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EPA Research Fellowship to Further Estimation of the Social Cost of Greenhouse Gases

*Applications may be reviewed on a rolling-basis. Click here for information about the selection process.
EPA Office/Lab and Location Research opportunity is currently available at the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) Office of Policy (OP)/National Center for Environmental Economics (NCEE), located in Washington, DC.
Research Project: EPA is committed to making evidence-based decisions pertaining to the methodologies used in EPA analyses, guided by the best available science. One specific input to EPA analyses – the social cost of greenhouse gases (SC-GHG) – combines climate science and economics to put the effects of climate change into monetary terms to help EPA and the public understand the societal consequences of actions that would increase or decrease greenhouse gas emissions. The SC-GHG is the monetary value of the net harm to society associated with adding a small amount of that GHG to the atmosphere in a given year. In principle, it includes the value of all climate change impacts, including (but not limited to) changes in net agricultural productivity, human health effects, property damage from increased flood risk natural disasters, disruption of energy systems, risk of conflict, environmental migration, and the value of ecosystem services. 
The research community has made considerable progress in developing new data and methods have helped to advance various components of the SC-GHG estimation process (e.g., improved socioeconomic and emissions inputs, climate modeling components, discounting approaches, and treatment of uncertainty), and to enhance representation of how physical impacts of climate change translate to economic damages in the modeling framework based on the best and readily adaptable damage functions available in the peer reviewed literature. However, existing SC-GHG estimates still have several limitations. There are still many important categories of climate impacts and associated damages that are not yet reflected in these estimates due to data and modeling limitations. There is also incomplete coverage of some categories that are represented, including important sectoral and regional interactions. Existing models still largely ignore transmission mechanisms through which climate damages around the world affect U.S. citizens and residents. In addition, assessing the benefits of reducing GHG emissions for U.S. citizens and residents requires understanding how domestic mitigation shapes mitigation efforts in other countries.
EPA continues to strive to make critical investments that will lead to improvements in the completeness of SC-GHG estimation going forward. The selectee will participate in this effort by conducting research to improve our understanding of how the world-wide physical impacts of climate change manifest into economic measures in ways that can be incorporated into economic models used to estimate the SC-GHG. 
Learning ObjectivesExamples of research needs include:
  • More explicit modeling of how tipping elements and other Earth system changes expected from climate change will manifest into changes in physical endpoints and associated economic damages over time.
  • Improved accounting of how non-climate mediated impacts of GHG emissions (e.g., ocean acidification impacts of CO2 emissions) translate into economic damages.
  • Development of damage functions for categories of climate impacts that are not yet represented in global economic models of climate change, and not adequately represented in national models. Examples include changes in the demands for water resources, the costs and ability to provide safe drinking water, changes in ecosystem services, and the productivity of the livestock, aquaculture, and forestry industries.
  • Better modeling of interactions within and feedbacks across sectors, regions, and between natural and economic systems. For example, existing models do not yet represent how changes in the demand for water resources by both the agricultural and electric power sectors may be competing in similar water markets whose supply is also being impacted by climate change.
  • While the spatial resolution of climate damage estimates has seen significant improvement in recent years, mapping the linkages of damages across the globe in terms of trade flows, supply chains, and feedback loops has also remained relatively understudied. 
Mentor(s)The mentor for questions about this opportunity is Elizabeth Kopits (kopits.elizabeth@epa.gov). If you have questions about the nature of the research, please contact the mentor.
Anticipated Appointment Start Date: June, 2023. Start date is flexible and varies depending on numerous factors. Click here for detailed information about start dates.
Appointment LengthAppointment initially is for one year but may be renewed upon EPA recommendation and subject to availability of funding.
Level of ParticipationAppointment is part-time (up to 35 hours per week).
Participant StipendThe participant will receive a monthly stipend commensurate with educational level and experience. The current stipend for this opportunity is ~$5,400 per month based on full time participation.  here for detailed information about full-time stipends. 
EPA Security ClearanceCompletion of a successful background investigation by the Office of Personnel Management (OPM) is required to be on-boarded at EPA.
ORISE InformationThis program, administered by ORAU through its contract with the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) to manage the Oak Ridge Institute for Science and Education (ORISE), was established through an interagency agreement between DOE and EPA. Participants do not become employees of EPA, DOE or the program administrator, and there are no employment-related benefits. Proof of health insurance is required for participation in this program. Health insurance can be obtained through ORISE.
The successful applicant(s) will be required to comply with Environmental, Safety and Health (ES&H) requirements of the hosting facility, including but not limited to, COVID-19 requirements (e.g. facial covering, physical distancing, testing, vaccination).
Questions: Please see the FAQ section of our website. After reading, if you have additional questions about the application process, please email ORISE.EPA.REG@orau.org and include the reference code for this opportunity.