Heather McGray

Heather McGray
Co-Director, Vulnerability and Adaptation Initiative
hmcgray@wri.org|+1 (202) 729-7778

Heather McGray has led the adaptation work stream within WRI’s Climate and Energy Program since 2007. Her research has emphasized national-level adaptation planning in developing countries, design of international adaptation finance programs, monitoring & evaluation, and options for the United Nations climate negotiations.

Major publications include Weathering the Storm: Options for Framing Adaptation and Development (2007). Heather recently led a WRI-wide strategy process that put in place the framework for a major new cross-Institute Vulnerability and Adaptation Initiative.

Heather’s previous work, within WRI’s Institutions and Governance Program, focused on the role of transparency, participation, and access to justice in addressing environmental problems, including research and civil society training in China’s Yunnan Province. Prior to joining WRI, Heather’s professional experience included research on environmental management in China; research and negotiations on ISO 14000 environmental standards; coordination of an urban education and development network; and management of educational exchange programs for the Yale-China Association.

Heather speaks Mandarin, and holds a Master’s of Environmental Management from Yale University and a Bachelor’s degree in Biology from Oberlin College.

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Latest Post

Submitted on May 6, 2013
How can we make climate change adaptation measures more effective? I recently traveled to Dhaka, Bangladesh to discuss ways to address that very question. I took part in the 7th annual Community-Based Adaptation Conference (CBA7), hosted by the International Institute for Environment and Development (IIED) and the Bangladesh Center for International Studies. The conference provides a forum for...

More Blog Posts

Submitted on March 19, 2013
As the world continues to feel the effects of drought, sea level rise, and more volatile weather, it’s clear that adaptation efforts have never been more imperative. These initiatives are critically...
Submitted on May 30, 2012
What do you do when extended droughts make your family’s traditional farming vocation harder and harder to sustain? Or when your town’s water supply is no longer sufficient for people to draw water...
Submitted on May 22, 2012
This post was written with Youba Sokona, coordinator of the African Climate Policy Center (ACPC) at the United Nations Economic Commission for Africa in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. ACPC and WRI have...
Submitted on February 22, 2012
This week, WRI released a new report summarizing assessments of institutional readiness for adapting to climate change. The report, Ready or Not, focuses on pilot applications of the National...
Submitted on December 1, 2011
This piece was written with Polly Ghazi, Writer/Editor for the World Resources Report. Delegates from around the world attending the UN climate conference in South Africa got two unfortunate, but...
Submitted on November 26, 2011
The Cancun Adaptation Framework agreed during COP16 provides potential for a new action orientation to adaptation under the UNFCCC. COP17 in Durban presents a big opportunity to resolve several...
Submitted on October 17, 2011
WRI’s new report, Making Adaptation Count, proposes a framework for monitoring and evaluating adaptation. What does this mean? Countries around the world are bracing themselves for the impacts of...
Submitted on August 24, 2011
As the climate changes, the global community and national governments both need to take action to prevent the kind of humanitarian disaster underway In parts of the Horn of Africa. Early action can...