News

November 2009

» A team of students from Tufts and the Boston Architectural College competed as Team Boston in the US Department of Energy’s solar decathlon. This event brought together 20 university teams from North America and Europe in a competition to design, build, and operate the most attractive and energy-efficient solar-powered house. After months of hard work the teams transported their houses into Washington, DC where they were put on display on the National Mall for judging. Team Boston came in 15th Place, but CIERP Director Professor William Moomaw, who attended the event in DC, said that ranking should not take away from the fact that Team Boston really accomplished something extraordinary through all their work and innovation. More information on the Solar Decathlon.

October 2009

» Student Andrew Freedman, who is a duel-degree candidate with Fletcher and the Earth Institute at Columbia University, is a contributing writer to the Washington Post Blog, "Capital Weather Gang." His writing discusses the weather through the lens of climate change. A listing of his posts can be found here: http://voices.washingtonpost.com/capitalweathergang/freedman/

» Professor Moomaw was recently quoted in the Boston Globe article “Home is where the heat is off.” The article discusses a Boston area man who recently rebuilt his home to be so airtight and well insulated that it will not need to be heated during the winter, thus eliminating large energy costs. Moomaw who lives in a “superefficient,” solar-powered home said the house featured in the article can help people to see that it possible to build and live in “green” homes here in Boston. “‘Getting these examples out there is really important, it makes a huge difference,’ said Moomaw, who was a member of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, an international panel of scientists that concluded human activity was causing global warming. ‘A person looked at our house, shook his head and said, ‘I guess if it exists, it must be possible.’ ’’

» In China, Professor Kelly Sims Gallagher has worked to promote U.S.-China energy and environmental cooperation, as well as to provide advice on specific Chinese policies and lessons learned from the U.S. and international experience. On her most recent trip to China in October 2009, she discussed launching new research with the Development Research Center (DRC) of the State Council on comparative climate change policy. Currently, Professor Gallagher is hosting a researcher from the DRC, Dr. Xuan Xiaowei, who will serve as a bridge between the two research institutes. She also participated in a major U.S.-China Energy Cooperation Summit, hosted by Premier Wen Jiabao.

In her efforts in China, Professor Gallagher has also worked with the China Automotive Technology and Research Center(CATARC) on the development of China's automotive fuel-efficiency standards. Together with CATARC and colleagues from Harvard, Tsinghua, and UC Riverside, she also worked to improve understanding of the actual in-use vehicular pollution so as to inform policymakers about the effectiveness of pollution-control policies. She has also worked for many years with China's Ministry of Science & Technology to compare and contrast U.S. and Chinese policy for energy-technology innovation.

Professor Gallagher is also active in policy engagement with the U.S. government. She currently serves as an expert advisor to Dr. John Holdren and the U.S. Department of Energy on energy-technology innovation policy, and U.S. energy and environmental policy towards China.

» Professor Moomaw of the Fletcher School and Partha Dosh of the Gordon Institute will be presenting on environmental policy making and sustainability at Bentley University on October 17th at the Boston Annual Pledge Conference: "Making Green Economy Real: Life beyond the Meltdown where you Reinvent Yourself". The conference will host several speakers and opportunities for networking and finding new careers in the green economy. For more information, visit the Boston Annual Pledge Conference's website.

» Anna Schulz (Fletcher PhD student) is attending the 2009 Bangkok Climate Change Talks in October with Earth Bulletin. Below is a photo of Anna holding up her sizeable UNFCC negotiating text.

» Professor Kelly Gallagher traveled to Sweden this month to attend the 2009 Global Energy Outlook Conference. Prof. Gallagher serves as a lead author of the “Innovation” chapter of the Global Energy Assessment, due out in late 2010. Gallagher and her co-authors from around the world met at the International Institute for Industrial Environmental Economics (IIIEE) at Lund University from October 1-4 to finalize their chapter before it goes out for peer review. For more information about the IIIEE and its projects, visit the IIIEE website.

» Professor Gallagher discussed ideas, results, and the implications of ongoing projects on energy technology innovation at the 2009 Energy Innovation Meeting on October 6th in Washington, D.C.

September 2009

» Professor Moomaw presented at the Global Leadership Seminar on Climate Change in Talloires in late September. The Seminar, titled “International Regimes for Global Warming: Political, Economic, and Legal Challenges”, brought together approximately 35 students and faculty from five leading graduate schools of international affairs and public policy for an intensive four days of discussions. To view Professor Moomaw's presentation, visit the Global Leadership Seminar in Talloires website.

» Professor Gallagher traveled to Washington to present a briefing to the U.S. Senate. In her briefing, Gallagher outlined urgent priorities for U.S. energy policy and recommended specific steps that the government should take to address the numerous energy-related challenges facing the United States.

» Professor Gallagher spoke on China's new plan to set domestic greenhouse gas intensity targets. According to Gallagher, President Hu's move to give strong consideration to a new domestic policy brings hopes that the U.S. will follow suit. Gallagher spoke on NPR's "Morning Edition" on Sept 22nd, challenging the U.S. and China to collaborate and "get through all the contentious issues and come out of Copenhagen with an agreement". Read or listen to the story about the Ticking Clock on the Copenhagen Climate Treaty.

» Professor Gallagher added her insight to the upcoming Climate Change conference in Copenhagen on the BBC's "The World". Listen to the broadcast and Prof. Gallagher's comments on "The World".

August 2009

» Professor Moomaw attended the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) Meeting in August of 2009: "Modeling Renewable Energies: Coherence between Model Assumptions and Latest Technological Knowledge". More information on the IPCC can be found on the IPCC website.

June 2009

» The Executive Education Course on Sustainable Development Diplomacy (SDD) took place June 14-24 in the Netherlands. The course brought together well-known practitioners and teachers in the field, including Fletcher's own Professor Moomaw, to shape participants' diplomatic skills in environmental negotiations and management as well as design successful leadership strategies in resolving environmental or resource crises and conflicts. Learn more about Fletcher's Executive Education programs.

April 2008

» Neeraj Doshi, Fletcher ’06, appeared on NPR on April 28th to discuss his efforts in financing recycling projects in India and his new company, EcoWise Waste Management. This NRP piece is part of “Climate Connections: Profiles,” a series spotlighting the next generation of environmental leaders. Listen to "Young Indians Abroad Return to Help Better Country"

» Professor Moomaw was the featured speaker at the final lecture of the Green Living Seminar at the Massachusetts College of Liberal Arts on April 24th. He spoke on the topic of “Moving towards a Sustainable Future,” stressing the need to reduce carbon emissions by 80 percent over the next 50 years.

» On Friday, April 11th, CIEPR and the Center for Emerging Market Enterprises (CEME) co-hosted a Dialogue on Scaling Alternative Energy: The Role of Emerging Markets. The Dialogue brought together leading manufacturers and investors in alternative energy products and technologies, as well as practitioners and policy-makers to discuss initiatives that enterprises and governments in the emerging markets (e.g. Brazil, China, India, and South Africa) are taking to address both climate change concerns and the energy needs they believe are necessary to improve living standards.

» Professor Moomaw was featured in the article “For Sale: Carbon Emissions” by Nature Network Boston. He commented on Tufts’ decision to join the Chicago Climate Exchange, the only active, legally binding system in North America for trading greenhouse gas emission reductions, and provided some insights on voluntary carbon trading systems.

March 2008

» Bill and Margot Moomaw give a talk on their zero net energy home, March 27th.

» Professor Moomaw’s article “The 3% Solution: How Gradual Cuts in Carbon Emissions Can Turn the Tide on Climate Change”was featured in the Winter 2008 issue of the Tufts Magazine. This publication also featured two articles on the costs of climate change: Professor Ann Rappaport’s “What’s Old is New” and Professor Metcalf’s “Putting a Price on Carbon.” Another feature article, by Anja Kollmuss of the Stockholm Environment Institute, discussed the issues related to carbon offsets.

February 2008

» As part of Energy and Climate Forum, CIERP co-sponsored a presentation by Professor Gilbert Metcalf of Tufts' Economics Department on February 6, 2008. He presented his recent paper "An Equitable Tax to Address Global Climate Change." Originally written as a policy brief, Metcalf's proposal was picked up by Rep. John Larson (D-Conn) and resulted in a carbon tax bill that was introduced to the Ways & Means committee last August.

Read article in Tufts Daily | Watch video

January 2008

» CIERP co-sponsored the Focus the Nation event that took place on January 31, 2008 at the Fletcher School. This symposium on climate change took place simultaneously in over 1,400 institutions across the country. The Tufts event hosted a panel of US Congressmen, local officials, and leaders of non-profit organizations to discuss climate change, encourage environmental awareness, and help influence local political agenda. Read article in Tufts Daily

» Professor Moomaw and several Fletcher students are members of the Boston Architectural College/Tufts University team that was selected to participate in the 2009 Solar Decathlon. In this competition, 20 teams of college and university students work to design, build, and operate the most attractive, effective, and energy-efficient solar-powered house. Read the Department of Energy press release.