Alan Miller's career began as an environmental lawyer in the mid-1970s including six years at the Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC) working on ozone depletion and energy efficiency standards for appliances. In 1984 he joined the newly formed World Resources Institute staff. From 1989 to 1997 he directed the Center for Global Change at the University of Maryland. In 1997 he joined the Global Environment Facility (GEF) as manager of climate change projects for developing countries. At the World Bank, his responsibilities included representing the Global Environment Facility and WBG in international forums focused on climate change and green growth. He retired from the International Finance Corporation (IFC), the private sector arm of the World Bank Group (WBG), in January 2014. Since retiring from the WBG Alan has continued to do independent consulting for multiple clients including the UN Development Programme (UNDP), Sustainable Energy For All, the Clean Air Task Force, and the World Bank Group. From 2014-18 he was a senior member of a UNDP program promoting new technologies and business models for improving weather and climate information services in 11 poor African countries. His work has also included projects on climate risks for the financial system and the need for sustainable cooling to address climate change and achieve the Sustainable Development Goals.

Alan has taught courses on global environmental issues at 10 universities in four disciplines, at American University, the University of Maryland, and the University of Michigan. He was twice a Fulbright Scholar, in Australia in 1977 and Japan in 1987. He is co-author of a leading environmental law textbook and co-author of the book Cut Super Climate Pollutants, Now! published in April 2021 by Changemakers Books. Links to his many blogs and other writings are available at his author website, alansmiller.com.