Energy Policy Institute at the University of Chicago - EPIC

: It is widely believed that electricity access and economic growth go hand-in-hand. As such, developing countries have made large investments in efforts to expand their grid to rural, poor communities. In fact, expanding energy infrastructure to the nearly 1 billion people who lack access to electricity by 2030 is one of 17 global sustainable development goals set by the United Nations.

A new study co-authored by EPIC/ The University of Chicago Harris School of Public Policy's Fiona Burlig in the September issue of the Journal of Political Economy tests this basic connection between energy and growth. It finds that an increase in electrification brings significant benefits to larger villages, but has a limited impact in small, rural villages.

Learn more: https://bit.ly/4ekYAKb

Save the Date! 📅 The Latest Data: Air Pollution’s Impact on Life Expectancy

Every year, EPIC’s Air Quality Life Index (AQLI) releases its latest data showing the impact of on life expectancy. Through the AQLI’s hyper-local data, users anywhere on Earth can zoom into their district and see how much longer they would live if policies were to reduce to meet the World Health Organization’s guideline, a national standard, or a user-defined target. This information can help inform local communities and policymakers about the benefits of air pollution policies in perhaps the most important measure that exists: longer lives.

On September 3 at 8am CDT | 3pm CET | 6:30pm IST, join AQLI’s director Tanushree Ganguly and EPIC’s Clean Air Program director Christa Hasenkopf as they unpack the main findings from the upcoming AQLI 2024 report on pollution’s impact on life expectancy as well as the state of pollution standards across the globe.

The new report and webinar come just ahead of the world community’s commemoration of International Day of Clean Air on September 7.

Register: https://lnkd.in/gzjN5EbE

: Pricing Groundwater Gets Farmers To Conserve — In Part By Changing What They Grow

To cope with extreme heat and drought conditions, farmers often tap into the lying deep below their land for irrigation. But now, more groundwater is being used than is naturally recharged, leading to a water crisis that is forcing some states to take policy action—including charging for water use. California, one of the world’s most valuable agricultural regions, is one such state.

The University of Chicago Harris School of Public Policy's Fiona Burlig and her co-authors Louis Preonas (University of Maryland) and Matt Woerman (Colorado State University) studied how farmers respond when the water they’ve been using for free (other than the cost of pumping) costs money.

They find that:

➡ Farmers meaningfully reduce groundwater use when its price rises
➡ Reducing groundwater pumping by 19% would require a groundwater pumping tax of about 60% or nearly $30/acre-foot of water on average.
➡ A stringent groundwater pumping tax would cause nearly 9% of cropland to be switched to alternate uses that require less water—including a 24% decline in fruit and nut perennials and a 50% increase in land not used for growing
➡ Farmers increase annual crops because they tend to require less water

Learn more and interact with the data: https://bit.ly/3WV4ETA

: When Vultures—‘Nature’s Sanitation Service’—Became Nearly Extinct, Human Deaths Rose

Vultures are considered a “keystone species” critical to their surrounding habitat because, as highly-efficient scavengers, they play an important sanitation role. Farmers have long relied on them to remove the rotting bodies of dead livestock. But vultures in India came close to extinction in the mid-1990s after an anti-inflammatory drug (diclofenac) used to treat cattle poisoned and killed the birds. Harris Public Policy's Eyal Frank and EPIC Non-Resident Scholar Anant Sudarshan studied whether the decline in vultures had an impact on human health.

Frank and Sudarshan compared human death rates in Indian districts that once thrived with vultures to areas with historically low vulture populations both before and after the vulture collapse. They found:

➡️Just after the anti-inflammatory drug sales rose and vulture population collapsed, the human death rate increased by more than 4% in the districts where the birds once prospered.

➡️Between 2000 and 2005 the loss of vultures caused about 100,000 additional human deaths each year, resulting in $69.4 billion per year in mortality damages.

Interact with the data and learn more: https://bit.ly/4fzaz8g

As we head into a busy travel week for 4th of July celebrations, explore our top charts on Americans' Views on from our recent poll with The Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research.

The poll explored Americans' attitudes on climate change, their views on key climate and energy policies, and how they feel about electric vehicles and the policies to encourage them.

Topline findings include:

➡️ Few Americans own an electric vehicle, but 2 in 5 say they are likely to purchase one
➡️ Despite big investments in EV charging stations, 2/3 of Americans don’t know of one nearby
➡️ About 1/2 of Democrats support EV tax credits aimed at higher-paying jobs and expanding U.S. manufacturing
➡️ 6 in 10 Americans would pay $5,000 more for an American-made over one made in China

Interact with the data + more findings here: https://bit.ly/4bK5WpA

Our director, Michael Greenstone, celebrates 10 years at EPIC and The University of Chicago today!

It's been 10 strong years, and we look forward to growing even stronger under his leadership.

https://news.uchicago.edu/story/economist-michael-greenstone-appointed-lead-energy-policy-institute-chicago

Our recent poll with The Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research explored Americans' attitudes on climate change, their views on key climate and energy policies, and how they feel about electric vehicles and the policies to encourage them. Over the next few weeks, we're bringing you our top charts from the poll. Today, we're highlighting Americans' Views on Climate and Energy Policy.

Topline findings include:

➡️ development is primarily supported by older Republicans, with younger Republicans’ support for development (35%) is closer to Democrats (28%) than older Republican counterparts (53%)
➡️ 6 in 10 Americans would support building wind turbines and farms in their communities
➡️ While a remains a politically divisive policy, most Americans say they would support a tax that corporations would pay on their emissions (3/4 of Democrats, 1/2 of independents, and 40% of Republicans)
➡️ More than ½ of Americans are unwilling to pay any amount of money in the form of a monthly fee on their energy use to combat , and 45% are willing to pay $1

Interact with the data + more findings here: https://bit.ly/3x1NyJH

Our recent poll with The Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research explored Americans' attitudes on climate change, their views on key climate and energy policies, and how they feel about and the policies to encourage them. Over the next few weeks, we're bringing you our top charts from the poll. Today, we're highlighting Americans' Attitudes and Actions on Climate Change. Topline findings include:

➡️Belief in human-driven rebounded from last year, while Republicans under 45 drove a small increase in overall Republican belief
➡️After experiencing climate impacts, more believe in climate change and the need to respond
➡️Climate change may spur some migration, as most Americans experience extreme climate events
➡️More believe rapidly developing countries like India and China should address climate change

Interact with the data + more findings: https://bit.ly/3x1NyJH

ICYMI: Our 2024 poll with The Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research is here!

We find that Americans continue to be open to purchasing , but are deterred by cost, range, charging capacity, and a lack of charging stations. They also view a host of climate policies as important for the next president to address and, with the exception of older Republicans, do not support the expansion of fossil fuels.

Explore our results: https://bit.ly/4bK5WpA

New Poll w/ The Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research: Most Americans are Willing to Pay a Premium for an American-Made Electric Vehicle Over One Made in China

When given the option between a more expensive electric vehicle made in the United States and a less expensive electric vehicle made in China, the majority of Americans report they would purchase the American-made vehicle. This holds true if told that the American-made vehicle cost $500, $1,000, $2,000, or $5,000 more than the Chinese vehicle with 6 in 10 saying they would pay $5,000 more for the American-made vehicle.

Explore more on Americans attitudes and actions on , climate and , and : https://bit.ly/4bK5WpA

EPIC’s Clean Air Program is proud to announce four grants to increase the availability of open data in countries targeted as having a high opportunity to substantially improve their air quality nationally.

With funding support from Open Philanthropy, Amazon Web Services and EPIC and technical assistance by partners Open AQ and AirGradient, the awards will directly help to scale fine particulate pollution (PM2.5) monitoring networks in areas that have traditionally lacked them.

The four EPIC Air Quality Awardees are local community organizations from the Democratic Republic of the Congo, The Gambia, Argentina and Côte D’Ivoire. Through these grants, EPIC expects to support the deployment of approximately 34 PM2.5 sensors. All four of the awards will produce fully open PM2.5 data, and two awards have specifically set a goal for making progress toward establishing a national ambient air quality standard for PM2.5.

Learn more about the awardees and their projects: https://bit.ly/4bOdPtD

What do we know about the causal connection between open data and cleaner air?

On May 21, join EPIC and Prof. Andrea La Nauze to explore the effect of long-term, publicly-accessible PM2.5 data from single ground monitors on local air quality in cities across the world with little to no preexisting monitoring. This conversation will be of interest to a variety of groups working to reduce air pollution, especially in some of the most polluted but under-monitored regions on the planet.

Register: https://bit.ly/4dqGsPl

Twenty-eight The University of Chicago College students who formed eight case teams recently competed in the final round of the 2024 Climate Case Competition.

The Competition—presented by the Energy & Climate Club and Phoenix Sustainability Initiative and sponsored by EPIC—provided students with the opportunity to critically investigate a modern-day climate problem for a chance to win up to $3,000 in cash prizes.

The Competition partner this year was Marathon Capital, the largest independent investment bank solely dedicated to servicing the clean economy. Marathon Capital presented the following challenge:

'While meaningful progress has been made in decarbonizing electricity production, carbon-intensive supply chains present an equally important challenge for the international community. Assume you are advising a Fortune 500 major logistics company with segments dedicated to maritime, air, and overland shipping. How would you decarbonize scopes 1 and 2 greenhouse gas emissions for your client, assuming they committed to a goal of reaching net zero by 2040? How much would this endeavor cost over the next 15 years, and what technologies and operational changes would you suggest?'

In answering this prompt, the students were expected to present the financial feasibility of their strategy and an analysis of the solution, or solutions, that would contribute to their strategy.

Learn more about the teams and their projects:

2024 Climate Case Competition Twenty-eight University of Chicago College students who formed eight case teams recently competed in the final round of the 2024 Climate Case Competition. The Competition—presented by the Energy & Climate Club and Phoenix Sustainability Initiative and sponsored by EPIC—provided students with the...

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To get at the heart of the public’s views on a number of energy and climate change issues up for debate, EPIC partners with The Associated Press–NORC Center for Public Affairs Research to conduct annual public opinion polls.

Our 2023 poll explored Americans’ attitudes on climate change, their views on key climate and energy policies, and how they feel about electric vehicles and the policies to encourage them.

Explore our findings: https://bit.ly/3JwcECY

The University of Chicago Students: Next week, join the Energy & Climate Club and Phoenix Sustainability Initiative in their concluding symposium for the Climate Case Competition.

The case competition—set at the intersection between business, data science, and energy—provides students with the opportunity to critically investigate a modern-day problem posed by the competition partner Marathon Capital. Case teams will need to provide a realistic, well-developed, and research-backed solution that can be implemented by Marathon. They may do so by choosing an approach that uses either qualitative analysis, using preexisting data or findings to support the proposed solution, or quantitative analysis, engendering new findings through analyzing the novel data set to support the proposed solution.

Register: https://epic.uchicago.edu/events/event/climate-case-competition-concluding-symposium/

To meet the global energy challenge, humanity must address the need for reliable, affordable energy to foster economic growth while averting climate change and damages to the environment. EPIC is a global leader in these efforts.

On , your gift will support EPIC’s groundbreaking research, education, real-world impact, and outreach efforts, as exemplified by the above initiatives at UChicago and around the world.

To give, visit: https://givingday.uchicago.edu/campaigns/energy-policy-institute-2024

The University of Chicago Students: Join the Energy & Climate Club and Phoenix Sustainability Initiative in learning about their upcoming Climate Case Competition on March 21, 6-7 PM in Saieh Hall 021. Dinner will be provided. Registration to participate in the competition ends March 24.

What is the case competition?
⚡ The case competition—set at the intersection between business, data science, and energy—provides students with the opportunity to critically investigate a modern-day problem posed by the competition partner Marathon Capital. Case teams will need to provide a realistic, well-developed, and research-backed solution that can be implemented by Marathon. They may do so by choosing an approach that uses either qualitative analysis, using preexisting data or findings to support the proposed solution, or quantitative analysis, engendering new findings through analyzing the novel data set to support the proposed solution.

The competition is sponsored by the Energy Policy Institute at the University of Chicago (EPIC).

💲 WIN A CASH PRIZE!
1st Place – $3000
2nd Place – $1500
Honorable Mention – $500

About the Competition Partner
🌐 Marathon Capital is the largest independent investment bank solely dedicated to servicing the clean economy. As the world shifts from yesterday’s fossil-fuel-driven, high carbon environment to the decarbonized future of tomorrow, Marathon Capital is dedicated to supporting businesses, governments, and non-governmental organizations navigating the risks and challenges associated with their environmental impact.

Register for the info session here: https://epic.uchicago.edu/events/event/23997/

NEW Research: The latest makes clear that climate change will have vastly different impacts depending on where you live. Areas around the poles, where few people live now because it’s too cold, will fare the best. Areas around the equator, where it’s already very hot, will fare the worst. But with 75% of the world’s population and 91% of world GDP concentrated in only 10% of the world’s land—some of which is expected to be severely impacted by climate change—could reshuffling population and economic activity be an important adaptation strategy?

Studying the economic impacts of climate change must examine how people, goods, capital, technology, and other key factors, move across space, argues a new study by Esteban Rossi-Hansberg of Becker Friedman Institute for Economics.

Explore the importance of modelling the economic costs of climate change and climate : https://bit.ly/49YBYgJ

When it comes to climate change, behavioral scientists have primarily focused their research on how the actions of individuals as consumers—such as recycling, food choices or transportation methods—affect the climate. But hasn’t placed much focus on how individuals in other spheres of their lives impact climate change, such as in the workplace, as an investor, or as a community member.

A new analysis published in Nature Climate Change offers six recommendations for optimizing the quality and impact of research on and mitigation to close this knowledge gap.

The paper, co-authored by EPIC Scholar Kim Wolske, proposes a collaborative, solutions-focused research agenda that integrates behavioral science insights across multiple disciplines. Their recommendations include:

1. Study a wider range of individual climate behaviors.
2. Address the variety, complexity and interconnectedness of individuals’ behaviors.
3. Evaluate initiatives that can change behaviors at scale and that can have the most impact.
4. Diversify and augment the methodological toolbox
5. Increase attention to heterogeneity, generalizability, and robustness in interpreting research findings.
6. Integrate and theorize.

Learn more: https://bit.ly/49M34Yc

Chart of the Day: Better Weather Forecasts Can Help Farmers Adapt to Climate Change

Climate change is making weather more variable, with rainfall patterns becoming less predictable and extreme temperatures occurring more frequently. Agriculture is particularly sensitive to these changing conditions, jeopardizing the livelihoods of the majority of the world’s poor who depend on agriculture for survival. Highly variable weather makes it challenging for farmers to prepare for the coming season because they don’t know if this year will be like the last. But accurate long-range weather forecasts have the potential to help farmers decide how much to plant, what to plant, or whether to plant at all.

EPIC Scholars Fiona Burlig and Amir Jina, along with their colleagues Erin Kelley, Gregory Lane and Harshil Sahai from the University of Chicago, study what happens when farmers in India are given a forecast of when the monsoon will begin. An earlier monsoon typically means a longer growing season, suited to cash crops like cotton. Later monsoons are generally worse, forcing farmers to grow lower-value subsistence crops like paddy. On a pre-season visit to the farmers, the researchers found that farmers’ predictions about when the monsoon would arrive varied widely. Then, the researchers gave the farmers an accurate forecast of when the monsoon rain would begin in the coming year. The new information changed the farmers’ minds and their farming behaviors—and they were better off as a result.

Overly optimistic farmers, for whom the forecast brought “bad news” of a shorter-than-expected growing season, took steps to cut down on their investments. They:

🌾 Cultivated 22% less land, growing less cash crops
📉Reduced expenditures by 10%
💲Increased net savings by 10% of annual income, cutting debt in half

Overly pessimistic farmers, for whom the forecast brought “good news” that the growing season would be longer than they expected, increased their investments. They:

🌾 Cultivated 15% more land, grew 31% more cash crops
📈Spent 34% more on expenditures

Interact with the data + learn more: https://bit.ly/3TgYaeZ

The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) will vote this week on whether to adopt a rule that would require companies to report their greenhouse gas emissions. The rule, which has received pushback in the U.S., follows on similar reporting requirements enacted recently in the European Union and United Kingdom.

What might such disclosure reveal, and how would it help? EPIC research quantifies the damages from corporations’ emissions and discusses how public disclosure could lead to lower emissions due to the responses of consumers, other key stakeholders, and firms to this information.

Explore:

What might disclosure rules reveal about corporate carbon damages? by Michael Greenstone, Christian Leuz, and Patricia Breuer Context In 2022, the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) proposed a rule that would mandate that public companies report their greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. This follows similar efforts in the European Union and United Kingdom, w...

Climate change is making weather more variable, jeopardizing the livelihoods of 67% of the world’s poor who depend on agriculture for survival. This year’s Presidency identified improved weather forecasts as a priority tool to help address the impact of climate change on food security and agriculture.

Can access to better forecasts help farmers better adapt to climate change? A new study out of Energy Policy Institute at the University of Chicago, India - EPIC-India puts this concept to the test, finding a direct correlation between more accurate weather forecast information and improved investments for farmers – showcasing the huge opportunity for countries to protect farmers & their economies by improving long-range weather forecasts.

Learn more: https://bit.ly/3uFQj26

This just in: The provisional agreement between Council of the European Union and European Parliament on the revised Ambient Air Quality Directive could save 80.3 million life years, finds the Air Quality Life Index ( ).

More on why this is an important step to combatting ⤵

➡ The European Commission aims to ratchet down the EU’s current PM2.5 annual limit of 25 µg/m3 to 10 µg/m3 by 2030. 15 of the 28 member countries of the EU are exceeding the stricter limit, given the latest AQLI data.
➡ If these 15 countries were to reduce their pollution levels to meet the provisional stricter limit, the avg citizen living in these countries would gain 4.9 months of life expectancy, or 80.3 million total life years for the population of those 15 countries, finds AQLI data.

Explore more on the impact of policies from the : https://bit.ly/3uGv1kT

On January 17, EPIC’s Clean Air Program hosted a webinar to discuss the challenges and opportunities associated with global air quality gaps. Following the recent release of a report, ‘The Case for Closing Global Air Quality Data Gaps with Local Actors: A Golden Opportunity for the Philanthropic Community,’ the webinar served as a platform for select local actors and experts to share their experiences through insightful case studies, highlighting effective strategies in addressing air pollution.

Christa Hasenkopf, Director of the Clean Air Program at EPIC, kicked off the webinar with an overview of pollution’s impact on health and life expectancy, and the lack of philanthropic funding dedicated to addressing the issue.

“There is a profound mismatch between where air pollution is an issue, and where resources – such as open data, policies, and funding – are deployed to address it,” said Hasenkopf, who went on to discuss the recent report that identifies locations with the greatest opportunity to improve air pollution monitoring and data access.

Read more about the event + watch the recording: https://bit.ly/4bgapRd

In December, EPIC and University of Chicago Office of Career Advancement sponsored student delegates from the College, The University of Chicago Booth School of Business, The University of Chicago Harris School of Public Policy and The University of Chicago Law School to attend the hashtag international climate change conference in Dubai.

On Jan 16, join EPIC, Career Advancement and International House at the University of Chicago for an in-depth conversation with moderator Chris Wheat and the student delegation representatives about their COP experience, the issues at play, and the role young people can play as climate champions.

Register: https://epic.uchicago.edu/events/event/cop28-youth-voices-and-the-future-of-our-planet/

Air pollution, specifically particulate matter, stands as the greatest external threat to human health globally. Despite the threat, many parts of the world lack basic information on the extent of the air pollution problem where they live.

On Jan 17, join EPIC, local actors and experts in an online discussion of insightful case studies that highlight effective strategies in addressing . The event will also feature insights from EPIC’s recently-published report on data gaps.

Register: https://uchicago.zoom.us/webinar/register/1817042903587/WN_pniWwhcdS7qpSX1y8MMUHQ

Our #1 Top Chart of 2023 is here! Our latest poll with AP-NORC explores American’s likelihood to buy an . We find that:

➡4 of 5 Americans—the majority aged

Particulate (PM2.5) remains the world’s greatest external risk to human health, according to EPIC’s latest Air Quality Life Index report. Yet, the countries that are most impacted by air pollution receive less funding and have less access to open air quality data.

Our #2 Top Chart of 2023 shows that while just 4% of life years lost to pollution occur in Europe/U.S./Canada, they receive 60% of philanthropic funding. China/India receive ½ that, and the rest of Asia/Africa receive just 3% despite Asia and Africa making up 92.7% of life years lost from it.

Learn more from our Charts of 2023: https://bit.ly/48crfOj