Skip to page content

Energy and Environment

Featured

RAND energy and environmental analyses examine the implications of existing and proposed energy policies on the environment. Building on a long history of policy research, RAND helps balance the need for environmental protections and economic development.

Report

The Benefits and Costs of Decarbonizing Costa Rica's Economy

Nov 24, 2020

Costa Rica set the ambitious goal of becoming carbon-neutral by 2050. An evaluation of the benefits and costs of its National Decarbonization Plan finds that under most plausible assumptions about the future, the plan would achieve or nearly achieve its goals and do so at a net economic benefit.
Commentary

Curb Climate Change After COVID-19? Fast-Growing India and Brazil Are Key

Dec 15, 2020

India and Brazil are facing pressure to launch recoveries after the economic devastation caused by the pandemic. Will they backslide on their Paris climate agreement commitments, or will the expected return of the United States to the pact encourage them to build a more sustainable economic future?

Topics in Focus:

Explore Energy and Environment

Commentary

Local Communities Need a Voice in How to 'Build Back Better'

Long before it was popularized and made its way into political slogans and economic recovery battle cries, the phrase “building back better” was a central tenet of disaster recovery and community resilience. How should community voices be incorporated into “building back better” processes?

Jan 12, 2021
Commentary

Previous Disasters Provide Important Lessons for Central America's Recovery from Hurricanes

As the global community works together to assist Central America in recovering from the disastrous 2020 hurricane season, experiences from other recent disaster recovery efforts offer some helpful lessons, both for the governments of the region as well as outsiders providing resources and support.

Jan 11, 2021
Journal Article

Achievements and Needs for the Climate Change Scenario Framework

Over the past ten years, the climate change research community has developed a scenario framework combining alternative futures of climate and society to facilitate integrated research and consistent assessment to inform policy. Here we assess how well this framework is working and what challenges it faces.

Jan 6, 2021
Journal Article

Approaches to Analyzing the Vulnerability of Community Water Systems to Groundwater Contamination in Los Angeles County

This paper details the objectives, process and lessons learned from a workshop-based research project that examined the spatial extent of groundwater contamination in Los Angeles County's groundwater basins.

Dec 22, 2020
Journal Article

Exploring the Application of Machine Learning for Downscaling Climate Projections

In this proof-of-concept study, datasets derived from both observations and climate models were used together to train and test statistical methods to downscale.

Dec 22, 2020
Journal Article

Research in Mathematics and Public Policy

This volume features a variety of research projects at the intersection of mathematics and public policy. The topics included here fall in the areas of cybersecurity and climate change.

Dec 17, 2020
Tool

Mid-Atlantic Regional Climate Impacts Summary and Outlook: Fall 2020

This climate summary aims to inform Mid-Atlantic policymakers and practitioners about fall 2020 weather, regional climate trends, and the upcoming winter season. A tool shows historic tropical cyclone tracks in the Mid-Atlantic from 1980 to 2020.

Dec 16, 2020
Journal Article

The Measurement of Disaster Recovery Efficiency Using Data Envelopment Analysis: An Application to Electric Power Restoration

This paper considers disaster severity to assess efficiency for electric utilities. We provide an application to recent post-hurricane restoration activities across different electric power companies in the states and territories of the United States.

Dec 15, 2020
Report

When Hurricanes Happen During Pandemics

Hurricanes can change patterns of mobility and expand the spread of COVID-19, for example, to communal shelters. On the other hand, fear of the virus could cause people who might otherwise evacuate to shelter in place, resulting in more deaths from a hurricane. How can policymakers prepare for this threat?

Dec 9, 2020
Commentary

Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning Are Important Tools to Improve Cost Estimation for Natural Disasters in Electric Utilities

Natural disasters in the United States cause billions of dollars of damage to electric infrastructure every year. Artificial intelligence and machine learning, if applied in a disaster recovery context for electrical utilities, might significantly improve cost estimating capability and responsiveness.

Dec 4, 2020
Blog

Restoring Public Trust, COVID-19 and Thanksgiving, Vaccinating Teachers: RAND Weekly Recap

This weekly recap focuses on how the Biden-Harris administration can restore public trust, the risk of Thanksgiving becoming a super-spreader event, why teachers should be among the first to get a COVID19 vaccination, and more.

Nov 25, 2020
Commentary

Disaster Reporting and Its Impacts on Policy and Inequities

Disaster news tropes may capture audience attention, but they ultimately frustrate progress in mitigating the short- and long-term effects of disasters on communities. It's more important than ever that news stories about disasters frame the effects of environmental phenomena in meaningful ways.

Nov 16, 2020
Blog

Veterans Day, Psychedelic Drug Policy, Family Caregivers: RAND Weekly Recap

This weekly recap focuses supporting veterans with mental health and substance use disorders, changes to psychedelic drug policy, the vital role of family caregivers, and more.

Nov 13, 2020
Report

Recovery in the U.S. Virgin Islands: Progress, Challenges, and Options for the Future

This report provides analysis to help the U.S. Virgin Islands accelerate recovery from the 2017 hurricanes. It describes goals, accomplishments, challenges, and steps needed to improve recovery capacities, infrastructure, the economy, and services.

Nov 11, 2020
Journal Article

Health Effects of Heat Vulnerability in Rio De Janeiro: A Validation Model for Policy Applications

Here we investigate how to construct and validate a heat vulnerability index given uncertainty ranges in data for the city of Rio de Janeiro. We find that we can validate the heat vulnerability index against excess deaths during heat waves.

Nov 10, 2020
Commentary

Another Record-Breaking Fire Season Shows the Need for a Comprehensive Strategy

Year after year, fires across western U.S. states scorch forests, rangeland, and neighborhoods, wreaking havoc on rural economies and pushing smoke into cities. Policymakers should consider a coordinated and comprehensive effort that brings together the best minds in government, communities, and academia.

Nov 6, 2020
Research Brief

Green Infrastructure Can Help Manage Rainfall in an Urban Watershed

Urbanization, inadequate investment in aging infrastructure, and more-frequent heavy rainfall events due to climate change have led to sewer overflows, flooding, and reduced water quality in U.S. cities. The challenges of increasing volumes of stormwater can be addressed by a mix of solutions.

Oct 29, 2020
Report

Managing Heavy Rainfall with Green Infrastructure

An evaluation of Pittsburgh's Negley Run watershed shows how green stormwater infrastructure could reduce flooding and provide positive economic benefits in areas that face urgent flood risk.

Oct 26, 2020

1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
Next

Research conducted by