Description

Over the past four years, China has made incredible progress in its “war on pollution,” with levels dropping by 20 to 40 percent in major population centers. Nonetheless, pollution levels remain higher than desired, inflicting significant health costs on Chinese citizens and the economy more broadly. Further progress is needed. Yet the next steps must focus on leveraging innovative policies and market mechanisms to reduce pollution and carbon emissions in the most cost-effective ways possible.

The Energy Policy Institute at the University of Chicago (EPIC) has developed a successful model for addressing these and other energy and environmental challenges. At its core, the EPIC model focuses on cutting-edge research conducted in partnership with local, regional, and national governments, a process that ensures research insights can have immediate impact. Working with a number of Chinese partners, EPIC-China will focus on ground-breaking research to ensure access to inexpensive and reliable energy sources, while also advancing Chinese policymakers’ goals of inexpensive pollution reductions.

“EPIC-China will take the established research and existing partnerships of UChicago faculty to the next level, building a wide ranging network of government partners and working to translate a deeper understanding of the structure and impacts of China’s energy system into actionable solutions for policymakers, resulting in a long-lasting, positive impact in China.”

Michael Greenstone

Senior Advisors

Kevin Mo, formerly Paulson Institute
Guojun He, Hong Kong University of Science and Technology