Boston University’s Benjamin K. Sovacool Elected to The National Academies’ Board on Environmental Change and Society

BOSTON, MA, August 31, 2022—Widely regarded as the most prestigious scientific body in the U.S., The National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine have invited Dr. Benjamin K. Sovacool, Director of the Boston University Institute for Global Sustainability (IGS), to serve as a member of its Board on Environmental Change and Society (BECS). The National Academies provide independent, objective guidance on environmental sustainability and other critical issues, drawing on interdisciplinary expertise from the nation’s leading scholars and practitioners to inform decision-makers and the American public. Dr. Sovacool’s commitment to equity and social justice in his global energy and climate policy research will further advance BECS’s mission to find equitable and effective solutions to the challenges at the intersection of environmental change and society.

“I am beyond humbled and honored to accept a nomination to The National Academies’ Board on Environmental Change and Society,” said Benjamin K. Sovacool, Director of the Boston University Institute for Global Sustainability and Professor, Earth & Environment. “As a social scientist, this is an exceptional opportunity to lead our nation’s progress on environmental sustainability while working to achieve just transitions for the most disadvantaged communities in our society.”

Dr. Sovacool will serve on the BECS Board through May 2025, joining the eight-person committee of academic experts and researchers to help shape The National Academies’ research agenda on the human impacts of sustainability transitions. BECS brings a diversity of expertise in social, political, economic, and equity concerns to The National Academies, with a focus on climate and energy, global sustainable development, and public and environmental health.

Dr. Sovacool specifically focuses on renewable energy and energy efficiency, the politics of large-scale energy infrastructure, designing public policy to improve energy security and access to electricity, and building adaptive capacity to the consequences of climate change. His research has been endorsed by U.S. President Bill Clinton, the Prime Minister of Norway Gro Harlem Brundtland, and the late Nobel Laureate Elinor Ostrom. He is also a recipient of the 2019 USERN Prize for his work on “Social Justice in an Era of Climate Change and Energy Scarcity” and the “Dedication to Justice Award” given by the American Bar Association.

“We are very pleased to have Dr. Sovacool join our board,” said Thomas F. Thornton, Director of BECS. “His interdisciplinary expertise and breadth of experience in environmental change and societal issues, both nationally and internationally, and especially in renewable energy transitions and climate policy and justice, are an excellent fit with the BECS mission.”

As part of the Division of Behavioral and Social Sciences and Education, BECS advises The National Academies through scientifically rigorous studies and reports, in addition to events that bring together researchers and practitioners to share their knowledge for the public good.

About the Boston University Institute for Global Sustainability
The Boston University Institute for Global Sustainability (IGS) pioneers research to advance a sustainable and equitable future, convening faculty across the university’s diverse schools and colleges. Our focus on planetary and environmental health, climate governance, and energy systems is grounded in equity and justice, robust data science, and real-world impact. To learn more, visit bu.edu/igs.