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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.

Research Brief

Green Infrastructure Can Help Manage Rainfall in an Urban Watershed

Oct 29, 2020

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.
Commentary

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

Nov 6, 2020

Year after year, fires across western U.S. states scorch forests, rangeland, and neighborhoods, wreaking havoc on rural economies and pushing smoke into cities. To help navigate our future living with wildfire, policymakers might consider a coordinated and comprehensive effort that brings together the best minds in government, communities, and academia.

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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 26, 2020
Report

The Benefits and Costs of Decarbonizing Costa Rica's Economy

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.

Nov 24, 2020
Commentary

Disaster Reporting and Its Impacts on Policy and Inequities

Disaster news tropes may capture audiences' attention to news sites, feeds, and networks, but they ultimately frustrate progress in mitigating the short-term and long-term effects of disasters on communities. It's more important than ever that news stories about disasters in the time of a pandemic frame the impacts 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
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
Journal Article

Framework for a Community Health Observing System for the Gulf of Mexico Region: Preparing for Future Disasters

We propose the creation of a Gulf of Mexico Community Health Observing System, focused on effects of disasters on the health and well-being of people and their communities.

Oct 21, 2020
Blog

Russian Propaganda, Domestic Terrorism, America's Electric Grid: RAND Weekly Recap

This weekly recap focuses on how Americans react to Russian memes on Facebook, the possibility of domestic terrorism during election season, protecting the U.S. electric grid, and more.

Oct 16, 2020
Commentary

The Downside of a Lean Electric Grid

The electric grid is central to U.S. national security. Recent disasters provide an example of the downsides of leanness. It's more costly to be less lean, but given our dependence on the electric grid and the increasing prevalence of disasters, safety and resilience may be greater priorities.

Oct 13, 2020
Journal Article

Fossil Fuel–Fired Power Plant Operations Under a Changing Climate

In this analysis, we used a power plant modeling tool to study how a variety of power plant configurations respond to varying meteorological conditions.

Oct 13, 2020
Report

Insuring Public Buildings, Contents, Vehicles, and Equipment Against Disasters

What insurance and financial risk management practices do state and local governments employ for buildings, contents, vehicles, and equipment, and what role does Federal Emergency Management Agency assistance play in these decisions?

Oct 9, 2020
Commentary

HSOAC Hosts Seminar Series on Improving Equity in Disaster Policy

Natural and biological hazards, and critically the human response to these hazards, have the potential not only to exacerbate existing population inequities but also to create them. To better understand the equity implications of disaster policies, the Homeland Security Operational Analysis Center invited several experts to share their knowledge.

Oct 7, 2020
Report

The Education Sector in Puerto Rico After Hurricane Maria: Predisaster Conditions, Hurricane Damage, and Themes for Recovery

Presenting a strategic approach to aid Puerto Rico's recovery from Hurricanes Irma and Maria, the report details prestorm conditions, assesses damage and recovery needs, and describes courses of action for the Education sector.

Sep 30, 2020
Report

Community Planning and Capacity Building in Puerto Rico After Hurricane Maria: Predisaster Conditions, Hurricane Damage, and Courses of Action

The authors detail the status of Puerto Rico's communities leading up to Hurricanes Irma and Maria, the storms' impact on them, and 15 courses of action to improve their capacity for emergency preparedness, communication, and recovery planning.

Sep 30, 2020
Report

Recovery Plan for the Communications and Information Technology Sector After Hurricanes Irma and Maria: Laying the Foundation for the Digital Transformation of Puerto Rico

Authors assess Puerto Rico's communications and information technology sector needs after damage caused during the 2017 hurricanes and present courses of action that will help the sector recover and move forward in a sustainable and resilient manner.

Sep 30, 2020
Report

Challenges and Opportunities for the Puerto Rico Economy: A Review of Evidence and Options Following Hurricanes Irma and Maria in 2017

The authors review Puerto Rico's economic history and provide analysis following the 2017 hurricane season that serves as the context for a set of principles and actions in the recovery plan for rebuilding a healthy economy.

Sep 30, 2020

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