News

Harvard researchers provide policymakers a clearer picture on methane emissions

February 6, 2023

By Robert O'Neill

February 06, 2023

CARBON DIOXIDE IS THE USUAL VILLAIN in the climate change story. Emitted largely through the use of fossil fuels, it not only warms the planet now, but will continue to do so for more than a century while it remains in the atmosphere.

Less well known is the role that another greenhouse gas—methane—plays. About one third of global methane emissions occur naturally, mostly from wetlands. But two-thirds are caused by human activity, including from oil and gas...

Atmospheric Chemist Daniel Jacob Address the Role of Methane in Greenhouse Gas Emissions and Global Climate Change

September 8, 2022

Atmospheric Chemist Daniel Jacob Address the Role of Methane in Greenhouse Gas Emissions and Global Climate Change in Newest Episode of

“Environmental Insights”

Podcast is a production of the Harvard Environmental Economics Program

CAMBRIDGE MA. – Debates about global climate change policy often...

Remembering a True Giant: New Journal Article Recounts the Contributions of Martin Weitzman to Environmental Economics and Other Fields

August 31, 2022

When Martin Weitzman, Research Professor of Economics at Harvard University, passed away in 2019, his friends and colleagues mourned the loss of a truly influential figure in the field of economics. His impressive portfolio of theoretical and empirical research on everything from unemployment to inflation to climate change was extraordinarily substantive and impactful.

In a new article published in the...

HEEP Faculty Fellow Ariel Pakes is 2022 Nemmers Prize Winner

August 10, 2022

Congratulations to Ariel Pakes, Thomas Professor of Economics for receiving the Erwin Plein Nemmers Prize in Economics. The biennial prizes recognize top scholars for their lasting significance, outstanding achievements, contributions to knowledge and the development of significant new modes of analysis. Read more about Professor Pakes' research...

Environmental Lawyer Jeffrey Holmstead Expresses Confidence in Technological Solutions to Address Climate Change in Newest Episode of “Environmental Insights”

August 8, 2022

CAMBRIDGE MA. – With so many of the nation’s environmental regulations being tested in the courts, technological solutions may be the most promising way to address climate change. That was the opinion offered by environmental lawyer Jeffrey Holmstead in the newest episode of “Environmental Insights: Discussions on Policy and Practice from the Harvard Environmental Economics Program,” a podcast...

Dale Jorgenson (1933 – 2022)

June 15, 2022

Dale Jorgenson, a Faculty Fellow of the Harvard Environmental Economics Program (HEEP) since HEEP’s founding in 2000, passed away on June 8, 2022 in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Jorgenson was the Samuel W. Morris University Professor at Harvard University — a University Professorship being the highest honor Harvard bestows on a faculty member. He was an advisor to hundreds of economics graduate students and widely acknowledged as a caring and dedicated mentor.

photo of graduation ceremony at Harvard Yard

Five HEEP Pre-Doctoral Fellows Receive Degrees and New Placements

May 26, 2022

Five Pre-Doctoral Fellows with the Harvard Environmental Economics Program received their Ph.D’s on Thursday, May 26...

Harvard Environmental Economics Program Awards Student Prizes for the 2021/2022 Academic Year

May 17, 2022

CAMBRIDGE, MASSACHUSETTS – The Harvard Environmental Economics Program (HEEP) has awarded three prizes to Harvard University students for the best research papers addressing a topic in environmental, energy, or natural-resource economics — one prize each for an undergraduate paper or senior thesis, master’s student paper, and doctoral student paper. Each prize was...

Student Prizes for Academic Year 2021–2022

April 13, 2022

The Harvard Environmental Economics Program will award three prizes in May 2022 for the best research papers addressing topics in environmental, energy, and natural-resources economics:

The deadline for receipt of submissions is Wednesday May 4th, at 12:00 PM (U.S./Canada ET). In the interest of fairness, there will be no exceptions with regard to the deadline.

Winners will be announced by Thursday May 19, 2022.

See attached flyer for more details.

HEEP Director Robert Stavins Featured at “Top Environmental Economists,” January 2022

January 11, 2022

Professor Stavins is profiled and interviewed by Ingmar Schumacher, Professor of Economics at IPAG Business School in Paris, France, at website, “Top Environmental Economists,” including a brief video interview, and a much more extensive written version.

A transcript of the extensive interview is available...