David V. Wright is a professor in the University of Calgary’s Faculty of Law where he is a member of the Natural Resources, Energy and Environmental Law Research group. David teaches environmental law, environmental impact assessment law, torts, and negotiations, and he is a frequent speaker at national and international events. His research has been published in leading academic law journals. He has also testified before several parliamentary committees on matters of environmental and natural resources law and policy. David is a director on the board of the Canadian Institute of Resources Law, a member of the IUCN World Commission on Environmental Law, and in 2021 he was named to the federal roster for impact assessment panel reviews.
Prior to his faculty appointment, David held positions with Canada’s Commissioner of the Environment and Sustainable Development, the United Nations Development Programme, the law firm of Stewart McKelvey, and the Marine and Environmental Law Institute at Dalhousie University. David was also General Counsel for the Gwich’in Tribal Council in Canada’s Western Arctic region, where he regularly advised on the duty to consult, Indigenous governance, and regulatory matters. He holds a graduate degree and law degree from Dalhousie University and a Master of Laws degree from Stanford University. During his graduate studies at Stanford Law School, David was a fellow with the Stanford Woods Institute for the Environment.
Why David joined Clean Prosperity
“Conversations around climate law and policy suffer from too much heat and not enough light. This organization generates pragmatic, evidence-based analysis that charts a prosperous, sustainable path forward for Canada and beyond.”