The Open Sustainability Policy Summit

The fight against climate change demands a cohesive strategy to decarbonize our energy and transportation systems. PolicyEngine introduces an innovative open-source platform that calculates the societal and individual impacts of tax and benefit policies, including those pertinent to energy. This session delves into the platform's use of microsimulation to evaluate the distributional consequences of specific policies, such as the UK carbon tax, the US Clean Vehicle Tax Credit, and the utility allowance in the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (food stamps). Emphasizing poverty, inequality, and budget outcomes, we highlight the critical role of policy in driving an equitable energy transition. Demonstrating the platform’s web app, Python package, and REST API, we will discuss its current applications and future integrations with climate impact computational models. The talk aims to show how PolicyEngine not only aids in policy design and evaluation but also serves as a foundational tool for others applying computational models in the energy sector, enhancing collaborative efforts toward a sustainable future.