Environmental Law Institute
To generate novel, multi-disciplinary research to increase understanding of the energy and environmental impacts of the digital economy, with a focus on sharing platforms, artificial intelligence, and blockchain technologies
There is substantial interest within the research community in studying the energy and environmental implications of the development and spread of new technologies. These technologies include digital sharing platforms like Uber and Airbnb, artificial intelligence and robotics, and distributed ledgers like Bitcoin. Questions abound. How might the use of autonomous vehicles for ride sharing affect vehicle miles traveled? What approaches might mediate the impact of blockchain energy use? Can digital ledger systems be used to track pollution effectively? This grant supports efforts by David Rejeski of the Environmental Law Institute to build a multidisciplinary research community of scholars interested in studying these topics. Funds will support 8 to 10 small research projects to study questions about the environmental and energy impacts of new technologies. Projects will be selected by an independent expert review panel through an open solicitation process. In addition to direct research support, this grant provides funds to hold two workshops—one at the project’s outset and the other at its conclusion—to bring the selected researchers together to share information about research methodologies, data sources, and potential challenges. It also funds the creation of a website to serve as a resource that will include informational bibliographies, publicly available data sources, and final research outputs.