Noah Kaufman

Noah Kaufman

Senior Research Scholar in the Faculty of International and Public Affairs; Adjunct Professor of International and Public Affairs


Personal Details

Dr. Noah Kaufman joined the Columbia SIPA Center on Global Energy Policy (CGEP) as a research scholar in January 2018. Noah works on climate and clean energy policies and directs CGEP’s Carbon Tax Research Initiative.

At World Resource Institute, Noah led projects on carbon pricing, the economic impacts of climate policies, and long-term decarbonization strategies. Under President Obama, he served as the Deputy Associate Director of Energy & Climate Change at the White House Council on Environmental Quality. Previously, he was a Senior Consultant in the Environment Practice of NERA Economic Consulting.

Noah received his BS in economics, cum laude, from Duke University, and his PhD and MS in economics from the University of Texas at Austin, where his dissertation examined optimal policy responses to climate change.

He has published peer-reviewed journal articles on the social cost of carbon dioxide emissions and the role of risk aversion in environmental policy evaluations, among other topics.

Education

  • PhD in economics, University of Texas at Austin
  • MS in economics, University of Texas at Austin
  • BS in economics, cum laude, Duke University

In The Media

Climate & Sustainable Development

This special CGEP blog series, featuring six contributions from CGEP scholars, analyzes the potential impacts of the One Big Beautiful Bill Act (OBBBA) across a range of sectors.

Jul 14 2025
CGEP Energy Explained
Climate & Sustainable Development

Scott Barrett, Noah Kaufman and Joseph Stiglitz write that instead of focusing so much on international climate conferences that require unanimous support, rely on hollow voluntary commitments, and ultimately have little effect on emissions, policymakers should be pursuing narrower binding agreements.

Jan 25 2024
Project Syndicate

Noah Kaufman of CGEP and coauthors explore how green industrial policy will drive decarbonization and impact trade.

Jun 01 2023
International Monetary Fund

Four SIPA-affiliated scholars consider how to fix the U.S.-EU disconnect on climate.

Apr 25 2023
Foreign Affairs

Noah Kaufman, a climate economist at SIPA's Center on Global Energy Policy, will serve as a committee member for the newly established group.  

Oct 02 2022
U.S. Department of the Treasury