Resources Radio – Details, episodes & analysis

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