Program Overview
Type: Vanderbilt Initiative Award (ViA)
Climate change is an ideologically polarizing issue both domestically and internationally. Drawing on research in law, social psychology, economics and behavioral science, our interdisciplinary research team has developed a novel approach that bypasses the climate gridlock by focusing on non-government solutions. Private environmental governance occurs when private organizations pursue traditionally governmental functions, such as managing common pool resources and reducing negative environmental externalities. Private climate initiatives use non-intrusive, cost-effective methods to generate large carbon emissions reductions, buying time for a more comprehensive government response to develop. This project offers an ambitious, innovative and inspiring trans-institutional response to climate change. It leverages and extends existing collaborations across law and policy, environmental science, economics and other social and behavioral sciences. It has the potential to extend recent efforts to the level of world leadership.
Faculty Participants
Lead Faculty in bold
Law School
Michael Vandenbergh, David Daniels Allen Distinguished Chair of Law
College of Arts & Science
- Jonathan Gilligan, Associate Professor of Earth & Environmental Sciences
Owen Graduate School of Management
- Mark Cohen, Justin Potter Professor of American Competitive Enterprise and Professor of Law