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Energy and Environment

Global Climate Change
commentary
Another Casualty of Climate Change: Peace
Gulrez Shah Azhar
Aug 15, 2017
Project Syndicate
The connection between human conflict and climate change is no mere coincidence. Drought, temperature and tensions rise in tandem, with the implicit threat of violent conflict not far behind.
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Global Climate Change
commentary
When It Comes to Climate, Look for Vulnerabilities in Policy, Not Science
Benjamin Lee Preston @bl_preston, Nicholas Burger, Marjory Blumenthal @marjorysb, Robert J. Lempert @RobertLempert, Debra Knopman
Aug 4, 2017
The Hill
Federal policymakers have picked up on the concept of red teaming — actively seeking out one's own vulnerabilities. While red teaming may not make sense for climate science, it does offer great benefits when weighing climate policy options.
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Public Utilities
commentary
Getting (Solar) Electricity Pricing Right
Nicholas Burger, Aimee E. Curtright @ACurtright, Benjamin Smith
Jul 24, 2017
The Energy Collective
Demand for rooftop solar panels is soaring among U.S. homeowners. Meanwhile, states are struggling to adapt a 20th-century electrical grid—and the corresponding cost structure for electricity rates—to this 21st-century reality. This is causing confusion and uncertainty.
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Water Resources Management
commentary
How Should Water Professionals Invest in Resilience?
Jordan R. Fischbach @fischinwater
Jul 12, 2017
The Source
Water professionals can think about building resilience as a process of embracing and managing future uncertainty. Rather than trying to predict which problem to plan for, researchers help planners consider a wide range of potential scenarios.
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Global Climate Change
commentary
Navigating the Uncertain Path to Decarbonization
Robert J. Lempert @RobertLempert, Horacio R. Trujillo
Jul 11, 2017
The RAND Blog
Deep decarbonization can reduce the risk of climate change, and it offers opportunities to reimagine energy, transportation, and infrastructure. But it could also fail in many ways. Diverse, independent actors need a shared understanding of its complexity and deep uncertainty to design a solution to this challenge.
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Libya
commentary
How the Gulf Row Could Tear Libya Apart Even Further
Amanda Kadlec @alidraak
Jul 7, 2017
Foreign Policy Concepts
Since Gadhafi was removed from power, Gulf nations have been vying for position in Libya through proxy forces to influence political outcomes. Libya's rival militias — armed and funded by their respective Gulf sponsors — set the framework for the civil conflict that erupted in 2014 and continues today. Current tensions between Qatar and its neighbors are adding to the instability.
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Water Supply
commentary
Getting the Lead Out of Pittsburgh's Water
Jordan R. Fischbach @fischinwater, Linnea Warren May
Jul 3, 2017
Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
Without an aggressive long-term strategy for replacing service lines, and collaboration among the water authority, public officials, and residents, lead in Pittsburgh's water will persist.
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Global Climate Change
commentary
The Big Bet: Withdrawing from the Paris Climate Agreement
Debra Knopman, Robert J. Lempert @RobertLempert, Jordan R. Fischbach @fischinwater, Benjamin Lee Preston @bl_preston
Jun 2, 2017
Inside Sources
America's formal withdrawal from the Paris climate agreement could have far-reaching consequences for U.S. global leadership on many issues, not just on efforts to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.
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Arctic Region
commentary
What Does 'America First' Look Like in the Arctic?
Abbie Tingstad, Stephanie Pezard @StephaniePezard
May 25, 2017
United Press International
The shift in U.S. climate policy away from greenhouse gas reduction is significant for the Arctic, which is experiencing global warming at an accelerated rate. And a recent executive order will pave the way for expanded oil and gas drilling. How will these changes shape the Arctic in years to come?
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India
commentary
Where Are India's Heat Hotspots?
Gulrez Shah Azhar, Jaime Madrigano
May 17, 2017
The RAND Blog
Poverty, poor sanitation, a precarious water and electricity supply, and limited access to health care make India vulnerable to heat waves. Rural and urban districts could improve their preparedness by developing and targeting local adaptation strategies.
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Emerging Technologies
commentary
Using Wearable Fitness Devices to Monitor More Than Just Fitness
Douglas Yeung @DouglasCYeung, Astrid Cevallos
May 14, 2017
Scientific American
Manufacturers could reinvigorate the market for personal health devices by incorporating measures of health and well-being beyond step counts. Wearables could gauge a neighborhood's air quality, safety, or its level of social connectedness.
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Robust Decision Making
commentary
Decision-Making Under Uncertain Climate Change: A Response, and an Invitation, to Bret Stephens
Robert J. Lempert @RobertLempert, Marjolijn Haasnoot
May 9, 2017
Society for Decision Making Under Deep Uncertainty
It is difficult to determine what actions balance society's goals where there is deep uncertainty about the consequences. The decisionmaking under uncertainty methodology provides tools to acknowledge uncertainty, avoid overconfidence, promote deliberation, and help craft consensus on sensible approaches to climate change.
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Food Supply Security
commentary
A New Ugandan Cuisine: Showcasing Superfood Qualities of Millet and Sorghum
Michele Abbott, Deborah Cohen @DrDebCohen
May 9, 2017
The RAND Blog
The results of a series of cooking contests in Uganda to promote the use of drought-tolerant, nutritious traditional grains—millet and sorghum—signal that a new food trend may be on the horizon.
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Environmental Regulation
commentary
Impact on the Environment from President Trump's First 100 Days
Debra Knopman
May 4, 2017
BBC
President Trump's actions have not yet resulted in demonstrable change in environmental conditions or funding. But the groundwork is being laid to unwind major regulations and diminish staff at the EPA and other federal agencies with climate-related research in their portfolios.
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San Francisco
announcement
RAND Opens Office in the San Francisco Bay Area
Apr 3, 2017
RAND has opened an office in the San Francisco Bay Area to foster collaboration with the region's leaders and researchers working to solve today's complex problems. Nidhi Kalra, a senior information scientist, is leading the new office.
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Alternative and Renewable Energy
commentary
Uncertainty and Complexity: Biomass Can Help on the Path to Deep Decarbonization
Aimee E. Curtright @ACurtright, Sara Turner
Feb 24, 2017
Pennsylvania Environmental Council
While biomass will almost certainly never become the dominant fuel for the electricity sector in the United States, it is still worth including as part of a menu of greenhouse gas mitigation strategies.
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Energy and Environment

Another Casualty of Climate Change: Peace

When It Comes to Climate, Look for Vulnerabilities in Policy, Not Science

Getting (Solar) Electricity Pricing Right

How Should Water Professionals Invest in Resilience?

Navigating the Uncertain Path to Decarbonization

How the Gulf Row Could Tear Libya Apart Even Further

Getting the Lead Out of Pittsburgh's Water

The Big Bet: Withdrawing from the Paris Climate Agreement

What Does 'America First' Look Like in the Arctic?

Where Are India's Heat Hotspots?

Using Wearable Fitness Devices to Monitor More Than Just Fitness

Decision-Making Under Uncertain Climate Change: A Response, and an Invitation, to Bret Stephens

A New Ugandan Cuisine: Showcasing Superfood Qualities of Millet and Sorghum

Impact on the Environment from President Trump's First 100 Days

RAND Opens Office in the San Francisco Bay Area

Uncertainty and Complexity: Biomass Can Help on the Path to Deep Decarbonization

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