A Climate and Society Student on Solving the Puzzle of Climate Equity – State of the Planet

Although his family comes from a small agricultural community in Southern Florida, Jarrod Sims was born and raised in New York City. This contrast has helped shape Sims’s curiosity about the environment around him. His background in environmental geosciences has 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 at the NYC Mayor’s Office and enrolling as a graduate student at Columbia Climate School, Sims is honing his skills to tackle one of the greatest challenges of our time: ensuring an equitable energy transition through data-informed climate policy. “I’ve always loved taking things apart to understand how they work,” Sims says. “Policy is like that—it’s not about dismantling systems, but making small tweaks that ripple out and create widespread impact.”

We spoke with Sims about his path into climate work, his experience in the M.A. in Climate and Society program at the Columbia Climate School and his vision for the future. Learn more about Sims’s journey in the Q&A below.

Tell us how you found your way into the climate space.

I have always been drawn to science, particularly ecology and environmental systems. During my time in undergrad, I explored many different subjects to try and find a major that was a fit for me. I tried accounting at one point, and psychology at another, before landing in a senior capstone course on climate mitigation with Elizabeth Thomas. It was the first time the University at Buffalo offered a course on climate change, specifically climate change mitigation. We partnered with the Western New York Sustainable Business Roundtable—a coalition of companies who are interested in taking on sustainability initiatives. Students met with staff and operations people and developed plans for these companies to reduce emissions in ways that made sense for them. This was my first exposure to mitigation and crafting a policy-type framework to reduce corporate emissions and save operational costs as well.

After graduating, I bounced between roles—doing soil testing in a lab, remediation work and environmental consulting—before landing at the NYC Mayor’s Office of Management and Budget. I joined just as they were launching the Environmental Sustainability and Resiliency Task Force, where I analyzed greenhouse gas emissions across New York City policies. That role solidified my passion for climate policy and made me realize I wanted to focus on systemic change.

I’m really interested in problem-solving, especially when it comes to tackling challenges in cities. I like analyzing existing systems to identify changes that can move us toward more sustainable and healthier communities. For example, transitioning from diesel buses to electric ones could help reduce asthma hospitalizations in a neighborhood. Small changes like that can have a real impact on people’s lives.

Why did you decide to apply to the Climate and Society program?

I always knew I wanted to come back to school for my master’s degree, but I wasn’t sure what field to pursue. As I explored different programs, what stood out about this one—true to its name—was its focus on both climate and society. It really emphasizes the human aspect, with courses centered on climate justice and how to evaluate and implement policies that genuinely improve people’s lives. That was a major draw for me to apply to the Climate School.

Another factor was the importance of the cohort, which someone mentioned to me while I was researching schools. My cohort includes people from diverse backgrounds and experiences, which has been eye-opening in terms of understanding the many different ways climate issues intersect with various fields. This program has also been marketed as intensive and interdisciplinary, and so far, it has lived up to that. I wanted an intensive experience that would allow me to cross-register for courses and explore different aspects of climate policy. The one-year timeline also made sense for me.

Which classes have been the most memorable and why?

There are two classes that impacted me the most during my first semester at the Climate School. The first is the Energy Regulation course I attended at the Law School with Michael Gerrard. I had never taken a law class before. Understanding the legal landscape is crucial—whether it’s climate litigation, environmental justice laws or the regulatory hurdles that shape policy. This class gave me the tools to analyze what’s feasible, what barriers exist and how legal frameworks can drive change.

Climate Justice Theory and Policy with Sheila Foster was another impactful course last semester. At the NYC Mayor’s Office, I worked on the city’s climate budget, and a major question was how to operationalize environmental justice. This course provided a framework for understanding the intersection of policy, justice and climate. How do we ensure that the energy transition doesn’t worsen inequalities? How do we make sure policies don’t leave communities behind? This class, alongside the law perspective, gave me new perspectives to think about these challenges and what should be considered when drafting policy or evaluating it.

This spring semester, I am looking forward to taking Regional Climate Science and Forecasting for Climate Services. This is a course on risk analysis and using climate data to look at regional and local climate variations. The climate resiliency aspect of this course is something I find very interesting. It is a best practice, and necessary, to have climate-informed policies with high-level data analysis.

What do you envision as your future role in solving the climate crisis?

I see myself in a research analyst role, focusing on the energy transition. We’ve gone through the industrial revolutions before—and many other societal transitions—but how do we transition this time without repeating the mistakes of the past? How do we ensure that low-income communities aren’t left behind again as we shift to renewables? How do we decarbonize the grid without leaving communities worse off? This is definitely a hard topic, but these are the questions I hope to answer. Being in a space where I can craft policy and also do some research about how we can improve people’s quality of lives with an equity lens is ideal for me.

At first, I planned to go straight back into the workforce, but this program has fueled more questions than answers. Now, I’m considering a predoctoral program or a Ph.D. to dive deeper into these issues. My goal is to conduct research that isn’t just theoretical—it needs to be actionable, informing policy and directly benefiting communities. I don’t want my work to sit on a shelf; I want it to lead to tangible, measurable change. I’m particularly interested in urban energy systems and the impact of electrification in highly dense cities like New York. I find myself asking questions like: If we switch entirely to electric, how does that affect low-income families? What are the unintended consequences?

Is there anything else you’d like to add?

At the end of the day, I’m just a data nerd who wants to apply my skills to climate justice. I love taking things apart—whether it’s a social system, an energy grid or a policy framework—and figuring out how to make them better. Life is a big puzzle, and I want to help solve it.