First-Ever Ranking of Climate Think Tanks

The International Center for Climate Governance (ICCG) has just released the first-ever ranking of the most world-renowned think tanks that conduct research in the field of climate change economics and policy.

According to the Executive Summary from ICCG, the new report ranks think tanks that specialize in the field of climate change economics and policy.  The same Executive Summary notes that "until today, rankings have been based mainly on opinion surveys (such as Dr. James McGann's annual University of Pennsylvania think tank rankings), or on bibliometric indicators."  This ranking, however, is based on "solid quantitative and analytical data."

The so-called 2012 ICCG Climate Think Tank Ranking is composed of a "Global" category (for think tanks headquartered outside of the US) and a "European" category.

The winner for the Global category is the Belfer Center for Science and International Affairs.  The winner for the European category is the Basque Centre for Climate Change (BC3).

The top 10 climate think tanks in the Global Category are:

1. Belfer Center for Science and International Affairs
2. Princeton Environmental Institute (PEI)
3. Woods Hole Research Center (WHRC)
4. MIT Center for Energy and Environmental Policy Research (CEEPR)
5. RAND Corporation
6. Worldwatch Institute
7. Resources for the Future (RFF)
8. Climate Action Network - International (CAN)
9. Nicholas Institute for Environmental Policy Solutions
10. Purdue Climate Change Research Center (PCCRC)

An award ceremony will be held on June 27, 2013 in Toulouse, France, where the two winners will be awarded a prize of 5,000 euros each and a commemorative plaque.

The annual University of Pennsylvania think tank rankings (mentioned above) do not have a category specifically for climate change think tanks, although it does have a category for top environmental think tanks.

The top 10 think environmental think tanks (both US and non-US) in the UPenn ranking are:

1. World Resources Institute (US)
2. Brookings Institution (US)
3. Center for Climate and Energy Solutions (US)
4. Worldwatch Institute (US)
5. Earthwatch Institute
6. Stockholm Environment Institute (Sweden)
7. Resources for the Future (RFF)
8. Earth Institute (US)
9. Chatham House (UK)
10. Ecologic Institute (Germany)

The UPenn rankings also have a category for top energy and resource policy think tanks.

ICCG was founded in 2009 as a joint initiative of Fondazione Eni Enrico Mattei (FEEM) and Fondazione Giorgio Cini.  ICCG is located on the Island of San Giorgio Maggiore, right in front of Saint Mark's Square in Venice, Italy.  Think Tank Watch will have to make a trip soon...