PNNL

Paul Wolfram’s work aims at understanding the complex interactions and (unintended) environmental consequences of the global energy transition. Prior to joining the Joint Global Change Research Institute (JGCRI) in June 2021, Wolfram graduated with a PhD from the Yale School of the Environment and gained practical experience as a researcher at the International Council on Clean Transportation and the Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research in Germany. His work has been highlighted in the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change’s sixth assessment report, on German national radio, and in The New York Times.

Visit Paul Wolfram's Google Scholar for a full list of publications.

• Multisector dynamics modeling
• Climate change mitigation
• Life cycle assessment

• PhD in industrial ecology, Yale Universtiy
• MS in civil engineering and environmental planning, Technical University of Berlin
• BS in transportation economics, Technische Universität Dresden

• American Geophysical Union
• International Society of Industrial Ecology

• PNNL Silver Dollar Award for High-Impact Publication, Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, 2023, 2024
• Dissertation Scholarship, Yale School of the Environment, 2016–2021

2024

Wolfram, P., P. Kyle, J. Fuhrman, P. O’Rourke, and H. McJeon. “The hydrogen economy can reduce costs of climate change mitigation by up to 22%.” One Earth 7: 885–895.

Wolfram, P., P. O’Rourke, H. McJeon, and P. Kyle. “Helping the climate by replacing liquefied natural gas with liquefied hydrogen or ammonia?” Environ. Res. Lett. 19: 054005.

2023

O’Rourke, P., B. Mignone, P. Kyle, B. Chapman, J. Fuhrman, P. Wolfram, and H. McJeon. “Supply and demand drivers of global hydrogen deployment in energy transition scenarios.” Environ. Sci. Technol. 57, 48: 19508–19518.

Yue, R., X. Sun, P. Wolfram, S. Zhao, X. Tang, Y. Kang, D. Zhao, and X. Zheng. “Hidden delays of climate mitigation benefits in the race of electric vehicle deployment.” Nat. Commun. 14: 3164.

2022

Wolfram, P., P. Kyle, X. Zhang, S. Gkantonas, and S. Smith. “Using ammonia as a shipping fuel could disturb the nitrogen cycle.” Nat. Energy 7: 1112–1114. Policy document citations: EU Commission, EU Parliament, ITF, IRENA, Heinrich Boell Stiftung. Selected media coverage: Science, Yahoo Finance, and Oil & Gas Watch (in English); WDR Quarks Daily, WDR 5 Quarks, and Deutschlandfunk (in German).

Huang, Y.,* P. Wolfram,* R. Miller, H. Azarijafari, F. Guo, K. An, J. Li, R. Miller, E. Hertwich, J. Gregory, and C. Wang. “Mitigating life cycle GHG emissions of roads to be built through 2030: case study of a Chinese province.” J. Environ. Manage. 319: 15512. *Equal contributions.

Makov, T.,* P. Wolfram,* S. Althaf, and V. Blass. “What is my share? Using market data to assess the environmental impacts of secondary consumption.” Preprint available. *Equal contributions.

2021

Wolfram, P., S. Weber, K. Gillingham, and E. Hertwich. “Pricing indirect emissions accelerates low-carbon transition of US light vehicle sector.” Nat. Commun. 12: 7121. Selected media coverage: The New York Times, Yale News, CleanTechnica, and Treehugger (in English); ZDF, ZDF Terra X, Focus Online, Chip, and WDR Quarks Daily (in German).

Miatto, A., P. Wolfram, B. Reck, and T. Graedel. “Uncertain future of American lithium: a perspective until 2050.” Environ. Sci. Technol. 55, 23: 16184–16194.

Pauliuk, S., N. Heeren, P. Berrill, T. Fishman, A. Nistad, Q. Tu, P. Wolfram, and E. Hertwich. “Global scenarios of resource and emission savin¬gs from material efficiency in residential buildings and cars.” Nat. Commun. 12: 5097. Policy document citations: OECD.

Fishman, T., N. Heeren, S. Pauliuk, P. Berrill, Q. Tu, P. Wolfram, and E. Hertwich. “A comprehensive set of global scenarios of housing, mobility, and material efficiency for material cycles and energy systems modelling.” J. Ind. Ecol. 25: 305–320.

2020

Wolfram, P., and E. Hertwich. “Potential climate impact variations due to fueling behavior of plug-in hybrid vehicle owners in the US.” Environ. Sci. Technol. 55, 1: 65–72.

Wolfram, P., Q. Tu, N. Heeren, S. Pauliuk, and E. Hertwich. “Material efficiency and climate change mitigation of passenger vehicles.” J. Ind. Ecol. 25: 494–510.

Pauliuk, S., T. Fishman, N. Heeren, P. Berrill, E. Hertwich, Q. Tu, and P. Wolfram. “Linking service provision to material cycles – a new scenario and model framework for studying the resource efficiency-climate change nexus.” J. Ind. Ecol. 25: 260–273.

2019

Wu, Z., C. Wang, P. Wolfram, Y. Zhang, X. Sun, and E. Hertwich. “Assessing electric vehicle policy with region-specific carbon footprints.” Appl. Energy 256: 113923.

Miller, T.R., P. Berrill, P. Wolfram, R. Wang, Y. Kim, X. Zheng, and E. Hertwich. “Method for endogenizing capital in the USEEIO.” J. Ind. Ecol. 23: 1410–1424.

Wolfram, P., E. Hertwich. “Representing vehicle-technological opportunities in integrated energy modeling.” Transp. Res. Part D: Transp. Environ. 73: 76–86.

Hertwich, E., S. Ali, L. Ciacci, T. Fishman, N. Heeren, E. Masanet, F. Nojavan Asghari, E. Olivetti, S. Pauliuk, Q. Tu, and P. Wolfram. “Material efficiency strategies to reducing greenhouse gas emissions associated with buildings, vehicles and electronics – A review.” Environ. Res. Lett. 14: 043004.

2017

Wolfram, P., and T. Wiedmann. “Electrifying Australian transport: Hybrid life cycle analysis of a transition to electric light-duty vehicles and renewable electricity.” Appl. Energy 206: 531–540.

2016     

Wolfram, P., T. Wiedmann, and M. Diesendorf. “Carbon footprint scenarios of renewable electricity in Australia.” J. Cleaner Prod. 124: 236–245.

2015     

Wolfram, P. “Carbon footprint scenarios of renewable electricity: A greenhouse gas emission assessment for Australia.” AV Akademikerverlag, Saarbrücken, Germany.