Energy & Resources (SEER)
May 1985 – Present
Past Chair, "Sustainable Development, Climate Change & Ecosystems" Committee (2002 - 2004)
Vice Chair, "Climate Change, Sustainable Development & Ecosystems" Committee (2004 - 2013)
American Bar Association (ABA-SIL)
Section on International Law (SIL)
September 2006 – Present
Vice Chair, "Corporate Social Responsibility" Committee (2006 - 2013)
Steering Committee, "Corporate Social Responsibility" Committee (2013- present)
