Energy and Environment

RAND work in energy and the environment builds on a long history of research on policy issues, often balancing environmental protection with economic development and other social needs. Much of this work is done within the Environment, Energy, and Economic Development program of RAND Infrastructure, Safety, and Environment. View all Energy and Environment Documents Available Online or find general information at Reports and Bookstore.

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Identifying & Reducing Climate-Change Vulnerabilities in Water-Management Plans — Jan. 31, 2008

Climate change will affect water supplies in California, but few water-management agencies have formally included it in their plans. Robust decisionmaking methods can help identify vulnerabilities related to climate change and evaluate the most effective options for managing those risks.

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Estimating the Value of Water-Use Efficiency in the Intermountain West — Jan. 10, 2008

Evaluating the cost-effectiveness of water-efficiency programs can be difficult, because not all the benefits are easily quantified. An economic framework based on two tools from the California Urban Water Conservation Council helps estimate the avoided costs and environmental benefits of increasing water-use efficiency.

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Natural Resources and Their Impact on Economic Development — Sep. 28, 2007

Research conducted within RAND Environment, Energy, and Economic Development focuses on environmental quality and regulation, energy resources and systems, water resources and systems, climate, agriculture, oceans, natural hazards and disasters, and economic development.

February 23, 2008: Concrete Closets Under Manufactured Homes Could Save Lives, By Charles Meade (Tennessean)

December 11, 2007: RAND Study Examines the Effect of Policy on Entrepreneurship and Small Businesses

November 29, 2007: On Carbon Dioxide, a Better Alternative, By Keith Crane, James T. Bartis (Washingtonpost.com)

November 28, 2007: Evaluating Alternative Organizational Structures to Revitalize the Economy of New Orleans, By Kevin F. McCarthy

November 8, 2007: Diesel- and Hybrid-Powered Vehicles Can Provide More Societal Benefits than Gas-Powered Autos

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Oil Shale Development in the United States: Prospects and Policy Issues

In the early 1980s, industry and government took a hard look at the economics of extracting oil from vast deposits of shale that lie beneath the western United States. Oil prices subsided, and interest waned. With oil prices spiking and global demand showing no signs of abating, reexamining the economics of oil shale makes sense. In this report, the authors describe oil shale resources; suitability, cost, and performance of new technologies; and key policy issues that need to be addressed by government decisionmakers in the near future.

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The Future of Genetically Modified Crops: Lessons from the Green Revolution

The world is now on the cusp of a new agricultural revolution, the so-called Gene Revolution, in which genetically modified (GM) crops are tailored to address chronic agricultural problems in certain regions of the world. This monograph report investigates the circumstances and processes that can induce and sustain this new agricultural revolution.