ABOUT CEES

The Center for Energy and Environmental Security (CEES) works to develop practical strategies and solutions for moving international society toward a global sustainable energy future. Located at the University of Colorado Law School, CEES provides an effective and nonpartisan forum for the development of innovative ideas dealing with issues of energy and environmental security. Through our programs and projects, we work at local, state, national and international levels. Our staff are known for the intellectual integrity, quality and diversity of their ideas. As a member of the academic community, we adhere to a rigorous ethic of objectivity, critical awareness, and civic engagement in all aspects of our work.

Our Mission

At CEES we believe the constellation of problems implicated by climate change and global energy demand cannot be adequately resolved without using a strong interdisciplinary approach. By combining skills and research drawn from fields such as law, business, science, and engineering, CEES works to develop sustainable energy solutions that that reflect real world complexities.

Our work at CEES is organized around three key goals:

Access to Information: Provide the public with access to objective information and analysis regarding issues of energy and the environment.

Laws and Markets: Harness markets and entrepreneurship to expand the universe of economic opportunities—particularly for those in the developing world—in a manner that supports the ideal of sustainable development.

Appropriate Technology: Promote the development and diffusion of technology that is appropriate to the environmental, cultural and economic context for which it is intended.

At CEES, we think and do, moving beyond research to create practical real-world strategies and solutions. We believe that global climate change and issues of energy security present the greatest environmental challenge of the twenty-first century. At CEES we seek to address this challenge by anticipating emerging issues, establishing new lines of inquiry, and charting the territory for responses by government, business, and society.

History

CEES is one of three official academic centers at the University of Colorado Law School. In 2003 Professor Lakshman Guruswamy and Senior Fellow Kevin Doran started the Energy and Environmental Security Initiative (EESI), the organizational predecessor of CEES. EESI was designed to provide law students and others with a firm understanding of the many complexities involved in achieving a sustainable energy future.

In 2003 EESI released a white paper by Professor Guruswamy and Senior Fellow Kevin Doran entitled, “A New Framework: Post-Kyoto Energy & Environmental Security.” In the paper, Guruswamy and Doran set forth the rationale for moving toward a new understanding of the energy crisis—one based on an interdisciplinary, systems-based perspective. This paper served as the intellectual premise behind EESI. “What we set out to do,” explains Doran, “is to develop a center dedicated to creating legal and policy solutions to energy and environmental issues that are informed by the very environments and processes they are meant to deal with.”

By 2006 EESI had grown into a group of almost 20 researchers—composed of EESI faculty, professional staff, and law students. In October of 2007, the faculty of the University of Colorado Law School voted unanimously to designate the Energy & Environmental Security Initiative as an official Center of the Law School and University. This institutional designation received unanimous approval from the Chancellor, Provost, Dean of the Graduate School, General Counsel, and Fiscal Officers of the University of Colorado at Boulder. This singular distinction has occurred only three times over 100 years. Pursuant to this official redesignation, EESI is now the Center for Energy & Environmental Security.

For additional information on CEES, please refer to the CEES Profile 1.03mb, or send an email to cees@colorado.edu.