William A. Pizer
Title: Senior Fellow and Director, Energy and Natural Resources Phone: 202-328-5039 E-mail:pizer@rff.org Website Address:www.rff.org/~pizer
Biography
Pizer's research seeks to quantify how the design of environmental policy affects costs and effectiveness. Specific research has focused on the aggregate level and distribution of these costs; uncertainty about cost; technological change; banking, trading and other flexibility mechanisms; and valuation over long time horizons. He applies much of this work to the question of how to design and implement policies to reduce the threat of climate change caused by manmade emissions of greenhouse gases. Currently, he is working on projects that look at the effectiveness of voluntary programs, the role of technology programs in pollution control efforts, and the effect of regulation on competitiveness.
Pizer is a Lead Author on the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change 4th Assessment Report and serves on both the EPA Environmental Economics Advisory Committee and the DOE Climate Change Science Program Product Development Advisory Committee. Since August 2002, Pizer has worked part-time as a Senior Economist at the National Commission on Energy Policy. During 2001-2002, he served as a Senior Economist at the President's Council of Economic Advisers where he worked on environment and climate change issues. He was a Visiting Scholar at StanfordUniversity's Center for Environmental Science and Policy during 2000-2001, and taught at JohnsHopkinsUniversity during 1997-1999.
Visiting Assistant Professor, The Johns Hopkins University, 1997 - 1999.
Researcher and Teaching Fellow, Harvard University, 1992 - 1996.
Journal Articles
Endogenizing Technological Change: Matching Empirical Evidence to Modeling Needs William Pizer and David Popp Energy Economics | forthcoming | Related Discussion Paper 07-11
Decentralization in the EU ETS and Lessons for Global Policy Joseph Kruger, William Pizer, and Wallace Oates Review of Environmental Economics and Policy | Vol. 1, No. 1 | 112-133 | Related Discussion Paper 07-02
Economies of Scale in Community Water Systems Jhih-Shyang Shih, Winston Harrington, William Pizer, and Kenneth Gillingham Journal of the American Water Works Association | September 2006 | Vol. 98, No.9. | 100-108 | Related Discussion Paper 04-15 (2007 American Water Works Association Small Systems Division Best Paper)
The Evolution of a Global Climate Change Agreement William Pizer American Economic Review, Papers and Proceedings | Vol. 96, No. 2 | 26-30 | Related Discussion Paper 07-03
Modeling Economywide versus Sectoral Climate Policies Using Combined Aggregate-Sectoral Models
William A. Pizer, Dallas Burtraw, Winston Harrington, Richard G. Newell, James N. Sanchirico Energy Journal | forthcoming | Related Discussion Paper 05-08
The Case for Intensity Targets William A. Pizer Climate Policy | Related Discussion Paper 05-02
Managing Permit Markets to Stabilize Prices Richard G. Newell, William A. Pizer and Jiangfeng Zhang Environmental and Resource Economics | 2005 | 31 | pp. 133-157 | Related Discussion Paper 03-34
Instrument Choice for Environmental Protection when Technological Innovation is Endogenous Carolyn Fischer, Ian W.H. Parry, and William A. Pizer Journal of Environmental Economics and Management | 2003 | Vo. 45 | pp. 523-545 | Related Discussion Paper 99-04
Uncertain Discount Rates in Climate Policy Analysis Richard G. Newell and William A. Pizer Energy Policy | Vol. 32, No. 4. | pp. 519-529.
How Important is Technological Innovation in Protecting the Environment? Ian W. H. Parry, William A. Pizer and Carolyn Fischer Journal of Regulatory Economics | 2003 | 23 | pp. 237-255 | Related Discussion Paper 00-15
How Large are the Welfare Gains from Technological Innovation Induced by Environmental Policies? Ian W.H. Parry, William A. Pizer, and Carolyn Fischer Journal of Regulatory Economics | 2003 | Vol. 54 | pp. 39-60 | Related Discussion Paper 01-28
Regulating Stock Externalities Under Uncertainty Richard G. Newell and William A. Pizer Journal of Environmental Economics and Management | 2003 | Vol. 45 | pp. 416-432 | Related Discussion Paper 99-10-REV
Discounting the Distant Future: How Much Do Uncertain Rates Increase Valuations? Richard G. Newell and William A. Pizer Journal of Environmental Economics and Management | 2003 | Vol. 46, No. 1 | pp. 52-71 | Related Discussion Paper 00-45
Combining Price and Quantity Controls to Mitigate Global Climate Change William A. Pizer Journal of Public Economics | Vol. 85, No. 3 | pp. 409-434 | Related Discussion Paper 98-02 [CATASTROPHE paper]
Jobs Versus the Environment: An Industry-Level Perspective Richard D. Morgenstern, William A. Pizer, and Jhih-Shyang Shih Journal of Environmental Economics and Management | May 2002 | Vol. 43, no. 3 | pp. 412-436
The Cost of Environmental Protection William A. Pizer, Richard Morgenstern, and Jhih-Shyang Shih Review of Economics and Statistics | November 2001 | Vol. 83, No. 4 | pp. 732-738 | Related Discussion Paper 98-36
Ecological Forecasts: An Emerging Imperative James S. Clark, Steven R. Carpenter, Mary Barber, Scott Collins, Andy Dobson, Jonathan A. Foley, David M. Lodge, Mercedes Pascual, Roger Pielke Jr., William A. Pizer, Cathy Pringle, Walter V. Reid, Kenneth A. Rose, Osvaldo Sala, William H. Schlesinger, Diana H. Wall, and David Wear Science | 2001 | Vol. 293 | pp. 657-660
Optimal Choice of Policy Instrument and Stringency under Uncertainty: The Case of Climate Change William A. Pizer Resource and Energy Economics | 1999 | Vol. 21 | pp. 255-287 | Related Discussion Paper 97-17
Stimulating Technology to Slow Climate Change Raymond J. Kopp, Richard D. Morgenstern, Richard G. Newell, and William A. Pizer New Approaches on Energy and the Environment: Policy Advice for the President | Richard D. Morgenstern and Paul R. Portney, eds. | RFF Press | 2004 | Chapter 2
A Tale of Two Policies: Clear Skies and Climate Change William A. Pizer Painting the White House Green | Randall Lutter and Jason F. Shogren, eds. | RFF Press | 2004 | pp. 10-45
Reducing Cost Uncertainty and Encouraging Ratification of the Kyoto Protocol Raymond J. Kopp, Richard Morgenstern, William Pizer, and Frédéric Ghersi Global Warming in Asian-Pacific | R. Mendelsohn and D. Shaw eds. | Cheltenham, U.K.: Edward Elgar Publishing, Ltd. | 2002
Designing Climate Policy to Address Uncertainty William A. Pizer Designing Climate Policy: The Challenge of the Kyoto Protocol | H. Abele, T. C. Heller and S. P. Schleicher, eds. | Vienna, Austria: Service Fachverlag | 2001
An Integrated System for Analyzing Carbon Trading
Michael A. Toman, William Pizer, Richard Newell, Dallas Burtraw, Winston Harrington, and Jim Sanchirico U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) | January 2000 (Interim project report)
Short Articles, Issue Briefs, and Other Publications
Economies of Scale and Technical Efficiency in Community Water Systems Jhih-Shyang Shih, Winston Harrington, William A. Pizer and Kenny Gillingham Final project report | Fall 2003
Are We Overstating the Real Economic Costs of Environmental Protection? Richard D. Morgenstern, William A. Pizer, and Jhih-Shyang Shih RFF Discussion Paper 97-36-REV | May 1997; Revised June 1997 | Abstract An electronic version of this report is not available.
Selected Presentations
Economic Analysis of the Bush February 14th Climate Proposal William A. Pizer Energy Modeling Forum (EMF) 21: Multi-Gas Mitigation and Climate Change | EMF-Stanford University | College Park, MD | May 1, 2002 Also presented at the Electric Power Research Institute, Seventh Annual Global Climate Change Research Seminar, June 2002.
Intensity Targets and U.S. Climate Change Policy William A. Pizer Carbon Trading Braintrust Meeting | Center for Clean Air Policy | Washington, D.C. | April 1, 2002
Economics of Climate Change William A. Pizer Technology and Environmental Policy Weekly Seminar | Princeton University, Program in Science | Princeton, NJ | April 1, 2002
Regional Patterns of Household Energy Use and Carbon Emissions William A. Pizer Workshop on the Distribution Issues of Climate Change Policy | Energy Foundation | Washington, D.C. | December 1, 2001
Market Solutions to Climate Change: Strengthening the Economy and Securing Our Energy Future William A. Pizer Redefining Progress | Washington, D.C. | November 1, 2001 (Keynote speaker)
Discounting the Benefits of Climate Change Mitigation: How Much Do Uncertain Rates Increase Valuations? William A. Pizer Climate Change Workshop | Pew Center on Global Climate Change | October 1, 2001
Cap and Trade with a Price Cap William A. Pizer 6th Annual Electric Power Research Institute (EPRI) Global Climate Change Workshop | EPRI | Washington, D.C. | June 1, 2001
Quantitative Targets and Developing Country Participation: Political Dilemmas and Economic Insights William A. Pizer Environmental Forum | Stanford University | Stanford, CA | April 1, 2001
Discounting the Distant Future: How Much Do Uncertain Rates Increase Valuations? William A. Pizer University of California at Berkeley | Berkeley, CA | September 1, 2000 Public Policy Institute of California, December 2000.
Economic Models of Climate Change William A. Pizer Climate Change Workshop | Harvard Institute for International Development | July 1, 2000
How Important is Technological Innovation in Protecting the Environment? William A. Pizer RFF Wednesday Seminar Series | Resources for the Future | Washington, D.C. | April 19, 2000
Carbon Mitigation: Who Should Pay? William A. Pizer RFF Wednesday Seminar Series | Resources for the Future | Washington, D.C. | February 20, 2000
Discounting the Distant Future with Uncertain Rates William A. Pizer Session on Social Discounting and Valuation over the Long Term | Annual Meeting of the Society of Government Economists | January 1, 2000 NBER Summer Institute, August 2000.
Stanford University, April 2001.
Regulating Stock Externalities Under Uncertainty William A. Pizer Hebrew University | November 1, 1999 Trinity College, Dublin, Ireland, March 2000.
AERE/NBER Workshop on Market-Based Instruments for Environmental Protection, with Richard Newell, July 1999.
Haifa University, November 1999.
Mécanismes de Coordination Internationale des Politiques Climatiques William A. Pizer Centre International de Recherche sur l'Environnement et le Développement (CIRED) | CIRED | Nogent-sur-Marne, France | November 1, 1999 (Invited speaker)
Valuing the Future Consequences of Climate Change William A. Pizer Workshop on the Economics and Integrated Assessment of Climate Change | Pew Center on Global Climate Change | July 1, 1999
Public Policy, Technology Adoption, and Aggregate Energy Efficiency William A. Pizer International Workshop on Induced Technological Change and the Environment | International Institute for Applied Systems Analysis | Laxenburg, Austria | June 1, 1999
Endogenous Innovation and Policy Choice William A. Pizer Second Meeting of U.S.-Japan Joint Initiative on Climate Change Issues | U.S.-Japan Joint Initiative on Climate Change Issues | Tokyo, Japan | May 1, 1999
Technology Adoption and Aggregate Energy Efficiency: Can It Make Climate Change Policies Cheaper? William A. Pizer Harvard University, John F. Kennedy School of Government | May 1, 1999
Domestic Early Action: A Credible Early Action William A. Pizer (Briefings for industry representatives) | January 1, 1999 Mobil Oil, British Petroleum, GM, Southern Company, Enron and Dow, January 1999; Under Secretary Frank Loy and other State Department Staff, January 1999; Congresswoman Karen McCarthy, February 1999; environmental advocacy groups including Corporation for Enterprise Development, W. Alton Jones Foundation, World Wildlife Fund, National Wildlife Federation, National Environmental Trust, U.S. PIRG, Greenpeace, Ozone Action, NRDC, Redefining Progress and Union of Concerned Scientists, March - May 1999; Congressman Sherwood Boehlert, May 1999; Staff of Congressman James Greenwood, May 1999; International Climate Change Partnership, July 1999; Business Council for Sustainable Energy, July 1999; House Science Committee Staff, September 1999; Center for Clear Air Policy, "State Roundtable on Climate Change," December 1999; Staff of Senators Voinovich and Fitzgerald, January 2000; House Commerce Committee (Congressmen Porter, Upton, Lazio, Shays, and Castle), February 2000; Commerce Undersecretary Ron Shapiro, February 2000; and Unicom, February 2000.
The Real Cost of Environmental Protection William A. Pizer University of California at Davis | Davis, CA | October 1, 1998
The Diffusion of New Technologies: A Microeconomic Analysis of Firm Decision Making at the Plant Level Raymond J. Kopp, Winston Harrington, Richard D. Morgenstern, William A. Pizer, and Jhih-Shyang Shih National Bureau of Economic Research Summer Institute | Cambridge, MA | August 3, 1998 NBER Summer Institute Workshop on Public Policy and the Environment, August 1998.
Integrated Assessment: A Hands-on Workshop William A. Pizer Climate Change Workshop | Harvard Institute for International Development | July 1, 1998
Instrument Choice for Environmental Protection When Technological Change Is Endogenous: Analytical and Empirical Results William A. Pizer First World Congress of Environmental and Resource Economists | Association of Environmental and Resource Economists, European Association of Environmental and Resource Economists, and Fondazione Eni Enrico Mattei | Venice, Italy | June 1, 1998 NBER Summer Institute Workshop on Public Policy and the Environment, August 1998.
Cheap Emission Reductions: Use 'em or Lose 'em William A. Pizer U.S. Senate Environment and Public Works Committee Staff | March 1, 1998
Labor and Environmental Regulations Richard D. Morgenstern, William A. Pizer, and Jhih-Shyang Shih U.S. Bureau of Census, Center for Economic Studies | Washington, D.C. | February 5, 1998
Jobs versus the Environment: Is There a Trade-Off William A. Pizer Center for Economic Studies Seminar Series | February 1, 1998 U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), July 1998.
Hybrid Price/Quantity Controls for Greenhouse Gases William A. Pizer Council of Economic Advisors | August 1, 1997 Senate Environment and Public Works Committee Staff, November 1997.
Are We Overstating the Economic Costs of Environmental Protection? Richard D. Morgenstern, William A. Pizer, and Jhih-Shyang Shih U.S. Environmental Protection Agency | Washington, D.C. | May 20, 1997
Are We Overstating the Cost of Environmental Regulation? William A. Pizer Environmental Seminar | Harvard University | Cambridge, MA | January 1, 1997 Harvard University, Public Health Seminar, 1997.
American Petroleum Institute Seminar Series, 1997.
Center for Economic Studies Seminar Series, 1997.
University of Maryland, Environmental Seminar, 1997.
Professional Activities
Editorial Activities:
Member, Second Generation Model (SGM) Review Panel, Science Advisory Board, U.S. E.P.A.
Lead Author, Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, Working Group III, Fourth Assessment Report, Chapter 11, 2004-2006.
Outside Reviewer for U.S. Government, Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, Working Group III, Third Assessment Report, Chapters 2 and 7, June 2000.
Contributing Author, Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, Working Group III, Third Assessment Report, Chapter 6, October 1999.
Assistant Reviewer, Energy Information Administration, "Analysis of the Kyoto Protocol," July 1998.
Public Service
Panels and Symposiums: Panelist, Meridian International Institute, Forum on a Greenhouse Gas Accounting System, Washington, D.C., July 2002.
Panelist, MIT Global Climate Change Forum, Forces Pushing For Convergence, June 2002.
Panelist, The Control of Greenhouse Gas Emissions: Policy Options and Technology Requirements, Society of Automotive Engineers, May 2002.
Panelist, "Role of Cost Benefit Analysis in Developing Environmental Policy," Environmental Law Institute, Ward Kershaw Environmental Symposium: Developing Environmental Policy in the Shadow of the War on Terrorism, April 2002.
Participant, Ecological Forecasting Working Group, University of California at Santa Barbara, October 2000.
Climate Policy Discussions, State of Israel, Ministry of Environment, November 1999.
Invited Speaker, 6th Ulvön Conference on Environmental Economics, Sweden, June 1999.
Participant, Johns Hopkins University Workshop on Evaluating Tradeoffs and Risk in Integrated Assessment, June 1998.
Discussant, "Total Resource Productivity: Accounting for Changing Environmental Quality" (by Frank Gollop and Gregory Swinand), National Bureau of Economic Research (NBER) Conference on Research in Income and Wealth, March 1998.
