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NEW YORK — The Center on Global Energy Policy at Columbia University’s School of International and Public Affairs announced today that Christof Rühl has joined CGEP as a Senior Research Scholar. Rühl will lead the oil and gas research program at CGEP, focused on the energy transition and ongoing efforts to decarbonize the global fuel mix. This program will draw on the breadth of expertise across Columbia University’s faculty and leverage the Center’s global network of experts to explore in-depth the critical policy questions raised by the energy transition, as well as the intersections between energy markets, the global economy, climate change and geopolitics.
“Oil and gas remain a critical part of our energy mix, even in the midst of an unprecedented transformation of the global energy system. New technology is opening sources of energy that will disrupt economic and trade norms, while climate change is forcing action from businesses and governments to reduce emissions. Deep decarbonization remains immensely challenging, even as it is increasingly urgent. As we bring cleaner energy sources online, we’re using more energy and emitting more harmful greenhouse gases, not less. Balancing all these factors to create a cleaner, economically viable, equitable and safe energy future is a tremendous challenge,” said Jason Bordoff, Professor of Professional Practice in International and Public Affairs and Founding Director of CGEP. “Christof is one of the most respected economists in the world working at the intersection of the global energy system and the global economy. He brings critical, multi-sector expertise and a data-driven approach that will help make sense of the rapidly changing global energy landscape, and offer actionable, common-sense policy solutions. We are delighted that he is joining our growing team at the Center on Global Energy Policy.”
“The challenges of the energy transition are unique in their own right, but this transition also falls in the midst of very big shifts in the fault lines of the old, established energy system. Energy is no stranger to shocks from the economy or from political action. For energy itself to shift the parameters of geopolitics or the global economy is a much rarer event,” said Rühl. “The U.S. shale revolution has done just that, in so many dimensions. The energy transition has similar potential, if with different intentions. And so, the global triangle of energy, politics and the economy keeps shifting and changing its shape. These are the best of times to be active in the middle of this changing landscape. I’m happy to join the team at the Center on Global Energy Policy and to help build the Center’s capacity and scholarship. Ultimately, of course, all this must feed back into the way decision makers act to manage the economic, financial, political and social dimensions of these huge changes.”
Christof Rühl joins the Center on Global Energy Policy as a Senior Research Scholar. Rühl is an internationally renowned economist, specializing in macroeconomics and energy economics. He will leverage significant research, policy and business expertise to conduct original research, manage collaborative projects to contribute to the University’s wider research agenda, and engage with public and private sector leaders, journalists and students. He most recently served as Global Head of Research at the Abu Dhabi Investment Authority, where he created and managed ADIA’s first global research team to provide economic, energy and geopolitical analysis to the fund. Previously, he was Group Chief Economist and Vice President of BP plc for nine years, credited with a significant contribution to the global debate on energy, climate change, and the various links between energy and economic development. Rühl joined BP from the world of global economic policy, having served at the World Bank, including as Chief Economist in Russia and in Brazil, and at the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development. He started his career as an academic economist, first as a Research Associate at German Universities and later as an Assistant Professor at the University of California in Los Angeles. Rühl is published widely in his fields. He currently also serves as a Senior Fellow at the Mossavar-Rahmani Center for Business and Government at the Harvard Kennedy School.
CGEP’s mission is to enable public and private sector leaders to make more informed choices about the world’s most pressing energy issues by providing an independent and interdisciplinary platform for insights and data-driven analysis, convening and information-sharing, education and training, and actionable recommendations on the current and future global energy system.
As the world races to transition to cleaner energy sources, there exists a substantial gap between the financing required for this transition and the actual investments being made.
