MIT Center for International Studies

The Program on Environmental Governance and Sustainability provides an inter-disciplinary forum for faculty and students at MIT to conduct research and exchange ideas about how to promote environmentally sound and socially just development. Many of the activities associated with PEGS draw on field-based knowledge from diverse international contexts. However, these approaches are complemented with consideration of global governance institutions, organizations, and processes.

Lectures and Special Events

PEGS sponsors lectures, seminars, and special events during the academic year. Details of upcoming activities will be posted on the
CIS calendar.

Global Sustainability
Working Group

The Global Sustainability Working Group (GSWG) meets monthly during the academic year to discuss environmental challenges and appropriate governance frameworks. A summary of activities and meeting dates are available on the
working group website.

Faculty, visiting scholars, and students affiliated with PEGS are engaged in a variety of research projects related to environmental governance and sustainability in countries around the world. Examples of current research include studies on the following topics:

Cities and climate change (Africa, Asia, Latin America, Europe)
Strategies and tactics of environmental NGOs (Eastern Europe)
Community mobilization for environmental health and justice (Latin America, Europe)

PEGS Graduate Fellows are full-time graduate students enrolled at MIT who are selected on a competitive basis each year. An annual theme is selected and announced in early fall. The 2011-2012 theme is synergies to promote environmental quality and sustainable development. Students selected as PEGS Fellows meet regularly as a group with the faculty director to discuss their research ideas and progress, conduct research during the award period (December - December), and present the results of their work to the MIT community. The research must have a significant international component and Fellows are eligible to receive modest funding to offset travel costs associated with their international research. Follow this link to view the call for proposals for the 2011-2012 year.

Visiting Research Fellows are academics and professionals with interests in environmental governance and sustainability who would like to conduct research under the supervision of, or in collaboration with, MIT faculty. Successful applicants are provided with shared office space and full access to MIT libraries. Fellows are expected to participate in PEGS and CIS activities. Applications are accepted on a rolling basis. For further information about the application process and program requirements, send an inquiry to PEGS-MIT@mit.edu.

JoAnn Carmin, Faculty Director
Program on Environmental Governance and Sustainability
Center for International Studies

Tel: 617.253.8093
PEGS-MIT@mit.edu

Amit Gandhi, is a second year Master’s student working with D-Lab in Mechanical Engineering. His research involves technological approaches to international development, focusing on the evaluation and assessment of solar lighting technologies in the developing world.

Kian Goh, AIA, LEED AP, is a first year PhD student in the Department of Urban Studies & Planning. Her research focuses on the intersection of the built environment, politics, and urban ecologies.

Nicole Labruto, is a first year doctoral student in the HASTS program. Her research examines the political, social, and economic effects of collaborations surrounding sustainable development in urban Brazil, with a focus on energy security and waste management.

Alpen Sheth,is a first year doctoral student in the DUSP program. His research examines the role of insurance and capital markets in climate change and disaster risk reduction policies, with a focus on the intersection of risk reduction, urbanization, and governance across developing and developed regions including the Caribbean and Asia Pacific Islands.

Maja Tampe, is a second-year PhD Student at MIT Sloan. Her research examines under what conditions ethical trade certification initiatives effectively improve the livelihoods of smallholder farmers by investigating the cocoa value chain in Ghana and Ecuador.

Liyan Xu, is a first-year PhD student at the Department of Urban Studies and Planning. He is going to work with stakeholders in Wolong National Panda Reserve, China to find an alternative to the use of firewood as an energy source in order to protect the panda habitat as well as ensure the sustainability of the local socio-ecological system.