Dr Wright was sworn in as Parliamentary Commissioner for the Environment for a five-year term on 5 March 2007 and reappointed for a second term in early 2012. Jan has a Physics degree from Canterbury, a Masters degree in Energy and Resources from Berkeley in California, and a PhD in Public Policy from Harvard. In 2012 she was awarded an Honorary Doctorate of Science from Lincoln University, and in 2015 was made a Companion of the Royal Society of New Zealand. Prior to her current role, Jan worked as an independent policy and economic consultant for many different government agencies and as a member of various Crown Entity Boards. Jan views climate change as the most significant environmental threat facing the world, and has produced two major reports on rising sea levels. Other reports have covered topics as diverse as fracking, agricultural greenhouse gases, and the decline of New Zealand's native birds. In her most recent report Jan considered how New Zealand might chart a pathway to meeting its emissions targets, recommending all parties come together in support of a new Act that is similar to the UK Climate Change Act.