Current Projects
Chinese corporations and governments currently have significant flexibility in selecting sustainability metrics which hinders meaningful comparison on sustainability performances and complicates the efforts to provide standardized policy directives. In response, The Research Program on Sustainability Policy and Management at Columbia University’s Earth Institute and the China Center for International Economic Exchanges (CCIEE) have developed the China Sustainable Development Indicator System (CSDIS), a ranking system that compares the sustainability performance of Chinese cities and provinces. Utilizing various statistical methodologies, CSDIS establishes a robust framework and set of indicators that covers the economic, environmental, social, and institutional aspects of sustainability for Chinese cities.
Other Partners: China Center for International Economic Exchanges
Completed Projects
The research aims to provide specifications for adaptable building control systems without requiring consumers to alter their consumption behaviors. Through systems analysis and stochastic modeling, the project determines specific storage technologies and available electricity tariffs to induce demand response, thereby reducing the GHG footprint and the cost of grid electricity while mitigating the strain on the grid. Developed framework and algorithms are expected to serve as a stepping stone towards advanced applications.
Funded by: National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST)
Other partners: Columbia Lenfest Center for Sustainable Energy
The project identifies and lays the groundwork for sustainable engineering operations within PepsiCo, Inc., while creating a platform for researchers to study best practices, low-carbon technologies, and related policies within the context of an international manufacturing firm. Between 2007 and 2012, the research aimed to develop scalable methodology for evaluating sustainable operations and investments, focusing on quantifying carbon footprint drivers and identifying reduction solutions across PepsiCo's consumer product portfolio. Furthermore, identification of company-specific technical interventions for carbon management and advisory services for PepsiCo's Eco Circles, green fertilizer, and other ad hoc projects were undertaken.
Funded by: PepsiCo, Inc.
Other partners: Carbon Trust
The project conducts a technological and economic feasibility study of end-to-end process alternatives for direct air capture of CO2. The research aims to produce 3 main deliverables: 1) Feasibility metrics as a function of design alternatives and identification of inherent tradeoffs crucial to subsequent implementation; 2) Engineering drawings and process diagrams for the 2-4 most promising design options with mass & energy flow characteristics, geographic and carbon footprint, basic material and construction requirements, and estimated costs; 3) Model evaluations including spreadsheets, C, C++, Python programs and outputs.
Funded by: ABB Switzerland
Other partners: Columbia Lenfest Center for Sustainable Energy
The project aims to demonstrate air capture technology (humidity-swing DAC to sequester CO2 via carbonate brines) and provide prototype demonstration with techno-economic feasibility analysis.
Funded by: Electricity de France
Other partners: Arizona State University, Columbia Lenfest Center for Sustainable Energy
The study aims to develop control algorithms to integrate battery storage-based demand responese (DR) with existing Building Automation System (BAS) capabilities. The overarching objective of the research is expanding the building's DR capacities and providing crucial beneftis towards smarter grids, while maintaining occupant comfort and reducing cost. The project follows a 2-phase approach in which building peak demand forcasting will be added to existing battery dispatch methods in phase 1. Phase 2 introduces systemic optimization to the forecasting algorithm, BAS, and battery dispatch. The study evaluates the methodology through a multi-objective cost function which covers demand and energy changes, savings from DR participation, storage equipment capital expenditure, and occupant control.
Funded by: National Science Foundation (NSF EAGER Grant)
Other partners: Columbia Lenfest Center for Sustainable Energy
The project performs a life-cycle cost analysis to determine economic and environmental impact of integrating New York City startup Urban Electric Power (UEP)'s zinc-nickel batteries with Siemens' intelligent buildilng energy management and control platform Smart Energy Box (SEB). Applicability of the product is assessed by CUNY's Buildings Performance Laboratory in a building at John Jay College. Following the initial product development, a 2-step demonstration comprised of performance and reliability testing in NY-BEST's Rochester facility and deployment in more than one NYC buildings with Siemens BAS is planned.
Funded by: NYSERDA
Other partners: Urban Electric Power, Siemens Corporate Research
The project aims to develop a lifecycle-based greenhouse gas and cost model for the dynamic assessment of disposable versus reusable cups. The research will identify the conditions under which reusable cups become both financially viable and environmentally preferable to single-use alternatives, accounting for key trade-offs.
Funded by: Closed Loop Partners
Other partners: Center for Circular Economy
The study suggests a method for quantifying the marginal damages of air pollution by sector at the city level in monetary terms, using the city of Jiyuan in Henan Province as a pilot case. Jiyuan faces multiple challenges from population concentration and resource-intensive industry structure. The proposed framework, following the principle of environmental accounting, provides a possible solution for small to medium-sized cities in China like Jiyuan to facilitate administrative tracking of monetized air pollution based on underlying economic activity. Additionally, the minimum set of metrics to measure sector-specific pollution damages are outlined, advocating for the adoption of a simplified approach to assessing urban sustainability goals globally and in China.
The study examines the perceived trade-offs between pollution control regulations and employment at both the microeconomic and macroeconomic levels. It synthesizes the impact of environmental regulation on employment across the firm, industry, and broader economy, and identifies conditions under which such regulation can enhance employment. Drawing on the U.S. experience from the 1980s and 1990s, the research explores regulatory mechanisms that may be applicable to the Chinese context, emphasizing the importance of targeting sectors with low labor intensity. It further suggests that a transition towards an economy with a higher share of tertiary output is likely to facilitate a joint strategy of pollution control and job growth.
Under the Earth Institute's Cross-Cutting Initiative, the study develops an urban sustainability indicator set for Chinese cities using three cities in China's Henan Province as a pilot case. The study serves as a first endeavor to examine how perceptions of urban sustainability performance and concerns vary by demographic and socio-economic status of residents, adding a fresh perspective on the exclusively environment-focused literature. The research suggests that familiarity with sustainable development is associated with various socio-demographic factors and the concerns and attitudes towards such matter also differ from city to city, providing a strong evidence to support independent local policies tailored to the socio-demographics of each individual city.
Funded by: Earth Institute Cross-Cutting Initiative
Other partners: Henan University
The project leverages existing nonintrusive submetering in developing a human-in-the-loop approach and investigating occupant feedback strategies to change electricity use by reducing load or shifting usage to non-peak hours. Appliance-level consumption is obtained through statistical disaggregation of apartment-level metering in underserved multifamily residentials to lower the cost, and natural language processing (NLP) based approach is utilized to target usage feedback to the desired consumption change.
Funded by: US Department of Energy
Other partners: Columbia Engineering School Data Science Institute, Lucid Design Group
The joint research with AlliianceBernstein, funded by their parent company AXA Financials, aims to quantify the potential positive impacts of patient portfolio flows into publicly-traded emerging markets equities. This serves as a possible outline for distinguishing these types of investments from other capital flows to developing countries, while also articulating the links between the emerging markets portfolio with the specific Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
Funded by: AXA Research Fund
Other Partners: AllianceBernstein
The research, conducted by Research Program on Sustainable Policy Management (SPM) and Columbia Global Centers | Beijing, evaluates the progress and effectiveness of the activities by The Sustainability Consortium's program in China (TSC China) and its Sustainability Management and Reporting System (SMRS). The evaluation was guided through a program logic model in which the process included conducting anonymous surveys to capacity-building workshop participants, performing stakeholder reviews, and gathering data from TSC China for review.
Funded by: The Sustainability Consortium
Other Partners: University of Arkansas
The study analyzes the jurisdictional characteristics of economies where the carbon pricing mechanisms (both carbon taxes and cap-and-trade) have been implemented or proposed to support decarbonization. First, the study compares the average economic and emissions-related characteristics of 37 countries, which implemented or are considering implementing carbon pricing, to derive stylistic facts correlated with carbon pricing. Then, historical experiences of 11 nationals and 2 sub-national jurisdictions which implemented carbon pricing or attempted to do so in vain are reviewed. Finally, in-depth review of case studies for Chile and Colombia, countries in which are undergoing implementing carbon pricing policies, are presented with the aim to identify key adoption drivers and barriers to successful implementation.
Funded by: Enel Foundation