PEOPLE

Research Directors: Dott. Alessio D’Amato and Dott. Mariangela Zoli.

The group of researchers involved in the Energy, Land and Environmental Economics (ELEE) research activity includes: Laura Castellucci, Gionata Castaldi, Andrea Martinangeli, Luisa Nenci, Giacomo Pallante, Gianluca Trotta, Donatella Vignani e Andrea Appolloni.

EXPERTISE

The main areas of expertise include: Renewable energy, Emissions trading, Waste and recycling, Water, Land use, Environmental fiscal reforms, Green taxes, Behavioral economics and the environment, Forestry.

AIMS AND OBJECTIVES

The present economic crisis has led widespread attention towards the financial performance of the world economy and to its long run growth prospects. This has unveiled the urgent problems of limiting production and consumption activities’ impact on the natural environment and of improving our use and management of natural resources. Indeed, the economic system can recover from short run financial crises and move from recession to expansion phases in the economic cycle, but the trade offs imposed by the limited availability of natural resources is by far the most pressing issue in the long run.

Our research group focuses on climate change, pollution (local air and water pollution), the overexploitation and inefficiency in the use of resources and the role of technical change, to the benefit of policies design. On top of all that, we aim at deepening our understanding of the role the State plays in addressing global environmental challenges.

RESEARCH PROJECTS AND RESEARCH AREAS

Specific sectors under scrutiny include:

  1. Carbon lock-in and renewable energy sources
  2. Waste, with a specific attention to illegal behavior
  3. Assessment of the determinants of pro-environmental behavior
  4. Real life design of market based instruments, mostly focusing on emissions trading
  5. Green taxes and green fiscal reforms
  6. Sustainable finance

RESEARCH COLLABORATIONS

Members of the research group are involved in a currently undergoing PRIN project as well as in FP7 projects (CECILIA 2050 among others). Alessio D’Amato and Mariangela Zoli are part of a newly created research center in environmental economics: SEEDS (www.sustainability-seeds.org). Alessio D’Amato is vice-president of the Italian Association of Environmental and Resource Economists (IAERE).