Richard Newell

Resources for the Future

President & Chief Executive Officer

Dr. Richard G. Newell is the President and Chief Executive Officer of Resources for the Future (RFF), an independent, nonprofit research institution that improves environmental, energy, and natural resource decisions through impartial economic research and policy engagement. He has held senior government appointments as the Administrator of the US Energy Information Administration and as the Senior Economist for energy and environment on the President’s Council of Economic Advisers. Dr. Newell was previously the Gendell Professor of Energy and Environmental Economics at Duke and Director of its Energy Initiative and is now Adjunct Professor. He is a board member or advisor at the National Academy of Sciences, the National Petroleum Council, and several other institutions. He has published widely on the economics of markets and policies for energy and the environment, including issues surrounding climate change and energy innovation. Dr. Newell holds an MPA from Princeton University’s Woodrow Wilson School and a PhD from Harvard University.

Sessions With Richard Newell

Monday, 7 March

  • 07:30pm - 09:00pm (CST) / 08/mar/2022 01:30 am - 08/mar/2022 03:00 am

    US Energy Policy & the Climate Opportunity
    Lunch/Dinner Discussion Geopolitics/Policy/Regulatory

    The Biden Administration has set its goals for US energy policy: net zero emissions by 2050, carbon-free power by 2035, and 50-52% reduction in GHG emissions by 2030. The pathways to those goals have been stalled legislatively. Can the US Congress still play a significant role in national energy and climate policy? Can industry be the key technological and financial driver on this pathway? What regulatory measures should we expect in 2022 and beyond?

Tuesday, 8 March

  • 11:40am - 12:30pm (CST) / 08/mar/2022 05:40 pm - 08/mar/2022 06:30 pm

    Future of Carbon Markets After COP26
    Panel Finance & Investment/Trading & Risk Management/ESG

    Carbon dioxide emissions are priced under a sprawling ecosystem of compliance markets, voluntary offset schemes, and taxation regimes. In late 2021, allowance prices hit record highs under the EU Emission Trading System, just as Article 6 of the Paris Agreement was finalized, potentially paving the way for a truly global carbon market. With over 90% of global GHG emissions now covered by some form of net-zero target, effectively pricing carbon is a policy priority. With investors pushing companies to measure, disclose, and act upon climate-related risk, carbon pricing is becoming an essential consideration for corporate strategy. How will markets evolve over the coming years? What principles of market design will insulate carbon pricing from the ebb and flow of political will? And how to balance carbon prices that are high enough to deliver ambitious goals, with the pressure to secure reliable and affordable energy for the long term?

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