Professor Robert Stavins Named Among the Most Influential People in Climate Policy

Having spent several decades on the front lines of environmental economics, Professor Robert Stavins is well acquainted with both the scientific and political challenges posed by climate change. Yet his lifetime body of research has provided policymakers and fellow scholars with data, analysis, and ideas needed to develop pragmatic solutions to this massive global problem. For his efforts, Stavins, the A.J. Meyer Professor of Energy and Economic Development at Harvard Kennedy School, has been named one of the world’s most influential people in climate policy by Apolitical.

The Climate 100 list is intended to celebrate “the people driving tangible policy change” and includes academics, activists, civil servants, and political leaders. Fellow designees include former New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg; former U.S. Vice President Al Gore; Paris, France Mayor Anne Hidalgo; U.S. Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez; and Pope Francis, Head of the Roman Catholic Church.

The list is comprised of “high-profile advocates whose work is indispensable to raising awareness and demanding change. Others are rising stars who are making their mark in local communities and are a driving force behind governmental progress,” according to the U.K.-based platform.

Stavins is recognized for his efforts to shape policy — both through his academic research and his advisory and outreach work with myriad government agencies, international organizations, private sector companies, and advocacy groups. Stavins served as Chair of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s Environmental Economics Advisory Board and as director of Project 88, which designed the landmark sulfur-dioxide emissions-trading program that dramatically decreased SO₂ emissions in the United States. in the 1990s.

“I am honored to have been named to the Climate 100 list, and to hold company with such well respected and accomplished people,” said Stavins. “The common thread that runs through all of Apolitical choices is a deep-seeded commitment to climate science and on identifying solutions to one of the most daunting challenges facing all of human kind.”

Apolitical describes its role as a “global network for government, helping public servants find the ideas, people and partners they need to solve the hardest challenges facing our societies.”