M-RCBG Senior Fellow-Led Study Group: Christof Ruehl
Thursday, November 19, 4:30-5:30
Zoom meeting. Registration required:
https://harvard.zoom.us/meeting/register/tJAoc-yhqTMtHtJGzJtt1thIm6-N3kYhq4lk
Please register using a Harvard.edu email address or request registration by emailing: susan_gill@hks.harvard.edu
Study group hosted by M-RCBG Senior Fellow, Christof Ruehl, with guest Dr. Robert Kleinberg, Center on Global Energy Policy, Columbia University
Deliberate intervention into the course of climate change is a multi-trillion dollar project. Mathematical models represent our best hope of optimizing the outcomes of actions we take today. A widely used metric, the Global Warming Potential (GWP), uses simple numerical multipliers to account for the differing effects of emitting various greenhouse gases into the atmosphere. Among other things, GWP has been used to harmonize the nationally determined contributions of the Paris Agreement. However, despite its widespread acceptance, GWP is oversimplified and in some cases potentially misleading. As examples we compare the climate modeling of international oil and gas companies used to rationalize their pivot toward clean energy production; the greenhouse gas impact of European power generation fueled by domestic European coal vs Russian pipeline gas, and the impact of US liquefied natural gas exports on global warming.
Christof Rühl is an internationally renowned economist, specializing in macroeconomics and energy economics. He has a succinct track record in business, economic policy advice and academia, and is published and quoted widely in his fields. His most recent commercial expertise is in energy, specifically oil and gas, and in asset allocation, focused on global macro and geopolitical trends. He combines more than 20 years of experience in senior positions in world class companies. From 2014-18 Christof served as Global Head of Research at the Abu Dhabi Investment Authority, creating and managing ADIA’s first global research team to provide economic, energy and geopolitical analysis to the Fund. Earlier, he was Group Chief Economist and Vice President of BP plc (2005-14), credited with a significant contribution to the global debate on energy, climate change, and the various links between energy and economic development. Christof joined BP from the world of global economic policy, having served at the World Bank (1998–2005) - including as the Bank’s Chief Economist in Russia and in Brazil - and at the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD, 1996-98). He started his career as an academic economist, first as a Research Associate at the Universities of Bremen and Hohenheim in Germany; and from 1991-96, as an Assistant Professor at the University of California in Los Angeles (UCLA). Christof is a sought after lecturer and public speaker. He currently serves as independent board director and as a global advisor of companies in energy, banking and private equity. He is a German national. While an M-RCBG Senior Fellow, Christof's research will center on energy policy. His faculty sponsor is William Hogan, Raymond Plank Research Professor of Global Energy Policy at Harvard Kennedy School. Email: christof_ruehl@hks.harvard.edu