Research Library

Advanced recycling of plastics can help the U.S. achieve sustainability goals and a climate-neutral, circular economy.

Experts explore how the copper acquisition dilemma could hinder green energy ambitions and constitute the driving force behind a copper supercycle.

The U.S. oil, gas and coal industry largely rose and fell based on global economic and energy market conditions rather than federal energy and environmental policies implemented by the Trump administration, write the authors. As the world recovers from the COVID-19 pandemic, they expect markets to continue to shape the future of the oil and gas industry. Read more on the Baker Institute Blog.

Electricity is the new oil when it comes to energy security, writes Mark Finley, fellow in energy and global oil. The immediacy of power outages and the ubiquity of critical elements of modern life powered by electricity mean the impact of oil supply disruptions are a walk in the park compared to our power vulnerabilities.

When President-elect Joe Biden assumes office in January, he will be compelled to deal with the most important and ferociously complicated geopolitical question the United States faces today: how to manage its relations with China. Fellow Joe Barnes explains how the U.S.-China situation differs from the Cold War dynamic, and how the U.S. will best be served in the years ahead. Read more at the Baker Institute Blog.

While foreign policy has rarely been the predominant issue in U.S. presidential campaigns, the November election will provide voters a clear choice when it comes to U.S. relations with other nations, writes fellow Joe Barnes.

Rather than offer a forecast that may overstate or understate Covid-19's impact on the U.S. and global economy, the authors highlight what to look for as the pandemic progresses, recedes or oscillates.

The oil glut and the unprecedented drop in demand, along with plummeting oil prices due to the coronavirus pandemic, is revealing the strengths and weaknesses of oil firms globally. The authors consider four NOCs — Ecopetrol, Petrobras, Petronas and Pemex — in the context of the current crisis.

Iron and steel production are necessary for modern infrastructure, and the sector is both energy intensive and difficult to decarbonize. The authors explore new, evolving processes that could change this and potentially provide both environmental and economic benefits.

"This pandemic and looming economic crisis will affect all of us ... The sooner we relearn how to set aside our differences and unite during this difficult moment, the stronger we will emerge from it," writes former Secretary James A. Baker, III.