The environmental impact of human activity does not often not factor into the prices of goods and services we buy. But it can impose measurable costs. Our articles explore the economic rationale for government intervention in environmental policy; the costs and benefits of environmental regulation; energy policy; the financial and economic issues raised by climate-related disasters; and equity issues related to the environment.
March 8, 2023
The increasing agglomeration of people and economic activity in high-risk areas of the U.S. plays a role in the rising cost of climate-related disasters.
September 16, 2022
Energy exports have dominated the foreign earnings received by Russia. Over the long term, Russia’s energy sector is likely to be negatively impacted by the war.
November 10, 2021
Current U.S. prison infrastructure provides a rare picture of how the effects of heat can escalate in extreme situations with little option for avoidance.
October 6, 2021
The flu results in more hospitalizations when there is more air pollution. Vaccination against the flu could mitigate this negative impact of pollution.
March 18, 2021
An explainer on some of the natural experiments economists have used to better quantify the costs air pollution imposes.
October 8, 2020
Research suggests that extreme heat is disruptive for learning and contributes to gaps in educational achievement both across as well as within countries.
September 10, 2020
A well-designed carbon tax could enhance tax progressivity and environmental justice and contribute to hitting environmental goals for emissions reductions.
August 18, 2020
CO2 emissions around the world have dropped markedly as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic. Can this drop make a lasting dent on our climate change trajectory?
February 13, 2020
Gilbert Metcalf (Tufts) and Michael Klein (EconoFact) discuss new research which shows that a carbon tax is likely to impact owners of capital more than workers.