Data and Decision Tools
Today’s environmental experts have a wide range of tools at their disposal for the design and evaluation of local, state, regional, and national policies. Many of these tools were developed at RFF, and the organization’s contribution to the field of environmental economics remains one of its greatest legacies.
RFF Economic Models
Decisionmakers around the world turn to RFF to model the impacts of their climate policy proposals. We offer a range of economy-wide models that examine the entire US economy. We also maintain and develop models that simulate the electricity, transportation, oil and gas, and land sectors of the US economy. Finally, in collaboration with the RFF-CMCC European Institute for Economics and the Environment, we operate a number of climate models that operate at the global scale.
List of Economic Models
Carbon and Land Use Model (CALM)
In the land sector, the Carbon and Land Use Model (CALM) simulates changes in agriculture, forestry, and other land uses under varying policies.
Dynamic Oil and Gas Market Analysis (DOGMA) Model
The Dynamic Oil and Gas Market Analysis (DOGMA) Model examines how US drilling and production respond over time to price and policy fluctuations.
Hafstead Dynamic Regional General Equilibrium Model (DR-GEM)
We use our Hafstead Dynamic Regional General Equilibrium (DR-GEM) model to evaluate regional emissions pricing policies across the US.
Goulder-Hafstead Energy-Environment-Economy (E3) CGE Model
The Goulder-Hafstead Energy-Environment-Economy (E3) CGE Model helps to predict how federal policies that price emissions will affect the future.
Engineering, Economic, and Environmental Electricity Simulation Tool (E4ST)
The Engineering, Economic, and Environmental Electricity Simulation Tool (E4ST) simulates the effects of policies and investments on the US electricity sector with exceptional geographic detail.
Employment Dynamics in General Equilibrium (EDGE) Model
To understand how carbon pricing policies affect unemployment, we turn to the Employment Dynamics in General Equilibrium (EDGE) model.
Framework for Large-Scale Economic Evaluation of Trucking (FLEET)
The FLEET model simulates the impacts of various policy options and market conditions on the decarbonization of medium- and heavy-duty vehicles.
RFF-Berkeley Greenhouse Gas Impact Value Estimator (GIVE) Model
This integrated assessment model for estimating the Social Cost of Carbon has been developed as part of a multiyear effort by researchers are RFF, UC-Berkeley, and eight other leading institutions.
Haiku Electricity Model
Haiku simulates the effects of policies and investments on the US electricity sector at the state level.
Stochastic Emissions Projection Tool (SEPT)
When we need to understand levels of emissions uncertainty under carbon taxes, we pair E3 with another model called the Stochastic Emissions Projection Tool (SEPT).
Social Welfare Incidence Model (SWIM)
Our Social Welfare Incidence Model assesses how carbon pricing policies affect different income groups.
RFF Vehicle Market Model
In the transportation sector, the Vehicle Market Model (VMM) simulates the impacts of policies that affect vehicle markets–like fuel economy standards and changes in EV charging infrastructure.
World Induced Technical Change Hybrid (WITCH) Model
At a global scale, the World Induced Technical Change Hybrid (WITCH) model, operated in conjunction with the RFF-CMCC European Institute for Economics and the Environment, assesses climate change mitigation and adaptation policies.
Data Tools
Building on our modeling expertise, RFF scholars have created a series of data tools that allow users to explore our research data in a variety of novel ways. Several flagship tools are noted below, and more can be found on our data tools page.
RFF Data Commons
Data Commons is an international project that aggregates data from a wide range of sources—including RFF—into a unified database. RFF’s Data Commons microsite explores datasets relevant to RFF’s research priorities. It also provides users access to visualization tools and a seamless way to explore relationships between RFF data and the extensive Data Commons catalog.
Decision Tools in Environmental Economics
Many foundational concepts in environmental, energy, and natural resource economics were developed by RFF scholars over the course of the institution's 70 year history. The pages below explore research at RFF related to a selection of key decision tools in these fields of study.
