The emergence and development of hydraulic fracturing, commonly known as “fracking,” has had a substantial impact on global energy production. In the United States, this process, by which water and other chemicals are forced into buried shale rock to extract n... More »
The proliferation of renewable energy such as wind and solar power is rapidly changing the United States’ electrical grid. The growth of renewables has created a need for flexible resources capable of responding quickly to variability in electrical generation—... More »
Less than a month after the 2016 elections, a lame duck session of Congress passed the bipartisan Citizen Science and Crowdsourcing Act of 2016, granting federal agencies explicit authority to advance their missions in partnership with individuals, private and... More »
In the United States, water resources have been historically plentiful, and groundwater consumption is generally not well-managed. However, as demand increases and the effects of climate change strain groundwater resources, the need to monitor consumption habi... More »
With a year that included severe monsoon flooding in Bangladesh, earthquakes in Mexico, and hurricanes in the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans, 2017 was an exceptionally bad year for natural disasters. Policies can help mitigate these tragedies, but to start we mus... More »
Technology for automated vehicles has developed rapidly over the past few years. The vehicles’ safety and convenience make them increasingly popular. At the same time, it has necessitated the introduction of new legislation to regulate an expanding market. On ... More »
The 2017 Atlantic hurricane season was one of the priciest on record, mirroring a global trend of natural disasters becoming more expensive. Understanding the impacts of these natural disasters has become increasingly important. Researchers often model these i... More »
In the face of climate change, the most effective way to ensure that greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions are slowed or stopped is by transitioning to a low-carbon economy. From an economic standpoint, however, this switch is no easy feat. A recently published study... More »
The implementation of a carbon cap and trade program is often put forward by policy makers as a potential market-based solution to reduce greenhouse gas emissions (GHG) in the United States. Instead of waiting on the federal government, in 2009, several Northe... More »
As one of the largest greenhouse gas emitters, China has recently been increasing its efforts to reduce carbon dioxide emissions, which is the largest contributor to climate change. One of China’s goals, as set in last year’s Paris Agreement, was to cut emissi... More »
The energy sector is undergoing a major transformation, becoming more decentralized and more interactive than ever before. Growing numbers of independent renewable generators are changing consumer behavior and posing challenges for current utilities.Renewable ... More »
Recent wildfires in California and catastrophic flooding in Louisiana have drawn public attention to natural disasters across the United States. Yet little is known about the total financial impact of extreme weather events, particularly on non-disaster socia... More »