A Proposal for a Climate Grand Bargain Based on Local Climate Damages

The Boston University Global Development Policy Center is pleased to host the 2025 Paul Streeten Distinguished Lecture, featuring Professor Michael Greenstone, Milton Friedman Distinguished Service Professor in Economics and Director of the Energy Policy Institute and the Institute for Climate and Sustainable Growth at the University of Chicago.

Professor Greenstone’s research, which has shaped policy in the United States and worldwide, addresses the global energy challenge of balancing reliable, affordable energy with public health protection and minimizing climate damages. His work has contributed to the U.S. government’s revised climate damage estimates, the creation of pollution markets in India, and innovative use of machine learning for environmental enforcement. As co-director of the Climate Impact Lab, he produces empirical estimates of local and global climate impacts. He also developed the Air Quality Life Index®, translating pollution levels into life expectancy, and co-founded Climate Vault, a nonprofit that leverages markets to reduce carbon footprints and spur carbon removal innovation.

In his lecture, A Proposal for a Climate Grand Bargain Based on Local Climate Damages, Professor Greenstone will present a bold new approach that harnesses localized measures of climate damages to create a practical framework for global cooperation on climate change.

This annual lecture honors the legacy of Paul Streeten (1917-2019), a founding figure in development economics and former Boston University professor, whose scholarship and policy engagement shaped the field of global development.

Registration is required. Limited seating.

Event Venue & Nearby Stays

Howard Thurman Center for Common Ground, 808 Commonwealth Avenue, Brookline, United States