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Tibor Vegh

Senior Policy Associate
Nicholas Institute for Energy, Environment & Sustainability
90335, Durham, NC 27708-0335
2117 Campus Dr., Durham, NC 27708

Overview


Tibor Vegh serves as a senior policy associate with the Nicholas Institute for Energy, Environment & Sustainability. He is an applied social scientist with a background in environmental planning and economics. Vegh’s applied and policy-relevant research centers on the resilience of coupled human and natural systems; the economic, social, and environmental implications within the context of coastal adaptation; and the reliance on natural systems to benefit communities in the face of uncertainty and environmental risks. Vegh is a lead or collaborator on a wide range of projects where he contributes his economic, financial, and policy analysis skills, as well as his understanding of environmental planning approaches to solve real-world problems.

Vegh’s most recent work focuses on the social and economic aspects of coastal and urban resilience and multidimensional adaptation to risks in coastal and ocean systems. He has also collaborated on projects spanning many other topics, including fisheries economics, plastics pollution mitigation, ecological restoration, ecosystem service markets, bioenergy, and more.

Vegh holds a PhD in city and regional planning with a focus on environmental planning from the University of North Carolina Chapel Hill. He earned his master's degree in forestry with a focus on economics from Northern Arizona University in 2011 and his bachelor's degree in economics with a minor in mathematics from North Carolina State University in 2008.

Current Appointments & Affiliations


Recent Publications


Opportunities, tradeoffs, and caveats for private sector involvement in US floodplain buyout programs

Journal Article Mitigation and Adaptation Strategies for Global Change · December 1, 2023 For several decades, the USA has increasingly relied on government-administered floodplain buyout programs to reduce flood risk and remove flood-damaged dwellings from floodplains. However, high transaction costs and long administrative timelines dramatica ... Full text Cite

2023 Annual Trends in Plastics Policy: A Brief

Report · August 31, 2023 In the first annual update of Annual Trends in Plastics Policy, Nicholas Institute researchers find that plastics policy enactment continues to surge and was not negatively affected by the COVID-19 pandemic. In fact, researchers found more than 300 additio ... Open Access Link to item Cite

Voluntary commitments made by the world's largest companies focus on recycling and packaging over other actions to address the plastics crisis.

Journal Article One earth (Cambridge, Mass.) · November 2022 Plastic pollution has caused significant environmental and health challenges. Corporations that contribute to the make, use, and distribution of plastics can play a vital role in addressing global plastic pollution and many are committing to voluntary pled ... Full text Cite
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Recent Grants


Research to Secure a Safe Place for Small Scale Fisheries in an Increasingly Crowded Ocean Year 2

ResearchSenior PA · Awarded by Global Fishing Watch · 2023 - 2026

Realizing the Economic Benefits of Resilience-driven Land Development: Planning for Resilience in the Real Estate Sector

ResearchPrincipal Investigator · Awarded by Real Estate Equity Solutions · 2024 - 2025

Social cost of plastic pollution

ResearchResearch Associate · Awarded by Natural Resources Defense Council · 2025 - 2025

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