MIT Sloan launches center for climate policy research

MIT has established a center for research on evidence-based climate policy within the Sloan School of Management.

The research unit has received an initial $25 million investment from the university, and will be led by energy economics professor Christopher Knittel.

It will focus on investigating how technology can help meet climate goals, and how such technology can be made commercially viable. Members of the center will be tasked with collaborating across multiple MIT departments on research projects and serving as a resource for lawmakers.

The center has been launched as part of MIT’s Climate Project, which aims to develop and deliver practical climate solutions at scale as quickly as possible. MIT has allocated a total of $50 million towards the climate initiative. 

Commenting on the center launch, Knittel said: “It is critical that universities contribute meaningfully to these conversations, ensuring research is accessible to decision-makers on an accelerated time scale.” He added: “We are proud to introduce the MIT Climate Policy Center, because we know climate change is an urgent problem we can address if we focus our resources and expertise on it in a systematic way.” 

In addition to his new responsibilities as faculty director of the new center, Knittel will be named associate dean at MIT Sloan, effective July 1.