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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.

Commentary

For Americans Uprooted by Climate Change, Mental Health Is the Next Crisis

Mar 15, 2021

Across the United States, climate change is leading to migration. The challenges climate migrants face are not limited to basic needs, such as housing and employment. Rather, displacement may also create trauma. It's imperative that policymakers take mental health into account when devising climate change policies.
Multimedia

RAND Remote: Partnering with Communities on Puerto Rico Disaster Recovery

Feb 25, 2021

In this RAND Remote conversation, Marielena Lara and Gabriela Castro discuss the partnered approach they used to support reconstruction and recovery efforts in Puerto Rico in the aftermath of Hurricanes Irma and Maria.

Topics in Focus:

Explore Energy and Environment

Commentary

'Joe-Yoshi' Spirit Buoys Japan-U.S. Alliance in Turbulent Seas

President Biden and Prime Minister Suga appear to have established a warm, personal rapport while communicating a clear vision of the importance of working together to end the pandemic, combat climate change, preserve a free and open Indo-Pacific, and defend democracy.

Apr 20, 2021
Commentary

China Does Not Have to Be America's Enemy in the Middle East

China and Iran made a deal in which China promised to boost its investment in Iranian infrastructure in exchange for a steady supply of oil. This uptick in Chinese influence does not necessarily erode U.S. power in the region. The United States may even find overlapping interests with China since both have a stake in containing conflicts and instability.

Apr 19, 2021
Commentary

Loose-Fit Infrastructure Can Better Account for Climate Change

As climate change accelerates there is a growing disconnect between what our infrastructure systems can do and what we need them to do. Policymakers should view infrastructure investments as not simply hardware fixes and upgrades, but as efforts to close this gap.

Apr 8, 2021
Commentary

Now Is (Finally) the Time to Future-Proof Our Infrastructure

The world is barreling toward a more volatile climate with infrastructure designed for the past. With infrastructure widely expected to be prioritized in Congress soon, every infrastructure bill is also a climate bill. It is critical that we make our infrastructure climate-safe.

Apr 1, 2021
Commentary

Navigating Speed Bumps to a Possible Federal Vehicle Miles Traveled Fee

It's been clear for years that the gas tax has been losing its ability to pay for America's existing roads and bridges, let alone improvements and new construction. A vehicle miles traveled fee could provide a potential option for a 21st-century transportation funding system.

Mar 26, 2021
Blog

Supporting Asian Americans, U.S. Gun Policy, Climate Migrants: RAND Weekly Recap

This weekly recap focuses on how to support Asian Americans, the U.S. gun policy debate, the education “arms race,” and more.

Mar 26, 2021
Commentary

The Pentagon Could Help Improve Resilience of the U.S. Electric Grid

The resilience and robustness of the U.S. electric grid needs to be improved, especially given the likely increased occurrence and magnitude of natural disasters due to climate change. This is where government entities that operate large facilities in the United States, such as the Department of Defense, can potentially play a role.

Mar 25, 2021
Journal Article

The Societal Benefits of Vehicle Connectivity

This scenario analysis suggests that actions focused on enhancing equity in any push towards vehicle connectivity represent a low-regrets option for public, private, and civil society actors.

Mar 18, 2021
Tool

Mid-Atlantic Regional Climate Impacts Summary and Outlook: Winter 2020–2021

This climate summary aims to inform Mid-Atlantic policymakers and practitioners about winter 2020–2021 weather, regional climate trends, and the upcoming spring season. A tool shows historic snowfall in the Mid-Atlantic from 1981 to 2019.

Mar 17, 2021
Testimony

Core Principles of Public Health Emergency Preparedness

Public health emergencies are defined by their consequences, not their causes. That means infectious disease outbreaks such as COVID-19 qualify, but so do some hurricanes and terrorist attacks. What can policymakers do to support effective public health emergency preparedness?

Mar 16, 2021
Commentary

Climate Change Migration: Developing a Security Strategy for All

Over the past decade, an average of 21.5 million people annually have been forced to move due to the impacts of extreme weather. Building an understanding of the intersection between climate change, migration, and security is crucial and should take into account that many who face the most direct impacts of climate change are already among the most vulnerable.

Mar 15, 2021
Periodical

RAND Review: March-April 2021

The cover story highlights research on improving the police response to homelessness; a second feature focuses on the millions of caregivers who provide support services to chronically ill loved ones but are not integrated into health care teams.

Mar 11, 2021
Tool

Water Planning for the Uncertain Future: An Interactive Guide to the Use of Methods for Decisionmaking Under Deep Uncertainty (DMDU) for U.S. Bureau of Reclamation Water Resources Planning

Recent climatic shifts are likely to continue to affect water resources management in significant but uncertain ways. This tool provides information about decisionmaking under deep uncertainty methods—specifically, Robust Decision Making.

Mar 8, 2021
Journal Article

Infrastructure Resilience to Navigate Increasingly Uncertain and Complex Conditions in the Anthropocene

Resilience theory can help infrastructure managers navigate increasing complexity of the systems and environments in which they operate.

Mar 4, 2021
Journal Article

The Family Crisis Migration Stress Framework: A Framework to Understand the Mental Health Effects of Crisis Migration on Children and Families Caused by Disasters

We synthesize relevant theories and models of disaster, migration, and family resilience to create a framework to organize the complex processes that occur within families as a result of migration and that affect the mental health of children.

Mar 2, 2021
Blog

Teachers Quit Due to Stress, Peace in Yemen, America's Middle Class: RAND Weekly Recap

This weekly recap focuses on how stress leads teachers to quit their jobs, U.S. strategy in the Middle East, America's shrinking middle class, and more.

Feb 26, 2021
Commentary

California Needs a More Flexible Approach to Sea Level Rise Planning

Rising seas create significant risk to the health, safety, and economic vitality of California's coast communities, and we must prepare. A contingency-planning approach would provide flexible action over time and would build capacity that California and the nation need to respond to the many other serious and growing climate-related risks.

Feb 18, 2021
Tool

Chesapeake Bay Model Inventory and Selection Tool (MIST)

The Model Inventory and Selection Tool (MIST) is an interactive, searchable database of empirical, statistical, and conceptual models relevant to water- and climate-related planning and decisionmaking in the Chesapeake Bay watershed and beyond.

Feb 16, 2021

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