Rebecca Shaw sees a global attitude shift towards adaptating to climate change. As Associate Vice President and Senior Lead Scientist of the Environmental Defense Fund, Shaw is aspiring to increase sustainable agricultural productivity, secure water resources and restore coastal ecosystems to prepare for a rising sea level.

Shaw is a member of the UN Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change and was a lead author on the IPCC’s "Fifth Assessment Report, Working Group 2," released in 2014. Prior to EDF, Rebecca directed land, water and marine conservation strategies for The Nature Conservancy.