Short biography:
Sebastian Rausch is an Assistant Professor of Energy Economics in the Department of Management, Technology, and Economics at ETH Zurich. He is an Associated Professor at the Center for Economic Research, the Center for Energy Policy and Economics, and the Energy Science Center at ETH Zurich, and a Research Associate at the Joint Program on the Science and Policy of Global Change at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Rausch is an energy and environmental economist drawing from the fields of applied microeconomics, public economics, and energy modeling with links to energy systems analysis and environmental sciences. He has published widely on policy evaluation and design in the area of energy and climate change. His research has appeared in the European Economic Review, the Journal of Public Economics, the Journal of Environmental Economics and Management, the Energy Journal, Nature Climate Change, and other academic journals. Prior to joining the faculty at ETH Zurich in 2012, he was director of the U.S. Regional Energy & Environment Modeling Project at MIT and worked at the MIT Energy Initiative and the MIT Joint Program on the Science and Policy of Global Change. Rausch received a Ph.D. in Economics from the Ruhr Graduate School in Economics and a M.S. in Economics from the University of Bonn.
Abstract:
Fossil-fuel resources exceed atmospheric disposal space for carbon emissions if climate change is to be limited. The fundamental problem of the climate and energy challenge in the 21st century therefore is to stop extracting fossil-fuel resources from the ground and to incentivize a radical transformation of the future mix of energy technologies in favor of alternative energy sources. Domestic policy frameworks for a low-carbon development are likely to remain the main driver of global climate co-operation. This presentation examines ways for designing environmentally effective, economically sensible, and politically pragmatic public policies for de-carbonizing future energy systems. Particular emphasis is placed on the role of carbon pricing, smart policy designs for renewable energy support, and the integration of intermittent renewable energy sources.
Join us for the drinks reception at 15.30 in the ACEX foyer, followed by the Distinguished Seminar at 16.00!