The CRI is an interdisciplinary effort involving faculty members and researchers from five schools at UVA who aim to understand and provide solutions for the future of carbon removal in the Commonwealth of Virginia. The team includes undergraduate, graduate, and postdoctoral research assistants. Research is conducted at different scales, ranging from the entire state down to the individual parcel.
CRI members work in three different teams, as follows:
- A team, including engineers and economists, trying to develop regional models of the potential economy in Virginia over the coming decades. The team aims to establish an understanding of how the energy transition will likely develop, then layer the role carbon removal could have on local economies, local employment, and tax revenue. For example, what would a growth in biofuels or low carbon agriculture have on rural communities in Virginia?
- A team analyzes the resource base across the entire state to understand where investments are most likely to occur. This includes social science work, using mixed methods in a few representative counties, to understand existing major challenges and opportunities that are unique to different regions.
- A team considers the role of forestry and assesses any potential opportunities to expand Virginia’s forests to take more carbon. This is coupled with work in UVA's School of Architecture to understand how using more bio-based construction materials can help decarbonize the built environment in the Commonwealth.
The CRI is administered by the Environmental Institute and funded in part by Jefferson Trust.
