Skip to page content

Global Climate Change

Featured

Global climate models developed by the UN's Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change predict glacial retreat, rises in sea level, and other impacts on human and natural activity, from agriculture to migratory patterns. RAND researchers have studied and are continuing to examine the effects of climate change, particularly how governments and businesses respond to both observed changes and projected scenarios.

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
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

Explore Global Climate Change

Essay
Costa Rica Leads the Way in Cutting Carbon Emissions
Almost every country has pledged to slash carbon emissions to slow the gears of global warming. Costa Rica's plan provides a glimpse of what a carbon-neutral future will look like. It shows how nations can take action and make investments that hold up, regardless of what future comes to pass.
Aug 30, 2021
Multimedia
Climate Change: An Issue of Equity
RAND senior policy researcher Benjamin Preston describes areas where climate change and equity intersect.
Aug 26, 2021
Commentary
Climate Change Is Only One Driver of Explosive Wildfire Season—Don't Forget Land Management
The fire seasons that have been scorching huge areas and wiping entire towns from the map appear to be the future. Accepting that wildland fires are a part of our environment and working to live with fires rather than continuously fighting against them may be the most responsible path forward.
Aug 16, 2021
Report
Addressing societal challenges in Norway: Key trends, future scenarios, missions and structural measures
Through a series of nine reports, the study identified priority missions that the Research Council of Norway could consider implementing in the future to address societal challenges, and potential structural measures needed to enable a resilient R&I environment in Norway.
Aug 9, 2021
Report
How Can the Department of the Air Force Prepare for Natural Hazards?
Some Air Force facilities are exposed to flooding, high winds, wildfires, or even multiple hazards. Future costs of damages are uncertain, and climate change could affect the frequency and scale of these hazards. The process for making investment decisions regarding resilience should be flexible.
Aug 9, 2021
Journal Article
Arctic Shipping Guidance from the CMIP6 Ensemble on Operational and Infrastructural Timescales
The expectation of a seasonally ice-free Arctic by mid-century has sparked interest in Arctic opportunities and risks. This paper presents a framework for obtaining more timely and salient information to guide decisions relevant to operational and infrastructural horizons.
Jul 30, 2021
Report
Exploring Gaps in Arctic Governance
Conditions in the Arctic region are evolving, driven by such factors as climate change, economics, and geopolitics. What are the risks that come with these changes—and how could governance in the Arctic adapt to mitigate them?
Jul 27, 2021
Blog
Paying College Athletes, Preventing Suicide, Planning for Heatwaves: RAND Weekly Recap
This weekly recap focuses on a potential step toward paying college athletes, helping college freshmen overcome COVID-19 learning loss, the effects of U.S. sanctions in Syria, more.
Jul 16, 2021
Report
Incentivizing Solar: Catalyzing Solar Energy Technology Adoption to Address the Challenge of Climate Change
The authors provide an overview of the U.S. solar energy market and identify federal incentives that can help decarbonize the U.S. economy. They also explore solar reliability, job benefits, and availability to disadvantaged communities.
Jul 14, 2021
Tool
Developing Future Projected Intensity-Duration-Frequency (IDF) Curves: Technical Report
To support stormwater managers in the Chesapeake Bay Watershed and Virginia in adapting to climate change, this study updated intensity-duration-frequency (IDF) curves, a common tool used for stormwater infrastructure design, to reflect future climate changes.
Jul 9, 2021
Tool
Mid-Atlantic Regional Climate Impacts Summary and Outlook: Spring 2021
This climate summary aims to inform Mid-Atlantic policymakers and practitioners about spring 2021, regional climate trends, and the upcoming summer season. A tool shows flooding in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania under historic and future climate.
Jun 21, 2021
Multimedia
Crisis Response in a Changing Climate
In this audio conversation, senior analyst Lucia Retter is joined by Lieutenant General Richard Nugee, the nonexecutive director for climate change and sustainability for UK Defence, to discuss a study on the implications of climate change for UK defence logistics in crisis response situations.
Jun 4, 2021
Blog
Reopening the U.S. Economy, Geoengineering, 5G: RAND Weekly Recap
This weekly recap focuses on the potential effects of reopening the economy before the White House's vaccination goal is met, students' learning experiences during the pandemic, competition in the 5G era, and more.
May 28, 2021
Journal Article
The Impact of Black Carbon Emissions from Projected Arctic Shipping on Regional Ice Transport
Diverting shipping emissions from the Suez Canal to the Arctic will influence regional evolution of sea ice cover with regional differences in future sea ice retreat. These results are likely to have policy implications with expansion of industrial activities into the Arctic.
May 26, 2021
Report
What Are the Geopolitical Risks of Geoengineering?
Geoengineering is the intentional manipulation of an environmental process on Earth to counteract the effects of climate change. Geoengineering implementation could introduce geopolitical risks. This raises the question of whether existing international governance mechanisms can manage these risks.
May 25, 2021
Commentary
Blinken's Arctic Opportunities
Continued positive U.S. engagement in the Arctic Council could be important for balancing the influence of Russia and China, and in moving toward the Biden administration's climate change goals. Washington's new priority on climate change could be an issue that will now bind, rather than divide, Arctic states.
May 19, 2021
Commentary
COVID-19 and Climate Change Both Require One Generation to Sacrifice for Another
COVID-19 and climate change are both global phenomena that left unmanaged will inflict excruciating human and economic tolls. They also require a similar mix of approaches to solve. But they have one more similarity that attracts less attention: they both require one generation to change behavior in support of another.
May 17, 2021
Report
Crisis Response in a Changing Climate: Implications of Climate Change for UK Defence Logistics in Humanitarian Assistance and Disaster Relief (HADR) and Military Aid to the Civil Authorities (MACA) Operations
This study identifies the implications of climate change for defence logistics in crisis response operations. It identifies challenges to, and policy options for better delivery of, crisis response.
May 4, 2021
Journal Article
A Framework for Complex Climate Change Risk Assessment
In this perspective, we present a framework for three categories of increasingly complex climate change risk that focus on interactions among the multiple drivers of risk, as well as among multiple risks.
Apr 28, 2021
Multimedia
Successes in the Fight Against Climate Change
RAND senior policy researcher Benjamin Preston presents several climate change successes from recent years.
Apr 22, 2021

Previous
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
Next

RAND Topic:
Global Climate Change

Topic Synonyms:
Climate Change;
Global Warming

Research conducted by