RAND Research Topic: Environmental Science and Technology 2012-05-24T14:22:06Z Copyright (c) 2012, The RAND Corporation RAND Corporation http://www.rand.org/topics/environmental-science-and-technology.html Could Coal Mine Drainage Be Used for Marcellus Shale Natural Gas Extraction? http://www.rand.org/pubs/conf_proceedings/CF300.html Apr 16, 2012 Apr 16, 2012 There are large quantities of coal mine water in Pennsylvania&mdash;much more than could be used in the coming decade for hydraulic fracturing. Researchers and operators will need to further explore quantity and quality needs to confirm whether coal mine drainage sources represent a viable, large-scale alternative to fresh water. Evidence for Climate Change Is Overwhelming http://www.rand.org/commentary/2012/03/08/PALPOST.html Mar 8, 2012 Mar 8, 2012 In case after case, the theory that best fits the data is the one that also leads inexorably to the conclusion that human influence is one of the most important forces currently changing the climate, writes Robert J. Lempert. Recommended Research Priorities for the Qatar Foundation's Environment and Energy Research Institute http://www.rand.org/pubs/monographs/MG1106.html Sep 22, 2011 Sep 22, 2011 The Qatar Foundation is establishing a national research institute to conduct and collaborate on applied research in energy, environment, and water issues, the Qatar Environment and Energy Research Institute. This book recommends research priorities for the new institution and reports on a survey of relevant research institutions in the region. Some Thoughts on the Role of Robust Control Theory in Climate-Related Decision Support: An Editorial Comment http://www.rand.org/pubs/external_publications/EP201100169.html Jul 31, 2011 Jul 31, 2011 Any successful response to climate change--both the challenges of limiting the magnitude of future climate change and adapting to its impacts--will clearly involve policies that evolve over time in response to new information and that are robust over a wide range of difficult-to-predict future conditions. Technology Interactions Among Low-Carbon Energy Technologies: What Can We Learn from a Large Number of Scenarios? http://www.rand.org/pubs/external_publications/EP201100171.html Jun 30, 2011 Jun 30, 2011 This paper uses a combinatorial approach in which scenarios are created for all combinations of the technology development assumptions that underlie a smaller, representative set of scenarios. Climate Scientists Should Wear Adam Smith Ties http://www.rand.org/commentary/2011/03/30/BGOV.html Mar 30, 2011 Mar 30, 2011 If it were really possible to explain millions of years of Earth data with a theory that doesn't also imply a recent human influence on the climate, some ambitious, self-interested team of scientists somewhere in the world would seek scientific renown by doing so, writes Robert Lempert. Managing Climate Risks in Developing Countries with Robust Decision Making http://www.rand.org/pubs/external_publications/EP201100254.html Jan 1, 2011 Jan 1, 2011 The authors present the concept of robust decision making (RDM), which draws on already-existing knowledge of practitioners to choose actions that are viable in both the short- and long-term. Orbital Debris Poses a Growing Threat to Satellites in Space http://www.rand.org/pubs/monographs/MG1042.html Nov 18, 2010 Nov 18, 2010 Orbital debris represents a threat to the operation of man-made objects in space, such as satellite television and weather satellites. Currently, there are hundreds of thousands of objects greater than one centimeter in diameter in Earth's orbit. RAND Review: Vol. 33, No. 2, Summer 2009 http://www.rand.org/pubs/corporate_pubs/CP22-2009-08.html Aug 17, 2009 Aug 17, 2009 <p>A section on U.S. health care reform accompanies features on piracy, education priorities, emerging technologies, and Arkansas antismoking programs; other stories discuss climate change, parolees, oil risks, Mexican security, and global drug policies.</p> Methods for Long-Term Environmental Policy Challenges http://www.rand.org/pubs/external_publications/EP20090827.html Jul 31, 2009 Jul 31, 2009 This article provides a concise overview of methods for analyzing policy choices that have been used in the study of long-term environmental challenges. Economic Costs of Major Oil Supply Disruption Pose Risk to U.S. National Security http://www.rand.org/news/press/2009/05/11.html May 11, 2009 May 11, 2009 While on a net basis the United States imports nearly 60 percent of the oil it consumes, this reliance on imported oil is not by itself a major national security threat. The economic costs of a major disruption in global oil supplies&mdash;including higher prices for American consumers&mdash;pose the greatest risk to the United States. Coal-to-Liquid Fuel Production Could Offer Major National Benefits http://www.rand.org/pubs/monographs/MG754.html Dec 10, 2008 Dec 10, 2008 <p>The federal government can spark the creation of a commercially competitive coal-to-liquids industry by fostering early development of plants that would produce transportation fuels from coal, as well as by expanding its investment in carbon sequestration technology to help limit, and possibly reduce, greenhouse gas emissions levels.</p> Assessing a Coal-to-Liquids Fuel Industry in the United States http://www.rand.org/pubs/research_briefs/RB9342.html Nov 30, 2008 Nov 30, 2008 <p>Government actions to gain early experience in producing liquid fuels from coal offer major energy security benefits but also raise important economic governance, and environmental issues.</p> Alternative Fossil-Based Transportation Fuels: Economic Benefits and Environmental Concerns http://www.rand.org/pubs/research_briefs/RB9404.html Nov 21, 2008 Nov 21, 2008 <p>Alternative fuels derived from oil sands and from coal liquefaction can cost-effectively diversify fuel supplies, but neither type significantly reduces U.S. carbon-dioxide emissions enough to arrest long-term climate change.</p> Alternative Fossil Fuels Have Economic Potential but Uncertain Environmental Consequences http://www.rand.org/news/press/2008/10/08.html Oct 8, 2008 Oct 8, 2008 Alternative sources of fossil fuels such as oil sands and coal-to-liquids have significant economic promise, but the environmental consequences must also be considered. Alternative Fossil Fuels Have Economic Potential but Uncertain Environmental Consequences http://www.rand.org/pubs/technical_reports/TR580.html Oct 8, 2008 Oct 8, 2008 <p>Alternative sources of fossil fuels such as oil sands and coal-to-liquids have significant economic promise, but the environmental consequences must also be considered.</p> Major Progress in Technology Needed for 25 Percent Renewable Energy Use to Be Affordable http://www.rand.org/news/press/2008/06/24.html Jun 24, 2008 Jun 24, 2008 Dramatic progress in renewable energy technology is needed if the United States desires to produce 25 percent of its electricity and motor vehicle fuel from renewable sources by 2025 without significantly increasing consumer costs. Estimating the Value of Water-Use Efficiency in the Intermountain West http://www.rand.org/pubs/technical_reports/TR504.html Jan 10, 2008 Jan 10, 2008 <p>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. </p> Planning for Climate Change in the Inland Empire: Southern California http://www.rand.org/pubs/external_publications/EP20080721.html Dec 31, 2007 Dec 31, 2007 <p>Water managers in Southern California, who grapple with how to address climate change in their near-term and long-term plans, are beginning to seek methods for incorporating such changes in their planning processes.</p> Wind Insurance Costly and Scarce on Gulf of Mexico Coast http://www.rand.org/pubs/occasional_papers/OP190.html Jul 18, 2007 Jul 18, 2007 Many businesses along the Gulf of Mexico coast have had a difficult time obtaining wind insurance coverage since Hurricanes Katrina, Rita, and Wilma hit in 2005 and have often ended up paying more than twice as much for the insurance as they did previously.