Benjamin Leffel

Download High-Res Photo
Request as Speaker
Request as Media Expert
Assistant Professor of Public Policy
Expertise: Sustainability, Climate change, Corporations, Cities, Global governance, Diplomacy

Biography

Ben Leffel, an assistant professor in the School of Public Policy and Leadership, is an expert on sustainability governance by cities, states, and corporations globally.

Prior to joining UNLV, Leffel served as a postdoctoral research fellow at the University of Michigan’s Erb Institute for Global Sustainable Enterprise and a lecturer at the University of California, Merced. His published work focuses on world cities fighting climate change, including the role of private climate consulting and city membership in transnational environmental networks, global urban pollution abatement, and climate finance allocation to local governments.

Leffel has published op-eds in the Harvard Business Review, The Hill and the Chicago Council on Global Affairs, and has served as a climate action advisor to the City of Irvine, California. 

Education

  • Ph.D., UC Irvine

Related Links

Search For Other Experts On

environment, sustainability

Benjamin Leffel In The News

Las Vegas Review Journal
I must respond to several writings of Review-Journal columnist Victor Joecks on climate change. In particular, Joecks recently argued that the lead culprit of the summer 2024 Las Vegas heat wave, peaking at 120 degrees, was the 2022 volcanic eruption of the Hunga Tonga volcano. This is a misattribution.
Las Vegas Review Journal
Heat has claimed the lives of more people in 2024 in Southern Nevada than in any prior year on record, officials said. The latest round of heat-related-death data from the Clark County coroner’s office, released on Thursday, shows that heat was a factor in the deaths of 342 people. It’s without question that the toll will continue to rise, especially as it can take up to 90 days to determine a cause of death — and whether heat was a factor.
K.V.V.U. T.V. Fox 5
After nearly three days of closures along I-15 and backups along I-40, California Highway Patrol announced Sunday the end of a closure caused by a truck fire that sparked Friday. San Bernadino Fire Department reported the fire around 10 a.m. on Friday, stating that a semi-truck carrying lithium batteries flipped on northbound I-15 near Baker and burst into flames.
K.V.V.U. T.V. Fox 5
There is a desperate need for more charges in Nevada according to some EV drivers. FOX5 spoke with drivers who are often forced to wait in lines to charge up. “I am swapping this in tomorrow and getting a gas vehicle,” Steven Blocker told FOX5. Blocker, an Uber driver using an electric vehicle, just moved to Henderson from San Diego a month and a half ago.
All Benjamin Leffel In The News

Articles Featuring Benjamin Leffel

UNLV Newsmakers 2024: September
Undergrad researcher Benjamin Sabir helps H. Jeremy Cho examine an atmospheric water harvesting device. (Jeff Scheid/UNLV)
Campus News | October 1, 2024

A monthly roundup of the top news stories featuring UNLV staff and students.

UNLV Newsmakers 2024: February
The Las Vegas strip as seen on Super Bowl weekend (Josh Hawkins/UNLV).
Campus News | March 1, 2024

A collection of news stories and highlights featuring UNLV students and faculty.

All Articles Featuring Benjamin Leffel