In this week’s episode, host Daniel Raimi talks with Catherine Hausman, an associate professor at the University of Michigan, about the costs of not building new electricity transmission lines, particularly in the Midwestern United States. Hausman discusses the benefits of additional electricity transmission for consumer electricity prices, emissions reductions, and electrification of the economy; the companies that may gain or lose revenue if more transmission is built; and how companies that stand to lose revenue from more transmission are preventing the construction of new transmission. References and recommendations: “Power Flows: Transmission Lines, Allocative Efficiency, and Corporate Profits” by Catherine Hausman; https://www.nber.org/papers/w32091 “Transmission Impossible? Prospects for Decarbonizing the US Grid” by Lucas W. Davis, Catherine Hausman, and Nancy L. Rose; https://www.nber.org/papers/w31377 “Dog Man” books; https://pilkey.com/series/dog-man “Golden Hill: A Novel of Old New York” by Francis Spufford; https://www.simonandschuster.com/books/Golden-Hill/Francis-Spufford/9781501163883 “Project Hail Mary” by Andy Weir; https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/611060/project-hail-mary-by-andy-weir/

In this week’s episode, host Kristin Hayes talks with Daniel Farber, a professor of law at the University of California, Berkeley, about Loper Bright Enterprises v. Raimondo, a Supreme Court case decided earlier this summer that overturned decades of precedent set under a 1984 case that itself led to a legal principle, or doctrine, that people call the Chevron deference. The Chevron deference is a long-standing legal precedent that required courts to defer to the application of laws as interpreted by government agencies if the relevant statute was ambiguous and if the interpretation made by the agency was reasonable. Farber discusses the history of the Chevron deference, the legal arguments that the current Supreme Court justices asserted in the decision that overturned Chevron, and the implications of this decision for future environmental regulation and policymaking. References and recommendations: “Après Chevron, Judges Rule” blog post by Alan Krupnick, Joshua Linn, and Nathan Richardson; https://www.resources.org/common-resources/apres-chevron-judges-rule/ “The Regulatory Review” blog; https://www.theregreview.org/ “Legal Planet” blog; https://legal-planet.org/

In this week’s episode, host Margaret Walls sits in on the annual conference of the Association of Environmental and Resource Economists to talk with Jill Caviglia-Harris, a professor at Salisbury University, about her work teaching and mentoring early-career scholars in the field of environmental economics. Caviglia-Harris discusses her approach to teaching and mentorship, efforts to facilitate diverse perspectives in environmental economics by building diverse cohorts of scholars, and the importance of collective leadership methods in these types of inclusive programs. References and recommendations: “The six dimensions of collective leadership that advance sustainability objectives: rethinking what it means to be an academic leader” by Jill Caviglia-Harris, Karen E. Hodges, Brian Helmuth, Elena M. Bennett, Kathleen Galvin, Margaret Krebs, Karen Lips, Meg Lowman, Lisa A. Schulte, and Edward A. G. Schuur; https://ecologyandsociety.org/vol26/iss3/art9/ “Looking at Environmental and Natural Resource Economics through the Lens of Racial Equity” by Amy Ando, Titus Awokuse, Jimena González Ramírez, Sumeet Gulati, Sarah Jacobson, Dale Manning, Samuel Stolper, and Matt Fleck; https://www.resources.org/common-resources/looking-at-environmental-and-natural-resource-economics-through-the-lens-of-racial-equity/ “Systemic Racism in Environmental Economics” podcast episode from Resources Radio; https://www.resources.org/resources-radio/systemic-racism-in-environmental-economics-with-jimena-gonzalez-ramirez-and-sarah-jacobson/ “Environmental and Natural Resource Economics and Systemic Racism” by Amy Ando, Titus Awokuse, Nathan W. Chan, Jimena González Ramírez, Sumeet Gulati, Matthew G. Interis, Sarah Jacobson, Dale T. Manning, and Samuel Stolper; https://www.rff.org/publications/working-papers/environmental-and-natural-resource-economics-and-systemic-racism/ “Environmental and Natural Resource Economics and Systemic Racism” by Amy W. Ando, Titus O. Awokuse, Nathan W. Chan, Jimena González-Ramírez, Sumeet Gulati, Matthew G. Interis, Sarah Jacobson, Dale T. Manning, and Samuel Stolper; https://www.journals.uchicago.edu/doi/10.1086/727693 “Thinking Like an Economist” by Elizabeth Popp Berman; https://press.princeton.edu/books/hardcover/9780691167381/thinking-like-an-economist

This week, host Daniel Raimi talks with Billy Pizer, the vice president for research and policy engagement at Resources for the Future, about getting to a net-zero resilient economy. Pizer discusses the meaning of “net-zero resilient economy,” the existing suite of global net-zero goals and pledges, and how recent federal policy has moved the United States closer to its net-zero goals. Pizer and Raimi also talk about barriers to achieving a net-zero future, including the potential tension between reducing emissions deeply and reducing emissions quickly. References and recommendations: Net-Zero Economy Summit from Resources for the Future; https://www.rff.org/events/conferences/net-zero-economy-summit/ “US Federal Government Subsidies for Clean Energy: Design Choices and Implications” by Richard G. Newell, Billy Pizer, and Daniel Raimi; https://www.rff.org/publications/journal-articles/us-federal-government-subsidies-clean-energy-design-choices-and-implications/ “Inflation Reduction Act: Electric Vehicle Subsidies for Passenger Vehicles” by Beia Spiller; https://www.resources.org/common-resources/inflation-reduction-act-electric-vehicle-subsidies-for-passenger-vehicles/ Climate Action Tracker; https://climateactiontracker.org/ “The Last Best Hope: America in Crisis and Renewal” by George Packer; https://us.macmillan.com/books/9780374603663/lastbesthope

In this week’s episode, host Kristin Hayes talks about air pollution with Pallavi Pant, the head of global health at the Health Effects Institute. Pant discusses a new study that explores the prevalence of fine particulate matter and nitrogen dioxide pollution in more than 7,000 cities worldwide. Pant and Hayes also delve into the health effects of air pollution, trends in urban air quality in regions around the world, and how the COVID-19 pandemic has impacted air quality. References and recommendations: “Air Quality and Health in Cities: A State of Global Air Report” from the Health Effects Institute; https://www.stateofglobalair.org/resources/health-in-cities “Agents of Change in Environmental Justice” podcast; https://agentsofchangeinej.org/podcast/

In this week’s episode, host Daniel Raimi talks about the latest developments in nuclear energy innovation, policy, and deployment with Alex Gilbert, a PhD student and fellow at the Payne Institute for Public Policy at Colorado School of Mines and the Director of Space and Planetary Regulation at Zeno Power. Gilbert discusses the types of nuclear technologies in the development pipeline, how they differ from older technologies, which technologies are being piloted, and how recent policies—especially the Inflation Reduction Act—incentivize the deployment of these technologies. References and recommendations: “Global Energy Outlook 2022: Turning Points and Tension in the Energy Transition” by Daniel Raimi, Erin Campbell, Richard G. Newell, Brian C. Prest, Seth Villanueva, and Jordan Wingenroth; https://www.rff.org/publications/reports/global-energy-outlook-2022/ “Our Great National Parks” television series; https://www.netflix.com/title/81086133

In this week’s episode, host Daniel Raimi talks about drinking water with Gregory Pierce, the codirector of the Luskin Center for Innovation at the University of California, Los Angeles. Pierce discusses who has and who lacks clean drinking water in the United States, what factors have contributed to differing levels of access to clean water, the potential policies and investments that can help expand access to clean water, and the challenges that climate change and pollutants may pose to this expansion. References and recommendations: “Waste: One Woman’s Fight Against America’s Dirty Secret” by Catherine Coleman Flowers; https://thenewpress.com/books/waste “The Water Knife” by Paolo Bacigalupi; https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/237233/the-water-knife-by-paolo-bacigalupi/

In this week’s episode, host Daniel Raimi talks with Destenie Nock, an assistant professor at Carnegie Mellon University. Nock shares insights from a recent paper she coauthored that shows how, on hot days, Black and low-income households wait relatively longer than other households to turn on their air-conditioning units, which puts them at a greater risk of heat-related illnesses. She examines the reasons behind this behavior and provides an overview of energy insecurity and energy poverty in the United States. References and recommendations: “Unveiling hidden energy poverty using the energy equity gap” by Shuchen Cong, Destenie Nock, Yueming Lucy Qiu, and Bo Xing; https://www.nature.com/articles/s41467-022-30146-5 “Heat-Associated Mortality in a Hot Climate” by Sally Ann Iverson, Aaron Gettel, Carly P. Bezold, Kate Goodin, Benita McKinney, Rebecca Sunenshine, and Vjollca Berisha; https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7485058/ “Doughnut Economics” by Kate Raworth; https://www.chelseagreen.com/product/doughnut-economics-paperback/ “How to Be an Antiracist” by Ibram X. Kendi; https://www.ibramxkendi.com/how-to-be-an-antiracist

In this week’s episode, host Daniel Raimi talks with two fellows at Resources for the Future: Brian C. Prest and Kevin Rennert. Prest and Rennert, alongside a large team of collaborators, recently released a paper in the journal “Nature” that provides a new estimate of the social cost of carbon—the quantification, in dollars, of the economic damages associated with emitting an incremental ton of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere. For the podcast, they describe what’s new about this estimate, how it differs from previous numbers, and its implications for policymaking. They also discuss the important uncertainties associated with the estimate, along with assertions made by some critics that we should put less focus on using the social cost of carbon. References and recommendations: “Comprehensive Evidence Implies a Higher Social Cost of CO2” by Kevin Rennert, Frank Errickson, Brian C. Prest, Lisa Rennels, Richard G. Newell, William Pizer, Cora Kingdon, Jordan Wingenroth, Roger Cooke, Bryan Parthum, David Smith, Kevin Cromar, Delavane Diaz, Frances C. Moore, Ulrich K. Müller, Richard J. Plevin, Adrian E. Raftery, Hana Ševčíková, Hannah Sheets, James H. Stock, Tammy Tan, Mark Watson, Tony E. Wong, and David Anthoff; https://www.rff.org/publications/journal-articles/comprehensive-evidence-implies-a-higher-social-cost-of-co2/ An Updated Social Cost of Carbon: Calculating the Cost of Climate Change” RFF Live event; https://www.rff.org/events/rff-live/an-updated-scc/ “The Social Cost of Carbon: Reaching a New Estimate” by Brian C. Prest, Jordan Wingenroth, and Kevin Rennert; https://www.resources.org/archives/the-social-cost-of-carbon-reaching-a-new-estimate Social Cost of Carbon Initiative at Resources for the Future; https://www.rff.org/scc/ Mimi Integrated Assessment Modeling Framework; https://www.mimiframework.org/ “The Rule of Five: Making Climate History at the Supreme Court” by Richard J. Lazarus; https://www.hup.harvard.edu/catalog.php?isbn=9780674238121

In this week’s episode, host Daniel Raimi talks with Jennifer Eaglin, an associate professor of history and faculty member in the Sustainability Institute at the Ohio State University. Eaglin discusses the evolution of sugar-based ethanol as a fuel source for transportation and the lessons that governments can draw from that evolution for their own development of alternative energy sources. Eaglin and Raimi also talk about how the ethanol industry came to prominence in Brazil and how its use improved air quality while damaging water quality, ecosystems, and certain Brazilian communities. References and recommendations: “Sweet Fuel” by Jennifer Eaglin; https://global.oup.com/academic/product/sweet-fuel-9780197510681 (offer code “AAFLYG6” provides a discount) “The Organic Machine: The Remaking of the Columbia River” by Richard White; https://us.macmillan.com/books/9780809015832/theorganicmachine “Cadillac Desert: The American West and Its Disappearing Water” by Mark Reisner; https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/323685/cadillac-desert-by-marc-reisner/ “Before the Flood: Destruction, Community, and Survival in the Drowned Towns of the Quabbin” by Elisabeth C. Rosenberg; https://www.simonandschuster.com/books/Before-the-Flood/Elisabeth-C-Rosenberg/9781643136448 “Dammed Indians” by Michael L. Lawson; https://www.sdhspress.com/books/dammed-indians-revisited-the-continuing-history-of-the-pick-sloan-plan-and-the-missouri-river-sioux

In this week’s episode, host Daniel Raimi talks with Manuela Andreoni, a writer at the climate desk of the New York Times. Andreoni discusses illegal mining operations in the Brazilian Amazon, why so-called wildcat mining has proliferated in recent years, and how these mining activities affect the environment and Indigenous people. Andreoni and Raimi talk about the measures that governments in Brazil and elsewhere could take to stop illegal mining in the Amazon and how the mined materials have been entering the global economy. References and recommendations: “The Illegal Airstrips Bringing Toxic Mining to Brazil’s Indigenous Land” by Manuela Andreoni, Blacki Migliozzi, Pablo Robles, and Denise Lu; https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2022/08/02/world/americas/brazil-airstrips-illegal-mining.html “The Falling Sky: Words of a Yanomami Shaman” by Davi Kopenawa and Bruce Albert; https://www.hup.harvard.edu/features/the-falling-sky/ “Ideas to Postpone the End of the World” by Ailton Krenak; https://houseofanansi.com/products/ideas-to-postpone-the-end-of-the-world “Burden of Dreams” documentary film; https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Burden_of_Dreams

In this week’s episode, host Daniel Raimi talks with Ryan Kellogg, a professor at the Harris School of Public Policy and affiliated faculty at the Energy Policy Institute at the University of Chicago. Kellogg discusses why carbon pricing, long the preferred emissions-reduction tool for most economists, actually may not be as efficient as other policy options. Kellogg and Raimi explore how economic theory has led many to favor carbon pricing, and why the conventional wisdom on carbon pricing may turn out to be wrong in the real world. References and recommendations: “Carbon Pricing, Clean Electricity Standards, and Clean Electricity Subsidies on the Path to Zero Emissions” by Severin Borenstein and Ryan Kellogg; https://www.nber.org/papers/w30263 “Superpower: One Man’s Quest to Transform American Energy” by Russell Gold; https://www.russellgold.net/superpower

In this week’s episode, host Kristin Hayes talks with Zia Abdullah, a program manager at the US Department of Energy’s National Renewable Energy Laboratory. Abdullah and Hayes discuss what sustainable aviation fuels are made of, how they are refined and manufactured, and how they compare to traditional jet fuel. Abdullah also discusses the challenges in store for the United States in reaching the federal government’s sustainable aviation fuel production goals for 2030. References and recommendations: “Climate Friendly Jet Fuel: 3 Strategies for Accelerating its Production” by Zia Abdullah; https://www.energy.gov/eere/bioenergy/articles/climate-friendly-jet-fuel-3-strategies-accelerating-its-production “The economic outlook for converting CO₂ and electrons to molecules” by Zhe Huang, R. Gary Grim, Joshua A. Schaidle, and Ling Tao; https://pubs.rsc.org/en/content/articlelanding/2021/ee/d0ee03525d

In this week’s episode, host Margaret Walls sits in on the annual conference of the Association of Environmental and Resource Economists to talk with Daniel Phaneuf, a professor at the University of Wisconsin–Madison, about Phaneuf’s work on estimating the value of outdoor spaces for recreation. Phaneuf discusses methods for estimating the value of nonmarket goods (e.g., outdoor recreation sites) and the influence of environmental conditions, like water quality, on people’s choices regarding the use of outdoor recreation sites. Phaneuf also discusses the advantages and disadvantages of locational cell phone data and the implications of this data for future estimates of the value of outdoor recreation sites. References and recommendations: “Best Practices for Implementing Recreation Demand Models” by Frank Lupi, Daniel J. Phaneuf, and Roger H. von Haefen; https://www.journals.uchicago.edu/doi/abs/10.1093/reep/reaa007 Author Arthur C. Brooks at the “Atlantic” magazine; https://www.theatlantic.com/author/arthur-c-brooks/ “Harvard’s Arthur C. Brooks on the Secrets to Happiness at Work” from Harvard Business Review; https://hbr.org/2023/09/harvards-arthur-c-brooks-on-the-secrets-to-happiness-at-work

In this week’s episode, host Kristin Hayes talks with Helena Khazdozian, a senior technology manager at the US Department of Energy and program manager for the agency’s Critical Materials Institute. Khazdozian and Hayes discuss why the materials that the institute prioritizes are important to future decarbonization efforts. They also talk about supply chains, research efforts, and breakthroughs happening more broadly with other teams throughout the Department of Energy. References and recommendations: “Securing America’s Clean Energy Supply Chain” from the US Department of Energy; https://www.energy.gov/policy/securing-americas-clean-energy-supply-chain “His Dark Materials” trilogy of books by Philip Pullman, including “The Golden Compass,” “The Subtle Knife,” and “The Amber Spyglass”; https://www.philip-pullman.com/hdm “Happy-Go-Lucky” by David Sedaris; https://www.davidsedarisbooks.com/titles/david-sedaris/happy-go-lucky/9780316392457/

In this week’s episode, host Kristin Hayes talks with Jason Samenow, weather editor for the Washington Post and one of the leaders of the Post’s Capital Weather Gang. They discuss the intersection of climate change and weather, with a particular focus on how meteorologists communicate with the public about climate change in a scientifically rigorous way and how that communication has evolved alongside climate science. Samenow and Hayes also talk about the increasing number of extreme weather events occurring both globally and in the Washington, DC, area. References and recommendations: Climate Central; https://www.climatecentral.org/ World Weather Attribution; https://www.worldweatherattribution.org/ Penn State Weather Camps; https://weather-camp.outreach.psu.edu/ Lenticular clouds; https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lenticular_cloud Mammatus clouds; https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mammatus_cloud Kelvin-Helmholtz clouds; https://scied.ucar.edu/image/kelvin-helmholtz-clouds Snowmageddon 2010; https://www.washingtonpost.com/weather/2019/02/05/remembering-s-snowmageddon-images-scenes/ Eye on the Tropics newsletter by Michael Lowry; https://michaelrlowry.substack.com/ “The Weather” song by Lawrence; https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M9TYHOARDFI

In this week’s episode, host Daniel Raimi talks with Deborah Gordon, a senior principal in the Climate Intelligence Program at RMI and a senior fellow at the Watson Institute for International and Public Affairs at Brown University. They discuss Gordon’s new book, No Standard Oil, which elucidates the wide variety of different kinds of crude oils and natural gases and why the differences among those various types matter for climate policy. Gordon and Raimi also talk about the reasons that data transparency and precisely targeted policies are crucial for the evolution of the oil and gas industry in an era of climate change. References and recommendations: “No Standard Oil” by Deborah Gordon; https://www.nostandardoil.com/ Oil Climate Index plus Gas at RMI; https://ociplus.rmi.org/ “Project Escape: Lessons for an Unscripted Life” by Lucinda Jackson; https://lucindajackson.com/project-escape/ “Licorice Pizza” movie; https://www.imdb.com/title/tt11271038/

In this week’s episode, host Daniel Raimi talks with Beia Spiller, who recently joined Resources for the Future (RFF) as a fellow and the director of RFF’s Transportation Program; she’s also a member of the board of directors at the Association of Environmental and Resource Economists. Spiller and Raimi discuss the historical context and current policies related to air pollution exposure in New York City, particularly for schools in the Bronx. They also talk about how community-engaged research produces new knowledge, can inform policymaking, and can benefit the communities that are involved in the work. References and recommendations: PurpleAir sensors that measure air quality data; https://www2.purpleair.com/ “Prehistoric Planet” television series; https://tv.apple.com/us/show/prehistoric-planet/umc.cmc.4lh4bmztauvkooqz400akxav

For this week’s episode, we’re mixing things up a bit by introducing not just an individual guest or two, but an entirely new podcast series for our listeners to consider. Just a few weeks ago, one of Resources for the Future’s closest partner organizations in Europe, the Euro-Mediterranean Center on Climate Change, launched its own podcast series called “Foresight: Deep into the Future Planet.” We’re pleased to share the first episode of the new podcast with you, in the spirit of solidarity with our fellow scholars and in service of our mission to introduce listeners to a range of perspectives on issues related to our planet. Our regular “Resources Radio” programming will return next week. This first episode of the “Deep into the Future Planet” podcast investigates the future of climate change, acknowledging that the planet is being shaped by today’s ideas, solutions, and decisions. Host Elisabetta Tola features the perspectives of two guests: Carolina Aragón, an artist and assistant professor at the University of Massachusetts Amherst, and journalist Alex Steffen. Aragón and Steffen discuss how to intellectually, physically, and emotionally understand the environmental changes fueled by climate change; how to consider probabilities rather than predictions; and more.

In this week’s episode, host Daniel Raimi talks with Michael Craig, an assistant professor at the University of Michigan who studies energy systems. Craig and Raimi discuss a recent study coauthored by Craig that explores how energy models can better incorporate variations in weather and climate and why an exchange of data between energy and climate modelers is crucial to helping keep the lights on. Craig outlines a research agenda that describes near-term and long-term steps to bridge the divide between energy and climate models; he also shares advice for interdisciplinary collaboration. References and recommendations: “Overcoming the disconnect between energy system and climate modeling” by Michael T. Craig, Jan Wohland, Lauren P. Steep, Alexander Kies, Bryn Pickering, Hannah C. Bloomfield, Jethro Browell, Matteo De Felice, Chris J. Dent, Adrien Deroubaix, Felix Frischmuth, Paula L. M. Gonzalez, Aleksander Grochowicz, Katharina Gruber, Philipp Härtel, Martin Kittel, Leander Kotzur, Inga Labuhn, Julie K. Lundquist, Noah Pflugradt, Karin van der Wiel, Marianne Zeyringer, and David J. Brayshaw; https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S2542435122002379 NextGenEC at the University of Reading; https://research.reading.ac.uk/met-energy/ “Downscaling Techniques for High-Resolution Climate Projections: From Global Change to Local Impacts” by Rao Kotamarthi, Katharine Hayhoe, Linda O. Mearns, Donald Wuebbles, Jennifer Jacobs, and Jennifer Jurado; https://www.cambridge.org/core/books/downscaling-techniques-for-highresolution-climate-projections/C261452F6DECC0372077B7533414CD95 “The Making of the Atomic Bomb” by Richard Rhodes; https://www.simonandschuster.com/books/The-Making-of-the-Atomic-Bomb/Richard-Rhodes/9781451677614

In this week’s episode, host Daniel Raimi talks with Dick Schmalensee, a professor emeritus of the MIT Sloan School of Management and a former chair of the board of directors at Resources for the Future. Schmalensee and Raimi cover the takeaways from a recent study on the future of energy storage that Schmalensee coauthored, along with related insights and implications for current and future policy. They discuss the role of energy storage in a net-zero-emissions electricity system, the strengths and weaknesses of key energy storage technologies, and what these technologies might cost. References and recommendations: “The Future of Energy Storage” by Robert Armstrong, Yet-Ming Chiang, Howard Gruenspecht, Fikile Brushett, John Deutch, Seiji Engelkemier, Emre Gençer, Robert Jaffe, Paul Joskow, Dharik Mallapragada, Elsa Olivetti, Richard Schmalensee, Robert Stoner, Chi-Jen Yang, Bjorn Brandtzaeg, Patrick Brown, Kevin Huang, Johannes Pfeifenberger, Francis O’Sullivan, Yang Shao-Horn, Meia Alsup, Andres Badel, Marc Barbar, Weiran Gao, Drake Hernandez, Cristian Junge, Thaneer Malai Narayanan, Kara Rodby, and Cathy Wang; https://energy.mit.edu/research/future-of-energy-storage/ “As the Great Salt Lake Dries Up, Utah Faces an ‘Environmental Nuclear Bomb’” by Christopher Flavelle; https://www.nytimes.com/2022/06/07/climate/salt-lake-city-climate-disaster.html “A durable US climate strategy … or a house of cards?” by Richard Richels, Benjamin Santer, Henry Jacoby, and Gary Yohe; https://yaleclimateconnections.org/2022/06/a-durable-u-s-climate-strategy-or-a-house-of-cards/

In this week’s episode, host Daniel Raimi talks with Elke Weber, a social psychology professor at Princeton University who studies how people make choices. Weber and Raimi discuss how people’s choices matter for climate change; the ways that companies, governments, and society shape decisions on energy use and civic engagement; how those decisions get incorporated into policy analysis; and more. References and recommendations: Project Drawdown; https://drawdown.org/ “Drawdown: The Most Comprehensive Plan Ever Proposed to Reverse Global Warming” edited by Paul Hawken; https://drawdown.org/the-book “Elements of Choice: Why the Way We Decide Matters” by Eric Johnson; https://theelementsofchoice.com/ “All We Can Save: Truth, Courage, and Solutions for the Climate Crisis” edited by Ayana Elizabeth Johnson and Katharine K. Wilkinson; https://www.allwecansave.earth/anthology

In this week’s episode, host Daniel Raimi talks with Regan Patterson, an incoming assistant professor at UCLA who recently completed a fellowship as a Transportation Equity Research Fellow at the Congressional Black Caucus Foundation. Patterson describes how the US transportation system has led to environmental injustice and inequitable access to mobility services. She and Raimi talk about how this situation came to be; potential policy solutions; and how cities, states, and the federal government can address these issues moving forward. References and recommendations: “Gender, Climate and Transport in the United States” by Regan Patterson from the Women’s Environment and Development Organization; https://wedo.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/WEDO_PolicyBriefonTransport_July15.pdf “Dangerous by Design 2021” by Smart Growth America; https://smartgrowthamerica.org/dangerous-by-design/ “Carbon trading, co-pollutants, and environmental equity: Evidence from California’s cap-and-trade program (2011–2015)” by Lara Cushing, Dan Blaustein-Rejto, Madeline Wander, Manuel Pastor, James Sadd, Allen Zhu, and Rachel Morello-Frosch; https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pmed.1002604 Black in Environment; https://www.blackinenviron.org/ “Black Like Plastic” short film; https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8ta-IaB8Y0I

In this week’s episode, host Daniel Raimi talks with Bobby Tudor, the chair of the Houston Energy Transition Initiative and the founder and former CEO of the Houston-based investment and merchant bank Tudor, Pickering, Holt & Co. In his new role with the Houston Energy Transition Initiative, Tudor focuses on how Houston can take the lead in the energy transition away from fossil fuels. He and Raimi talk about the history of Houston, how oil and gas came to play such a big part in the city’s economy, the strengths that the current energy incumbents can leverage in a transition to net-zero emissions, what Houston’s economy might look like in 20 or 30 years, and what roadblocks could stand in the way. References and recommendations: “How to Avoid a Climate Disaster” by Bill Gates; https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/633968/how-to-avoid-a-climate-disaster-by-bill-gates/ “Once-Oil-Dependent Texas Economy to Keep Growing as Renewable Energy Expands” by Christopher Slijk and Keith R. Phillips; https://www.dallasfed.org/research/swe/2021/swe2103/swe2103b.aspx

In this week’s episode, host Kristin Hayes sits in on the annual conference of the Association of Environmental and Resource Economists to talk with Sandra Aguilar-Gomez, an assistant professor of economics at the Universidad de los Andes in Bogotá, Colombia, about Aguilar-Gomez’s work on heat-induced overcrowding in hospitals in Mexico. They discuss the effect of heat on human health, the stress that high temperatures exert on the Mexican public health-care system, and the impact of overcrowded hospitals on patient outcomes. Aguilar-Gomez also shares strategies for bolstering the emergency preparedness of hospitals, such as improving communication between hospitals and encouraging people to take preventative measures during periods of extreme heat. References and recommendations: Sandra Aguilar-Gomez homepage; https://sandraaguilargomez.com/ “Babbage” podcast; https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/babbage-from-the-economist/id508376907 “How to Save the Planet” podcast; https://gimletmedia.com/shows/howtosaveaplanet

This week’s episode is the final installment of a three-part series that celebrates the 70th anniversary of Resources for the Future (RFF). In this episode, host Daniel Raimi looks toward the future of RFF, as seen through the eyes of the organization’s talented and dedicated research analysts and associates. RFF’s research analysts gather and analyze data, review published studies, help write papers and reports, and do it all with dedication and enthusiasm. They’re an essential part of the organization’s research. In this episode, Raimi talks with RFF Research Analysts Emily Joiner, Sophie Pesek, Nicholas Roy, and Steven Witkin, along with Senior Research Associate and Geographic Information Systems Coordinator Alexandra Thompson. While these young scholars share how they first got interested in environmental economics, they mostly focus on the future by lending insights about the topics they think RFF scholars will be working on in 20 or 30 years—and what role they see for themselves in that future. References and recommendations: “Chesapeake” by James A. Michener; https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/114052/chesapeake-by-james-a-michener/ “Alaska” by James A. Michener; https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/114041/alaska-by-james-a-michener/ “Hawaii” by James A. Michener; https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/114063/hawaii-by-james-a-michener/ “Caribbean” by James A. Michener; https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/114048/caribbean-by-james-a-michener/ “Under a White Sky: The Nature of the Future” by Elizabeth Kolbert; https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/617060/under-a-white-sky-by-elizabeth-kolbert/ “The Age of Revolution: 1789–1848” by Eric Hobsbawm; https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/80964/the-age-of-revolution-1749-1848-by-eric-hobsbawm/ “Rip It Up and Start Again” by Simon Reynolds; https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/291130/rip-it-up-and-start-again-by-simon-reynolds/ “A Sand County Almanac” by Aldo Leopold; https://www.aldoleopold.org/store/a-sand-county-almanac/ “Severance” television series; https://www.imdb.com/title/tt11280740/

This week’s episode is the second in a three-part series that celebrates the 70th anniversary of Resources for the Future (RFF). First and foremost, RFF is a research organization—which means that it’s typically the researchers who are the focus of the work and attention at RFF. But on one fateful day, “Resources Radio” podcast hosts Kristin Hayes and Daniel Raimi did something pretty different from their usual podcast routine: they gave listeners a flavor of what RFF looks like today, across the spectrum of the organization. A lot happens behind the scenes at RFF, and many fantastic contributors help get the work done. This quite spontaneous episode involved wandering from office to office, tapping people on the shoulder to hear their thoughts, with precious little advance notice. This episode showcases diverse voices that speak to the various ways people at RFF contribute to the organization’s mission.

This week’s episode is the first in a three-part series that celebrates the 70th anniversary of Resources for the Future (RFF). Over that time span, RFF has had a significant impact on the fields of environmental economics and policy. In this episode, host Kristin Hayes talks with Ray Kopp, RFF’s recently retired vice president for research and policy engagement, and Kerry Smith, an RFF university fellow (who also happened to be Ray Kopp’s graduate school advisor). Kopp continues to lead the organization’s Comprehensive Climate Strategies Program. Kopp, Smith, and Hayes discuss the 70-year history and legacy of RFF, the real-world impacts of its research, and how the act of conducting research itself has changed through the decades. They take a trip down RFF memory lane to explore how the world of environmental economics has evolved over the past 70 years—and how RFF has helped shape that evolution. References and recommendations: “Scarcity and Growth: The Economics of Natural Resource Availability” by Harold J. Barnett and Chandler Morse; https://www.routledge.com/Scarcity-and-Growth-The-Economics-of-Natural-Resource-Availability/Barnett-Morse/p/book/9781617260315 “Air Pollution and Human Health” by Lester B. Lave and Eugene P. Seskin; https://www.routledge.com/Air-Pollution-and-Human-Health/Lave-Seskin/p/book/9781617260582 Marchant calculator; https://americanhistory.si.edu/collections/search/object/nmah_690723 “The Voltage Effect” by John A. List; https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/672117/the-voltage-effect-by-john-a-list/ “Big Data for Twenty-First-Century Economic Statistics” edited by Katharine G. Abraham, Ron S. Jarmin, Brian C. Moyer, and Matthew D. Shapiro; https://www.nber.org/books-and-chapters/big-data-twenty-first-century-economic-statistics “Sapiens: A Brief History of Humankind” by Yuval Noah Harari; https://www.ynharari.com/book/sapiens-2/ “The Food Lab” by J. Kenji López-Alt; https://wwnorton.com/books/9780393081084

In this week’s episode, host Daniel Raimi talks with Helima Croft, a managing director and the Head of Global Commodity Strategy and Middle East and North Africa Research at RBC Capital Markets. Croft talks about how the oil market has responded to historical events in the past and how current events have been influencing the oil market today. Croft and Raimi’s conversation ranges from Russia to Europe to China to Saudi Arabia to Texas and beyond. They discuss how the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC), Ukraine, and the US government have responded to recent high oil prices; the implications of sanctions on Russian oil and gas; and how the perception of Russian sanctions may vary across the international energy sector. References and recommendations: “The World for Sale: Money, Power, and the Traders Who Barter the Earth’s Resources” by Javier Blas and Jack Farchy; https://global.oup.com/academic/product/the-world-for-sale-9780190078959 “Syriana” the movie; https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0365737/ “Crude Volatility: The History and the Future of Boom-Bust Oil Prices” by Robert McNally; http://cup.columbia.edu/book/crude-volatility/9780231178143

In this week’s episode, host Daniel Raimi talks with Ty Priest, associate professor of history and geography at the University of Iowa. Priest explains the origin, history, and potential future of the Defense Production Act in the context of US energy development. Priest and Raimi discuss how the act has evolved and expanded under different presidential administrations since it was enacted in 1950 and how the act has been invoked to promote domestic energy security in the face of major concerns such as COVID and climate change. References and recommendations: “Global Gambits: Big Steel and the US Quest for Manganese” by Tyler Priest; https://typriest.com/global-gambits/ “‘Can We Please Stop Talking about Energy Independence?’” by Daniel Raimi; https://www.resources.org/common-resources/can-we-please-stop-talking-about-energy-independence/ “Energy Crises: Nixon, Ford, Carter, and Hard Choices in the 1970s” by Jay Hakes; https://www.oupress.com/9780806190983/energy-crises/ “The Bridge: Natural Gas in a Redivided Europe” by Thane Gustafson; https://www.hup.harvard.edu/catalog.php?isbn=9780674987951

In this week’s episode, host Kristin Hayes talks with Matt Shields, a senior offshore wind analyst at the National Renewable Energy Laboratory. Among other research projects, the lab conducts offshore wind techno-economic analysis, which involves developing cost models, analyzing market and technology trends, and projecting the future costs of offshore wind. Shields is the lead author of a new study that explores the demand for a domestic offshore wind energy supply chain following the Biden administration’s March 2021 goal to install 30 gigawatts of offshore wind in the United States by 2030. Shields and Hayes discuss some challenges to achieving the 2030 goal—including constraints on the number of turbine installation vessels and ports—along with the potential employment impacts of building a domestic supply chain for offshore wind, and how best to synchronize the design of turbines, installation vessels, and ports along the supply chain. References and recommendations: “Supply Chain Road Map for Offshore Wind Energy” by Matt Shields, Ruth Marsh, Jeremy Stefek, Frank Oteri, Ross Gould, Noé Rouxel, Katherine Diaz, Javier Molinero, Abigayle Moser, Courtney Malvik, and Sam Tirone; https://www.nrel.gov/wind/offshore-supply-chain-road-map.html “Offshore Wind Market Report: 2021 Edition” by Walter Musial, Paul Spitsen, Philipp Beiter, Patrick Duffy, Melinda Marquis, Abryn Cooperman, Rob Hammond, and Matt Shields; https://www.energy.gov/eere/wind/articles/offshore-wind-market-report-2021-edition-released “Supply Chain Contracting Forecast for U.S. Offshore Wind Power—The Updated and Expanded 2021 Edition” by the Special Initiative on Offshore Wind; https://cpb-us-w2.wpmucdn.com/sites.udel.edu/dist/e/10028/files/2021/10/SIOW-supply-chain-report-2021-update-FINAL-1.pdf “Offshore Wind Insider” podcast; https://www.offshorewindus.org/oswinsider/ “The Black Swan: The Impact of the Highly Improbable” by Nassim Nicholas Taleb; https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/176226/the-black-swan-second-edition-by-nassim-nicholas-taleb/

In this week’s episode, host Daniel Raimi talks with Erika Wise, a professor at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Wise discusses some of her research, which combines tree ring data with historical climate data drawn from artifacts such as ship logs and diaries, to provide insights about the North American climate of the mid-1800s. Wise enumerates the strengths and weaknesses of different types of paleoclimate records and historical sources. She also highlights the importance of understanding past climate patterns and extreme weather events, which can help inform contemporary adaptations to extreme weather and climate change. References and recommendations: “Sub-Seasonal Tree-Ring Reconstructions for More Comprehensive Climate Records in US West Coast Watersheds” by Erika K. Wise; https://agupubs.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1029/2020GL091598 “Climate Factors Leading to Asymmetric Extreme Capture in the Tree-Ring Record” by Erika K. Wise and Matthew P. Dannenberg; https://agupubs.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1029/2019GL082295 “Saving Us” by Katharine Hayhoe; https://www.simonandschuster.com/books/Saving-Us/Katharine-Hayhoe/9781982143831 “Getting to the Heart of Science Communication: A Guide to Effective Engagement” by Faith Kearns; https://islandpress.org/books/getting-heart-science-communication

In this week’s episode, host Daniel Raimi talks with Stefano De Clara, head of secretariat at the International Carbon Action Partnership (ICAP), an international forum for governments and public authorities that have implemented (or are planning to implement) emissions trading systems (ETSs). De Clara discusses this year’s status report from ICAP, which provides the latest updates on global ETSs; the role of ETSs in the carbon market; how ETSs are being implemented with increasingly ambitious emissions reduction policies; specific ETSs in China, the European Union, and California; the potential for integrating negative emissions (carbon removal) into ETSs; and more. References and recommendations: “Emissions Trading Worldwide Status Report” by the International Climate Action Partnership; https://icapcarbonaction.com/en/publications/emissions-trading-worldwide-2022-icap-status-report “Collapse” by Jared Diamond; https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/288954/collapse-by-jared-diamond/

In this week’s episode, host Kristin Hayes talks with Kailin Kroetz, an assistant professor at Arizona State University and university fellow at Resources for the Future. Kroetz discusses some of her research, which takes an empirical look at the scale of seafood mislabeling in the United States. Seafood is the most globally traded food commodity, with supply chains that can be particularly hard to trace, and with systematic evidence of environmental impacts from high rates of mislabeling. Kroetz discusses commonly mislabeled seafood products, identifies where more data is needed, shares ideas for mitigating some of the challenges, and explores efficient policy solutions for fisheries management. References and recommendations: “Consequences of seafood mislabeling for marine populations and fisheries management” by Kailin Kroetz, Gloria M. Luque, Jessica A. Gephart, Sunny L. Jardine, Patrick Lee, Katrina Chicojay Moore, Cassandra Cole, Andrew Steinkruger, and C. Josh Donlan; https://www.pnas.org/doi/abs/10.1073/pnas.2003741117 “To create sustainable seafood industries, the United States needs a better accounting of imports and exports” by Jessica Gephart, Halley E. Froehlich, and Trevor A. Branch; https://www.pnas.org/doi/10.1073/pnas.1905650116 “The characterization of seafood mislabeling: A global meta-analysis” by Gloria M. Luque and C. Josh Donlan; https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0006320719301508 Seafood Watch from Monterey Bay Aquarium; https://www.seafoodwatch.org/recommendations/download-consumer-guides “Inside of a Dog: What Dogs See, Smell, and Know” by Alexandra Horowitz; https://www.simonandschuster.com/books/Inside-of-a-Dog/Alexandra-Horowitz/9781416583431 “The Ministry for the Future” by Kim Stanley Robinson; https://www.hachettebookgroup.com/titles/kim-stanley-robinson/the-ministry-for-the-future/9780316300162/

In this week’s episode, host Daniel Raimi talks with Fran Moore, an assistant professor at the University of California, Davis. Moore discusses a paper she recently coauthored that expands the way we model the future of the climate system. The model examines how human behavior, political decisionmaking, and technological progress can interact with one another to speed or stall efforts to limit climate change. Moore and Raimi discuss the range and likelihood of outcomes the model has produced, and how these possible pathways are impacted by the complex systems that have been taken into account. References and recommendations: “Determinants of emissions pathways in the coupled climate-social system” by Frances C. Moore, Katherine Lacasse, Katharine J. Mach, Yoon Ah Shin, Louis J. Gross, and Brian Beckage; https://www.nature.com/articles/s41586-022-04423-8 “Why Trust Science?” by Naomi Oreskes; https://press.princeton.edu/books/hardcover/9780691179001/why-trust-science “The Knowledge Machine: How Irrationality Created Modern Science” by Michael Strevens; https://wwnorton.com/books/9781631491375

In this week’s episode, host Margaret Walls talks with economists Maximilian Auffhammer, Paul J. Ferraro, and John Whitehead. All three guests are recent recipients of the Association of Environmental and Resource Economists (AERE) Fellows Award. The AERE Fellows Program recognizes individuals who have made outstanding contributions to the field of environmental and resource economics, including research, mentorship, service in the AERE community, and policy advising. Auffhammer, Ferraro, and Whitehead reflect on their careers, discuss winning the award, and offer insights into the current state of environmental and resource economics and the evolution of the field. References and recommendations: Association of Environmental and Resource Economists; https://www.aere.org/ Berkeley/Sloan Summer School in Environmental and Energy Economics; https://www.auffhammer.com/summer-school “Pricing the Priceless: A History of Environmental Economics” by Spencer Banzhaf; https://www.cambridge.org/core/books/pricing-the-priceless/417AAD8A445E8B64BAD6BC201D2F2163 “Letter from Birmingham Jail” by Martin Luther King Jr.; https://digitalcollections.libraries.ua.edu/digital/collection/p17336coll22/id/2681/

In this episode, host Kristin Hayes talks with Nadia Gkritza, a professor at Purdue University. Gkritza is leading a team that’s independently evaluating a new product developed by Holcim, a global building materials and concrete company, and Magment, a German startup that is developing wireless charging infrastructure for electric vehicles. The team envisions a world where electric vehicles can recharge by simply driving over magnetized concrete, eliminating the need for separate charging stations and potentially reducing the need for larger batteries to combat range anxiety. Gkritza discusses the development, implementation, and benefits of the magnetized concrete technology; the next steps for the project; the collaboration involved; and the importance of funding electric vehicle charging infrastructure. “Could Roads Recharge Electric Cars? The Technology May Be Close.” by Kerry Hannon; https://www.nytimes.com/2021/11/29/technology/electric-cars-magnetic-roads.html “Indiana DOT, Purdue developing wireless EV charging for highways” by Katie Pyzyk; https://www.smartcitiesdive.com/news/indiana-dot-purdue-developing-wireless-ev-charging-for-highways/603774 “Pavement That Wirelessly Charges EVs Will Be Tested in Indiana” by Hazel Southwell; https://www.thedrive.com/tech/41625/pavement-that-wirelessly-charges-evs-will-be-tested-in-indiana

In this episode, host Kristin Hayes talks with Erik Nordman, professor of natural resources management and adjunct professor of economics at Grand Valley State University, and affiliate scholar at Indiana University’s Ostrom Workshop. Nordman discusses his new book, “The Uncommon Knowledge of Elinor Ostrom: Essential Lessons for Collective Action,” which introduces Ostrom’s Nobel Prize–winning economic concepts to a broader audience. Nordman discusses his inspiration behind writing the book, how locally tailored solutions are essential to resource management today, and Ostrom’s research legacy in establishing the Bloomington School of Political Economy. References and recommendations: “The Uncommon Knowledge of Elinor Ostrom: Essential Lessons for Collective Action” by Erik Nordman; https://islandpress.org/books/uncommon-knowledge-elinor-ostrom “The Cambridge Handbook of Commons Research Innovations” edited by Sheila R. Foster and Chrystie F. Swiney; https://www.cambridge.org/core/books/cambridge-handbook-of-commons-research-innovations/0C89E27A710207DC008C7A2F9AD55F79 “Elinor Ostrom and the Bloomington School: Building a New Approach to Policy and the Social Sciences” edited by Jayme Lemke and Vlad Tarko; https://ppe.mercatus.org/publications/elinor-ostrom-and-bloomington-school “Fixing Niagara Falls: Environment, Energy, and Engineers at the World’s Most Famous Waterfall” by Daniel MacFarlane; https://press.uchicago.edu/ucp/books/book/distributed/F/bo70337053.html “Under a White Sky: The Nature of the Future” by Elizabeth Kolbert; https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/617060/under-a-white-sky-by-elizabeth-kolbert/ “The Sixth Extinction: An Unnatural History” by Elizabeth Kolbert; https://us.macmillan.com/books/9781250062185/thesixthextinction “Field Notes from a Catastrophe: Man, Nature, and Climate Change” by Elizabeth Kolbert; https://www.bloomsbury.com/us/field-notes-from-a-catastrophe-9781620409886/

In this episode, host Daniel Raimi talks with Danielle Spiegel-Feld, executive director of the Guarini Center on Environmental, Energy and Land Use Law at New York University. Spiegel-Feld discusses a paper she recently coauthored, which explores how a carbon trading system could be implemented in the buildings sector—the largest source of carbon emissions in the city—to help reach New York’s decarbonization goals. Spiegel-Feld describes New York City’s historical emissions policies for buildings, which stakeholders may be impacted by a new carbon trading system, and implications for environmental justice communities. References and recommendations: “Carbon Trading for New York City’s Building Sector” by Danielle Spiegel-Feld and Katrina Wyman; https://policyintegrity.org/publications/detail/carbon-trading-for-new-york-citys-building-sector “Pipe Dreams” episode of the “99% Invisible” podcast; https://99percentinvisible.org/episode/pipe-dreams/ “Yellow Bird: Oil, Murder, and a Woman’s Search for Justice in Indian Country” by Sierra Crane Murdoch; https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/545014/yellow-bird-by-sierra-crane-murdoch/

In this episode, host Kristin Hayes talks with Dallas Burtraw, a senior fellow at Resources for the Future and chair of California’s Independent Emissions Market Advisory Committee (IEMAC), a body that was created by legislation to help the state of California examine and refine its cap-and-trade program for reducing greenhouse gas emissions. California’s climate policy success matters on a global stage: given the size of its economy and the sophistication of its policy designs, many other jurisdictions worldwide watch closely to see how things are faring in the Golden State. Burtraw takes a deep dive into California’s carbon market, with a particular focus on IEMAC’s recent report and its recommendations to the California Air Resources Board. References and recommendations: Independent Emissions Market Advisory Committee (IEMAC) in California; https://calepa.ca.gov/independent-emissions-market-advisory-committee/ “2021 Annual Report of the Independent Emissions Market Advisory Committee” by Dallas Burtraw, Danny Cullenward, Meredith Fowlie, Katelyn Roedner Sutter, and Ross Brown; https://calepa.ca.gov/wp-content/uploads/sites/6/2022/02/2021-IEMAC-Annual-Report.pdf “In the Struggle: Scholars and the Fight against Industrial Agribusiness in California” by Daniel J. O’Connell and Scott J. Peters; https://nyupress.org/9781613321225/in-the-struggle/

In this week’s episode, host Kristin Hayes talks with Luis Sarmiento, a postdoctoral researcher at RFF’s sister institution in Italy, the RFF-CMCC European Institute on Economics and the Environment. Sarmiento recently coauthored a working paper that explores the air pollution impacts of Uber across the United States. The study aims to clarify the environmental consequences of ridesharing companies like Uber. Sarmiento discusses his surprising results and potential areas for future research. References and recommendations: “The Air Quality Effects of Uber” by Luis Sarmiento and Yeong Jae Kim; https://www.rff.org/publications/working-papers/the-air-quality-effects-of-uber/ “Iran: A Modern History” by Abbas Amanat; https://yalebooks.co.uk/display.asp?k=9780300248937

In this week’s episode, host Daniel Raimi talks with Glenn Hubbard, dean emeritus and Russell L. Carson Professor of Finance and Economics at Columbia University’s business school, and a member of the board of directors at Resources for the Future. Hubbard shares insights from his new book, “The Wall and the Bridge: Fear and Opportunity in Disruption’s Wake,” which is about the role of economics in shaping policy, effecting structural change, and preparing communities for the forthcoming transition to a low-carbon economy. Raimi and Hubbard discuss lessons from economic transitions of the past, related policies, the importance of “social insurance” in the labor market, and the need to build bridges of opportunity rather than walls of protection—all with an eye toward ensuring a just transition. References and recommendations: “The Wall and the Bridge: Fear and Opportunity in Disruption’s Wake” by Glenn Hubbard; https://yalebooks.yale.edu/book/9780300259087/wall-and-bridge “Storm” by George R. Stewart; https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/665307/storm-by-george-r-stewart-introduction-by-nathaniel-rich/

In this episode, host Daniel Raimi talks with Kate Konschnik, a former senior lecturer at Duke University Law School who recently joined the Biden administration. Konschnik describes RTOGov, a research initiative that aims to evaluate how decisions are made in US electricity markets and the overlooked importance of regional transmission organizations (RTOs) in the electricity sector. Konschnik and Raimi discuss how different RTOs operate differently across the United States; why transparency matters in RTO governance and decisionmaking; and potential ways that RTOs can evolve to provide more reliable, affordable, and clean electricity in the years ahead. References and recommendations: RTOGov, the Regional Transmission Organization Governance project from the Duke Nicholas Institute for Environmental Policy Solutions; https://nicholasinstitute.duke.edu/project/rtogov “RTO governance structures can affect capacity market outcomes” by Seth Blumsack and Kyungjin Yoo; https://pennstate.pure.elsevier.com/en/publications/rto-governance-structures-can-affect-capacity-market-outcomes “Participatory Democracy in Dynamic Contexts: a Review of Regional Transmission Organization Governance in the United States” by Stephanie Lenhart and Dalten Fox; https://nicholasinstitute.duke.edu/publications/participatory-democracy-dynamic-contexts-review-regional-transmission-organization “History’s largest mining operation is about to begin” by Wil S. Hylton; https://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/archive/2020/01/20000-feet-under-the-sea/603040/ How We Survive podcast; https://www.marketplace.org/shows/how-we-survive/

In this week’s episode, host Daniel Raimi talks with Kyle Meng, an associate professor at the University of California, Santa Barbara. Meng discusses California’s ongoing economic transition away from oil production and refining, the need for policies that reduce oil production and consumption across the state over the next couple decades, and the challenges involved in making related legislative progress. Meng describes the role of fossil fuels in local economies across counties in California and the importance of ensuring that those communities can participate, engage, and derive benefits in the transition to a new low-carbon economy. The conversation covers these types of questions: What will new policies mean for regions that depend on oil production and refining to support local economies? How might new policies be designed to benefit communities that experience disproportionate harm from oil and gas pollution? References and recommendations: “Enhancing equity while eliminating emissions in California’s supply of transportation fuels” by Olivier Deschenes, Ranjit Deshmukh, David Lea, Kyle Meng, Paige Weber, Tyler Cobian, Danae Hernandez Cortes, Ruiwen Lee, Christopher Malloy, Tracey Mangin, Measrainsey Meng, Madeline Oliver, Sandy Sum, Vincent Thivierge, Anagha Uppal, Tia Kordell, Michaela Clemence, Erin O’Reilly, and Amanda Kelley; https://zenodo.org/record/4707966#.YYq8J2DMLir “Calvin and Hobbes” books; https://publishing.andrewsmcmeel.com/book/calvin-and-hobbes/ “The Years of Lyndon Johnson” by Robert Caro; https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/series/YLJ/the-years-of-lyndon-johnson

In this week’s episode, host Kristin Hayes talks with Rodney Rowland, the director of facilities and environmental sustainability at Strawbery Banke Museum in Portsmouth, New Hampshire. As his job title indicates, one of Rowland’s main responsibilities at the museum is to focus on environmental sustainability. He’s helping to implement a proactive adaptation strategy for the facilities at Strawbery Banke, which is rich in history and uniquely tied to its physical location, as the nine-acre living-history museum contends with the risks posed by climate change. Rowland and Hayes discuss the perils of sea level rise in historic preservation, and how institutions that face this problem (ranging from the Smithsonian museum and research complex in Washington, DC; to the Maritime Museum in Jakarta, Indonesia; to Strawbery Banke in New Hampshire) are making plans to safeguard their treasures. References and recommendations: “Saving History with Sandbags: Climate Change Threatens the Smithsonian” by Christopher Flavelle; https://www.nytimes.com/2021/11/25/climate/smithsonian-museum-flooding.html Strawbery Banke Museum in Portsmouth, New Hampshire; https://www.strawberybanke.org/ “White Pine: American History and the Tree that Made a Nation” by Andrew Vietze; https://rowman.com/ISBN/9781493009077/White-Pine-American-History-and-the-Tree-that-Made-a-Nation

In this week’s episode, host Daniel Raimi talks with Lara Aleluia Reis, a scientist at our sister institution, the RFF-CMCC European Institute on Economics and the Environment. Reis and her coauthors have recently released a new study in “Lancet Planetary Health” about the connection between air pollution and climate change. The study explores how policymakers can most effectively accomplish two important goals at the same time: reducing air pollution, which contributes to millions of deaths per year, and achieving our long-term objectives in mitigating climate change. References and recommendations: “Internalising Health-Economic Impacts of Air Pollution into Climate Policy: a Global Modelling Study” by Lara Aleluia, Laurent Drouet, and Massimo Tavoni; https://www.thelancet.com/journals/lanplh/article/PIIS2542-5196(21)00259-X/fulltext “The Invisible Killer: The Rising Global Threat of Air Pollution—and How We Can Fight Back” by Gary Fuller; https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/608009/the-invisible-killer-by-gary-fuller/ PurpleAir, a personal monitor for real-time air quality assessments; https://www2.purpleair.com/

In this week’s episode, host Margaret Walls talks with Lynne Lewis, currently a professor of economics at Bates College and an incoming professor of agricultural and resource economics at Colorado State University, about brown bears in Katmai National Park in Alaska. Lewis discusses the fan base for the brown bear population in Katmai, which is connected to the Fat Bear Week tournament held every October; surveys that indicate the amount of money people would be willing to pay to protect the brown bears in Katmai; the relationship between an animal’s perceived individuality and the value people place on the conservation of that animal or its local population; and potential problems associated with visitors overcrowding Katmai and other national parks in the United States. References and recommendations: “Getting to know you: individual animals, wildlife webcams, and willingness to pay for brown bear preservation” by Leslie Richardson and Lynne Lewis; https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1111/ajae.12249 “The charisma premium: Iconic individuals and wildlife values” by Christopher Costello, Lynne Lewis, John Lynham, and Leslie Richardson; https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0095069623000906 Live cam of brown bears at Katmai National Park in Alaska; https://explore.org/livecams/brown-bears/brown-bear-salmon-cam-brooks-falls “The Bears of Brooks Falls: Wildlife and Survival on Alaska’s Brooks River” by Michael Fitz; https://wwnorton.com/books/9781682685105 “The Storyteller: Tales of Life and Music” by Dave Grohl; https://www.harpercollins.com/products/the-storyteller-dave-grohl

In this episode, host Daniel Raimi talks with Jennifer Haverkamp, director of the Graham Sustainability Institute at the University of Michigan, and Sarah Ladislaw, managing director of the US Program at RMI. This week is our annual year-in-review episode, in which we talk about what happened during the past year and what we’ll be watching for in the year to come. Haverkamp and Ladislaw highlight the most significant developments in energy and environmental policy during 2021, identify some important issues that may have been overlooked, and give a sense of what they’ll be watching closely in 2022. References and recommendations: “Under a White Sky” by Elizabeth Kolbert; https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/617060/under-a-white-sky-by-elizabeth-kolbert/ “The Invention of Nature: Alexander Von Humboldt’s New World” by Andrea Wulf; https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/227866/the-invention-of-nature-by-andrea-wulf/ “Speed & Scale: An Action Plan for Solving Our Climate Crisis Now” by John Doerr; https://speedandscale.com/ “Where the Deer and the Antelope Play” by Nick Offerman; https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/536915/where-the-deer-and-the-antelope-play-by-nick-offerman/

What’s a better strategy for incentivizing innovation: the existing patent system or flashy, high-dollar prizes? This year, Elon Musk (Person of the Year in 2021, according to “Time” magazine) inspired heated debate when he announced a $100-million prize for novel carbon removal technologies. Some environmentalists were enthusiastic, though Zorina Khan—a professor of economics at Bowdoin College and a research associate at the National Bureau of Economic Research—expressed skepticism in conversation with the “New York Times” and on an episode of “Resources Radio.” In this rebroadcasted episode, host Kristin Hayes talks with Khan about her research on the history of offering prizes for innovation. Khan contends that such contests historically have benefited elite members of society and that patent systems more regularly produce transformative technologies. Reflecting on Musk’s carbon removal prize, Khan concludes that such a contest could generate more awareness of climate issues but is unlikely to dramatically shift strategies for reducing carbon emissions. 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 “What’s Better, a Prize or a Patent?” by Peter Coy; https://www.nytimes.com/2021/08/30/opinion/elon-musk-prize-patent.html “Inventing Ideas: Patents, Prizes, and the Knowledge Economy” by B. Zorina Khan; https://global.oup.com/academic/product/inventing-ideas-9780190936082 “Democratization of Invention” by B. Zorina Khan; https://books.bowdoin.edu/book/the-democratization-of-invention-patents-and-copyrights-in-american-economic-development-1790-1920/ “Unlocking history through automated virtual unfolding of sealed documents imaged by X-ray microtomography” by Jana Dambrogio, Amanda Ghassaei, Daniel Starza Smith, Holly Jackson, Martin L. Demaine, Graham Davis, David Mills, Rebekah Ahrendt, Nadine Akkerman, David van der Linden, and Erik D. Demaine; https://www.nature.com/articles/s41467-021-21326-w

In this week’s episode, host Daniel Raimi talks with Paul Joskow, an economics professor at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and a member of the President’s Council at Resources for the Future. Joskow has had a long and distinguished career that spans a wide range of energy and environmental topics. In his conversation with Raimi, Joskow discusses his new working paper about the challenges related to expanding the electricity grid. Growing the grid will be a critical component for achieving long-term decarbonization goals, but growth comes with a lot of hurdles. Joskow describes those hurdles, alongside what solutions might help knock them down. References and recommendations: “Facilitating Transmission Expansion to Support Efficient Decarbonization of the Electricity Sector” by Paul L. Joskow; http://ceepr.mit.edu/publications/working-papers/758 “Churchill: Walking with Destiny” by Andrew Roberts; https://www.andrew-roberts.net/books/churchill-walking-destiny/ “Franklin and Winston: An Intimate Portrait of an Epic Friendship” by Jon Meacham; https://www.jonmeacham.com/book/franklin-and-winston-an-intimate-portrait-of-an-epic-friendship/ Books by John le Carré; https://johnlecarre.com/ “Networks of Power: Electrification in Western Society, 1880–1930” by Thomas Parker Hughes; https://jhupbooks.press.jhu.edu/title/networks-power “A French Village” television series; https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Un_village_fran%C3%A7ais “Come From Away” play; https://comefromaway.com/ “The Polio Crusade” documentary; https://www.pbs.org/wgbh/americanexperience/films/polio/