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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
What Climate-Related Conflict Could Mean for U.S. Central Command
Climate change will hit the Middle East and Central Asia especially hard, with effects on both personal well-being and regional stability. It will likely create increased demand for stabilization operations, non-combatant evacuation operations, and humanitarian assistance and disaster relief.
Nov 29, 2023
Commentary
Budget Models Are Underselling the Benefits of Solving Climate Problems
When Congress considers a new law or spending package, analysts calculate its likely impact on the federal budget. When it comes to climate change legislation, those numbers don't capture the whole picture. Potential savings and other benefits get significantly underestimated.
Nov 15, 2023

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Blog
Synthetic Opioids, Ukrainian Grain, the Metaverse: RAND Weekly Recap
This weekly recap focuses on countering the illegal flow of synthetic opioids, freeing up Ukrainian grain to prevent famine, the importance of defining the metaverse, and more.
Jun 24, 2022
Journal Article
Development of Future Scenarios for Sustainable Pesticide Use and Achievement of Pesticide-Use and Risk-Reduction Targets Announced in the Farm to Fork and Biodiversity Strategies by 2030: Executive Summary
We conducted an evidence review of academic and grey literature and legal and regulatory documents to identify the key factors driving pesticide use in the EU. A PESTLE framework was used to structure the approach and identify potential factors across different influence areas.
Jun 24, 2022
Journal Article
Development of Future Scenarios for Sustainable Pesticide Use and Achievement of Pesticide-Use and Risk-Reduction Targets Announced in the Farm to Fork and Biodiversity Strategies by 2030
We conducted an evidence review of academic and grey literature and legal and regulatory documents to identify the key factors driving pesticide use in the EU. A PESTLE framework was used to structure the approach and identify potential factors across different influence areas.
Jun 24, 2022
Report
Streamlining Emergency Management: Issues, Impacts, and Options for Improvement
Researchers sought ways to streamline, simplify, and strengthen the U.S. emergency management system, assessing how overlap, duplication, and fragmentation could affect implementation and outcomes. They propose options and discuss trade-offs of each.
Jun 24, 2022
Multimedia
Preparing for California's Edible Food Recovery Mandate: Findings from the Los Angeles Food Recovery Study
Under a new state law, California must significantly reduce organic waste and recover some edible food from going to landfill by 2025. Is Los Angeles County prepared for the new mandate?
Jun 21, 2022
Report
California's Edible Food Recovery Mandate: One Solution for Two Problems
Organic waste in landfills emits 20 percent of California's methane, and about 1.1 million tons of potentially donatable food were discarded in 2018. California's food recovery mandate, Senate Bill 1383, could make an important contribution toward mitigating the climate crisis and food insecurity.
Jun 21, 2022
Research Brief
Future Price Forecasting in the Wake of Large-Scale Disasters: The Case of Puerto Rico After Hurricane María
Large-scale disaster recovery projects in isolated areas likely require unique future price forecasting. This brief describes an occupational analysis and model to estimate the effects of recovery on the price of labor, materials, and equipment.
Jun 17, 2022
Report
Forecasting Public Recovery Expenditures' Effect on Construction Prices and the Demand for Construction Labor
Researchers developed cost-estimating tools and estimated future construction costs for Puerto Rico's recovery from Hurricane María. This report documents their approach, data, findings, and recommendations.
Jun 17, 2022
Multimedia
Climate Change and Implications for Disasters in the United States
Climate change is contributing to more frequent and more severe disasters. In this video, three RAND researchers discuss climate change and risks for disasters in the United States, drawing on examples from the Arctic, the Caribbean, the Northeast, and the Gulf states.
Jun 10, 2022
Report
Developing a Community-Led Certification Process for Facility Power Outage Resilience: Findings from a Massachusetts Pilot Study
A research team articulated power outage resilience metrics via stakeholder interviews and a literature review, piloted a certification program, and used focus groups to assess the Massachusetts Clean Energy and Resiliency program's effectiveness.
Jun 8, 2022
Journal Article
Disasters and Indigenous Peoples: A Critical Discourse Analysis of the Expert News Media
In this article, we aim to understand framings of Indigenous peoples in disaster management through a critical discourse analysis of how Indigenous peoples in disasters are represented in the expert news media.
May 19, 2022
Commentary
How Could the United States Incentivize Investors to Decarbonize the Economy?
While mandatory climate-related disclosure may improve information and decisionmaking for investors, it alone is unlikely to accelerate investment in decarbonization at the rate needed. To motivate private investment in climate mitigation, policymakers could explore additional policies.
May 12, 2022
Report
Managing Response to Significant Cyber Incidents: Comparing Event Life Cycles and Incident Response Across Cyber and Non-Cyber Events
This report examines U.S. structures and processes for non-cyber emergency management and whether U.S. officials can learn from these other incidents to help public and private sector stakeholders improve preparations for response to cyber incidents.
May 12, 2022
Blog
A Peacekeeping Operation in Ukraine, Synthetic Opioids, Geoengineering: RAND Weekly Recap
This weekly recap focuses on why it may be time to consider a peacekeeping operation in northern Ukraine, supporting veterans with traumatic brain injury, a new response to synthetic opioids, and more.
Apr 29, 2022
Project
The Risks of Geoengineering
Geoengineering—the intentional manipulation of the climate—could help curb global warming, but it could also have world-altering consequences. In a new animated video, RAND artists-in-residence Juan Delcan and Valentina Izaguirre take a lighthearted look at this serious issue.
Apr 27, 2022
Commentary
Amid Climate Change, These Tech and Policy Experts See Reason for Optimism
To slow climate change and adapt to the damage already underway, the world will have to shift how it generates and uses energy, transports people and goods, designs buildings, and grows food. That starts with embracing innovation and change.
Apr 18, 2022
Multimedia
Observed Impacts, Future Risks, and Adaptation Solutions
An overview of testimony by Robert J. Lempert presented before the Minnesota House of Representatives Committee on Climate and Energy Finance and Policy on March 10, 2022.
Apr 13, 2022
Commentary
Russia Does Not Seem to Be After Ukraine's Gas Reserves
There seems to be very little reason to believe that the true stakes of the war in Ukraine are the country's natural gas reserves, as some have speculated. Ukrainian gas fields appear too small to justify the costs of the invasion, too hard to keep, and almost impossible for Russia to exploit.
Apr 11, 2022
Report
Defining Recognized and Generally Accepted Good Engineering Practices for Process Safety Management
The author presents the origin and intention of recognized and generally accepted good engineering practices (RAGAGEP), points of disagreement about the definition, and recommendations for complying with RAGAGEP.
Apr 11, 2022
Report
Assessing Risk to the National Critical Functions as a Result of Climate Change
National Critical Functions (NCFs) are government and private-sector functions so vital that their disruption would debilitate security, the economy, public health, or safety. Researchers developed a risk management framework to assess and manage the risk that climate change poses to the NCFs and use the framework to assess 27 priority NCFs.
Apr 5, 2022

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Research conducted by

Researcher Spotlight

Jalal Awan

Ph.D. Candidate, Pardee RAND Graduate School, and Assistant Policy Researcher, RAND

Jalal Awan (he/him) is a doctoral candidate at the Pardee RAND Graduate School and an assistant policy analyst at RAND. Prior to joining RAND, he worked as an electrical projects engineer with hands-on experience on industrial electrical and control systems. His research involves energy and…
James D. Powers

Quality Assurance Manager, RAND National Security Research Division

James D. Powers is a RAND senior engineer and the Quality Assurance Manager for the National Security Research Division. Since joining RAND, Powers has led or co-led projects on F-35 cost reduction, cybersecurity in Air Force acquisition, Air Force energy assurance, and advanced manufacturing…

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