Alle afleveringen
401 afleveringen, van nieuw naar oud
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Fighting for Environmental Fairness in San Antonio, with Char Miller
16 oktober 2021 · 36 min
In this week’s episode, host Daniel Raimi talks with Char Miller, a professor at Pomona College and a senior fellow at the Pinchot Institute for Conservation. Miller recently published a book called “West Side Rising: How San Antonio’s 1921 Flood Devastated a City and Sparked a Latino Environmental Justice Movement.” It’s a fascinating look back at how decades of environmental discrimination led to a new type of organizing and activism among the city’s residents, even before the term “environmental justice” was widely used. Miller explores the history of this movement and how it has blossomed over time to shape the politics and policies of today and tomorrow. Lees meer
References and recommendations:
“West Side Rising: How San Antonio’s 1921 Flood Devastated a City and Sparked a Latino Environmental Justice Movement” by Char Miller; https://tupress.org/9781595349385/west-side-rising/
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How Much Do Fine Particulates Matter for Public Health?, with Inês Azevedo
10 oktober 2021 · 30 min
In this week’s episode, host Daniel Raimi talks with Inês Azevedo, an associate professor of energy resources engineering at Stanford University, a senior fellow at the Woods Institute for the Environment, and a fellow at the Precourt Institute for Energy. Azevedo publishes on a very wide range of topics, but the conversation in this episode focuses on her work that examines the effects of particulate matter emissions from the power sector and how those emissions affect public health. Azevedo describes where the emissions come from, how the pollution affects different parts of the country, how effects vary across racial and demographic characteristics, and much more. Lees meer
References and recommendations:
“Fine Particulate Air Pollution from Electricity Generation in the US: Health Impacts by Race, Income, and Geography” by Maninder P. S. Thind, Christopher W. Tessum, Inês L. Azevedo, and Julian D. Marshall; https://pubs.acs.org/doi/abs/10.1021/acs.est.9b02527
“Optimizing Emissions Reductions from the U.S. Power Sector for Climate and Health Benefits” by Brian J. Sergi, Peter J. Adams, Nicholas Z. Muller, Allen L. Robinson, Steven J. Davis, Julian D. Marshall, and Inês L. Azevedo; https://pubs.acs.org/doi/abs/10.1021/acs.est.9b06936
“Energy Efficiency: What Has Research Delivered in the Last 40 Years?” by Harry D. Saunders, Joyashree Roy, Inês M. L. Azevedo, Debalina Chakravarty, Shyamasree Dasgupta, Stephane de la Rue du Can, Angela Druckman, Roger Fouquet, Michael Grubb, Boqiang Lin, Robert Lowe, Reinhard Madlener, Daire M. McCoy, Luis Mundaca, Tadj Oreszczyn, Steven Sorrell, David Stern, Kanako Tanaka, and Taoyuan Wei; https://www.annualreviews.org/doi/abs/10.1146/annurev-environ-012320-084937
Collaborative late-night show episodes about climate change; https://www.nytimes.com/2021/09/23/arts/television/late-night-climate-change.html
Many recent blog posts from Resources for the Future about fuel economy standards, machine learning, smart thermostats, and the Cle…
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Illinois’s Illuminating and Ambitious Power Plan, with Gilbert Michaud
3 oktober 2021 · 29 min
In this week’s episode, host Daniel Raimi talks with Gilbert Michaud, an assistant professor at Loyola University Chicago. Michaud is an expert on the power sector and economic development, and he discusses a new state law in Illinois called the Climate and Equitable Jobs Act. The bill aims to eliminate greenhouse gas emissions from the power sector by mid-century and includes other provisions to help make the state’s energy transition more equitable. Lees meer
References and recommendations:
Captain Planet television show; https://captainplanetfoundation.org/about/captain-planet-the-planeteers-legacy/
The Energy Gang podcast; https://www.greentechmedia.com/podcast/the-energy-gang
“Incorporating equity in the clean energy economic development landscape” with Gilbert Michaud on the Solar for All podcast; https://solarforall.show/podcast/gilbert-michaud
“Illinois’s brilliant new climate, jobs, and justice bill” by David Roberts in the Volts newsletter; https://www.volts.wtf/p/illinois-brilliant-new-climate-jobs
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Bridging the Data Gap in Oil and Gas Methane Emissions, with Arvind Ravikumar
27 september 2021 · 33 min
In this week’s episode, host Daniel Raimi talks with Arvind Ravikumar, an associate professor at the Hildebrand Department of Petroleum and Geosystems Engineering at the University of Texas at Austin. Ravikumar is a leading researcher on the topic of methane emissions from oil and gas systems; he recently coauthored a paper demonstrating how the US Environmental Protection Agency can better account for these emissions, which are notoriously hard to measure. Ravikumar and Raimi discuss federal policies that are designed to reduce methane emissions, along with the voluntary commitments made by some companies recently to do just that. Lees meer
References and recommendations:
“Closing the methane gap in US oil and natural gas production emissions inventories” by Jeffrey S. Rutherford, Evan D. Sherwin, Arvind P. Ravikumar, Garvin A. Heath, Jacob Englander, Daniel Cooley, David Lyon, Mark Omara, Quinn Langfitt, and Adam R. Brandt; https://www.nature.com/articles/s41467-021-25017-4
Comprehensive news coverage of Hurricane Ida in the Times-Picayune; https://www.nola.com/
“At least 350 oil and chemical spills reported in Louisiana waters after Hurricane Ida” by Tristan Baurick; https://www.nola.com/news/environment/article_133c6d96-0f32-11ec-9642-0fb29acbbdba.html
The India Energy Hour podcast; https://www.101reporters.com/podcast/The_India_Energy_Hour
“What do we hope to find when we look for a snow leopard?” by Kathryne Schulz; https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2021/07/12/what-do-we-hope-to-find-when-we-look-for-a-snow-leopard
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Financing the Energy Transition around the World, with Afsaneh Beschloss
20 september 2021 · 32 min
In this week’s episode, host Daniel Raimi talks with Afsaneh Beschloss, founder and CEO of RockCreek Group. Before founding RockCreek, Beschloss worked with the World Bank and other financial institutions to develop energy projects around the world. As pressure mounts on banks to move away from fossil fuels, Beschloss and Raimi discuss the special role of multilateral development banks in the transition to clean energy. They also talk about recent guidance from the US Treasury Department that seeks to curb fossil fuel financing at these institutions, and what it all means for the future. Lees meer
References and recommendations:
“They Knew: The US Federal Governments Fifty-Year Role in Causing the Climate Crisis” by James Gustave Speth; https://mitpress.mit.edu/books/they-knew
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Border Tax Adjustments, with Brian Flannery
12 september 2021 · 33 min
In this week’s episode, host Kristin Hayes talks with Brian Flannery, a visiting fellow at Resources for the Future and an expert on international climate policy. Flannery describes how border carbon adjustments—essentially taxes imposed on goods from countries with relatively less ambitious climate standards—are gaining traction, with proposals circulating in the United States and the European Union. However, Flannery cautions that these policy tools will confront a number of challenges before they can be implemented, including backlash from countries that could be negatively affected and the need to abide by World Trade Organization rules. Lees meer
References and recommendations:
“Policy Guidance for US GHG Tax Legislation and Regulation: Border Tax Adjustments for Products of Energy-Intensive, Trade-Exposed and Other Industries” by Brian Flannery, Jennifer A. Hillman, Jan Mares, and Matthew C. Porterfield; https://www.rff.org/publications/reports/policy-guidance-us-ghg-tax-legislation-and-regulation/
“Framework Proposal for a US Upstream GHG Tax with WTO-Compliant Border Adjustments: 2020 Update” by Brian Flannery, Jennifer A. Hillman, Jan Mares, and Matthew C. Porterfield; https://www.rff.org/publications/reports/framework-proposal-us-upstream-ghg-tax-wto-compliant-border-adjustments-2020-update/
“Implementing a Framework for Border Tax Adjustments in US Greenhouse Gas Tax Legislation and Regulations” by Brian Flannery; https://www.resources.org/common-resources/implementing-framework-border-tax-adjustments-us-greenhouse-gas-tax-legislation-and-regulations/
Transcript of an oral evidence session in the House of Lords for the inquiry into Ofgem and net zero, with Sir Dieter Helm; https://committees.parliament.uk/oralevidence/2601/pdf/
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When Will the Sun Set on Fossil Fuel Subsidies?, with Joseph Aldy
6 september 2021 · 33 min
In this week’s episode, host Kristin Hayes talks with Joseph E. Aldy about fossil fuel subsidies—an area that Aldy has researched extensively and a subject that has been rekindled in the policy dialogue after President Joe Biden suggested removing such subsidies when he released his American Jobs Plan in April this year. But this somewhat amorphous concept of fossil fuel subsidies has been notoriously difficult to define and equally difficult to take action on. Aldy and Hayes reflect on how the Biden administration is approaching these definitional questions and what they’re hoping to achieve, both in terms of policy action and emissions outcomes. Lees meer
References and recommendations:
“Testimony on the Elimination of Fossil Fuel Subsidies to the US Subcommittee on the Environment” delivered by Joseph E. Aldy at an Earth Day hearing hosted by the US House Oversight Committee; https://www.rff.org/publications/testimony-and-public-comments/testimony-to-the-us-subcommittee-on-the-environment-on-the-elimination-of-fossil-fuel-subsidies/
“The Role of Fossil Fuel Subsidies in Preventing Action on the Climate Crisis,” a video of the testimony delivered by Joseph E. Aldy at the Earth Day hearing hosted by the US House Oversight Committee; https://youtu.be/yRUm8veLKlk?t=782
“Money for Nothing: The Case for Eliminating US Fossil Fuel Subsidies” by Joseph E. Aldy; https://www.resources.org/archives/money-for-nothing-the-case-for-eliminating-us-fossil-fuel-subsidies/
“Protection for Sale” by Gene M. Grossman and Elhanan Helpman; https://pages.uoregon.edu/bruceb/Andrea.pdf
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Cracking the Case of the Vanishing Air Pollution Data, with Eric Zou
29 augustus 2021 · 34 min
In this episode, host Daniel Raimi talks with Eric Zou, an assistant professor of economics at the University of Oregon. Zou has published fascinating work on how air pollution monitors work—or don’t work, as the case may be—to detect harmful levels of air pollution in the United States. Using data from satellites and ground-based monitors, his work has uncovered how local actors, particularly local governments, may be manipulating air quality data to avoid penalties under the Clean Air Act. Lees meer
References and recommendations:
“Unwatched Pollution: The Effect of Intermittent Monitoring on Air Quality” by Eric Zou; https://static1.squarespace.com/static/56034c20e4b047f1e0c1bfca/t/603afc5c6607da3e67640175/1614478432535/monitor_zou_202101.pdf
Fort Lee lane closure scandal; https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fort_Lee_lane_closure_scandal
“Next-Generation Compliance: Environmental Regulation for the Modern Era” by Cynthia Giles; https://eelp.law.harvard.edu/2020/09/next-generation-compliance-environmental-regulation-for-the-modern-era/
“Indians & Energy: Exploitation and Opportunity in the American Southwest” edited by Sherry L. Smith and Brian Frehner; https://sarweb.org/indians-energy/
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How Much is a Tree Worth?, with Hannah Druckenmiller
23 augustus 2021 · 32 min
In this episode, host Daniel Raimi talks with Hannah Druckenmiller, a new fellow at Resources for the Future (RFF). This is the second part of a two-part series that introduces new RFF fellows, and Druckenmiller is another welcome addition to RFF and to Resources Radio. Druckenmiller discusses her fascinating paper that estimates the value of forests—not just in the marketplace, but for society. She and Raimi also talk about a project she’s involved in that’s using millions of photographs from the 1950s through the 1990s to construct what are essentially satellite images of the developing world, but from before satellite images even existed. Lees meer
References and recommendations:
“Estimating an Economic and Social Value for Healthy Forests: Evidence from Tree Mortality in the American West” by Hannah Druckenmiller; https://static1.squarespace.com/static/5f60e3b9a38e910134a8aeab/t/5fb6df90721aae50818579d2/1605820322700/JMP_11.19.2020.pdf
“Migrations” by Charlotte McConaghy; https://us.macmillan.com/books/9781250204028
“The Lost Canyon Under Lake Powell” by Elizabeth Kolbert; https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2021/08/16/the-lost-canyon-under-lake-powell
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Risks and Rewards in Homeownership and Flood Insurance, with Penny Liao
15 augustus 2021 · 29 min
In this week’s episode, host Kristin Hayes talks with Penny Liao, a scholar of behavioral and market responses to environmental risk, who joined Resources for the Future as a fellow earlier this month. Liao elaborates on a new working paper she coauthored about how home equity shapes a household’s decision to purchase flood insurance. In the end, Liao finds that homeowners with more home equity are especially likely to purchase flood insurance because they do not want to default on their mortgage, while households with highly leveraged mortgages have less incentive to insure against flood risks. Lees meer
References and recommendations:
“What’s at Stake? Understanding the Role of Home Equity in Flood Insurance Demand” by Penny Liao and Philip Mulder; https://www.rff.org/publications/working-papers/whats-at-stake-understanding-the-role-of-home-equity-in-flood-insurance-demand/
“The Tragedy of the Commons” by Garrett Hardin; https://science.sciencemag.org/content/162/3859/1243
“The Problem of Social Cost” by Ronald Coase; https://link.springer.com/chapter/10.1057/9780230523210_6
“Bewilderment” by Richard Powers; https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/688002/bewilderment-by-richard-powers/
“The Overstory” by Richard Powers; http://www.richardpowers.net/the-overstory/
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Wyoming’s Energy Economy in Transition, with Robert Godby
9 augustus 2021 · 36 min
In this week’s episode, host Daniel Raimi talks with Robert Godby, an associate professor of economics at the University of Wyoming. Wyoming is the subject of their conversation: It’s been a major energy-producing state for over a century and is the nation’s largest producer of coal by far. But energy production in Wyoming has declined substantially in recent years, raising major challenges for the state’s economy and public revenues. And with the need to reduce emissions much further, the outlook for Wyoming’s energy future is highly uncertain. Lees meer
References and recommendations:
“The Grid: The Fraying Wires between Americans and Our Energy Future” by Gretchen Bakke; https://www.bloomsbury.com/us/grid-9781632865687
“Short Circuiting Policy: Interest Groups and the Battle Over Clean Energy and Climate Policy in the American States” by Leah Stokes; https://www.leahstokes.com/book
“Decommissioning Orphaned and Abandoned Oil and Gas Wells: New Estimates and Cost Drivers” by Daniel Raimi, Alan Krupnick, Jhih-Shyang Shih, and Alexandra Thompson; https://www.rff.org/publications/journal-articles/decommissioning-orphaned-and-abandoned-oil-and-gas-wells-new-estimates-and-cost-drivers/
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Managing Wildfires to Combat Climate Change, with David Wear
1 augustus 2021 · 30 min
In this week’s episode, host Daniel Raimi talks with David Wear, a nonresident senior fellow at Resources for the Future (RFF). As anyone knows who’s recently breathed the air in the northeastern or midwestern United States, wildfires increasingly are posing risks to human health, the environment, and the climate. In a recent RFF issue brief, Wear analyzes how scaling up wildfire management in federal forests—specifically, through methods of clearing the forest undergrowth, collectively called “forest fuel treatments”—could reduce wildfires and the damage that wildfires cause. Wear discusses recent trends in wildfires, how forest fuel treatments can address this growing problem, and more. Lees meer
References and recommendations:
“Wildfire Risk Reduction: Effects of the Draft Energy Infrastructure Act” by David N. Wear; https://www.rff.org/publications/issue-briefs/wildfire-risk-reduction-effects-of-the-draft-energy-infrastructure-act/
“The Ministry for the Future” by Kim Stanley Robinson; https://www.hachettebookgroup.com/titles/kim-stanley-robinson/the-ministry-for-the-future/9780316300162/
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Leading by Example: Launching New Federal Building Performance Standards, with Veronique Bugnion
26 juli 2021 · 29 min
In this week’s episode, host Kristin Hayes speaks to Veronique Bugnion, a scientist, entrepreneur, and energy industry leader. Bugnion—a climate physicist by training who spent years in the private sector, focusing on energy and carbon markets—cofounded and serves as the CEO of ClearlyEnergy, which provides innovative solutions that help reduce emissions from buildings. Hayes and Bugnion discuss federal building performance standards—a particularly relevant topic, given that the Biden administration announced on May 17 that the Council on Environmental Quality will lead an effort to develop performance standards for federal buildings. Bugnion talks about how such standards could be designed, what impact they’re likely to have, and what the federal government can learn from other jurisdictions that have already implemented such standards. Lees meer
References and recommendations:
“Fact Sheet: Biden Administration Accelerates Efforts to Create Jobs Making American Buildings More Affordable, Cleaner, and Resilient” via the White House; https://www.whitehouse.gov/briefing-room/statements-releases/2021/05/17/fact-sheet-biden-administration-accelerates-efforts-to-create-jobs-making-american-buildings-more-affordable-cleaner-and-resilient/
“Icebound: Shipwrecked at the Edge of the World” by Andrea Pitzer; https://www.simonandschuster.com/books/Icebound/Andrea-Pitzer/9781982113346
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Exploring the Future of Space Governance, with Timiebi Aganaba
19 juli 2021 · 35 min
In this week’s episode, host Daniel Raimi talks with Timiebi Aganaba, an assistant professor at Arizona State University’s School for the Future of Innovation and Society. Aganaba has worked on a fascinating array of space issues on multiple continents, and she speaks about that work and its implications in this extremely wide-ranging conversation. Aganaba discusses the broad notions of space and society; the history, current status, and future of space governance; the Biden administration’s approach to space policy; Richard Branson; and afro-futurist and African-futurist music and art. Lees meer
References and recommendations:
Timiebi Aganaba at Arizona State University; https://sustainability-innovation.asu.edu/person/timiebi-aganaba/
“Losing the Sky” by Andy Lawrence; https://andyxlastro.me/losing-the-sky/
“Earthrise” photograph by William Anders; https://www.nasa.gov/image-feature/apollo-8-earthrise
Anthony Braxton; https://tricentricfoundation.org/
Sun Ra; http://www.sunraarkestra.com/
Mamman Sani; https://sahelsounds.com/artists/mamman-sani/
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It Takes a Village: Public Engagement in Invasive Species Detection, with Rebecca Epanchin-Niell
12 juli 2021 · 34 min
In this week’s episode, host Kristin Hayes talks with Rebecca Epanchin-Niell, a senior fellow at Resources for the Future (RFF). Epanchin-Niell’s research focuses on ecosystem management—in particular, understanding how human behavior affects ecological resources and identifying strategies to improve ecosystem management. Much of her work has focused on invasive species, including strategies to control established invaders, improved monitoring, and cooperative management. Hayes and Epanchin-Niell discuss a new paper that Epanchin-Niell coauthored—with RFF colleagues Alexandra Thompson and Tyler Treakle—about public contributions to the early detection of new invasive pests, the critical role of citizens in identifying emerging threats from invasive species, and the quantification of public contributions to pest detection. Lees meer
References and recommendations:
“Hidden Brain” podcast; https://www.npr.org/series/423302056/hidden-brain
The Endangereds by Philippe Cousteau and Austin Aslan; https://www.harpercollins.com/pages/childrens-the-endangereds
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Handling Heat and Health as Climate Changes, with Noah Scovronick
5 juli 2021 · 31 min
In this week’s episode, host Daniel Raimi talks with Noah Scovronick, an assistant professor at Emory University who coauthored a recent journal article that estimates the effects of climate change on heat-related human mortality over the past three decades. The research covers dozens of countries and assesses how increased moderate and extreme heat has affected human health on every populated continent. Scovronick and Raimi discuss the ways people can adapt to these risks and how the potential health benefits of fewer cold days compare to increased risks from more hot days. Lees meer
References and recommendations:
“The burden of heat-related mortality attributable to recent human-induced climate change” by A. M. Vicedo-Cabrera, N. Scovronick, F. Sera, D. Royé, R. Schneider, A. Tobias, C. Astrom, Y. Guo, Y. Honda, D. M. Hondula, R. Abrutzky, S. Tong, M. de Sousa Zanotti Stagliorio Coelho, P. H. Nascimento Saldiva, E. Lavigne, P. Matus Correa, N. Valdes Ortega, H. Kan, S. Osorio, J. Kyselý, A. Urban, H. Orru, E. Indermitte, J. J. K. Jaakkola, N. Ryti, M. Pascal, A. Schneider, K. Katsouyanni, E. Samoli, F. Mayvaneh, A. Entezari, P. Goodman, A. Zeka, P. Michelozzi, F. de’Donato, M. Hashizume, B. Alahmad, M. Hurtado Diaz, C. De La Cruz Valencia, A. Overcenco, D. Houthuijs, C. Ameling, S. Rao, F. Di Ruscio, G. Carrasco-Escobar, X. Seposo, S. Silva, J. Madureira, I. H. Holobaca, S. Fratianni, F. Acquaotta, H. Kim, W. Lee, C. Iniguez, B. Forsberg, M. S. Ragettli, Y. L. L. Guo, B. Y. Chen, S. Li, B. Armstrong, A. Aleman, A. Zanobetti, J. Schwartz, T. N. Dang, D. V. Dung, N. Gillett, A. Haines, M. Mengel, V. Huber & A. Gasparrini; https://www.nature.com/articles/s41558-021-01058-x
“Floodlines” podcast; https://www.theatlantic.com/podcasts/floodlines/
“Traces of Texas” on Twitter; https://twitter.com/TracesofTexas
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Integrating the Real World into Climate Policy Models, with Wei Peng
28 juni 2021 · 32 min
In this week’s episode, host Daniel Raimi talks with Wei Peng, an assistant professor at Penn State University. Peng recently coauthored a paper in the journal “Nature” that offers recommendations for how to make integrated assessment models more useful in the design of climate policy. Peng discusses how these climate policy models can better represent the real world—especially political dynamics—to better inform policymakers at the local, national, and international scale. Lees meer
References and recommendations:
“Climate policy models need to get real about people—here’s how” by Wei Peng, Gokul Iyer, Valentina Bosetti, Vaibhav Chaturvedi, James Edmonds, Allen A. Fawcett, Stéphane Hallegatte, David G. Victor, Detlef van Vuuren, and John Weyant; https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-021-01500-2
“Making Climate Policy Work” by Danny Cullenward and David G. Victor; https://politybooks.com/bookdetail/?isbn=9781509541799
“Global Energy Outlook 2021: Pathways from Paris” by Richard Newell, Daniel Raimi, Seth Villanueva, and Brian Prest; https://www.rff.org/publications/reports/global-energy-outlook-2021-pathways-from-paris/
RFF’s Global Energy Outlook interactive data tool; https://www.rff.org/geo/
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Do Carbon Taxes Hurt the Economy?, with Gilbert Metcalf
20 juni 2021 · 30 min
In this week’s episode, host Daniel Raimi talks with Gilbert Metcalf, who is a professor at Tufts University and a university fellow at Resources for the Future. Metcalf recently published a working paper with coauthor Alan Finkelstein Shapiro about the potential effects of a carbon tax on the US economy—specifically, a carbon tax that’s designed to meet the US climate target under the Paris Agreement. In the paper, Metcalf and Finkelstein Shapiro estimate the effects of a carbon tax not just on overall GDP, but also on employment, labor force participation, wages, and companies’ decisions about investing in clean energy technologies. Raimi and Metcalf discuss the modeling efforts that were involved, the surprising results, and the implications for policymakers. Lees meer
References and recommendations:
“The Macroeconomic Effects of a Carbon Tax to Meet the US Paris Agreement Target: The Role of Firm Creation and Technology Adoption” by Alan Finkelstein Shapiro and Gilbert Metcalf; https://www.rff.org/publications/working-papers/the-macroeconomic-effects-of-a-carbon-tax-to-meet-the-us-paris-agreement-target/
The Power Broker: Robert Moses and the Fall of New York by Robert A. Caro; https://www.robertcaro.com/the-books/the-power-broker/
Chicago Architecture Foundation Center River Cruise; https://www.cruisechicago.com/tours/architecture
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The Dollar Value of Energy Innovation, with Daniel Shawhan
14 juni 2021 · 35 min
In this week’s episode, host Daniel Raimi talks with Resources for the Future (RFF) Fellow Daniel Shawhan about a new working paper that he and several RFF coauthors recently published, about the value of advanced energy funding. The study assesses how government funding for research, development, and demonstration of emerging clean energy technologies can reduce the costs of deploying those technologies in the future. The authors include in their analysis advanced nuclear energy, geothermal energy, carbon capture and storage, electricity storage, and direct air capture of carbon dioxide. Shawhan and his team also estimate how bringing down these costs can benefit society by reducing air pollution, electricity bills, and more. Lees meer
References and recommendations:
“The Value of Advanced Energy Funding: Projected Effects of Proposed US Funding for Advanced Energy Technologies” working paper by Daniel Shawhan, Kathryne Cleary, Christoph Funke, and Steven Witkin; https://www.rff.org/publications/working-papers/projected-effects-proposed-us-funding-advanced-energy-technologies/
“The Value of Advanced Energy Funding: Projected Effects of Proposed US Funding for Advanced Energy Technologies” issue brief by Daniel Shawhan, Kathryne Cleary, Christoph Funke, and Steven Witkin; https://www.rff.org/publications/issue-briefs/projected-effects-of-proposed-funding-for-advanced-energy-technologies/
“Benefits of Energy Technology Innovation Part 2: Economy-Wide Direct Air Capture Modeling Results” by Marc Hafstead; https://www.rff.org/publications/working-papers/benefits-energy-technology-innovation-economy-wide-direct-air-capture/
“Why Does Disaster Aid Often Favor White People?” by Christopher Flavelle; https://www.nytimes.com/2021/06/07/climate/FEMA-race-climate.html
TextAloud text-to-speech software; https://nextup.com/TextAloud/index.html
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Experiments in Sustainable Development, with Kelsey Jack
6 juni 2021 · 34 min
In this week’s episode, host Daniel Raimi talks with Kelsey Jack, associate professor at the University of California, Santa Barbara; director of the Poverty Alleviation Group at UC Santa Barbara’s Environmental Market Solutions Lab; and codirector of the King Climate Action Initiative at the Poverty Action Lab at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Jack works at the intersection of environmental economics and international development, studying how environmental issues shape economic development—and vice versa—in developing nations. She discusses some of the experiments she’s done on electricity payments and ecosystem service provision in different parts of the world, and she suggests how her research can inform policymaking on sustainable economic development. Lees meer
References and recommendations:
“Good Economics for Hard Times” by Abhijit V. Banerjee and Esther Duflo; https://www.goodeconomicsforhardtimes.com/
“Ministry for the Future” by Kim Stanley Robinson; https://www.hachettebookgroup.com/titles/kim-stanley-robinson/the-ministry-for-the-future/9780316300162/
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The Lowdown on High Power Prices, with Meredith Fowlie
30 mei 2021 · 31 min
In this week’s episode, host Daniel Raimi talks with Meredith Fowlie, an associate professor in the Department of Agricultural and Resource Economics at the University of California, Berkeley, and a faculty director of the Energy Institute at Haas. Fowlie and coauthors recently published a working paper on the causes and implications of high electricity prices in the state of California. These high prices burden low-income households and pose a hurdle to reducing emissions through the electrification of transportation, heating, and other sectors. In today’s episode, Fowlie describes proposals for reforming electricity pricing in California in ways that address this complex and evolving challenge. Lees meer
References and recommendations:
“Designing Electricity Rates for an Equitable Energy Transition” by Severin Borenstein, Meredith Fowlie, and James Sallee; https://haas.berkeley.edu/wp-content/uploads/WP314.pdf
“Competitors to lithium-ion batteries in the grid storage market” episode of the Voltscast podcast with David Roberts; https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/competitors-to-lithium-ion-batteries-in-grid-storage/id1548554104?i=1000521809537
“Timber Wars” podcast from Oregon Public Broadcasting; https://www.opb.org/show/timberwars/
“Resources Radio” podcast from Resources for the Future; https://www.resources.org/resources-radio/
“Why Animals Don’t Get Lost” by Kathryn Schulz; https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2021/04/05/why-animals-dont-get-lost
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Who’s a Big Fan of Offshore Wind? US Challenges and Opportunities, with Jeremy Firestone
23 mei 2021 · 32 min
In this episode, host Kristin Hayes talks with Jeremy Firestone, a wind energy specialist, professor, and director of the Center for Research in Wind at the University of Delaware. For many years, Firestone has explored people’s attitudes and economic preferences related to wind power development. He and coauthors recently published new research about the intersection of offshore wind development and coastal recreation in the journal “Energy Research & Social Science,” a study that Firestone and Hayes discuss; they also talk more broadly about the opportunities and challenges associated with increasing offshore wind development in the United States. Lees meer
References and recommendations:
“Uncharted waters: Exploring coastal recreation impacts, coping behaviors, and attitudes towards offshore wind energy development in the United States” by Michael D. Ferguson, Darrick Evensen, Lauren A. Ferguson, David Bidwell, Jeremy Firestone, Tasha L. Dooley, and Clayton R. Mitchell; https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S2214629621001225
“Wind energy: A human challenge” by Jeremy Firestone; https://science.sciencemag.org/content/366/6470/1206.1
“Expert elicitation survey predicts 37% to 49% declines in wind energy costs by 2050” by Ryan Wiser, Joseph Rand, Joachim Seel, Philipp Beiter, Erin Baker, Eric Lantz, and Patrick Gilman; https://www.nature.com/articles/s41560-021-00810-z
“The Economic Costs of NIMBYism: Evidence from Renewable Energy Projects” by Stephen Jarvis; https://haas.berkeley.edu/wp-content/uploads/WP311.pdf
“Carbon policy and the emissions implications of electric vehicles” by Kenneth Gillingham, Marten Ovaere, and Stephanie M. Weber; https://www.nber.org/system/files/working_papers/w28620/w28620.pdf
“Coffeeland: One Man’s Dark Empire and the Making of Our Favorite Drug” by Augustine Sedgewick; https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/316748/coffeeland-by-augustine-sedgewick/
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Intersections Between Energy and International Development, with Sheila Hollis
15 mei 2021 · 30 min
In this episode, host Kristin Hayes talks with Sheila Hollis, acting executive director of the United States Energy Association (USEA). USEA is an industry association that represents 150 members across the US energy sector, from the largest Fortune 500 companies to small energy consulting firms. The organization supports policy and technical discussions with the US Department of Energy to expand the use of clean energy technology globally; it also works with the US Agency for International Development to expand energy access in developing countries. Hollis describes the changes faced by the energy industry in both mature and developing markets. Lees meer
References and recommendations:
“The New Map: Energy, Climate, and the Clash of Nations” by Daniel Yergin; https://www.danielyergin.com/books/thenewmap
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Big Dollars, Big Rewards? The Roles of Prizes in Driving Innovation, with Zorina Khan
9 mei 2021 · 37 min
In February this year, we noticed at Resources for the Future that our explainer about carbon capture and storage—which provides an overview of the technology, along with its uses, benefits, and drawbacks—had suddenly skyrocketed in terms of page use on the website. When we investigated what had prompted this sudden expanded interest, we found Elon Musk’s announcement from the day prior: Musk had offered $100 million in prize money, through the XPRIZE Foundation, to teams that can envision, prototype, and validate scalable carbon capture and removable technology. At the end of the four-year contest period, several prizes will be awarded: $50 million for first place, $20 million for second place, and $10 million for third. In addition, the program will offer 25 six-figure scholarships to competing academic teams. According to XPRIZE officials, the $100 million on offer represents one of the largest—if not the largest—incentive prizes in history. Lees meer
So, this episode is about prizes: how they’ve been used, what we can learn from past successes and failures, and how they compare to other instruments that are designed to spur innovation. Zorina Khan joins the podcast to talk about these fascinating issues. Khan is a professor of economics at Bowdoin College and a member of the National Bureau of Economic Research. Her research examines issues in law and economic history, including intellectual property rights, technological progress in Europe and the United States, antitrust litigation, legal systems, and corporate governance. She’s an award-winning author, and her newest book is called "Inventing Ideas: Patents, Prizes, and the Knowledge Economy."
References and recommendations:
“Carbon Capture and Storage 101” from Resources for the Future; https://www.rff.org/publications/explainers/carbon-capture-and-storage-101/
“$100M prize for carbon removal” from XPRIZE Foundation and Elon Musk; https://www.xprize.org/prizes/elonmusk
“Inventing Ideas: Patents, Prizes, and the …
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Exploring the Energy Transition on Tribal Lands, with Pilar Thomas
2 mei 2021 · 38 min
In this episode, host Daniel Raimi talks with Pilar Thomas, a partner at Quarles & Brady and a professor of the practice at the University of Arizona and Arizona State University. Thomas is an expert on energy development and environmental management on tribal lands and has served in the US Departments of Justice, Interior, and Energy. Raimi and Thomas discuss how different tribes are approaching fossil and renewable energy development, preparing for the energy transition, and addressing energy poverty on tribal lands. Lees meer
References and recommendations:
Tribal Energy Atlas from the National Renewable Energy Laboratory; https://maps.nrel.gov/tribal-energy-atlas
Writing and analysis from Wood Mackenzie; https://www.woodmac.com/
Studies and analysis from Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory; https://www.lbl.gov/
Sandia National Laboratories; https://www.sandia.gov/
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Problems Cropping Up? The Historical Impact of Climate Change on Agriculture, with Ariel Ortiz-Bobea
23 april 2021 · 33 min
In this episode, host Kristin Hayes talks with Ariel Ortiz-Bobea, an associate professor of applied economics and policy at Cornell University and a faculty fellow at the Cornell Atkinson Center for Sustainability. Much of Ortiz-Bobea’s research focuses on the links between climate change and agricultural productivity—which is the topic of this conversation. In particular, Ortiz-Bobea discusses a paper that he and colleagues released recently in Nature Climate Change, which covers the historical impact of anthropogenic climate change on global agricultural productivity. The key word here is “historical.” Whereas a large body of research focuses on future impacts, this study looks back to see how much climate change already has affected agriculture globally. Spoiler alert: the impacts today have been fairly large. Lees meer
References and recommendations:
“Anthropogenic climate change has slowed global agricultural productivity growth” by Ariel Ortiz-Bobea, Toby R. Ault, Carlos M. Carrillo, Robert G. Chambers, and David B. Lobell; https://www.nature.com/articles/s41558-021-01000-1
“Creating Abundance” by Alan L. Olmstead and Paul W. Rhode; http://services.cambridge.org/us/academic/subjects/history/american-history-general-interest/creating-abundance-biological-innovation-and-american-agricultural-development
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A Conversation about the Civilian Conservation Corps, with Neil Maher
18 april 2021 · 35 min
In this week’s episode, host Kristin Hayes talks with Neil Maher, professor of history at the New Jersey Institute of Technology and Rutgers University-Newark. Maher’s research focuses on the intersection of environmental and political history, and his scholarship includes a 2008 book called “Nature’s New Deal.” Maher and Hayes discuss the Civilian Conservation Corps’s successes, challenges, and legacy in the American conservation and historical landscape. Maher also describes lessons from the Depression-era program that could apply to current policy and political deliberations. Lees meer
References and recommendations:
“Nature’s New Deal: The Civilian Conservation Corps and the Roots of the American Environmental Movement” by Neil Maher; https://www.neilmaher.com/natures-new-deal/
“Stop Saving the Planet! An Environmentalist Manifesto” by Jenny Price; https://wwnorton.com/books/9780393540871
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Playing God with the Nature of the Future, with Elizabeth Kolbert
12 april 2021 · 29 min
This week, host Daniel Raimi talks with New Yorker staff writer and Pulitzer Prize–Winning author Elizabeth Kolbert about her new book, “Under a White Sky: The Nature of the Future.” The book is a fascinating and darkly funny exploration of how humanity is trying to manage the negative effects we’ve inflicted on the natural world. Using examples such as the Asian carp, endangered desert pupfish, the Great Barrier Reef, and solar geoengineering, Kolbert’s book includes interviews with leading experts around the world who are using new technologies to try and counteract the harms done by old technologies. Lees meer
References and recommendations:
“Beloved Beasts” by Michelle Nijhuis; https://michellenijhuis.com/beloved-beasts
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Giving a Fair Shot to Energy Workers and Communities in Transition, with Wes Look and Daniel Raimi
4 april 2021 · 34 min
In this episode, host Kristin Hayes talks with Wesley Look and Daniel Raimi, Resources for the Future (RFF) colleagues who have led RFF's research on enabling fairness for energy workers and communities in transition. Look is a senior research associate and Raimi is a fellow at RFF, and the work they describe in this episode has been carried out over the past year in partnership with Environmental Defense Fund (EDF), culminating in a synthesis report released on March 25, 2021. Lees meer
Look and Raimi share some of the lessons that they and their EDF colleagues have learned about this complex topic, including the many facets of transition, how the federal government can improve outcomes for workers, and what researchers and policymakers alike can learn from various communities and countries that already face these changing ties to the energy industry.
References and recommendations:
“Enabling Fairness for Energy Workers and Communities in Transition” synthesis report by Wesley Look, Daniel Raimi, Molly Robertson, Jake Higdon, and Daniel Propp; https://www.rff.org/publications/reports/enabling-fairness-for-energy-workers-and-communities-in-transition/
Fairness for Workers and Communities in Transition report series by Wesley Look, Daniel Raimi, Molly Robertson, Jake Higdon, and Daniel Propp; https://www.rff.org/fairness-for-workers-and-communities/
“Economic Development Policies to Enable Fairness for Workers and Communities in Transition” by Daniel Raimi, Wesley Look, Molly Robertson, and Jake Higdon; https://www.rff.org/publications/reports/economic-development-fairness-workers-communities/
“Environmental Remediation and Infrastructure Policies Supporting Workers and Communities in Transition” by Daniel Raimi; https://www.rff.org/publications/reports/environment-infrastructure-fairness-workers-communities/
“The Role of Public Benefits in Supporting Workers and Communities Affected by Energy Transition” by Jake Higdon and Molly Robertson; https://www.rff.org/publicat…
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Progress Amid the Pandemic: Carbon Markets in 2020, with William Acworth
28 maart 2021 · 34 min
In this episode, host Daniel Raimi talks with William Acworth, Head of Secretariat at the International Carbon Action Partnership (ICAP). ICAP recently released its 2021 status report on global emissions trading, and we're highlighting the group's status report for the second year in a row. This time, Acworth gets us up to speed on China's recently launched national emissions trading scheme, along with programs from elsewhere in Asia, Europe, and the Americas. Acworth and Raimi discuss how markets have responded to the pandemic, where prices might be headed, and how markets are expanding to cover new sectors such as buildings and transportation. Lees meer
References and recommendations:
"Emissions Trading Worldwide: Status Report 2021" from the International Carbon Action Partnership; https://icapcarbonaction.com/en/icap-status-report-2021
“Prices in the world’s biggest carbon market are soaring” from the Economist magazine; https://www.economist.com/finance-and-economics/2021/02/24/prices-in-the-worlds-biggest-carbon-market-are-soaring
"2020 China Carbon Pricing Survey" from China Carbon Forum; http://www.chinacarbon.info/sdm_downloads/2020-china-carbon-pricing-survey/
"Barbarian Days: A Surfing Life" by William Finnegan; https://www.pulitzer.org/winners/william-finnegan
"Under a White Sky" by Elizabeth Kolbert; https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/617060/under-a-white-sky-by-elizabeth-kolbert/
"How to Avoid a Climate Disaster" by Bill Gates; https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/633968/how-to-avoid-a-climate-disaster-by-bill-gates/
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Space, Satellites, and Society: New Tools for Policymakers, with Danielle Wood
21 maart 2021 · 38 min
In this week's episode, host Daniel Raimi talks with Danielle Wood, assistant professor and director of the Space Enabled research group at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology Media Lab. Wood uses her expertise in aerospace engineering, aeronautics and astronautics, and technology policy to enhance societal development, bringing together tools not just from space and engineering, but also from economics and other social sciences. Wood discusses her recent research in Brazil and collaborations with policymakers around the world, who use space-based technologies to improve life here on Earth. Lees meer
References and recommendations:
VALUABLES Consortium; https://www.rff.org/valuables/
"Combining Social, Environmental and Design Models to Support the Sustainable Development Goals" by Jack Reid, Cynthia Zeng, and Danielle Wood; https://www.media.mit.edu/publications/combining-social-environmental-and-design-models-to-support-the-sustainable-development-goals/
"Interactive Model for Assessing Mangrove Health, Ecosystem Services, Policy Consequences, and Satellite Design Using Earth Observation Data" by Jack Reid and Danielle Wood; https://www.media.mit.edu/publications/interactive-model-for-assessing-mangrove-health-ecosystem-services-policy-consequences-and-satellite-design-in-rio-de-janeiro-using-earth/
"Decision Support Model and Visualization for Assessing Environmental Phenomena, Ecosystem Services, Policy Consequences, and Satellite Design" by Jack Reid and Danielle Wood; https://www.media.mit.edu/publications/decision-support-model-and-visualization-for-assessing-environmental-phenomena-ecosystem-services-policy-consequences-and-satellite-desig/
Zora Neale Hurston’s books; https://www.zoranealehurston.com/books/
"Barracoon: The Story of the Last 'Black Cargo'" by Zora Neale Hurston; https://www.harpercollins.com/products/barracoon-zora-neale-hurston
"Stamped from the Beginning: The Definitive History of Racist Ideas in America" by Ibram X. Kendi; https://www…
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Assessing Pathways to a Net-Zero Energy System, with Erin Mayfield
15 maart 2021 · 31 min
In this week’s episode, Daniel Raimi talks with Erin Mayfield, a postdoctoral fellow at Princeton University. Mayfield is part of a team of researchers that recently released a report titled “Net-Zero America,” which lays out a variety of pathways for the United States to reach net-zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2050. In the conversation, Mayfield discusses key findings from the report, including how much the transition might cost, how much new infrastructure we’ll need to build, what effects we might see on energy sector employment, and the models the team used to generate these results—including a discussion of the limitations of models in addressing complex social issues. Lees meer
References and recommendations:
“Net-Zero America” by Eric Larson, Chris Greig, Jesse Jenkins, Erin Mayfield, Andrew Pascale, Chuan Zhang, Joshua Drossman, Robert Williams, Steve Pacala, Robert Socolow, Ejeong Baik, Rich Birdsey, Rick Duke, Ryan Jones, Ben Haley, Emily Leslie, Keith Paustian, and Amy Swan; https://acee.princeton.edu/rapidswitch/projects/net-zero-america-project/
“The Foxes” painting by German expressionist artist Franz Marc; https://artsandculture.google.com/asset/the-foxes/dwF1pkUhw9uZpg
The art of Erin Mayfield’s eight-year-old nephew, Vinny
“Accelerating Decarbonization of the U.S. Energy System” from the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine, by Stephen W. Pacala, Colin Cunliff, Danielle Deane-Ryan, Kelly Sims Gallagher, Julia Haggerty, Christopher T. Hendrickson, Jesse D. Jenkins, Roxanne Johnson, Timothy C. Lieuwen, Vivian Loftness, Clark A. Miller, William A. Pizer, Varun Rai, Ed Rightor, Esther Takeuchi, Susan F. Tierney, and Jennifer Wilcox; https://www.nap.edu/catalog/25932/accelerating-decarbonization-of-the-us-energy-system
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Illuminating the Future of Electric Power in the United States, with Karen Palmer
7 maart 2021 · 36 min
In this week’s episode, host Kristin Hayes talks with Karen Palmer, a senior fellow at Resources for the Future (RFF) and director of RFF’s Future of Power Initiative. Palmer has deep expertise in the US power sector and has authored numerous publications on electricity policy drivers and options in power market design and electrification of various sectors of the economy. This episode features two very capable and kind women in celebration of International Women’s Day on March 8. Lees meer
Hayes and Palmer discuss a new report released by the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine entitled “The Future of Electric Power in the United States.” Karen and her coauthors on this study, including RFF Board of Directors Chair Susan Tierney, were tasked with framing a broad set of issues facing the US power sector over the next several decades and with providing recommendations to a range of decisionmakers on how to address those drivers.
References and recommendations:
“The Future of Electric Power in the United States” interactive site; https://www.nap.edu/resource/25968/interactive/
“The Future of Electric Power in the United States” from the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine, by Granger Morgan, Anuradha Annaswamy, Anjan Bose, Terry Boston, Jeffery Dagle, Deepakraj Divan, Michael Howard, Cynthia Hsu, Reiko A. Kerr, Karen Palmer, H. Vincent Poor, William H. Sanders, Susan Tierney, David Victor, and Elizabeth Wilson; https://www.nationalacademies.org/our-work/the-future-of-electric-power-in-the-us#sectionPublications
“Enhancing the Resilience of the Nation’s Electricity System” from the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine, by M. Granger Morgan, Dionysios Aliprantis, Anjan Bose, W. Terry Boston, Allison Clements, Jeffery Dagle, Paul De Martini, Jeanne Fox, Elsa Garmire, Ronald E. Keys, Mark McGranaghan, Craig Miller, Thomas J. Overbye, William H. Sanders, Richard E. Schuler, Susan Tierney, and David G. Victor; htt…
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Updates to the Social Cost of Carbon, with Kevin Rennert
1 maart 2021 · 31 min
In this week’s episode, host Kristin Hayes talks with Kevin Rennert, a fellow at Resources for the Future (RFF) and director of RFF’s Social Cost of Carbon Initiative. Rennert has prior experience as deputy associate administrator for the Office of Policy at the US Environmental Protection Agency, senior advisor on energy for the US Senate Committee on Finance, and senior professional staff for the US Senate Committee on Energy and Natural Resources. Lees meer
Rennert’s expertise and leadership in these areas make him the perfect candidate to discuss the recently released interim estimate for the social cost of carbon—what it is, why it matters, how it’s evolved, and what will happen next with this important number.
References and recommendations:
“Discounting 101” explainer by Brian Prest; https://www.rff.org/publications/explainers/discounting-101/
“Estimating the Value of Carbon: Two Approaches” by Resources for the Future and New York State Energy Research and Development Authority; https://www.rff.org/publications/reports/estimating-the-value-of-carbon-two-approaches/
“Assessing Approaches to Updating the Social Cost of Carbon” from the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine, by Maureen L. Cropper, Richard G. Newell, Myles R. Allen, Maximilian Auffhammer, Chris E. Forest, Inez Y. Fung, James K. Hammitt, Henry D. Jacoby, Robert E. Kopp, William Pizer, Steven K. Rose, Richard Schmalensee, and John P. Weyant; https://www.nationalacademies.org/our-work/assessing-approaches-to-updating-the-social-cost-of-carbon#sectionPublications
“Accelerating Decarbonization of the U.S. Energy System” from the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine, by Stephen W. Pacala, Colin Cunliff, Danielle Deane-Ryan, Kelly Sims Gallagher, Julia Haggerty, Christopher T. Hendrickson, Jesse D. Jenkins, Roxanne Johnson, Timothy C. Lieuwen, Vivian Loftness, Clark A. Miller, William A. Pizer, Varun Rai, Ed Rightor, Esther Takeuchi, Susan F. Tierney, and Jennifer …
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Shedding Light on Electricity Blackouts, with Severin Borenstein
22 februari 2021 · 34 min
In this episode, host Daniel Raimi talks with Severin Borenstein, a professor at the University of California at Berkeley’s Haas School of Business, faculty director of the Energy Institute at Haas, and member of the Board of Governors of the California Independent System Operator. As the state of Texas struggles to keep the lights on due to extreme cold, Raimi asks Borenstein about lessons learned from California’s blackouts during the summer of 2020: the cause of the outages, the role of renewables, and market reforms that could help reduce the risk of blackouts in the future. Raimi and Borenstein also discuss how California’s experience can help Texas and other regional electricity networks plan for a future with more renewable power. Lees meer
References and recommendations:
“An empirical analysis of the potential for market power in California’s electricity industry” by Severin Borenstein and James Bushnell; http://faculty.haas.berkeley.edu/borenste/download/JIE99Cournot.pdf
“Measuring Market Inefficiencies in California’s Restructured Wholesale Electricity Market” by Severin Borenstein, James B. Bushnell, and Frank A. Wolak; http://faculty.haas.berkeley.edu/borenste/download/AER02BBW.pdf
“Capacity Markets at a Crossroads” by James Bushnell, Michaela Flagg, and Erin Mansur; https://haas.berkeley.edu/wp-content/uploads/WP278.pdf
“The Box: How the Shipping Container Made the World Smaller and the World Economy Bigger” by Marc Levinson; https://press.princeton.edu/books/paperback/9780691170817/the-box
“The Bet: Paul Ehrlich, Julian Simon, and Our Gamble over Earth’s Future” by Paul Sabin; https://yalebooks.yale.edu/book/9780300198973/bet
“Under a White Sky” by Elizabeth Kolbert; https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/617060/under-a-white-sky-by-elizabeth-kolbert/
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Assessing the Promise and Peril of Wood Pellet Products, with Francisco X. Aguilar
13 februari 2021 · 34 min
In this episode, host Daniel Raimi talks with Francisco X. Aguilar, a professor at the Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences and leader of the Team of Specialists on Wood Energy of the United Nations Economic Commission for Europe. Aguilar and coauthors recently published a study on the environmental effects of the rapid growth of the wood pellet industry. Because wood pellets are viewed as carbon neutral, the boom in wood pellets may help meet climate targets in Europe. This conversation focuses on how the wood pellet industry’s growth has affected the number of trees and carbon stocks in the southeastern United States, where most wood pellets are produced. The key questions are whether wood pellets are truly renewable and whether they truly produce net-zero emissions. Aguilar helps us make sense of it all. Lees meer
References and recommendations:
“Expansion of US Wood Pellet Industry Points to Positive Trends but the Need for Continued Monitoring” by Francisco X. Aguilar, Ashkan Mirzaee, Ronald G. McGarvey, Stephen R. Shifley, and Dallas Burtraw; https://www.rff.org/publications/journal-articles/expansion-us-wood-pellet-industry-points-positive-trends-need-continued-monitoring/
“Wood Energy in America” by Daniel deB. Richter Jr., Dylan H. Jenkins, John T. Karakash, Josiah Knight, Lew R. McCreery, and Kasimir P. Nemestothy; https://science.sciencemag.org/content/323/5920/1432
“Wood Energy Efficiency: More Heat with Less Wood” by the United Nations Economic Commission for Europe; https://unece.org/node/20841
“Net-Zero America” by Eric Larson, Chris Greig, Jesse Jenkins, Erin Mayfield, Andrew Pascale, Chuan Zhang, Joshua Drossman, Robert Williams, Steve Pacala, Robert Socolow, Ejeong Baik, Rich Birdsey, Rick Duke, Ryan Jones, Ben Haley, Emily Leslie, Keith Paustian, and Amy Swan; https://environmenthalfcentury.princeton.edu/sites/g/files/toruqf331/files/2020-12/Princeton_NZA_Interim_Report_15_Dec_2020_FINAL.pdf
“The Overstory” by Richard Powers; https://wwnorton.…
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Hug a Bus: How Cities Are Tackling Climate Change, with David Miller
7 februari 2021 · 35 min
In this episode, host Kristin Hayes talks with David Miller, former mayor of the city of Toronto and author of the book, “Solved: How the World’s Great Cities are Fixing the Climate Crisis.” The book came out in late 2020 and argues that cities are, in many ways, uniquely central to climate change action—and are, in fact, some of the best-equipped jurisdictions to take on the climate challenge. Lees meer
Miller draws from his own experience as a mayor in reflecting on these issues, but also draws on his experience in working with the C40 Cities Climate Leadership Group. The book includes anecdotes and lessons learned from a number of municipalities across the globe—accounts of tangible actions that are tremendously refreshing, when so much of the climate conversation can feel intractable. The conversation touches on Miller’s motivation in putting the book together and what he’s discovered along the way.
References and recommendations:
“Solved: How the World’s Great Cities are Fixing the Climate Crisis” by David Miller; https://utorontopress.com/us/solved-3
“Capital in the Twenty-First Century” by Thomas Piketty; https://www.hup.harvard.edu/catalog.php?isbn=9780674979857
“The Bicycling Big Book of Cycling for Beginners” by Tori Bortman; https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/593171/the-bicycling-big-book-of-cycling-for-beginners-by-tori-bortman/
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Can the Oil and Gas Industry Lead on Climate?, with Tisha Schuller
1 februari 2021 · 32 min
In this episode, host Daniel Raimi talks with Tisha Schuller, principal of Adamantine Energy and author of a new book, “The Gamechanger’s Playbook.” The book is a provocative and insightful look at how oil and gas companies can play a leading role in reducing greenhouse gas emissions. Schuller lays out the case for why these companies need to change, how companies can approach the climate challenge in a new way, and what practical steps the oil and gas industry can take today to lay the groundwork for future success. Lees meer
References and recommendations:
“The Gamechanger’s Playbook: How Oil & Gas Leaders Thrive in an Era of Continuous Disruption” by Tisha Schuller; https://energythinks.com/gamechanger/
“After the Pandemic: Hope and Breakthroughs for 2021” by Ted Nordhaus and Alex Trembath at the Breakthrough Institute; https://thebreakthrough.org/issues/energy/after-the-pandemic
“CO2 Emissions from Fossil Fuels May Have Peaked in 2019” by Zeke Hausfather at the Breakthrough Institute; https://thebreakthrough.org/issues/energy/peak-co2-emissions-2019
“How to Be an Antiracist” by Ibram X. Kendi; https://www.ibramxkendi.com/how-to-be-an-antiracist
“On Fire: The Burning Case for a Green New Deal” by Naomi Klein; https://naomiklein.org/on-fire/
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Tracing the Historical Arc of US Climate Policy, with David Hawkins
25 januari 2021 · 33 min
In this episode, host Daniel Raimi talks with David Hawkins, director of climate policy in the Climate & Clean Energy Program at the Natural Resources Defense Council and a member of the board of directors at Resources for the Future. Hawkins has decades of experience working on energy and climate policy issues in NGOs and government. He walks us through the past 60 years of federal climate policy in the United States; helps us understand the scientific, political, and economic drivers that have shaped policy decisions from the 1960s all the way up through today, including a reflection on the Trump years; and takes a look ahead to the next four years under a new administration. Lees meer
References and recommendations:
"Braiding Sweetgrass" by Robin Wall Kimmerer; https://milkweed.org/book/braiding-sweetgrass
"Coffeeland" by Augustine Sedgewick; https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/316748/coffeeland-by-augustine-sedgewick/
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Defining, Measuring, and Addressing Energy Poverty, with Tony Reames
17 januari 2021 · 30 min
This week, host Daniel Raimi talks with Tony Reames, an assistant professor at the University of Michigan’s School for Environment and Sustainability, and a leading scholar on the closely related topics of energy justice and energy poverty. In his conversation with Raimi, Reames describes what energy poverty is, how the federal government currently addresses energy poverty, and how quantifying the problem can lead to good policy solutions. Lees meer
References and recommendations:
“An incandescent truth: Disparities in energy-efficient lighting availability and prices in an urban U.S. county” by Tony G. Reames, Michael A. Reiner, and M. Ben Stacey; https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0306261918302769
“Three Scenarios for the Future of Climate Change” by Elizabeth Kolbert; https://www.newyorker.com/news/annals-of-a-warming-planet/three-scenarios-for-the-future-of-climate-change
“The Warmth of Other Suns” by Isabel Wilkerson; https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/190696/the-warmth-of-other-suns-by-isabel-wilkerson/
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Gambling on the Growth of Global Emissions, with Ken Caldeira and Ted Nordhaus
9 januari 2021 · 36 min
In this episode, we get the details on a friendly wager between Ken Caldeira, a senior scientist at the Carnegie Institution, and Ted Nordhaus, founder and executive director of the Breakthrough Institute. Caldeira also is a senior advisor to Gates Ventures, but is not speaking on their behalf. Lees meer
Nordhaus is betting that global CO₂ emissions peaked in 2019, but Caldeira disagrees. Host Daniel Raimi asks each of them to lay out the arguments for and against the assertion that emissions peaked in 2019, and they explore the underlying factors that will likely drive the outcome of the wager. Raimi, Caldeira, and Nordhaus discuss the role of Covid-19, energy technologies, human behavior, and even the extinction of the dinosaurs.
References and recommendations:
The origin of the bet on Twitter; https://twitter.com/KenCaldeira/status/1344783094553800705?s=20
"How to Avoid a Climate Disaster" by Bill Gates; https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/633968/how-to-avoid-a-climate-disaster-by-bill-gates/
"Growth" by Vaclav Smil; https://mitpress.mit.edu/books/growth
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What Counts as an “Environmental” Issue?, with Neil Lewis Jr.
2 januari 2021 · 23 min
This week, host Daniel Raimi talks with Neil Lewis Jr., an assistant professor of communication and social behavior at Cornell University, about how different socioeconomic groups define what is—and what is not—an “environmental” issue. Lewis’s research touches on a variety of policy issues, from industrial pollution and housing policy to climate change and unemployment. In this episode, Lewis describes how individuals define “environmental” issues differently and asserts that recognizing these differences can help inform policymaking. Lees meer
References and recommendations:
“What counts as an ‘environmental’ issue? Differences in issue conceptualization by race, ethnicity, and socioeconomic status” by Hwanseok Song, Neil A. Lewis Jr., Matthew T. Ballew, Mario Bravo, Julie Davydova, H. Oliver Gao, Robert J. Garcia, Sofia Hiltner, Sarah M. Naiman, Adam R. Pearson, Rainer Romero-Canyas, and Jonathan P. Schuldt; https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0272494419304220
“Palaces for the People” by Eric Klinenberg; https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/557044/palaces-for-the-people-by-eric-klinenberg/
“Rediscovery of Abandoned Wells in the World’s First Oil Field” StoryMap from the National Energy Technology Laboratory; https://www.netl.doe.gov/node/9367
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So Long, 2020! Reviewing Energy and Environmental Policy, with Sarah Ladislaw and Barry Rabe
28 december 2020 · 38 min
In this episode, we say, "So Long, 2020!" and look ahead to 2021. To do so, host Daniel Raimi talks with two of the smartest energy and environmental thinkers around: Sarah Ladislaw, from the Center for Strategic and International Studies, and Barry Rabe, from the Ford School of Public Policy at the University of Michigan. Ladislaw and Rabe reflect on the crazy year that was 2020—in particular, by noting which developments in energy and environmental policy likely will stay with us; some of the legacies of the Trump presidency; and what climate policy might look like under a Biden administration, which has laid out ambitious climate goals but likely faces a challenging political landscape. Lees meer
References and recommendations:
"Trust" by Pete Buttigieg; https://wwnorton.com/books/9781631498770
"Theories of Change" podcast; https://www.csis.org/podcasts/theories-change
"Power Grab" by Paasha Mahdavi; https://www.cambridge.org/us/academic/subjects/politics-international-relations/political-economy/power-grab-political-survival-through-extractive-resource-nationalization
"Carbon Province, Hydro Province" by Douglas Macdonald; https://utorontopress.com/us/carbon-province-hydro-province-4
"The Wizard and the Prophet" by Charles C. Mann; https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/220698/the-wizard-and-the-prophet-by-charles-c-mann/
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Rare Earths 101: Digging Up the Facts, with Jordy Lee
20 december 2020 · 33 min
This week, host Daniel Raimi talks with Jordy Lee, a senior research associate at the Payne Institute for Public Policy at the Colorado School of Mines. Lee discusses rare earth minerals, which are used widely in clean energy technologies, including wind, solar, and energy storage. Raimi and Lee talk about what rare earth minerals are, whether they're literally “rare,” how they’re mined and processed around the world, and their geopolitical implications. Lees meer
References and recommendations:
"Sustain What?" podcast from the Earth Institute at Columbia University; https://www.earth.columbia.edu/videos/channel/sustain-what
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Navigating Challenges to the Clean Water Rule, with Sheila Olmstead
13 december 2020 · 40 min
This week, host Kristin Hayes talks with Sheila Olmstead, a professor at the University of Texas at Austin, a university fellow at Resources for the Future (RFF) and a senior fellow at the Property and Environment Research Center in Bozeman, Montana. She spent time at the Council of Economic Advisers during the transition from the Obama to Trump administrations, and she has coauthored a recent report, commissioned by the External Environmental Economics Advisory Committee (E-EEAC), which is the subject of this episode. Lees meer
The E-EEAC is an independent organization dedicated to providing up-to-date, nonpartisan advice on the state of economic science as it relates to programs at the US Environmental Protection Agency. Regular listeners may recall that Hayes discussed a previous E-EEAC report on Resources Radio, with coauthors Mary Evans and Matt Kotchen, about the Mercury and Air Toxics Standards (MATS) rule. This week, Hayes and Holmstead talk about the newly released report commissioned by the E-EEAC, this time about the 2015 Clean Water Rule and its eventual replacement, the Navigable Waters Protection Rule. They discuss what the rules are all about, how the rules have shifted under different presidential administrations, and Holmstead's views on how to improve the economic analysis that underpins the development and finalization of these rules.
References and recommendations:
"Report on the Repeal of the Clean Water Rule and its Replacement with the Navigable Waters Protection Rule to Define Waters of the United States (WOTUS)" by David A. Keiser, Sheila M. Olmstead, Kevin J. Boyle, Victor B. Flatt, Bonnie L. Keeler, Daniel J. Phaneuf, Joseph S. Shapiro, and Jay P. Shimshack; https://www.e-eeac.org/wotusreport
"Bowlaway" by Elizabeth McCracken; https://www.harpercollins.com/products/bowlaway-elizabeth-mccracken?variant=32205511360546
"The Giant's House" by Elizabeth McCracken; https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/110879/the-giants-house-by-elizabeth-mccrack…
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Learning Lessons for Lion Conservation in West Africa, with Nyeema Harris
6 december 2020 · 30 min
This week, host Daniel Raimi talks with Nyeema Harris, an assistant professor of ecology and evolutionary biology at the University of Michigan. Harris has coauthored a recent study that shows how communities of lions are distributed across national parks and hunting concessions in West Africa. Harris and Raimi discuss how these different environments affects patterns in lion movement and distribution, how those findings can inform conservation policy, and the controversial and fascinating topic of trophy hunting. Lees meer
References and recommendations:
“Where lions roam: West African big cats show no preference between national parks, hunting zones” by Jim Erickson; https://news.umich.edu/where-lions-roam-west-african-big-cats-show-no-preference-between-national-parks-hunting-zones/
"Comparable space use by lions between hunting concessions and national parks in West Africa" by Kirby L. Mills, Yahou Harissou, Isaac T. Gnoumou, Yaye I. Abdel-Nasser, Benoit Doamba, and Nyeema C. Harris; https://besjournals.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1111/1365-2664.13601
Black Mammalogists Week; https://blackmammalogists.com/
"A Terrible Thing to Waste" by Harriet A. Washington; https://www.hachettebookgroup.com/titles/harriet-a-washington/a-terrible-thing-to-waste/9780316509428
“Trophy hunting—can it really be justified by ‘conservation benefits’?” by Melanie Flynn; https://theconversation.com/trophy-hunting-can-it-really-be-justified-by-conservation-benefits-121921
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Can the Magic Glue of Cement Turn Green?, with Mahmoud Taha
29 november 2020 · 33 min
This week, host Daniel Raimi talks with Mahmoud Taha, a professor and chair of the Department of Civil Engineering at the University of New Mexico. Taha is an expert on many things related to materials science; in this episode, he talks about cement, which he calls the “magic glue” of construction. Taha and Raimi discuss the greenhouse gas footprint of cement, options for reducing that footprint, how the use of new materials might affect the cost and performance of cement, and government policies that can help spur innovation and speed deployment. Lees meer
References and recommendations:
“Good Economics for Hard Times” by Abhijit V. Banerjee and Esther Duflo; https://www.goodeconomicsforhardtimes.com/
“Sweden’s HYBRIT starts operations at pilot plant for fossil-free steel” in Reuters; https://www.reuters.com/article/us-sweden-steel-hydrogen/swedens-hybrit-starts-operations-at-pilot-plant-for-fossil-free-steel-idUSKBN25R1PI
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Getting Goods through the Circular Economy, with Apala Mukherjee
23 november 2020 · 33 min
In this episode, host Kristin Hayes talks with Apala Mukherjee, circular economy leader and sustainability director at BASF Corporation. BASF is one of the largest chemical companies in the world and has been considering how best to reduce waste—for both sustainability and cost-reduction reasons. As noted on the BASF website, the concept of a circular economy isn't just about waste reduction; Mukherjee helps define the term, explains what "circular economy" means in practice at a large multinational firm like BASF, and describes some implementation challenges that businesses must confront, if they're committed to circular economy principles. Lees meer
References and recommendations:
"The Circular Economy Handbook" by Peter Lacey, Jessica Long, and Wesley Spindler; https://www.palgrave.com/us/book/9781349959679
“Breaking the Plastic Wave: Top Findings for Preventing Plastic Pollution” by Simon Reddy and Winnie Lau; https://www.pewtrusts.org/en/research-and-analysis/articles/2020/07/23/breaking-the-plastic-wave-top-findings
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The Future of Cost-Benefit Analysis, with Michael Livermore and Richard Revesz
15 november 2020 · 37 min
In this week's episode, host Kristin Hayes talks with the coauthors of the new book “Reviving Rationality: Saving Cost-Benefit Analysis for the Sake of the Environment and Our Health," Michael A. Livermore and Richard Revesz. Lees meer
Livermore was the founding executive director of the Institute for Policy Integrity at New York University (NYU) and now serves as one of its senior advisors. He is a professor at the University of Virginia’s School of Law. Revesz is the Lawrence King Professor of Law at NYU and the current director of the Institute for Policy Integrity. Oxford University Press released the new book last week; in this episode, Livermore and Revesz talk about why they chose to invest their time in this project, what messages they intend the book to convey, and how they see the issues described in the book playing out over the next few years.
References and recommendations:
“Reviving Rationality: Saving Cost-Benefit Analysis for the Sake of the Environment and Our Health" by Michael A. Livermore and Richard Revesz; https://global.oup.com/academic/product/reviving-rationality-9780197539446
"Mindscape" podcast; https://www.preposterousuniverse.com/podcast/
"Nice White Parents podcast; https://www.nytimes.com/2020/07/23/podcasts/nice-white-parents-serial.html
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Evaluating and Enhancing Corporate Climate Action, with Mark Tercek
8 november 2020 · 32 min
This week, host Daniel Raimi talks with Mark Tercek, longtime investment banker at Goldman Sachs, a former CEO of The Nature Conservancy, and a current member of the President's Council at Resources for the Future (RFF). Tercek talks about his current work advising private companies on how to take more ambitious steps to address environmental problems—particularly climate change. He and Raimi discuss some examples of what companies are doing, why they’re doing it, and how a skeptical public can evaluate the veracity of corporate climate commitments. Lees meer
References and recommendations:
"The Instigator" newsletter by Mark Tercek; https://marktercek.substack.com/
"Reimagining Capitalism in a World on Fire" by Rebecca M. Henderson; https://reimaginingcapitalism.org/
"Playing the Enemy: Nelson Mandela and the Game that Made a Nation" by John Carlin; https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/530626/playing-the-enemy-by-john-carlin/
Amy Harder's interview with Bernard Looney via Axios on HBO; https://www.axios.com/bp-ceo-climate-reinvention-axios-on-hbo-624c3a9c-9ad4-4fb1-9b38-552c558a3544.html