Intelligent energy policies become increasingly crucial as our planet’s population swells. But how can even well intentioned policy makers achieve a balance that will sustain the environment, drive the economy, and still meet global energy needs?
The Center for Energy and Environment Policy Research (CEEPR) at MIT Sloan promotes rigorous and objective empirical research at MIT on issues related to energy and environmental policy. That research is then disseminated through publications, workshops, and public outreach activities to shape and support decision making by government and industry. Areas of research include electricity restructuring, emissions trading, climate change, human welfare and the environment, and investment, finance, and risk management.
Founded in the 1970s, the CEEPR has focused on environmental economics for more than two decades, and is a sponsor of the Joint Program on the Science and Policy of Global Change at MIT. Its research is epitomized by CEEPR Director Christopher R. Knittel, who has quantified the effect of the 2009 federal Car Allowance Rebate System—“Cash for Clunkers”—on consumers, charted the correlations between carbon emissions and business-cycle shocks, and analyzed the potential of supply and demand forces to achieve significant reductions in fossil fuel consumption.
Published in April 2016.