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China’s demand for oil, long an important driver of global oil demand growth, slowed dramatically during January–September 2024. Between 2000 and 2023, China accounted for 50 percent of...
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Renowned Climate and Energy Expert Dr. Phil Sharp Joins Columbia SIPA Center on Global Energy Policy
April 27, 2016
Former Congressional Representative, Academic, and Business Leader Dr. Sharp Joins Columbia Following Decade as President of Resources for the Future
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NEW YORK – The Center on Global Energy Policy (CGEP) at Columbia University’s School of International and Public Affairs (SIPA) announced today that Dr. Phil Sharp, President of Resources for the Future and former member of Congress, will join as a Fellow in July to bring his decades of experience shaping and analyzing U.S. energy policy to the Center’s work. While at the Center Dr. Sharp will teach and perform research on climate policy in the U.S. and China as well as the changing electricity system.
“It’s an honor to welcome Phil Sharp as a Fellow,” said Jason Bordoff, Professor of Professional Practice in International and Public Affairs and Founding Director of the Center on Global Energy Policy. “Phil is a dedicated public servant, distinguished academic, and widely respected leader in the energy, natural resources, and environmental policy fields. His tremendous insight and experience will complement our broad array of energy policy experts, and we’re looking forward to his contributions to our programming and research.”
“I’m very pleased and honored to join the distinguished roster of Fellows at the Center on Global Energy Policy,” said Dr. Sharp. “I care deeply about the future of U.S. energy and environmental policy and plan to use my experiences at Resources for the Future and in Congress, the private sector, and academia to contribute to the Center’s on going work of analyzing our most pressing global energy challenges and crafting recommendations for policy-makers around the world. I look forward to teaching a course on US Climate Policy in the fall and working with students, faculty, and the other Fellows at the Center.”
Dr. Sharp, who will step down as President of Resources for the Future at the end of June after assuming the position in 2005, has a distinguished record across energy and environmental research and policy. During a 20-year congressional tenure as a member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Indiana, Dr. Sharp took key leadership roles in the development of landmark energy legislation including the Energy Policy Act of 1992 and the Clean Air Act Amendments of 1990. After leaving Congress, Dr. Sharp was a member of the National Research Council’s Committee on Effectiveness and Impact of Corporate Average Fuel Economy (CAFE) Standards and he chaired the Secretary of Energy’s Electric Systems Reliability Task Force.
Dr. Sharp has also devoted significant time to academia, having taught at Ball State University and Harvard’s Kennedy School and serving as director of Harvard’s Institute of Politics. He also was a senior research fellow in Harvard’s Environmental and Natural Resources Program, and currently serves on the board of directors of the Energy Foundation, on the external advisory board of the MIT Energy Initiative, and chairs the advisory committee for the MIT study on the utility of the future.
Dr. Sharp previously served on the board of directors of the Duke Energy Corporation from 2007 to 2014. From 2002 to 2010, Sharp was congressional chair of the National Commission on Energy Policy, a panel established by the Hewlett Foundation and other major foundations to make energy policy recommendations to the federal government. Among his numerous activities and awards, he was appointed to the Blue Ribbon Commission on America’s Nuclear Future and served from 2010 to 2012, and was also appointed to the National Academies’ Committee on America’s Climate Choices, serving from 2008 to 2011. He was the recipient of the 2015 James R. Schlesinger Medal for Energy Security awarded by the US Department of Energy.
Dr. Sharp graduated cum laude from Georgetown University’s School of Foreign Service and received his PhD in government from Georgetown University.
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About the Fellows Program: The Fellows Program brings prominent energy thought leaders to the Center on Global Energy Policy to research and write, teach, and otherwise contribute to Columbia University’s robust and deep intellectual community focused on energy issues.
About the Center on Global Energy Policy: The Center on Global Energy Policy at Columbia University’s School of International and Public Affairs seeks to enrich the quality of energy dialogue and policy by providing an independent and nonpartisan platform for timely, balanced analysis and actionable recommendations to address today’s most pressing energy challenges. The Center convenes energy leaders, produces policy-relevant, accessible research and trains students to become the next generation of energy scholars, executives and policymakers. Based at one of the world’s great research universities, the Center leverages its location in New York City, proximity to financial markets, business and policymakers, and Columbia’s world-class faculty and global reach. Columbia University is Where the World Connects for Energy Policy.
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China’s Slowing Oil Demand Growth Is Likely to Persist and Could Impact Markets
China’s demand for oil, long an important driver of global oil demand growth, slowed dramatically during January–September 2024. Between 2000 and 2023, China accounted for 50 percent of...
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by Jason Bordoff, Leonardo Beltran, Gautam Jain + 8 more •
The Aspen Institute Energy and Environment Program
• November 11, 2024
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When the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) was passed in August 2022, it triggered unprecedented enthusiasm among potential hydrogen suppliers.[1] More than two years later, progress on final investment...
