The federal government unveiled the creation of a new research chair to analyze climate economics, innovation and policy as part of the Canada 150 Research Chairs funds. Indeed the Canada 150 Research Chair in Climate Economics, Innovation and Policy was officially confirmed during a ceremony which took place in Ottawa on March 29th.
The Chairholder, Carolyn Fischer, is seeking to address long-term challenges like climate change which will require significant technical progress, particularly for countries like Canada seeking to make ambitious contributions to sustainable growth while maintaining competitive positions in global markets. Economists typically say carbon pricing should be central in leading to climate-friendly innovation, complemented by public investments in basic research. However, technology-specific policies, like renewable energy subsidies or efficiency standards, are enjoying much more public support worldwide.
Carolyn Fischer's research explores how many different challenges—innovation spillovers, gaps in behaviour, underpriced emissions, market power, economies of scale, international trade, carbon leakage, energy insecurity, uncertainty and distributional concerns—shape the creation of appropriate clean technology policies and strategies.
The Chair is created for a seven-year term and is invested through the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada (SSHRC).
We would like to congratulate Dr. Fischer on obtaining this prestigious chair!