CAMBRIDGE, MA (December 31, 2024)—Dr. Kyle Meng, an associate professor at the Bren School of Environmental Management and the Department of Economics at the University of California, Santa Barbara, who recently served as senior climate economist in the White House Council of Economic Advisers, has joined the Union of Concerned Scientists (UCS) board of directors.
“We are thrilled to bring a scholar and thought leader with Dr. Meng’s deep expertise to the board,” said Board Chair Anne Kapuscinski. “His work at the intersection of environmental policy and economic equity will be indispensable as we tackle the necessity of a rapid transition to clean energy while building prosperity, especially for communities overburdened with pollution.”
Dr. Meng studies the effectiveness, efficiency, and equity consequences of environmental policies, with a focus on climate policies. His research has examined the environmental justice consequences of carbon markets; explored the drivers of long-term clean energy transitions; and revealed relationships between the global climate and global patterns of violence and food insecurity.
“I have long admired the scientific rigor that the Union of Concerned Scientists brings to climate policy and advocacy,” said Dr. Meng. “The sheer scale of the climate challenge demands we pursue multiple pathways to reduce the emissions that drive warming and harm human health. By combining social and physical sciences, we can uncover solutions that move us rapidly, cost-effectively, and equitably.”
An environmental and resource economist with training in engineering and atmospheric physics, Dr. Meng is a Faculty Research Fellow at the National Bureau of Economic Research and the Climate and Energy Program Director at the UCSB’s Environmental Markets Lab. He has published in leading science and economics journals, including the American Economic Review, Journal of Political Economy, Nature, Science, and PNAS, and his research is regularly discussed by major news outlets and policymakers.
Dr. Meng received his PhD in sustainable development from Columbia University and his bachelor’s degree in civil and environmental engineering from Princeton University. A first-generation immigrant, he was a recipient of the Paul and Daisy Soros Fellowship for New Americans.