Impact Meeting the goals of the Paris Agreement will require net zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2050 and substantial reductions before then. Many of the technologies for the global energy transition already exist today, yet political barriers slow their deployment. ISEP identifies policy solutions that are implementable and meet both economic and environmental goals.
Research highlight: ISEP researchers study the potential climate, air quality, and green growth benefits of electric vehicles in China and India. This study will show how these two countries can best meet their mobility needs while minimizing carbon emissions and air pollution.
Justice Both climate change and environmental degradation disproportionately affect emerging economies. At the same time, one billion people globally do not yet have reliable access to electricity. Those that do, often suffer from poor air quality resulting from burning of fossil fuels. At ISEP, we work to develop policies that address environmental justice, while improving energy access and reductions in greenhouse gas emissions.
Research highlight: ISEP researchers track household energy use in North India to identify and remove barriers to clean cooking. The ISEP team uses high-frequency telephone surveys to understand how households decide between traditional solid fuels, such as biomass, and cleaner alternatives.
Growth Preventing catastrophic climate change will require unprecedented and rapid transformation of the world’s energy sector, particularly in emerging economies where energy demand continues to grow rapidly. ISEP researchers develop policy proposals that utilize the energy transition as an opportunity for sustainable development, employment, and human development.
Research Highlight Covid Stimulus Tracker. Have governments around the world used economic recovery spending to advance climate goals in the current recession? Creating an inventory of COVID-19-related stimulus spending, ISEP researchers show that the world’s largest economies have missed an opportunity to use the current recession to put their economies on a more sustainable path: only seven percent of aggregate stimulus spending to date has targeted activities to decrease greenhouse gas emissions.
Find out more about our green stimulus in a recent congressional testimony by ISEP fellow Jonas Nahm.