On Friday, May 6, 2022, the Federal Reserve Bank of New York and Columbia University Center for Environmental Economics and Policy (CEEP) will jointly host an in-person conference on environmental economics and policy, with speakers including New York Fed President John C. Williams and a keynote address by Ben Harris, Assistant Secretary for Economic Policy at the U.S. Department of Treasury. 

Economists will present research on topics including how low-income communities are disproportionately impacted by climate risks, the unintended consequences of mandatory flood insurance, and how different neighborhoods react to flooding. A reception will follow.  We thank SIPA and the Earth Institute for funding CEEP, and ISERP for helping fund this conference.

Event Details

8:30 Coffee and pastries

9:15am-9:30amOpening Remarks

John C. Williams, President and Chief Executive Officer of the Federal Reserve Bank of New York 

9:30am-12:00pm Session 1: Unequal Effects of Climate Change

Moderator: Charles Taylor, Columbia University

9:30am-10:15am Surge of Inequality: How Different Neighborhoods React to Flooding

Ana Varela Varela, Assistant Professor, University of Amsterdam 

10:15am-11:00am Within City Disparate Temperature Effects Of Climate Change

Presenter: Clara Berestycki, Columbia University
(Co-author: Wolfram Schlenker, Professor, Columbia University)

11:00am-11:15am Break

11:15am-12:00pm Unintended Consequences of "Mandatory" Flood Insurance

Presenter: Kristian Blickle, Financial Economist, Federal Reserve Bank of New York 
(Co-author: Joao Santos, Policy Leader for Microprudential Supervision, Federal Reserve Bank of New York)

12:00pm-1:00pm Lunch

1:15pm-2:00pm Keynote Address

Ben Harris, Assistant Secretary for Economic Policy, U.S. Department of Treasury

2:30pm-5:00pm Session 2: Economic And Financial Stability Under A Changing Climate

Moderator: Tarikua Erda, Columbia University

2:30pm-3:15pm Climate Stress Testing

Presenter: Hyeyoon Jung, Economist, Federal Reserve Bank of New York 
(Co-authors: Robert Engle, Professor, Stern School of Business, NYU; Richard Berner, Professor, Stern School of Business, NYU) 

3:15pm-4:00pm Global Warming and Labor Market Reallocation

Jose-Luis Cruz, Princeton University

4:00pm-4:15pm Break

4:15pm-5:00pm Mitigating Disaster Risks in the Age of Climate Change

Presenter: Harrison Hong, Professor, Columbia University 
(Co-authors: Neng Wang, Professor, Columbia University; Jingiang Yang, Professor, Shanghai University of Finance and Economics)

5:00pm-5:05pm Closing Remarks

Joao Santos, Policy Leader for Microprudential Supervision, Federal Reserve Bank of New York

5:00pm-6:00pm Reception