Energy & Environment

How economic evidence – and its gaps – can inform policymaking at COP30

COP30 presents an ambitious agenda for advancing climate goals amid unprecedented global uncertainty. How can the economic evidence covered on VoxDev since COP29 – on biodiversity, agriculture, cities, health, and renewables – and the subsequent gaps...

Emaan Siddique

Published

Tue, 07/10/2025 - 12:00

Why did air conditioning catch on so quickly in Mexico?

Air conditioning adoption in Mexico has grown much faster than earlier forecasts, with nearly one million more units installed than predicted, largely due to falling electricity prices and rising energy efficiency that lowered the cost of cooling.

Energy & Environment

Lucas Davis Paul Gertler

Published

02.10.25

Climate adaptation in Argentina: Short-term instability, long-term risk

Argentina’s volatile macroeconomic and political environment – marked by inflation, debt crises, and policy instability – makes it difficult to commit to the long-term investments needed for climate adaptation, despite the country’s high vulnerabilit...

Energy & Environment

Elisa Belfiori Yanel Llohis

Published

30.09.25

Does subsidising cleaner cookstoves backfire? Lessons from Rwanda

Energy-efficient biomass cookstoves cut fuel use and, in Rwanda, do not trigger significant local rebound effects – consumption, fuel collection time, and prices remain largely unchanged for those not adopting cleaner cookstoves.

Energy & Environment

Anicet Munyehirwe Jörg Ankel-Peters Maximiliane Sievert Erwin Bulte Nathan Fiala

Published

26.09.25

Climate change, natural resources, and conflict: Navigating a complex nexus

Extreme weather and the green transition are reshaping global conflict. We summarise the evidence on this trend and explore how policy can respond.

Energy & Environment

Oliver Vanden Eynde Juan F. Vargas

Published

02.09.25

How developing the renewable energy sector increased employment in Brazil

The development of the wind energy sector in Brazil improved employment in recipient municipalities—with workers under the age of 40 and those without high school degrees benefitting the most.

Energy & Environment

Danae Hernández-Cortés Sophie Mathes

Published

30.07.25

Workers in African cities are extremely exposed to air pollution

In African cities, small firms locate on busy roads to attract customers and increase profits, exposing workers to substantial air pollution.

Energy & Environment

Vittorio Bassi Matthew E. Kahn Nancy Lozano Gracia Tommaso Porzio Jeanne Sorin

Published

29.07.25

Climate politics: Understanding political inaction on climate change

Despite strong public concern for climate change and pollution in Indonesia, politicians underestimate the demand for policy responses and fail to act – even when informed of voter preferences. Politicians’ misperceptions, elite capture, and politica...

Energy & Environment

Allan Hsiao Nicholas Kuipers

Published

14.08.25

Paying to pollute: How carbon offsets actually raised emissions in China

Carbon offset programmes aim to lower emissions by allowing high-income countries to meet part of their reduction targets by financing projects in low- and middle-income countries. Evidence from China—one of the world’s largest suppliers of these pro...

Energy & Environment

Qiaoyi Chen Nicholas Ryan Daniel Xu

Published

22.07.25