Dr. Paul Bunje works to bridge the gap between research science and decision makers to help society respond and adapt to the challenges of climate change.
He is the Executive Director of the UCLA Center for Climate Change Solutions, where he facilitates innovative research and communicates between scientists and decision makers about the details of climate change science and solutions.
Dr. Bunje is also the Managing Director of the Los Angeles Regional Collaborative for Climate Action and Sustainability (LARC). He leads LARC in its mission to encourage greater coordination and cooperation at the local and regional levels by bringing together leadership from government, the business community, academia, labor, environmental and community groups. Dr. Bunje is leading the production of “The Blueprint for Our Metropolis”, LARC’s flagship climate action and sustainability plan for the 10 million people of Los Angeles County.
Dr. Bunje is heavily engaged in communicating and facilitating solutions with decision makers in government and private industry. He is a member of the City of Los Angeles’ Green Retrofit Development Advisory Council and a member of Clean Tech Los Angeles. In addition to his outreach activities, Dr. Bunje also conducts research that focuses on how complex scientific information such as climate change is communicated and how to apply technology to environmental challenges.
Previously, Dr. Bunje was a Science & Technology Policy Fellow in the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. While in Washington, DC, he designed and refined policy on climate change, oceans, water resources, and ecosystem services. He is trained as a biologist, having received his Ph.D. at the University of California, Berkeley.
Dr. Bunje has lived and worked in Europe, the Middle East, and the South Pacific, providing first-hand insight into the diverse political and cultural environments in which scientists and policy makers implement environmental protections. Dr. Bunje is also a co-founder of Conservation & Climate Security International and the Science and Technology Electoral Politics Interest Network.