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401 afleveringen, van nieuw naar oud
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Big Decisions in Data-Driven Policymaking, with Richard G. Newell and Susan Tierney
30 oktober 2020 · 30 min
In this week's episode, guest hosts Richard Newell and Sue Tierney talk with each other about the difference it makes for policymakers to have access to sound economic and policy analysis, economic and climate policy in the near and longer term, the best ways to deploy resources to achieve ambitious policy outcomes, and highlights from prior episodes in the "Big Decisions" series they've spearheaded on the Resources Radio podcast. Newell is president and CEO of Resources for the Future (RFF). Tierney serves as the chair of RFF's Board of Directors and is a senior advisor at Analysis Group. Lees meer
This is the final episode of our month-long spin-off series, “Big Decisions: The Future of US Environmental and Energy Policy.” For this series, which has aired in our same Resources Radio time slot every Tuesday in October, RFF Board of Directors Chair Sue Tierney and RFF President Richard G. Newell have shared guest-hosting duties and talked with leading decisionmakers, analysts, researchers, and reporters about the big decisions that will impact US environmental and energy policy in the years to come.
References and recommendations:
"The New Map" by Daniel Yergin; https://www.danielyergin.com/books/thenewmap
"Growth" by Vaclav Smil; https://mitpress.mit.edu/books/growth
"Occupied" TV series; https://www.netflix.com/title/80092654
"The Comey Rule" TV miniseries; https://www.sho.com/the-comey-rule
"The Trial of the Chicago 7" film; https://www.netflix.com/title/81043755
"The Splendid and the Vile" by Erik Larson; https://eriklarsonbooks.com/book/the-splendid-and-the-vile/
"A Crisis Wasted" by Jeffrey L. Cummings and Reed Hundt; https://www.simonandschuster.com/books/A-Crisis-Wasted/Reed-Hundt/9781948122313
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Big Decisions in Equitable Energy Policy, with Paula Glover
25 oktober 2020 · 36 min
In this week's episode, guest host Sue Tierney talks with Paula Glover, president and CEO of the American Association of Blacks in Energy and incoming president of the Alliance to Save Energy. Glover and Tierney discuss policy priorities for Black professionals in the energy industry; creating coalitions to make progress with good policy; support systems and professional pipelines that help diversify the energy field; and energy justice as the intersection between energy, the environment, social justice, and community collaboration. Lees meer
This episode is the penultimate in our month-long spin-off series, “Big Decisions: The Future of US Environmental and Energy Policy.” For this series, which airs in our same Resources Radio time slot every Tuesday in October, RFF Board of Directors Chair Sue Tierney and RFF President Richard G. Newell share guest-hosting duties and talk with leading decisionmakers, analysts, researchers, and reporters about the big decisions that will impact US environmental and energy policy in the years to come. The final episode next week will be a conversation between Sue and Richard.
References and recommendations:
"The Energy within Us" by Joyce Hayes Giles, Carolyn Green, Rose McKinney-James, Hilda Pinnix-Ragland, and Telisa Toliver; https://www.google.com/books/edition/_/YJfawQEACAAJ
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Big Decisions in Air Quality Regulations, with Mary Nichols
19 oktober 2020 · 38 min
In this week's episode, guest host Richard G. Newell talks with Mary Nichols, chair of the California Air Resources Board and an environmental lawyer with prior experience at the US Environmental Protection Agency and in the California state government. Nichols and Newell discuss what comes next when a new law is "ready to be interpreted" and what it's like for a lawyer to bring some of the first cases under a new statute, regulating environmental health in a cost-effective way, the viability of carbon pricing and market-based policies, and how recognizing that global systemic injustice contributes to pollution is critical to identifying environmental solutions. Lees meer
This episode continues our month-long spin-off series, “Big Decisions: The Future of US Environmental and Energy Policy.” For this series, which will air in our same Resources Radio time slot every Tuesday in October, RFF President Richard G. Newell and RFF Board of Directors Chair Sue Tierney will share guest-hosting duties; they will talk with leading decisionmakers, analysts, researchers, and reporters about the big decisions that will impact US environmental and energy policy in the years to come.
References and recommendations:
"All We Can Save: Truth, Courage, and Solutions to the Climate Crisis" edited by Ayana Elizabeth Johnson & Katharine K. Wilkinson; https://www.allwecansave.earth/
Octavia Butler; https://www.octaviabutler.com/work
"Squeeze Me" by Carl Hiaasen; https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/558233/squeeze-me-by-carl-hiaasen/
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Big Decisions in Administrative Law, with Jody Freeman and Jeff Holmstead
11 oktober 2020 · 36 min
In this week's episode, guest host Sue Tierney talks with Jody Freeman and Jeffrey Holmstead. Freeman is a professor who specializes in administrative law and environmental law at Harvard, founded their Environmental and Energy Law Program, and established the Harvard Law School’s first environmental law clinic. Holmstead is an attorney at the Houston-based law firm Bracewell LLP and a former assistant administrator of the US Environmental Protection Agency; he is also a member of the president's council at Resources for the Future. Lees meer
Tierney, Freeman, and Holmstead discuss past "shenanigans" in presidential transitions; how a new or sitting president will prioritize goals in office, particularly during a troubling pandemic and highly unstable economy; the need for congressional action to make headway on climate change; and more.
This episode continues our month-long spin-off series, “Big Decisions: The Future of US Environmental and Energy Policy.” For this series—which will air in our same Resources Radio time slot every Tuesday in October—RFF Board of Directors Chair Sue Tierney and RFF President Richard G. Newell share guest-hosting duties and talk with leading decisionmakers, analysts, researchers, and reporters about the big decisions that will impact US environmental and energy policy in the years to come.
References and recommendations:
"This Is the Story of a Happy Marriage" by Ann Patchett; https://www.harpercollins.com/products/this-is-the-story-of-a-happy-marriage-ann-patchett
"Chernobyl" miniseries; https://www.hbo.com/chernobyl
"The Rule of Five" by Richard J. Lazarus; https://www.hup.harvard.edu/catalog.php?isbn=9780674238121
"Borgen" TV series; https://www.netflix.com/title/70302482
"Schitt's Creek" sitcom; https://www.netflix.com/title/80036165
"Watchmen" TV series; https://www.hbo.com/watchmen
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Big Decisions in Federal Legislation, with Amy Harder
3 oktober 2020 · 26 min
In this week's episode, guest host Richard G. Newell talks with Amy Harder, a reporter at Axios who covers energy, the environment, and climate change issues. Previously, Amy covered similar topics for the Wall Street Journal and the National Journal; she also was the inaugural journalism fellow for the University of Chicago's Energy Policy Institute in 2018. Harder and Newell discuss the likelihood of bipartisan policies moving forward, given various election result scenarios; how to effectively use political capital; "climate hawks" and the viability of climate policy; implications of changes in the Supreme Court for environmental cases; and more. Lees meer
This episode is the first in our month-long spin-off series, “Big Decisions: The Future of US Environmental and Energy Policy.” For this series, which will air in our same Resources Radio time slot every Tuesday in October, RFF President Richard G. Newell and RFF Board of Directors Chair Sue Tierney will share guest-hosting duties; they will talk with leading decisionmakers, analysts, researchers, and reporters about the big decisions that will impact US environmental and energy policy in the years to come.
References and recommendations:
"The New Map" by Daniel Yergin; https://www.danielyergin.com/books/thenewmap
"The Golden Spruce" by John Vaillant; https://www.penguinrandomhouse.ca/books/182225/the-golden-spruce-by-john-vaillant/9780676976465
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Accessing Nature through Canada’s Parks, with Dawn Carr
28 september 2020 · 33 min
This week, host Daniel Raimi talks with Dawn Carr, executive director of the Canadian Parks Council, a network of national, provincial, and territorial parks across Canada. Raimi and Carr discuss why connecting with nature is important, how the Canadian Parks Council works to enhance access to the natural world, how climate change is affecting the ways that governments need to manage their parks into the future, and strategies of making access to parks more equitable. Lees meer
Editor’s Note: Next week, we’ll release the first episode of our month-long spin-off series, “Big Decisions: The Future of US Environmental and Energy Policy.” For this series, which will air in our same Resources Radio time slot every Tuesday in October, RFF President Richard G. Newell and RFF Board of Directors Chair Sue Tierney will share guest-hosting duties; they will talk with leading decisionmakers, analysts, researchers, and reporters about the big decisions that will impact US environmental and energy policy in the years to come. Stay tuned for more.
References and recommendations:
"The Vanishing Half" by Brit Bennett; https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/576782/the-vanishing-half-by-brit-bennett/
“Public Land Conflicts and Controversies: The Designation of National Monuments in the Western United States” by Margaret Walls; https://www.rff.org/publications/journal-articles/public-land-conflicts-and-controversies-designation-national-monument-journal-publication/
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Space Resources: Exploring the Final Frontier, with Alex Gilbert
20 september 2020 · 35 min
This week, host Daniel Raimi learns more about space mining with Alex Gilbert, a fellow at the Payne Institute for Public Policy at the Colorado School of Mines. In their discussion of the fundamentals of space mining, Gilbert and Raimi address key questions like the following: What resources are people interested in mining? What technologies are necessary to extract resources? How is the ownership of space resources governed? What environmental risks might we encounter—or create—in outer space? Lees meer
References and recommendations:
“Life on Venus? Astronomers See a Signal in Its Clouds” by Shannon Stirone, Kenneth Chang, and Dennis Overbye; https://www.nytimes.com/2020/09/14/science/venus-life-clouds.html
“Phosphine gas in the cloud decks of Venus” by Jane S. Greaves , Anita M. S. Richards , William Bains, Paul B. Rimmer, Hideo Sagawa , David L. Clements, Sara Seager, Janusz J. Petkowski, Clara Sousa-Silva, Sukrit Ranjan, Emily Drabek-Maunder, Helen J. Fraser, Annabel Cartwright, Ingo Mueller-Wodarg , Zhuchang Zhan, Per Friberg , Iain Coulson, E’lisa Lee, and Jim Hoge; https://www.nature.com/articles/s41550-020-1174-4.pdf
“The Space Force has a horse, for some reason” by Kathryn Krawczyk; https://theweek.com/speedreads/927152/space-force-horse-some-reason
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The Environmental Impacts of Digital Technologies, with George Kamiya
14 september 2020 · 34 min
This week, host Kristin Hayes talks with George Kamiya, an analyst at the International Energy Agency (IEA) and an expert on the emissions of information and communications technology. Kamiya leads the IEA's analysis on the energy impact of digital technologies and coordinates cross-agency efforts on tracking clean energy progress, digitalization, and automated and shared mobility. Kamiya and Hayes discuss the environmental footprint of the many digital technologies that have now become fixtures of many of our lives. The discussion focuses on energy consumption—Kamiya's primary area of expertise—but also touches on other broader issues and impacts, along with some technologies that most people probably don't use on a daily basis, such as Bitcoin mining. While some recent sensational media coverage has suggested otherwise, Kamiya emphasizes that the environmental impacts of digital technologies still pale in comparison to those of bigger sectors, such as transportation and industry. Lees meer
References and recommendations:
“Factcheck: What is the carbon footprint of streaming video on Netflix?” by George Kamiya; https://www.carbonbrief.org/factcheck-what-is-the-carbon-footprint-of-streaming-video-on-netflix
“Calculate your emissions” data tool, from the International Energy Agency; https://www.iea.org/commentaries/the-carbon-footprint-of-streaming-video-fact-checking-the-headlines
“Bitcoin energy use—mined the gap” by George Kamiya; https://www.iea.org/commentaries/bitcoin-energy-use-mined-the-gap
“Digitalisation and Energy” from the International Energy Agency; https://www.iea.org/reports/digitalisation-and-energy
Carbon Brief newsletter; https://www.carbonbrief.org/daily-weekly-briefing-sign-up
"The Citizen’s Guide to Climate Success" by Mark Jaccard; https://www.cambridge.org/core/books/citizens-guide-to-climate-success/49D99FBCBD6FCACD5F3D58A7ED80882D
“The AI Revolution: The Road of Superintelligence” from the Wait But Why blog by Tim Urban; https://waitbutwhy.co…
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Hot Rocks: Drilling into Geothermal Energy, with Tim Latimer
7 september 2020 · 35 min
This week, Daniel Raimi talks with Tim Latimer, cofounder and CEO of Fervo Energy, a geothermal energy developer. Geothermal is a relatively small source of energy in the United States, but it has the potential to grow substantially. Latimer and Raimi discuss how the technology works, where it’s deployed in the United States and around the world, how it might grow in the years ahead, and its environmental risks. And, along the way, they make very bad puns about hot rocks. Lees meer
References and recommendations:
"GeoVision" report by the US Department of Energy; https://www.energy.gov/eere/geothermal/downloads/geovision-harnessing-heat-beneath-our-feet
The Broken Earth trilogy by N.K. Jemison; https://www.hachettebookgroup.com/articles/n-k-jemisin-broken-earth-trilogy-books-in-order/
“How the World’s Largest Garbage Dump Evolved Into a Green Oasis” by Robert Sullivan; https://www.nytimes.com/2020/08/14/nyregion/freshkills-garbage-dump-nyc.html
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California’s Wildfires: Climate Change, COVID, and Consequences, with Matthew Wibbenmeyer
31 augustus 2020 · 33 min
This week, host Daniel Raimi talks with Resources for the Future Fellow Matthew Wibbenmeyer. Wibbenmeyer provides an update on the recent spread of wildfires in California. He and Raimi discuss the severity of the fires; the impacts of the fires on people and places; and the causes of these fires, including the role of climate change. They also talk about how public policies can help reduce the risks of wildfires, including the roles of prescribed burning and housing policy. Lees meer
References and recommendations:
“The Ongoing Trauma of California’s Wildfires, in ‘Last Days at Paradise High’” by Rachel Riederer; https://www.newyorker.com/culture/the-new-yorker-documentary/the-ongoing-trauma-of-californias-wildfires-in-last-days-at-paradise-high
“How Prosperity Transformed the Falklands” by Larissa MacFarquhar; https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2020/07/06/how-prosperity-transformed-the-falklands
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Surveying American Public Opinion on Climate Change and the Environment, with Jon Krosnick
21 augustus 2020 · 38 min
This week, host Kristin Hayes talks with Jon Krosnick, a university fellow at Resources for the Future (RFF) and professor in humanities and social sciences, communication, and political science at Stanford University, where he directs the Political Psychology Research Group. In his spare time, Krosnick is a professional jazz drummer who tours a third of the year with his band, the Charged Particles—but during the day, Krosnick is a social psychologist who researches survey methods and the psychology of political behavior. Krosnick has collaborated with RFF for a number of years on his work related to surveying American public opinion on global warming, and the partnership continues with additional key collaborators this year. Today's discussion focuses on the overall trend results from the "Climate Insights 2020" survey. For more information on the survey, visit rff.org/climateinsights for an interactive web tool that shows the comprehensive findings in robust detail. Lees meer
References and recommendations:
"Climate Insights 2020: Surveying American Public Opinion on Climate Change and the Environment" by Jon A. Krosnick and Bo MacInnis; https://www.rff.org/publications/reports/climateinsights2020
Climate survey data tool; https://www.rff.org/publications/data-tools/climate-insights/
"The Rational Public" by Benjamin I. Page and Robert Y. Shapiro; https://press.uchicago.edu/ucp/books/book/chicago/R/bo3762628.html
"Uninformed" by Arthur Lupia; https://global.oup.com/academic/product/uninformed-9780190263720?cc=us&lang=en&
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Equity and Electricity: Race Gap in Household Energy Use, with Eva Lyubich
17 augustus 2020 · 28 min
This week, host Daniel Raimi talks with Eva Lyubich, a PhD student in the Economics Department at the University of California, Berkeley, and at the Energy Institute at Haas. Lyubich recently released a fascinating working paper on the gap in household energy spending between white and black households. Lyubich and Raimi discuss this new working paper: how big that race gap is, whether it’s changed over time, and what might account for its origin. The long-ranging conversation includes not just energy, but also the history of discriminatory housing policies in the United States. Lees meer
References and recommendations:
"The Race Gap in Residential Energy Expenditures" by Eva Lyubich; https://haas.berkeley.edu/wp-content/uploads/WP306.pdf
"Drilled" podcast; https://www.criticalfrequency.org/drilled
"Merchants of Doubt" by Naomi Oreskes and Erik M. Conway; https://www.bloomsbury.com/uk/merchants-of-doubt-9781596916104/
"There’s Something in the Water" by Ingrid Waldron; https://fernwoodpublishing.ca/book/there8217s-something-in-the-water
"There’s Something in the Water" documentary; https://www.netflix.com/title/81206890
"The Case for Reparations" by Ta-Nehisi Coates; https://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/archive/2014/06/the-case-for-reparations/361631/
"What Drives Racial and Ethnic Differences in High Cost Mortgages? The Role of High Risk Lenders" by Patrick Bayer, Fernando Ferreira, and Stephen L. Ross; https://www.nber.org/papers/w22004
"Housing Discrimination and the Toxics Exposure Gap in the United States: Evidence from the Rental Market" by Peter Christensen, Ignacio Sarmiento-Barbieri, and Christopher Timmins; https://www.nber.org/papers/w26805
"A community-based approach to low-income residential energy efficiency participation barriers" by Tony Gerard Reames; https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/13549839.2015.1136995
"Targeting energy justice: Exploring spatial, racial/ethnic and socioeconomic disparities in urban residential heating energy efficie…
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Taming the Sun in India’s Power Sector, with Varun Sivaram
9 augustus 2020 · 35 min
This week, host Daniel Raimi talks with Varun Sivaram, a visiting senior fellow at Columbia’s Center on Global Energy Policy. Sivaram is an expert on all things energy and recently spent two years working in India on solar energy. Sivaram and Raimi discuss the evolution of India’s power grid, including its rapid expansion of energy access and its historical dependence on coal; the rise of solar, wind, and storage; and the challenges that lie ahead. Lees meer
References and recommendations:
"Taming the Sun: Innovations to Harness Solar Energy and Power the Planet" by Varun Sivaram; https://mitpress.mit.edu/books/taming-sun
"The Next Phase of India's Renewable Energy Transition" by Varun Sivaram; https://www.aspeninstitute.org/blog-posts/the-next-phase-of-indias-renewable-energy-transition/
"Short-Circuiting Policy" by Leah C. Stokes; https://www.leahstokes.com/book
"Columbia Energy Exchange" podcast; https://energypolicy.columbia.edu/podcast/columbia-energy-exchange
"Our Daily Planet" newsletter; https://www.ourdailyplanet.com/
"After Coal: Stories of Survival in Appalachia and Wales" by Tom Hansell; https://aftercoal.com/book/
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The Environmental Appeal of Green Steel, with Chris Bataille
3 augustus 2020 · 32 min
This week, host Daniel Raimi talks with Chris Bataille, associate researcher at the Institute for Sustainable Development and International Relations in Paris. Steel accounts for almost 10 percent of the world's greenhouse gas emissions, and Bataille considers the potential for reducing and perhaps eliminating carbon dioxide emissions from the steelmaking process. Bataille also discusses how the industry currently works, which approaches and technologies can reduce emissions, and how policy can help drive innovation. Lees meer
References and recommendations:
"The Entrepreneurial State" by Mariana Mazzucato; https://marianamazzucato.com/entrepreneurial-state/
"Doughnut Economics" by Kate Raworth; https://www.chelseagreen.com/product/doughnut-economics-paperback/
"U.S. renewable energy consumption surpasses coal for the first time in over 130 years" from the US Energy Information Administration’s "Today in Energy;" https://www.eia.gov/todayinenergy/detail.php?id=43895
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Driving Behavior: How COVID-19 Pumped the Brakes on Transportation, with Abel Brodeur
27 juli 2020 · 37 min
This is the third episode in an ongoing webinar series, which is providing Resources Radio listeners the chance to listen to a podcast recording live and ask guests their own questions about pressing energy, environment, and economics issues. Lees meer
In this episode, host Kristin Hayes talks with Abel Brodeur about how the coronavirus lockdown orders have affected the transportation sector. Brodeur, an associate professor at the University of Ottawa's Department of Economics, talks about his recent research on the decrease in car collision incidents during the lockdowns, along with his recently coauthored literature review about the economic impacts of the pandemic across a range of other dimensions.
References and recommendations:
"On the Effects of COVID-19 Safer-At-Home Policies on Social Distancing, Car Crashes and Pollution" by Abel Brodeur, Nikolai Cook, and Taylor Wright; http://ftp.iza.org/dp13255.pdf
"A Literature Review of the Economics of COVID-19" by Abel Brodeur, David M. Gray, Anik Islam, and Suraiya Jabeen Bhuiyan; https://ideas.repec.org/p/iza/izadps/dp13411.html
"English Passengers" by Matthew Kneale; https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/93872/english-passengers-by-matthew-kneale/
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Getting Filled In on the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam, with Annalise Blum
19 juli 2020 · 28 min
In this episode, Annalise Blum fills us in on the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam. Blum, a policy fellow with the American Association for the Advancement Science, has worked for years on the technical and geopolitical aspects of hydropower. Host Daniel Raimi talks with Blum about the controversial dam project on the Blue Nile River in Ethiopia, whose reservoir could begin filling as soon as this week. The Renaissance Dam has been the subject of international negotiations for years, and has even prompted some threats of armed conflict. The issues surrounding the dam are complex, important, and discussed infrequently here in the United States—but Blum and Raimi jump right into the topic. Lees meer
References and recommendations:
"Timbuktu" film; https://www.reuters.com/article/us-awards-oscars-timbuktu/oscar-nominee-timbuktu-tackles-everyday-view-of-radical-islam-idUSKBN0LI0HV20150214
Aaron Wolf’s research about international agreements; https://www.texastribune.org/2017/07/11/q-aaron-wolf/
"William Mulholland and the Rise of Los Angeles" by Catherine Mulholland; https://www.ucpress.edu/book/9780520234666/william-mulholland-and-the-rise-of-los-angeles
"Chinatown" film; https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0071315/
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Air Quality Impacts of the COVID-19 Pandemic: A View from Two Epicenters, with Valentina Bosetti
12 juli 2020 · 38 min
This is the second episode in an ongoing webinar series, which is providing Resources Radio listeners the chance to listen to a podcast recording live and ask guests their own questions about pressing energy issues. Lees meer
In this episode, host Kristin Hayes talks with Valentina Bosetti, a Bocconi University professor and a senior scientist at the RFF-CMCC European Institute on Economics and the Environment, who has closely studied air quality in Northern Italy. Bosetti finds that, while air pollution decreased in the region during the pandemic lockdowns, pollution did not fall nearly as much as expected, largely because lockdown measures hardly impacted agricultural emissions. In addition, Bosetti warns that the public health benefits of improved air quality pale in comparison to the lives lost from COVID-19, and unless governments take action, pollution will surge again once economic activity returns to pre-pandemic levels.
References and recommendations:
"Spillover: Animal Infections and the Next Human Pandemic" by David Quammen; https://wwnorton.com/books/spillover/
"When Breath Becomes Air" by Paul Kalanithi; https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/258507/when-breath-becomes-air-by-paul-kalanithi/
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AC/DC: Unequal Access to Air Conditioning, with Kelly T. Sanders
6 juli 2020 · 34 min
This week, host Daniel Raimi talks with Kelly T. Sanders, a professor of civil and environmental engineering at the University of Southern California. With her coauthors, Sanders has recently published a series of studies on air conditioning use in southern California, with a focus on who does—and does not—have access to cooling on hot days. This work, which touches on issues of energy and environmental justice, has big implications for managing the COVID-19 pandemic this summer—and managing climate change in the decades to come. Lees meer
References and recommendations:
"Utilizing smart-meter data to project impacts of urban warming on residential electricity use for vulnerable populations in Southern California" by Mo Chen, George A. Ban-Weiss, and Kelly T. Sanders; https://iopscience.iop.org/article/10.1088/1748-9326/ab6fbe/meta
"Growth: From Microorganisms to Megacities" by Vaclav Smil; https://mitpress.mit.edu/books/growth
"These Truths: A History of the United States" by Jill Lepore; https://wwnorton.com/books/9780393357424
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Resources Radio Live: How COVID-19 Has Powered Down the US Economy, with Steve Cicala
28 juni 2020 · 36 min
This is the first episode in an ongoing webinar series, which is providing Resources Radio listeners the chance to listen to a podcast recording live and ask guests their own questions about pressing energy issues. Lees meer
In this episode, host Kristin Hayes talks with Professor Steve Cicala of the University of Chicago’s Harris School of Public Policy (soon to be moving to Tufts University’s Department of Economics). Expounding on research recently highlighted in the New York Times, in which he undertook one of the earliest looks at electricity demand during the peak of the pandemic lockdowns in the United States, Cicala details how electricity demand can serve as a valuable—if incomplete—tool to assess the health of the economy and the outlook for recovering from a recession. Cicala notes that the current crisis has shifted renewable penetration and affected energy consumption, but researchers remain uncertain about the duration of the pandemic and its long-term impacts on the electric grid.
References and recommendations:
"Another Way to See the Recession: Power Usage Is Way Down" by Quoctrung Bui and Justin Wolfers; https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2020/04/08/upshot/electricity-usage-predict-coronavirus-recession.html
"Early Economic Impacts of COVID-19 in Europe: A View from the Grid" by Steve Cicala; https://home.uchicago.edu/~scicala/papers/real_time_EU/real_time_EU.pdf
"What Is Owed: It Is Time for Reparations" by Nikole Hannah-Jones; https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2020/06/24/magazine/reparations-slavery.html
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The Challenge of Diversity in the Environmental Movement, with Dorceta Taylor (Rebroadcast)
22 juni 2020 · 32 min
These past few weeks, people across the United States have been horrified by the continuing violence against people of color. Resources for the Future has been working toward contributing energy and thoughtful work—not just words and statements—to support and incorporate diversity in our environmental mission. Toward that end, we are rebroadcasting this Resources Radio episode from last July with Dorceta Taylor. Lees meer
In this episode, host Daniel Raimi talks with Professor Dorceta E. Taylor of the University of Michigan’s School for Environment and Sustainability (soon to be moving to the faculty at the Yale School of Forestry & Environmental Studies). Raimi asks Taylor about her research on the history of the environmental movement, focusing on issues of diversity, equity, and inclusion within environmental groups—both historically and today. While some progress has happened over the years, major challenges remain, and the field has plenty of room for improvement.
References and recommendations:
"The Rise of the American Conservation Movement" by Dorceta E. Taylor; https://www.dukeupress.edu/the-rise-of-the-american-conservation-movement
"The State of Diversity in Environmental Organizations" by Dorceta E. Taylor; https://www.diversegreen.org/the-challenge/
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Space: The Next Great Market Opportunity, with Michael Toman
13 juni 2020 · 38 min
This week, host Kristin Hayes talks with Michael Toman, lead economist on climate change for the World Bank’s Development Research Group. Toman worked at Resources for the Future (RFF) for many years, during which he collaborated with former RFF Vice President for Research Molly Macauley in her pioneering effort to develop the economics of outer space as a topic for research and policy analysis. Hayes and Toman discuss the commercialization and privatization of space, both in light of the recent successful SpaceX launch to the International Space Station, and given that the day of recording (June 10) would have been Molly’s 63rd birthday. Lees meer
References and recommendations:
"Racism and Injustice: A Letter from RFF President Richard G. Newell" from RFF; https://www.rff.org/racism-and-injustice-letter-rff-president-richard-g-newell/
"In Loving Memory of Molly K. Macauley" from Resources magazine; https://www.resourcesmag.org/archives/in-loving-memory-of-molly-k-macauley/
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Growing the Power Grid in Africa, with Todd Moss
7 juni 2020 · 35 min
This week, host Daniel Raimi talks with Todd Moss, executive director of the Energy for Growth Hub and a nonresident fellow at Rice University's Baker Institute. Moss has years of experience expanding access to energy around the world, particularly in Africa. Here, Raimi and Moss discuss the current strategies that countries, companies, and international organizations are implementing to expand access in Africa; how COVID-19 is affecting these efforts; and the intersection between expanding energy access and mitigating climate change. Lees meer
References and recommendations:
"Power Trip: The Story of Energy" show on PBS; https://powertripshow.com/
"Power Trip: The Story of Energy" book by Michael E. Webber; https://www.basicbooks.com/titles/michael-e-webber/power-trip/9781541644380/
"Between the World and Me" by Ta-Nehisi Coates; https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/220290/between-the-world-and-me-by-ta-nehisi-coates/
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Adding Subtraction to the Climate Toolkit: Discussing Carbon Dioxide Removal with Wil Burns
1 juni 2020 · 32 min
In this episode, host Daniel Raimi talks with Wil Burns, co-director of the Institute for Carbon Removal Law and Policy at American University. Raimi and Burns discuss the approaches and technologies that might be helpful in removing large amounts of carbon dioxide from the atmosphere, what governments and companies are doing to encourage the deployment of these options, and some of the risks and challenges that each approach brings. Lees meer
References and recommendations:
"Dam Breaches in Michigan Raise Questions for Dam Maintenance Across the Nation," a Q&A with RFF's Margaret Walls; https://www.resourcesmag.org/common-resources/dam-breaches-michigan-raise-questions-dam-maintenance-across-nation/
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Decarbonizing Global Industry, with Jeffrey Rissman
25 mei 2020 · 36 min
This week, host Kristin Hayes talks with Jeffrey Rissman, the industry program director and head of modeling at Energy Innovation, a research firm focused on accelerating clean energy. He leads modeling efforts for the firm’s energy policy solutions focus area, to determine the policies that most effectively help meet climate and energy goals. Rissman is the lead author on a new paper released recently in the journal "Applied Energy," which dives deep into the technologies and policies that might drive decarbonization across global industry. This sector is notoriously difficult to decarbonize, but it's critical to meeting long-term emissions reduction goals. Lees meer
References and recommendations:
"Technologies and policies to decarbonize global industry: Review and assessment of mitigation drivers through 2070" by Jeffrey Rissman, Chris Bataille, Eric Masanet, Nate Aden, William R. Morrow III, Nan Zhou, Neal Elliott, Rebecca Dell, Niko Heeren, Brigitta Huckestein, Joe Cresko, Sabbie Miller, Joyashree Roy, Paul Fennel, Betty Cremmins, Thomas Koch Blank, David Hone, Ellen D. Williams, Stephane de la Rue du Can, Bill Sisson, Mike Williams, John Katzenberger, Dallas Burtraw, Girish Sethi, He Ping, David Danielson, Hongyou Lu, Tom Lorber, Jens Dinkel, and Jonas Helseth; https://www.rff.org/publications/journal-articles/technologies-and-policies-decarbonize-global-industry/
Energy Policy Simulator; www.energypolicy.solutions
"Sustainable Materials without the Hot Air" by Julian M. Allwood and Jonathan M. Cullen; https://www.ipgbook.com/sustainable-materials-without-the-hot-air-products-9781906860301.php
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China's Emerging Policies for Emissions Reductions, with Dick Morgenstern
19 mei 2020 · 29 min
Along with several co-authors, Resources for the Future (RFF) Senior Fellow Dick Morgenstern has recently released an RFF working paper on China’s new emissions trading program: a “tradable performance standard,” which sets a ratio of emissions to output that individual firms have to meet. Host Daniel Raimi talks with Morgenstern in this episode about the goals of the trading program, how it's designed, some of its strengths and weaknesses, and how the policy fits into the framework of international negotiations on climate change. While the standard is not as efficient as more typical models, it stands to significantly reduce emissions once it expands beyond the power sector—without necessarily curbing China’s economic growth. Lees meer
References and recommendations:
"China's Unconventional Nationwide CO2 Emissions Trading System: The Wide-Ranging Impacts of an Implicit Output Subsidy" by Lawrence H. Goulder, Xianling Long, Jieyi Lu, and Richard D. Morgenstern; https://www.rff.org/publications/working-papers/chinas-unconventional-nationwide-co2-emissions-trading-system/
"The Wizard and the Prophet" by Charles C. Mann; https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/220698/the-wizard-and-the-prophet-by-charles-c-mann/
"Alaskan glaciers melting 100 times faster than previously thought" by Jenny Howard; https://www.nationalgeographic.com/environment/2019/07/alaskan-glaciers-melting-faster-than-previously-thought/ (and other "National Geographic" glacier coverage)
"The Big Thaw" by Daniel Glick; https://www.nationalgeographic.com/environment/global-warming/big-thaw/ (and other "National Geographic" glacier coverage)
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Reflecting on Solar Geoengineering, with David Keith
12 mei 2020 · 31 min
This week, host Daniel Raimi talks with Harvard University Professor David Keith about solar geoengineering. Keith describes the variety of ways that solar geoengineering could work; some of its risks at local, regional, and global scales; recent small-scale experiments; and what might be needed to deploy a larger-scale research program. Raimi and Keith also discuss public policies related to potential deployment technologies, including the substantial issues surrounding governance and geopolitics. Lees meer
References and recommendations:
"Inner Ranges" by Geoff Powter; https://rmbooks.com/book/inner-ranges/
"Pilgrims of the Vertical" by Joseph E. Taylor III; https://www.hup.harvard.edu/catalog.php?isbn=9780674052871
"Environmental Insights" podcast with Robert Stavins; https://scholar.harvard.edu/stavins/environmental-insights-podcast
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Going Deep on Carbon Capture, Utilization, and Storage (CCUS), with Julio Friedmann
5 mei 2020 · 34 min
This week, host Daniel Raimi talks about carbon capture, use, and storage (CCUS) with Julio Friedmann, a senior research scholar at Columbia University’s Center on Global Energy Policy. Friedmann gives an overview of the status of CCUS deployment worldwide, describes the costs of CCUS relative to other approaches for reducing emissions, and notes some emerging federal policies that aim to increase deployment of CCUS in the United States. Lees meer
References and recommendations:
"Capturing Investment: Policy Design to Finance CCUS Projects in the US Power Sector" by Julio Friedmann, Emeka Ochu, and Jeffrey D. Brown; https://energypolicy.columbia.edu/research/report/capturing-investment-policy-design-finance-ccus-projects-us-power-sector
"To Tackle Climate Change, the (Industrial) Heat Is On" by Julio Friedmann; https://www.bloomberg.com/opinion/articles/2019-10-21/amid-climate-change-the-heat-is-on-heavy-industry-to-decarbonize
"Low-Carbon Heat Solutions for Heavy Industry: Sources, Options, and Costs Today" by Julio Friedmann, Zhiyuan Fan, and Ke Tang; https://energypolicy.columbia.edu/research/report/low-carbon-heat-solutions-heavy-industry-sources-options-and-costs-today
"Engineers of Victory" by Paul Kennedy; https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/91616/engineers-of-victory-by-paul-kennedy/
"Innovation and Its Enemies" by Calestous Juma; https://global.oup.com/academic/product/innovation-and-its-enemies-9780190467036?cc=us&lang=en&
"45Q&A" blog series about the 45Q tax credit for CCUS; https://www.resourcesmag.org/common-resources/45q-series-comments-45q-tax-credit-carbon-capture-utilization-and-storage-ccus/
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Is the Trump Administration Ditching WOTUS?, with Ellen Gilinsky
25 april 2020 · 34 min
This week, host Daniel Raimi talks with Ellen Gilinsky about Waters of the United States, or WOTUS, which refers to the 2015 Clean Water Rule that defined the scope of federal water protection, particularly for streams and wetlands that share a hydrologic system with "navigable waters." Gilinsky was the associate deputy assistant administrator for water at the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA); she is an expert on all things WOTUS. Lees meer
Raimi and Gilinsky discuss why WOTUS is so important for federal regulation of surface waters; why the waters that fall under regulation are so tricky to define; and how the Trump administration has sought to change the definitions, with implications that reduce regulation.
Just last week, EPA and the US Army Corps of Engineers published their Navigable Waters Protection Rule to change the definition of WOTUS and "navigable waters," demarcating four categories for waters under jurisdiction. The new rule becomes effective on June 22 this year, although lawsuits already are challenging it.
References and recommendations:
"Replenish: The Virtuous Cycle of Water and Prosperity" by Sandra Postel; https://islandpress.org/books/replenish
"Where the Crawdads Sing" by Delia Owens; https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/567281/where-the-crawdads-sing-deluxe-edition-by-delia-owens/
"Cadillac Desert" by Marc Reisner; https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/323685/cadillac-desert-by-marc-reisner/
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Lessons from 50 Years of the Clean Air Act, with Maureen Cropper
19 april 2020 · 34 min
This week, host Daniel Raimi talks with Maureen Cropper, an economics professor at the University of Maryland and senior fellow at Resources for the Future (RFF). Raimi asks Maureen about a paper she recently coauthored, which takes a retrospective look at the Clean Air Act, as this year we mark the 50th anniversary of its 1970 amendments. With more than 50 years of data since the original Clean Air Act came into existence in 1963, Cropper et al.'s new paper reviews how the law has been implemented, drawing out key lessons and research questions that we may be able to apply to good effect in the next 50 years. Lees meer
References and recommendations:
"Looking Back at Fifty Years of the Clean Air Act" by Joseph E. Aldy, Maximilian Auffhammer, Maureen L. Cropper, Arthur G. Fraas, and Richard D. Morgenstern; https://www.rff.org/publications/working-papers/looking-back-at-fifty-years-of-the-clean-air-act/
Fall 2019 issue of the Journal of Economic Perspectives (vol. 33, no. 4), which focuses in part on the fiftieth anniversary of the Clean Air and Water Acts; https://www.aeaweb.org/issues/568
"What Do Economists Have to Say about the Clean Air Act 50 Years after the Establishment of the Environmental Protection Agency?" by Janet Currie and Reed Walker; https://www.aeaweb.org/articles?id=10.1257/jep.33.4.3
"Policy Evolution under the Clean Air Act" by Richard Schmalensee and Robert N. Stavins; https://www.aeaweb.org/articles?id=10.1257/jep.33.4.27
"US Water Pollution Regulation over the Past Half Century: Burning Waters to Crystal Springs?" by David A. Keiser and Joseph S. Shapiro; https://www.aeaweb.org/articles?id=10.1257/jep.33.4.51
Purple Air, a personal monitor for real-time air-quality assessments; https://www2.purpleair.com/
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Has Good Benefit-Cost Analysis Been Swept under the MATS?, with Mary Evans And Matthew Kotchen
13 april 2020 · 34 min
In this week's episode, Kristin Hayes talks with Mary Evans and Matthew Kotchen, two of the authors on a new study published in the journal "Science" last week, which takes a critical look at how the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) recently updated the benefit-cost analysis of its Mercury and Air Toxics Standards, or MATS. At the risk of skipping to the punchline, the paper's authors suggest that EPA’s analysis is seriously flawed. Lees meer
Evans and Kotchen discuss why they and their colleagues reached this conclusion, what the perceived flaws in the analysis could mean for human health and the environment, and how EPA and the Trump administration should proceed from here.
References and recommendations:
"Deep flaws in a mercury regulatory analysis" by Joseph Aldy, Matthew Kotchen, Mary Evans, Meredith Fowlie, Arik Levinson, and Karen Palmer; https://science.sciencemag.org/content/early/2020/04/08/science.aba7932
"Lead pollution tracks the rise and fall of medieval kings" by Ann Gibbons; https://science.sciencemag.org/content/368/6486/19
DJ D-Nice spinning on Instagram Live with Club Quarantine; https://www.instagram.com/dnice
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The Value of a Statistical Life and Coronavirus, with Alan Krupnick
5 april 2020 · 39 min
This week, host Daniel Raimi talks with RFF Senior Fellow Alan Krupnick about the value of a statistical life, or VSL. As we all try to stay safe during the coronavirus pandemic, some analysts have started to ask the question, How much economic pain is appropriate to withstand to protect public health? The question is studded with ethical and moral land mines that, to some extent, VSL helps to address. In today’s episode, Krupnick takes us through the history of the VSL concept, different methods for calculating VSL, and how VSL might (or might not) be applied in today’s rapidly changing world. Lees meer
References and recommendations:
"Mengele: Unmasking the 'Angel of Death'" by David G. Marwell; https://wwnorton.com/books/9780393609530
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A Status Report on Global Emissions Trading, with Stephanie La Hoz Theuer
27 maart 2020 · 29 min
This week, Daniel Raimi talks with Stephanie La Hoz Theuer, a senior project manager at adelphi, an environmental think tank, as well as a member of the International Carbon Action Partnership (ICAP) Secretariat. Each year, ICAP releases a valuable report on the status of emissions trading around the world, and the 2020 report was released just last week. In this episode, La Hoz Theuer provides updates on emissions trading policies around the world, including Europe, North America, Asia, and elsewhere. She and Raimi also discuss other policies that countries are deploying to reduce emissions, including in non-energy sectors such as agriculture. Lees meer
References and recommendations:
"Emissions Trading Worldwide: Status Report 2020" by the International Carbon Action Partnership (ICAP); https://icapcarbonaction.com/en/icap-status-report-2020
"An amateur Chinese marathon runner under coronavirus lockdown ran 31 miles in his living room to pass the time"; https://www.businessinsider.com/chinese-man-under-coronavirus-lockdown-runs-31-miles-living-room-2020-2
"Thinking, Fast and Slow" by Daniel Kahneman; https://us.macmillan.com/books/9780374533557
"Collapse" by Jared Diamond; https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/288954/collapse-by-jared-diamond/
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Do National Monuments Help or Hinder Local Economies?, with Margaret Walls
23 maart 2020 · 28 min
This week, host Daniel Raimi talks with RFF senior fellow Margaret Walls. Along with coauthors Patrick Lee and Matthew Ashenfarb, Walls published a study last week on the economic impacts that result from the establishment of national monuments. The study looks at how the designation of a national monument affects businesses and employment in the surrounding area. While some have argued that monuments stifle economic activity by making land off-limits to extractive activities like oil and gas drilling, others argue that national monuments generate growth in other industries, such as tourism. In their new study, Walls and colleagues provide answers. Lees meer
References and recommendations:
"National monuments and economic growth in the American West" by Margaret Walls, Patrick Lee, and Matthew Ashenfarb; https://advances.sciencemag.org/content/6/12/eaay8523
"Cadillac Desert" by Marc Reisner; https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/323685/cadillac-desert-by-marc-reisner/
"The Source" by Martin Doyle; https://wwnorton.com/books/The-Source
"Nuclear explained: Where our uranium comes from" by the US Energy Information Administration; https://www.eia.gov/energyexplained/nuclear/where-our-uranium-comes-from.php
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Oil Markets in the Time of COVID-19, with Amy Myers Jaffe
15 maart 2020 · 35 min
This week, host Kristin Hayes talks with Amy Myers Jaffe about what has been unfolding in world oil markets over the past week, as the coronavirus, or COVID-19, continues to spread and radically impact human lives and the global economy. Jaffe is the David M. Rubenstein senior fellow for energy and the environment and director of the Energy Security and Climate Change Program at the Council on Foreign Relations. She is a leading expert on global energy policy, geopolitical risk, energy, and sustainability. Lees meer
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Managing Flood Risk under Climate Change, with Carolyn Kousky
7 maart 2020 · 34 min
This week, host Kristin Hayes talks with Carolyn Kousky, the executive director of the Wharton Risk Management and Decision Processes Center at the University of Pennsylvania. Kousky is a university fellow at Resources for a future and was a fellow at RFF for a number of years. Kousky's research has examined multiple aspects of disaster insurance markets, the National Flood Insurance Program, federal disaster aid and response, and policy responses to potential changes in extreme events with climate change. In this episode, Hayes and Kousky discuss resilience to natural disasters such as flooding and wildfire, whether the current US system of funding for that resilience is working (and for whom), and what other options for responding to natural disasters the United States might want to consider. Lees meer
References and recommendations:
"Insuring Nature" by Carolyn Kousky and Sarah E. Light; https://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cfm?abstract_id=3481896
"The Cure for Catastrophe" by Robert Muir-Wood; https://oneworld-publications.com/the-cure-for-catastrophe-hb.html
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The Economics of Environmental Justice, with Samuel Stolper and Catherine Hausman
1 maart 2020 · 31 min
This week, host Daniel Raimi talks with Catherine Hausman and Samuel Stolper of the University of Michigan about a new working paper they’ve coauthored, called "Inequality, Information Failures, and Air Pollution." Catie and Sam take an economics lens to the problem of environmental justice and identify a new and important channel through which these problems can arise: the role of information. Lees meer
References and recommendations:
"Inequality, Information Failures, and Air Pollution: by Catherine Hausman and Samuel Stolper; https://www.nber.org/papers/w26682
"Hop on Pop" by Dr. Seuss; https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/43028/hop-on-pop-by-hop-on-pop/
"The Dispossessed" by Ursula K. Le Guin; https://www.ursulakleguin.com/dispossessed
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Which Climate Path Are We On?, with Zeke Hausfather
24 februari 2020 · 32 min
This week, host Daniel Raimi talks with Zeke Hausfather, director of climate and energy at the Breakthrough Institute. Hausfather discusses the past, present, and future of global greenhouse gas emissions, the emissions trajectory that the world is currently on, how that pathway looks different from some of the worst-case scenarios that researchers have used in the past, and the crucial uncertainties that remain when it comes to estimating future global warming under any given emissions pathway. Lees meer
References and recommendations:
"The End of Nature" by Bill McKibben; http://billmckibben.com/end-of-nature.html
"Explainer: Nine 'tipping points' that could be triggered by climate change" by Robert McSweeney; https://www.carbonbrief.org/explainer-nine-tipping-points-that-could-be-triggered-by-climate-change
The "Broken Earth" trilogy by NK Jemisin; https://www.hachettebookgroup.com/articles/n-k-jemisin-broken-earth-trilogy-books-in-order/
"Endless Night at -50 Degrees: A Look at Life on an Icebreaker" by Henry Fountain; https://www.nytimes.com/2020/02/07/climate/mosiac-mission-arctic-climate-change-photos.html
"Wild storms and shifting ice: Two explorers talk about Arctic life" by Henry Fountain and Esther Horvath; https://www.chicagotribune.com/travel/travel-news/sns-nyt-wild-storms-shifting-ice-explorers-talk-arctic-life-20200209-pj2n6kbceraolkjed5wfg364bq-story.html
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On the Job with Florida’s First Chief Resilience Officer, Julia Nesheiwat
16 februari 2020 · 28 min
This week, host Kristin Hayes talks with Julia Nesheiwat, the first chief resilience officer for the state of Florida. Nesheiwat elaborates on how she’s helping support Florida’s climate resiliency efforts by coordinating across communities and organizations across the state and cutting the red tape that tends to stall environmental efforts related to climate change response. Lees meer
Nesheiwat has served in combat with the US Army; she earned her PhD from Tokyo Institute of Technology, MA from Georgetown University, and BA from Stetson University in Florida. She has lectured on the geopolitics of energy, climate, and technology at the US Naval Postgraduate School, Stanford University, and the University of California, San Diego. Fittingly for the Florida resident, Nesheiwat likes to go stand-up paddleboarding and surfing.
References and recommendations:
"Master the Disaster" from FM Global; https://www.fmglobal.com/insights-and-impacts/2019/master-the-disaster
"The Geography of Risk" by Gilbert M. Gaul; https://us.macmillan.com/books/9780374160807
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Going Deeper on NEPA, with J.B. Ruhl
9 februari 2020 · 33 min
In this episode, host Daniel Raimi talks with J.B. Ruhl, a professor at Vanderbilt University Law School who specializes in environmental, natural resources, and property law. Ruhl provides an overview of the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA), the landmark law that permits lawsuits against federal agencies for any actions that are perceived to affect the quality of the environment. Drawing from his years practicing environmental law, Ruhl explains how NEPA lawsuits are especially complex—involving statutes, court opinions, and recent regulatory changes that are often at odds. He also discusses the implications of a proposed rule change by the Trump administration that could limit the types of litigation that can be pursued under NEPA. Lees meer
References and recommendations:
"Guns, Germs, and Steel" by Jared Diamond; https://wwnorton.com/books/Guns-Germs-and-Steel/
"Boomtown" podcast; https://www.texasmonthly.com/boomtown/
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Extra! Extra! Listen All About It: A Conversation with Energy and Climate Journalist Amy Harder
3 februari 2020 · 32 min
In this week's episode, host Kristin Hayes talks with Amy Harder, national energy and climate change reporter at Axios. Harder's reporting includes exclusive scoops and analyses of national and global trends. Previously, she covered similar issues for the Wall Street Journal and National Journal. Harder also was the inaugural journalism fellow for the University of Chicago’s Energy Policy Institute in 2018. Lees meer
Harder has been a longtime friend of RFF and has participated as a moderator in several RFF events. You may have followed her work on shale gas development, carbon pricing, and so many of the other topics of interest in today’s energy and climate policy conversations. Here, Harder discusses how she thinks about environmental journalism—and journalism in general—in this day and age.
References and recommendations:
RFF's Global Energy Outlook tool; https://www.rff.org/geo/
Wall Street Journal reporter Russell Gold's climate reporting; https://twitter.com/russellgold
"See how global warming has changed since your childhood" by Tim Leslie, Joshua Byrd, and Nathan Hoad; https://www.abc.net.au/news/2019-12-06/how-climate-change-has-impacted-your-life/11766018
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Green Growth That Works: Discussing Ecosystem Services, with Lisa Mandle
24 januari 2020 · 32 min
This week, host Daniel Raimi talks with Lisa Mandle, lead scientist at the Natural Capital Project, based at the Stanford Woods Institute for the Environment. Lisa is the co-editor of a new book called "Green Growth That Works: Natural Capital Policy and Finance Mechanisms from around the World." The book presents a range of fascinating case studies from around the world, all centered around the tools that governments and others can use to protect and enhance ecosystem services. Raimi and Mandle discuss some of those cases, including New York’s famously unfiltered water, preservation of wetlands, and stormwater management in Washington, DC. Lees meer
References and recommendations:
"Green Growth That Works: Natural Capital Policy and Finance Mechanisms Around the World" by Lisa Ann Mandle, Zhiyun Ouyang, James Edwin Salzman, and Gretchen Cara Daily; https://islandpress.org/books/green-growth-works (offer code "GROWTH" provides a discount)
"Everyone wants to Instagram the world's most beautiful canyon. Should they?" by Rebecca Jennings; https://www.vox.com/the-goods/2019/7/11/20686194/antelope-canyon-instagram-page-arizona-navajo
"Ice on Fire" documentary; https://www.hbo.com/documentaries/ice-on-fire
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40 Big Ideas for a Sustainable Future, with Daniel Esty
19 januari 2020 · 31 min
This week, host Daniel Raimi talks with Daniel Esty, a professor at Yale University and a member of the board of directors at Resources for the Future (RFF). Dan talks about a new book he edited, "A Better Planet: 40 Big Ideas for a Sustainable Future." As its title suggests, the book covers a wide range of topics. Raimi and Esty's conversation focuses on an essay that Esty wrote, which outlines how to design environmental policy in a way that fosters innovation and new technologies. They also touch on the role of finance and politics in shaping environmental outcomes. Lees meer
References and recommendations:
"A Better Planet: 40 Big Ideas for a Sustainable Future" edited by Daniel C. Esty; https://yalebooks.yale.edu/book/9780300246247/better-planet
Hearing on "Building a 100 Percent Clean Economy: Solutions for Economy-Wide Deep Decarbonization" with Daniel C. Esty, Noah Kaufman, David K. Gattie, and Tim Profeta; https://energycommerce.house.gov/committee-activity/hearings/hearing-on-building-a-100-percent-clean-economy-solutions-for-economy
"Decarbonizing Space Heating with Air Source Heat Pumps" by Noah Kaufman, David Sandalow, Clotilde Rossi di Schio, and Jake Higdon; https://energypolicy.columbia.edu/research/report/decarbonizing-space-heating-air-source-heat-pumps
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Shifting Sands: Using Taxes to Build the Best Beaches, with Megan Mullin
12 januari 2020 · 30 min
This week, host Daniel Raimi talks with Megan Mullin, an associate professor of environmental politics at Duke University’s Nicholas School of the Environment. Mullin talks about her research, which analyzes how communities pay to rehabilitate beaches affected by erosion and how differential tax rates can affect levels of support for these beach nourishment projects. Mullin also makes clear why coastal management is relevant: as climate change accelerates the erosion of beaches, and as federal funding dries up, local communities will increasingly have to grapple with how to pay to replenish their shorelines. Lees meer
References and recommendations:
"Paying to save the beach: effects of local finance decisions on coastal management" by Megan Mullin, Martin D. Smith, and Dylan E. McNamara; https://rd.springer.com/article/10.1007/s10584-018-2191-5
The Conversation, "Where does beach sand come from?" https://theconversation.com/where-does-beach-sand-come-from-126323
"The Dark Crystal: Age of Resistance"; https://www.netflix.com/title/80148535
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Pricing Climate Risk in the Markets, with Robert Litterman
4 januari 2020 · 30 min
This week, host Daniel Raimi talks with Robert Litterman, a founding partner at Kepos Capital and a board member at Resources for the Future (RFF). Litterman recently was named the chair of a new committee that will be advising US financial regulators on the economic risks of climate change, a new position that leverages Litterman's extensive experience working on risk management in the financial sector and his deep interest in climate change. Raimi and Litterman talk about the scale of the risks to the US financial system from climate change; whether and how markets are currently pricing the risks of climate change for assets like coastal property or energy companies; and the recent paper Litterman coauthored, which takes an unconventional and novel approach to carbon pricing. Lees meer
References and recommendations:
"Global Warming of 1.5 degrees," an IPCC special report; https://www.ipcc.ch/sr15/
"Declining CO2 price paths" by Kent D. Daniel, Robert B. Litterman, and Gernot Wagner; https://www.pnas.org/content/116/42/20886
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2019 Year in Review: Energy and Environmental Policy, with Susan Tierney and Sarah Ladislaw
29 december 2019 · 37 min
This week's episode features a review of the year 2019 in environmental and energy policy, with two amazing guests: Susan Tierney, senior advisor at the Analysis Group and chair of the board at Resources for the Future (RFF); and Sarah Ladislaw, senior vice president, director, and senior fellow at the Center for Strategic and International Studies, with their Energy and National Security Program. Host Daniel Raimi facilitates a conversation with Tierney and Ladislaw, asking what they consider to be the most interesting environmental and energy policy developments during the past year, at the federal and state level. The discussion touches on everything from vehicles to electricity, to interstate natural gas pipelines, and more. Lees meer
References and recommendations:
"Time to move away from old precedents in FERC pipeline reviews" by Susan Tierney; https://www.utilitydive.com/news/time-to-move-away-from-old-precedents-in-ferc-pipeline-reviews/567512/
"FERC’s Certification of New Interstate Natural Gas Facilities" by Susan Tierney; https://www.analysisgroup.com/globalassets/content/insights/publishing/revising_ferc_1999_pipeline_certification.pdf
"Blowout" by Rachel Maddow; https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/576330/blowout-by-rachel-maddow/
"The River" by Peter Heller; https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/576820/the-river-by-peter-heller/
"Made in China: 2025 and the Future of American Industry" by Marco Rubio; https://www.rubio.senate.gov/public/_cache/files/d1c6db46-1a68-481a-b96e-356c8100f1b7/3EDECA923DB439A8E884C6229A4C6003.02.12.19-final-sbc-project-mic2025-report.pdf
"Perspectives on the Green New Deal" with Leah Stokes and Jerry Taylor; https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jMPf9Zf2RSQ
Riders in the Sky; https://www.ridersinthesky.com
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Was Madrid a COP-Out? Assessing COP25, with Nathaniel Keohane
21 december 2019 · 41 min
This week, host Daniel Raimi talks with Nathaniel Keohane, senior vice president for climate at Environmental Defense Fund. In this episode, Keohane gives a readout on the outcomes of this year’s annual international climate negotiations, called COP25. He and Raimi talk about the goals of the conference; whether those goals were achieved; and several other issues, including conference protests, the role of the US delegation, and what to look forward to at next year’s COP26. Lees meer
There was so much to talk about that the episode extends about ten minutes beyond the usual length of the podcast. Given the importance and timeliness of this topic, we think you’ll appreciate the extra time.
References and recommendations:
"What to Expect at COP25 in Madrid" by Robert Stavins; https://www.resourcesmag.org/common-resources/what-expect-cop-25-madrid/
"Elliot Diringer on the conclusion of COP25" from the Center for Climate and Energy Solutions; https://www.c2es.org/press-release/elliot-diringer-on-the-conclusion-of-cop-25/
"This Changes Everything" by Naomi Klein; https://thischangeseverything.org/book/
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Understanding Water Use in the US Energy System, with Emily Grubert
14 december 2019 · 32 min
This week, host Daniel Raimi talks with Emily Grubert, an assistant professor at the Georgia Institute of Technology. Raimi and Grubert discuss how water is used in the energy system, a subset of the topic known as the “Energy-Water Nexus.” They also talk about a 2018 paper that Grubert coauthored with Kelly Sanders—research that provides intricate detail on the life cycle of water consumption for every major fuel source in the United States. Raimi and Grubert compare and contrast the different water profiles of coal, oil, gas, biofuels, and other sources of energy. They also talk in detail about water use in hydraulic fracturing. Lees meer
References and recommendations:
“Water use in the United States energy system: A national assessment and unit process inventory of water consumption and withdrawals” by Emily Grubert and Kelly T. Sanders;
http://emilygrubert.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/10/PREPRINT-Grubert-Sanders-Water-for-US-Energy.pdf“Who speaks for Crazy Horse” by Brooke Jarvis; https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2019/09/23/who-speaks-for-crazy-horse
“Gold Fame Citrus” by Claire Vaye Watkins; https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/318277/gold-fame-citrus-by-claire-vaye-watkins/9781594634246/
“The Water Knife” by Paolo Bacigalupi; https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/237233/the-water-knife-by-paolo-bacigalupi/
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Preparing for the Coming Climate Disruption, with Alice Hill and Leonardo Martinez-Diaz
7 december 2019 · 35 min
This week, host Kristin Hayes talks with Alice Hill and Leonardo Martinez-Diaz, authors of a new book released this fall by Oxford University Press, called "Building a Resilient Tomorrow: How to Prepare for the Coming Climate Disruption." Hayes, Hill, and Martinez-Diaz delve into the topics covered in the book, including ten lessons for decisionmakers in building a resilient future. Lees meer
To introduce Hill and Martinez-Diaz, using their own words from the book (with some light editing for length):
Alice Hill spent the bulk of her career in courtrooms, first as a US federal prosecutor chasing white-collar crooks and, later, as a judge presiding over cases ranging from homicide to medical malpractice. She became immersed in climate change after she joined the US Department of Homeland Security in 2009 as senior counselor to the secretary. She was tasked with helping the department understand how climate could affect its operations. Hill went on to the White House to lead resilience efforts as special assistant to President Obama and member of his climate team. She is now a senior fellow for climate change policy at the Council of Foreign Relations.
Leonardo Martinez-Diaz spent several years as an academic before joining the Obama administration, where one of his first tasks as head of the policy office at the US Agency for International Development (USAID) was overseeing the development of a climate change strategy for the agency. Later, as deputy assistant secretary for energy and environment at the Treasury Department, he negotiated finance elements of the Paris Agreement and represented the United States on the governing bodies of major providers of climate finance, including the Green Climate Fund and the Global Environment Facility. He now works at the World Resources Institute as the Global Director for WRI’s Sustainable Finance Center.
References and recommendations:
"Building a Resilient Tomorrow: How to Prepare for the Coming Climate Disruption" by Alice Hill…
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Public Attitudes toward Climate Activists, with Nathaniel Geiger
30 november 2019 · 32 min
This week, host Daniel Raimi talks with Nathaniel Geiger, assistant professor of communication science at Indiana University. Geiger studies, among other things, how the public responds to communication around climate change. Geiger and Raimi discuss the recent history of advocacy on climate change; how recent movements like the youth-led climate strike might shape public attitudes toward climate policy and toward the activists themselves; communicating with a wide range of audiences about climate issues; and much more. Lees meer
References and recommendations:
"Is Climate Change like Diabetes or an Asteroid?" by Ted Nordhaus and Alex Trembath; https://thebreakthrough.org/articles/is-climate-change-like-diabetes
"On Fire" by Naomi Klein; https://www.simonandschuster.com/books/On-Fire/Naomi-Klein/9781982129910
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Waive Goodbye? The History and Future of the California Waiver, with Emily Wimberger
22 november 2019 · 29 min
On this week's podcast, Emily Wimberger talks with host Kristin Hayes about the so-called "California waiver." The waiver has flown under the public radar for decades, but it’s now getting a closer look from the Trump administration, and it’s been turning up in the headlines. In this episode, Wimberger and Hayes discuss what the waiver is; how it came to be; and why it matters for California, the rest of the United States, and perhaps even the rest of the world. Lees meer
Emily Wimberger is a climate economist at the Rhodium Group, working on the energy and climate team. Prior to Rhodium, she served as the chief economist for the California Air Resources Board, where she analyzed the economic impact of California’s portfolio of climate change and air quality policies, focusing on programs related to carbon markets and transportation.
References and recommendations:
"Rising: Dispatches from the New American Shore" by Elizabeth Rush; https://milkweed.org/book/rising