Just Transition Speaker Series: Dr. Noah Kaufman Provides Overview of Resilient Energy Economies Research
December 18, 2024
On Tuesday, 10 December 2024, UNM ‘s Just Transition Grand Challenge hosted Dr. Noah Kaufman, co-chair of the Resilient Energy Economies Initiative for a lecture. The Resilient Energy Economies Initiative, funds a series of research projects to support fossil fuel-dependent communities in economic transition. Kaufman previously served as an economic advisor on climate issues in both the Biden and Obama White Houses and currently serves as a Senior Research Scholar at the Center on Global Energy Policy at Columbia University SIPA.
Kaufman described how the Resilient Energy Economies Initiative is funding interdisciplinary teams to research different aspects of using place-based policies to support fossil-fuel dependent communities. He emphasized that each locality, which could be as large as a state, differs from the next and adopting place-specific transformative policies is the ideal. The shock to these local economies when the United States pursues low-carbon energy would have long-lasting adverse effects, such as school funding since many education funds are tied to fossil fuels. Some of the funded research projects are supporting economists and social scientists to identify at-risk communities that are currently prospering and prompting them to diversify and adopt large-scale changes. The data being evaluated includes the effects on workers, public opinion, business behavior, and effects on public finances when moving to a sustainable economy.
Kaufman expanded on the use of place-based policies abroad in Germany and Spain and in the United States, such as the Appalachian Regional Council. There is currently an unprecedented level of federal support for transition to green energy along with state-level laws and programs. The challenges of existing measures, however, reveal the need for work done by Resilient Energy Economies. The policies are not large-scale, funds can be difficult to access, policies are mostly focused on coal, they often do not address economic diversification, and federal policies are subject to change with each administration. The Resilient Energy Economies seeks to fund projects that help address these gaps.
The UNM Just Transition to Green Energy Grand Challenge is funded by UNM’s Office of Vice President for research as a “Level 2” Grand Challenge. The interdisciplinary project seeks to identify and evaluate the opportunities, challenges, and policy options for achieving this inclusive and equitable transition, with a focus on creating economic opportunities for members of disadvantaged communities—particularly Hispanic, Native, and Black communities and fossil fuel worker communities.
