Climate
It is impossible to discuss energy without acknowledging the climate impact of the way we power our buildings, cities, vehicles, and industries. As we imagine our energy future, we must do so with the recognition that climate change will transform how we move and power our lives.
Recent Work
Communicating Climate Policy: Raising Public Awareness through Trusted Sources
Studying public perception of previously enacted legislation can inform future climate policy communication efforts. We surveyed Philadelphians to gather insights about their perceptions related to benefits in the IRA (specifically, benefits meant to reduce the cost of making energy efficiency upgrades to homes), and aimed to understand how energy policy might be better communicated to the general public using sources or messengers people trust.
Navigating Tensions in Just Energy Transitions
In the transition to a post-carbon economy, there is a potential to unintentionally reinforce or extend previous injustices, or to create new ones. This digest explores tensions in balancing local responsiveness with coordinated national strategy.
Emissions
Cooling People, Not Spaces: Surmounting the Risks of Air-Conditioning Over-Reliance
The growing global demand for air conditioning is exacerbating carbon emissions. This trend will intensify unless alternative solutions are sought and massively adopted. Solutions already exist and new ones are emerging, but face barriers including technology, building design, education, finance, and policy.
The Net-Zero Governance Conveyor Belt
While the proliferation of net-zero targets represents progress toward reaching our global climate goals, targets vary enormously in quality. This report proposes four governance tools to steer net-zero targets toward higher integrity.
Featured Researcher
Oscar Serpell
Deputy DirectorOscar Serpell oversees all student programming, alumni engagement, faculty and student grants, and visiting scholars. He is also a researcher, writer, and policy analyst working on research initiatives with students and Center partners.
Featured Researcher
Michael E. Mann
Presidential Distinguished ProfessorMichael E. Mann is the Presidential Distinguished Professor in the Department of Earth and Environmental Science. He is a faculty fellow with the Kleinman Center and the director of the Penn Center for Science, Sustainability, and the Media (PCSSM).
People
- Parrish Bergquist
- Eugenie Birch
- Heather Boushey
- William Braham
- Stephanie Carlisle
- Cornelia Colijn
- Danny Cullenward
- Jesús Fernández-Villaverde
- Mark Alan Hughes
- Carolyn Kousky
- Sarah Light
- Lauren Lutzke
- Kristina Lyons
- Michael E. Mann
- Ioana Marinescu
- Irina Marinov
- Scott Moore
- R. Jisung Park
- John Quigley
- Megan Ryerson
- Oscar Serpell
- Andy Stone
- Arthur van Benthem
- Erik Wibbels
- Bethany Wiggin
- Jennifer Wilcox
