Issue 210: Celebrating the People of RFF

A Note from RFF’s President about Resources issue 210:

This year marks the 70th anniversary of Resources for the Future (RFF); naturally, we will take every opportunity to celebrate this milestone! The previous issue of Resources magazine, published in February, showcased some of RFF’s landmark research from the past seven decades. The articles in this issue cover the high-impact work that RFF is doing right now, tackling the tough problems for which the world is currently navigating solutions—especially climate change. For instance:

• New RFF Fellows Penny Liao and Hannah Druckenmiller introduce themselves, with Liao describing her recently published research on flood insurance, and Druckenmiller previewing work in progress about landscapes in transition
• Senior Fellow Maureen L. Cropper discusses timely work on the social cost of carbon
• Legal scholars consider the social cost of carbon in recent court cases, alongside Supreme Court cases that could substantially limit federal authority to regulate greenhouse gases

In these pages, we celebrate the people of RFF. Our organization is its people—our scholars, staff, supporters, and affiliated colleagues—and the decisions we make professionally (and personally) in these moments. What we do now determines our future, and what we take to heart now helps measure the significance of our past. I hope it’s apparent that, as a research organization seeking practical impact, we consciously cultivate what we do. I think our vice president for research and policy engagement, Billy Pizer, says it well in our “Day in the Life” episode of the Resources Radio podcast: “The thing I really like about my role at RFF is helping the researchers do what they enjoy doing, which is doing research that’s policy relevant. To the extent I can help them figure out how to do that better—that’s incredibly gratifying.”

I also know that our other scholars and staff at RFF approach their roles similarly, all in service of the mission of RFF, which is to improve environmental, energy, and natural resource decisions through impartial economic research and policy engagement. By helping each other, in alignment with our core values of balance, rigor, independence, respect, and results, we can achieve far more than we ever could alone.

We are part of the solution, advancing a healthy environment and thriving economy. And we hope we can count you among us.

Richard G. Newell
President and CEO, Resources for the Future