Emma Wellbaum

Associate Attorney

Emma works on SELC’s efforts to address climate change and its consequences in the South. One example: she works with SELC’s Solar Initiative on increasing access to affordable solar power throughout the region. Emma also supports SELC’s efforts to bolster coastal resilience in North Carolina and to protect coastal carbon sinks.

“I am honored to work on confronting climate change, the largest threat facing human health and the environment today,” Emma said. “SELC is working to protect special places and communities that motivate and inspire me. Everyone has the right to a healthy environment, and I am grateful that my work with SELC seeks to protect that right throughout the southeast.”

Emma grew up in Boston and moved to North Carolina in 2013, where she “bounced between the Triangle and Crystal Coast before settling in Chapel Hill.” Her favorite place to visit is the Rachel Carson Reserve in Beaufort, North Carolina. “There is something inherently magical about a tidal estuary,” Emma said. “The wildlife is incredible, and the ever-changing tides make for a new experience every time.”

Previous experience

• Duke Environmental Law and Policy Clinic, fellow
• J.D., Duke University School of Law, with a certificate in public interest and public service; Duke Environmental Law and Policy Forum, senior articles editor
• M.E.M, Duke University Nicholas School of the Environment, with a certificate in geospatial analysis
• B.A., Duke University
• With SELC since 2022