Environmental and Energy Study Institute

Climate change is one of the most serious problems facing civilization today ― impacting our infrastructure, water supply, agriculture, public health, natural ecosystems and more. Scientists and other experts say we must act today to significantly cut greenhouse gas emissions to avoid catastrophic changes to the world around us.

Energy efficiency, renewable energy, changes in agriculture, forestry and land use management, and sustainable buildings, transportation and communities can rapidly and substantially reduce greenhouse gas emissions. These strategies can also stimulate numerous economic, national security, public health, and environmental benefits.

Transforming energy infrastructures, transportation systems, land use management practices, and community designs will create new opportunities for American entrepreneurs and put America back to work.

Fossil fuels are not as cheap as they seem when the environmental, health, security, and other costs paid by society are taken into account. If the federal government corrects this market failure and provides clear, long-term price signals that reflect true energy costs, consumers will quickly shift toward more energy efficient, renewable energy choices.

The United States, as the leading global greenhouse gas emitter over the past century, has a special responsibility to begin dramatic emissions reductions and to help the international community do the same.

EESI educates Congress and other stakeholders through our highly-respected briefings on Capitol Hill, as well as through fact sheets, policy papers, and newsletters on the latest science, technology, and policy developments.

EESI facilitates communication among diverse stakeholders ― including environmental, business, consumer, national security, public health and other interests ― and their representatives in Washington, DC. We add value to the policy debate as a convener, framer, and synthesizer of issues and ideas.

EESI works with Congressional offices on both sides of the aisle to develop "win-win" policy solutions that accomplish multiple objectives such as reducing energy costs for consumers, strengthening national security and global competitiveness, cleaning up our air and water, improving public health, creating jobs, and fighting climate change.

EESI highlighted the latest economic research and local stakeholder feedback on the economic and job creation benefits of addressing climate change and investing in renewable energy, energy efficiency, and public transportation through briefings, webinars, meetings with Congressional staff and partners, and stories on our website and social media. Staff from nearly 100 Congressional offices attended briefings in this series.

Climate change and U.S. dependence on oil are national security risks. EESI published a paper on the role of climate change as a “threat multiplier.” We brought Vice Admiral Dennis McGinn, U.S. Navy (Ret.), Brigadier General Gerald Galloway, U.S. Army (Ret.), and other leaders in the defense community to brief Congressional staff and the public on why and how the military is helping lead the transition from fossil fuels to clean energy.

EESI testified before the U.S. Congress on the importance of the federal government’s incorporation of high performance building practices into the renovation and construction of U.S. government buildings. With about three billion square feet of floor space, the federal government has an opportunity to lead by example and drive the high performance building market.

EESI partnered with the Swiss Embassy to convene a high-level dialogue between Doris Leuthard, the Swiss President, and senior U.S. officials on developing a clean energy economy. We also worked with the Nordic Council to bring speakers from Denmark, Sweden, Norway, Finland, and Iceland to Capitol Hill to tell the stories of how their nations responded to the oil crises of the 1970s by investing heavily in energy efficiency and renewable energy. Our work showed U.S. policymakers that greenhouse gas reductions are not only achievable, but in fact can be part of a successful economic development strategy.

We conducted a Congressional briefing on the health costs of our reliance on fossil fuels and personal vehicles; for example, the air pollution from coal-fired power plants cost us $58 billion in health and climate damages in 2005. We also highlighted the health consequences of black carbon, a component of soot produced by diesel engines, inefficient biomass cookstoves, and open fires. Reducing black carbon emissions would be a win for public health and the climate.

The tragic oil blowout in the Gulf of Mexico gave us one more urgent reason to reduce our nation’s oil consumption. We wrote about these issues on our website and social media, held briefings, and conducted one-on-one meetings on broader oil supply and demand issues and potential policy solutions. We also held briefings on electric vehicles, public transit, high speed rail, and cellulosic biofuels to examine the economic and environmental impacts of each. Staff from more than 100 Congressional offices attended briefings in this series.

From offshore wind to renewable biogas, EESI has engaged with policymakers to showcase the latest renewable energy technologies to our nation’s leaders through fact sheets, briefings, and personal meetings. One noteworthy event was the 13th Annual Congressional Renewable Energy & Energy Efficiency EXPO. The EXPO featured more than 50 sustainable energy exhibitors, presentations by several Members of Congress and Obama administration representatives, and a policy forum chaired by EESI’s Carol Werner.

As the Senate prepared to take up climate legislation in the summer of 2010, EESI convened a briefing on public opinion on the issue. A Stanford public polling expert presented his research, which found that a strong majority of Americans wanted the federal government to limit greenhouse gas emissions – refuting polls that appeared to show climate change as a low priority for Americans. We also continue to meet the demand for the latest climate science, business, and policy news in our weekly Climate Change News, which is emailed to nearly 4,000 subscribers every Monday morning and reprinted in the U.S. Climate Action Network’s weekly news.

EESI advanced policymakers’ understanding of the potential for energy efficiency measures to reduce the amount of money Americans spend on utility bills. Appliance standards, building energy performance codes, the incorporation of energy efficiency into the mortgage underwriting process, and the inclusion of energy efficiency procurement specifications for federal disaster housing are some ways the government can help improve housing energy efficiency and affordability.

In October, EESI launched a partnership to carry out an innovative pilot project to finance energy efficiency improvements for rural South Carolina homes with low-cost loans repaid through customers’ electric bills. Our partners on the project – the Electric Cooperatives of South Carolina (ECSC) and Central Electric Power Cooperative – aim to expand the program to eventually upgrade 225,000 homes and save co-op members $280 million a year in energy costs. EESI provides strategic input to the project design and implementation and will help bring the lessons learned to the federal level and other states.