March 2010 David Yates, Jack Sieber, Annette Huber-Lee, Hector Galbraith, Jordan West, Susan Herrod-Julius, Chuck Young, Brian Joyce and Mohammad Rayej won the award for the paper Climate Driven Water Resources Model of the Sacramento Basin, California. The award will be presented during the World Environmental & Water Resources Congress.
February 2010 Liz Stanton has started a blog on climate economics, covering public policy, recent research and more. Visit the blog.
January 2010 SEI’s LEAP modeling system will be used to develop a new energy and climate mitigation model for the State that will examine how the 2020 and 2050 GWSA goals can best be met. More information
January 2010, by Monique Mikhal Drawing on 8 years experience, this paper describes the critical components of multiple-use water services projects in Nepal and the outcomes seen at the community level and explores opportunities for future global MUS implementation. Download the paper
January 2010, by Frank Ackerman This report is an evaluation of the Varshney-Tootelian critiques of AB 32 and other regulations. Varshney and Tootelian have authored two recent reports on the economic impact of implementing California’s greenhouse gas law, AB 32, and on the cost of state regulation on California small businesses. Their studies predict that AB 32 will result in losses as large as 10% of California's output, and that the losses from state regulation overall are responsible for a loss of one-third of California’s output. Both studies are unsound and unreliable economic analysis. The losses they project would be serious economic impacts – if they were real. They are, however, entirely unreal; they should be viewed merely as daydreams of disaster. Download the report
December 2009 Kartha, S., Siebert, C.K, Mathur, R., Nakicenovic, N., Ramanathan, V., Rockström, J., Schellnhuber, H.J, Srivastava, L. and Watt, R. A concise diagnosis of the state of the bioshpere and observed trends and offers a treatment plan that is consistent with a 2°C warming threshold, equity and economic development. More information and download the report. More information and download report
November 2009 Paul Baer and Tom Athanasiou (EcoEquity), Sivan Kartha (SEI) What would it actually take to bring the atmospheric CO2 concentration back to 350 parts per million? This memo provides a quick, up-to-date overview of the issues. In particular, it specifies a representative emissions pathway consistent with a 350 ppm concentration target. It then compares this 350 pathway to an emission pathway consistent with a 2°C temperature target. Download a PDF of this paper.
12/1/2009 Charles Heaps, Pete Erickson, Sivan Kartha, Eric Kemp-Benedict This report examines how Europe can show leadership in keeping global climate change within these limits: firstly, by undertaking domestic actions to rapidly reduce emissions of greenhouse gases (GHGs), and secondly, by fulfilling its international obligations to help other countries address the twin crises of climate change and development. More information and download report
12/2/2009 The new Google Earth-based tools help to visualize climate change impacts in California. Funded by the California Energy Commission and Google.org, SEI has developed a web site using the Google Earth platform to display an interactive tour on climate change in the State. More Information
October 2009 America’s largest network of independent climate economists has issued a major new report showing that the more aggressive world leaders are in curbing world carbon emissions, the greater the economic benefits will be. The two lead authors, SEI researchers Frank Ackerman and Elizabeth A. Stanton, co-authored the report with researchers from universities and think-tanks across the country. The report argues that a worldwide effort to lower atmospheric carbon concentrations to 350 parts per million is affordable; it can create more new jobs, spur more innovation and protect businesses, governments and households from the damages caused by the rapid heating of the earth. More information, download press release and full report.
October 2009 For an overview of the US Center's current projects and publications, read our 2009 US Center Report.
June 2009 SEI's Carbon Offset Research and Education (CORE) website provides an up-to-date analysis and synthesis of the most influential offset programs and activities. It reflects on lessons learned, and aims to inform consumers as well as participants and designers of current and future offset programs.
SEI senior researcher Frank Ackerman played a leading role in developing a new website launched by Economics for Equity and the Environment Network (E3, www.RealClimateEconomics.org, to demonstrate the weight of economic analysis in the peer reviewed literature that supports immediate, large-scale policy responses to the climate crisis. read more...
June 2009, SEI Working Paper US10-01 (version 1: US09-04) Michael Lazarus, Carrie Lee, Gordon Smith Kimberly Todd, Melissa Weitz, U.S. EPA Download paper here (version 2). Changes in Version 2.0: In June 2009, the authors published the first version of their road test analysis. Since that time, several offset programs have updated their protocols and have provided feedback on version 1. This version incorporates these revised protocols (CAR’s forest project protocol and all of CCX’s project protocols), modifications to some of the sample projects, and clarifications based on reviewer comments.
June 2009, SEI Discussion Paper Anja Kollmuss and Allison Myers Crimmins The second of two papers that examine the key factors that have to be taken into account when calculating air travel emissions for the purpose of climate footprint and offset calculations. The paper is written for a non-technical audience and explains how to account for non-CO2 impacts of air travel emissions. More Information and download paper
June 2009, SEI Working Paper US09-08 Elizabeth A. Stanton, Frank Ackerman Download paper here.
March 2009, SEI Working Paper US09-07 Elizabeth A. Stanton Download paper here.
March 2009, SEI Working Paper US09-06 Frank Ackerman, June 16, 2009 Download paper here.
June 2009, SEI Working Paper US09-03 Peter Erickson, Charles Heaps, and Michael Lazarus. Download paper here.
25. – 27.5.2009 in Syria Download conference report (pdf)
May 2009 Liz Stanton and Frank Ackerman are co-authors, along with Kristen Sheeran, Director of Economics for Equity and the Environment (E3 Network), of a report on interstate differences in per capita GHGs. It explains why some states have much lower emissions than others and helps clarify the potential regional impacts of policies, such as cap-and-trade, which will impose a price on energy-related carbon dioxide emissions. More...
April 28 & 29, 2009 SEI co-sponsored the Biological Sequestration through GHG Offsets: Identifying the Challenges and Evaluating Potential Solutions workshop organized by the World Resource Institute. The workshop convened technical representatives of key U.S. and Canadian federal agencies, RGG), WCI, MGGRA, and the Province of Alberta together. Michael Lazarus presented on Offset Supply Potential: Uncertainties and Implications
The annual report is now available here.
6 - 7 May 2009, Arabian Gulf University Bill Dougherty speaks on “Vulnerability of Arab countries to climate change “
April 15, 2009 Marisa Escobar and David Purkey presented: Assessing the Impact of Climate Change on a Glaciated Watershed in Peru. Download presentation (pdf)
April 23, 2009 Frank Ackerman testified before the US House of Representatives subcommittee on Energy and Environment on ‘The Climate Crisis: National Security, Public Health, and Economic Threats’. Download testimony, read Ackerman's blog about the testimony
April 9, 2009 Frank Ackerman's review of Nicholas Stern’s newly released book, “A Blueprint for a Safer Planet,” Nature Reports: Climate Change at nature.com.
January 2009 Frank Ackerman offers a refreshing look at the economics of climate change, explaining how the arbitrary assumptions of conventional theories get in the way of understanding this urgent problem. read more...
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December 2008 For a detailed and yet short explanation of Greenhouse Development Rights, see the Executive Summary of the second edition. Download the 2nd Edition here.
December 2008 This report discusses the role of offsets and reviews and compares offset programs of 24 mandatory and voluntary market mechanisms. Read more..
December 2008 SEI staff Charlie Heaps and Anja Kollmuss have authored the mitigation module of the new UNFCCC Resource Guides on Preparing National Communications for Non Annex 1 (NAI) Parties. The module introduces the basic concepts behind performing a mitigation assessment, reviews mitigation options in different sectors of the economy, outlines barriers to mitigation and provides a brief introduction to alternative modeling tools for mitigation assessment. The mitigation module is available here. A companion module about vulnerability and adaptation to climate change is available here.
Taking Climate Change Seriously: Research and Policy Directions for the Next US Administration Friday, December 5, 2008 Over 150 participants attended our recent symposium. To learn more and to access symposium materials click here.
August and October 2008 The SEI modeling tools for energy planning (LEAP) and water resources modeling (WEAP) are used globally. Training workshops are ongoing, a WEAP training was recently held in Iran and a LEAP training in Peru.
SEI staff Frank Ackerman testified at the Sept. 18, 2008 hearing of the House Ways and Means Committee, on the costs of inaction on climate change.
May 2008 New study on the costs of inaction for the U.S. economy by Frank Ackerman and Elizabeth A. Stanton. Commissioned by the Natural Resource Defense Council (NRDC), this report presents both a detailed analysis of four major categories of climate costs, and comprehensive modeling of climate impacts on the economy as a whole. More information
SEI staff Eric Kemp-Benedict has published new paper on an approach to cross-sector project planning developed in the context of a climate change adaptation strategy being carried out in Ghana. More information
Food, Feed and Fuels, a Knowledge Survey and Framework Hammerschlag, R; et al. More information
June 2008 New study by Ramón Bueno, Cornelia Herzfeld, Elizabeth Stanton, and Frank Ackerman. Commissioned by Environmental Defense Fund (EDF), this is the first detailed analysis of the potential economic effects of continued climate change for the entire Caribbean region. More information
Two new SEI reports commissioned by Friends of the Earth (FOE), examine the UK Government’s approach for evaluating the economics of climate change. The first report examines DEFRA’s new approach for assigning a damage cost to CO2 emissions. The second report critically assesses how the UK government is proposing to assess the costs and benefits of expanding Heathrow Airport. The FOE press release for this report is available here. For more information, please contact the lead author, Liz Stanton.
A new SEI study reports that CO2 emissions associated with UK consumption increased by 18%, between 1992 and 2004 – in sharp contrast to official figures which report a decline of 5%. The difference is due to a fuller accounting to not only include emissions occurring within the nation’s borders but also those caused by goods imported into the UK. The research was funded by the UK Government and undertaken by SEI’s Center at the University of York in the UK and the Centre for Integrated Sustainability Analysis (ISA) in Sydney, Australia. More Information
Sivan Kartha The Right to Development in a Climate Constrained World:Greenhouse Development Rights Framework. More information
May 2, 2008 Anja Kollmuss & Jessica Lane Release of first of two papers on air travel emissions calculations for the purpose of carbon offsetting. More information
March 10, 2008 Anja Kollmuss Release of a comprehensive new report on the voluntary carbon offset market. More information and download paper
June 2008 A new book by Frank Ackerman presents a critique of cost-benefit analysis and describes an alternative, precautionary approach to policy for toxic chemicals. The research was done at the Global Development And Environment Institute (GDAE) a research institute at Tufts University. More Information (external link to GDAE)
March 26, 2008 Frank Ackerman Hearing of the European Parliament's Temporary Committee on Climate Change (CLIM), Brussels
December 10, 2007 The Right to Development in a Climate Constrained World: Sivan Kartha of SEI will be presenting the Greenhouse Development Rights Framework. More information
November 28, 2007 The report is the first detailed analysis on the potential consequences of continued climate change for the state’s economy. More information
November 2007 In this paper, Eric Kemp-Benedict, provides a theoretical rule for estimating residuals in scenarios. More information
November 30, 2007 Researchers from SEI and Tufts University gave a symposium on global climate change. More Information and PowerPoint Slides
Somerville, MA, October 24, 2007 SEI announces the release of a major new version of LEAP, its Windows-based software for climate change mitigation and energy policy analysis.
Somerville, MA, September 2007 SEI has released a new version of its water planning model, WEAP. This new version includes advanced models for surface water quality and groundwater flows, and a new modeling architecture for linking WEAP to other models. Full announcement
