Pardee Center

The RAND Frederick S. Pardee Center for Longer Range Global Policy and the Future Human Condition was established in 2001 through a generous $5 million pledge from RAND alumnus Frederick S. Pardee. The RAND Pardee Center aims to enhance the overall future quality and condition of human life by aggressively disseminating and applying new methods for long-term policy analysis in a wide variety of policy areas where they are needed most.

The Pardee Center organizes its activities around two main themes: (1) advancing the state-of the-art in conducting long-term policy analysis so organizations can implement better long-range policy; and (2) developing and disseminating approaches that will help make proper stewardship for the future be more commonly practiced.

Pardee Center Participates in the Decarbonization Dialogues

The RAND Pardee Center is partnering with other research organizations, nonprofits, philanthropies, and businesses to better understand the global challenge of deep decarbonization. Funded by the Metanoia Fund, a series of Decarbonization Dialogues will bring together experts from different fields to tackle issues like technology development, risk governance, and tools and information for policymakers.

Latest Perspective

  • Melting icebergs by the coast of Greenland

    Deep Decarbonization as a Risk Management Challenge

    Deep decarbonization is the idea of reducing net human greenhouse gas emissions to zero in the 21st century. There are three concepts that help explain the full scope of deep decarbonization as a risk management challenge.

Research & Commentary

  • Intelligent robot cyborg using digital globe interface 3D rendering, photo by sdecoret/Adobe Stock

    A World-Building Workshop on the Future of Artificial Intelligence

    Jun 21, 2019

    How might artificial intelligence (AI) be used to shape a new world? A recent workshop engaged a group of innovative thinkers in an approach called large-scale speculative design to sketch desirable, AI-enabled future worlds.

  • Silhouette of business people work together in office. Concept of teamwork and partnership. double exposure with network effects, photo by alphaspirit/Adobe Stock

    Pathways to 2050: Scenarios for Decarbonizing the U.S. Economy

    Jun 4, 2019

    Climate change is among the most profound challenges of all time, and the private sector is an essential partner in any decarbonization pathway. Timely business leadership can help ensure choices that are beneficial for both companies and society as a whole.

  • An aerial view of Central Texas homes under water at Graveyard Point neighborhood community in the flood plain of Lake Travis, photo by RoschetzkyIstockPhoto / Getty Images

    Climate Research at RAND

    May 17, 2019

    RAND researchers have a long history of shedding light on the social and economic implications of a changing climate, its impacts on the natural environment, and the challenges it poses to communities, regions, and our national security.

  • Technology and innovation concept, graphic by peshkova/Adobe Stock

    Bezos World Or Levelers: Can We Choose Our Scenario?

    Mar 28, 2019

    Artificial intelligence (AI) machine learning algorithms now meet or surpass capabilities once regarded as uniquely human and will grow more capable over time. How might AI be used to enable fundamentally different future worlds?

  • Wind turbines and cows on a field in Scotland, UK

    Addressing Uncertainty in Developing Long-Term Greenhouse Gas Emission Reduction Strategies

    Jan 11, 2019

    The Paris Agreement invited countries to establish long-term low greenhouse gas emissions development strategies. These strategies should align with the goal of reducing greenhouse gas emissions to zero by the second half of the 21st century. What challenges do nations face when developing long-term strategies?

  • The town of Sitka, Alaska, at dawn

    RAND Wins $2.1 Million Grant to Improve Landslide Prediction

    Oct 10, 2018

    A RAND-led team that includes the University of Southern California, the University of Oregon, the Sitka Sound Science Center, and the Sitka Tribe of Alaska will design a novel landslide risk warning system for Sitka, Alaska, a coastal town of 9,000 near the landslide-prone slopes of the Tongass National Forest.

  • Bird scooters outside a restaurant in Santa Monica, California, July 23, 2018

    A Better Way to Think About Scooters

    Aug 28, 2018

    Unleashed in Santa Monica, California, last September, Bird and its competitors are now in 30 American cities and counting. Cities are responding to the scooter takeover with new regulations and increased law enforcement. But if officials rely only on 20th-century tools to integrate these 21st-century scooters into their cities, they will miss a big opportunity.

  • Floating ice and iceberg in Antarctic Peninsula

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

    Aug 4, 2017

    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.