Resources Radio

In this week’s episode, host Daniel Raimi talks with Resources for the Future (RFF) Research Associate Maya Domeshek and Senior Research Analyst Nicholas Roy about the Inflation Reduction Act and the emissions reductions that the law could achieve, according to projections from various energy models in an analysis they published recently in “Science” magazine. Domeshek and Roy discuss the projections; the law’s potential costs, benefits, and effects on electricity prices; the differences among the models in their analysis; the caveats of economic models; and how decisionmakers can use the modeling results to improve policy. References and recommendations: “Emissions and energy impacts of the Inflation Reduction Act” by John Bistline, Geoffrey Blanford, Maxwell Brown, Dallas Burtraw, Maya Domeshek, Jamil Farbes, Allen Fawcett, Anne Hamilton, Jesse Jenkins, Ryan Jones, Ben King, Hannah Kolus, Joh, Larsen, Amanda Levin, Megan Mahajan, Cara Marcy, Erin Mayfield, James McFarland, Haewon McJeon, Robbie Orvis, Neha Patankar, Kevin Rennert, Christopher Roney, Nicholas Roy, Greg Schivley, Daniel Steinberg, Nadejda Victor, Shelley Wenzel, John Weyant, Ryan Wiser, Mei Yuan, and Alicia Zhao; https://www.rff.org/publications/journal-articles/emissions-and-energy-impacts-of-the-inflation-reduction-act/ “Beyond Clean Energy: The Financial Incidence and Health Effects of the IRA” by Nicholas Roy, Maya Domeshek, Dallas Burtraw, Karen Palmer, Kevin Rennert, Jhih-Shyang Shih, and Seth Villanueva; https://www.rff.org/publications/reports/beyond-clean-energy-the-financial-incidence-and-health-effects-of-the-ira/ “The 45V Hydrogen Tax Credit: Considerations for US Treasury Guidance” RFF Live event; https://www.rff.org/events/rff-live/the-45v-hydrogen-tax-credit-considerations-for-us-treasury-guidance/ “After the Flood” by Lydia Barnett; https://www.press.jhu.edu/books/title/11510/after-flood “Field Trip” podcast; https://www.washingtonpost.com/podcasts/field-trip/

In this week’s episode, host Kristin Hayes talks with Nafisa Lohawala, a fellow at Resources for the Future who researches the effects of government policies on the transportation sector. Lohawala discusses the findings of a recent report that explores efforts to electrify medium- and heavy-duty vehicle fleets, the opportunities and challenges of electrification as a pathway toward lower transportation-sector emissions, and policies that could aid electrification. References and recommendations: “Medium- and Heavy-Duty Vehicle Electrification: Challenges, Policy Solutions, and Open Research Questions” by Beia Spiller, Nafisa Lohawala, and Emma DeAngeli; https://www.rff.org/publications/reports/medium-and-heavy-duty-vehicle-electrification-challenges-policy-solutions-and-open-research-questions/ Special series on the Common Resources blog: Electrifying Large Vehicles by Emma DeAngeli, Nafisa Lohawala, and Beia Spiller; https://www.resources.org/special-series-electrifying-large-vehicles/ “The Book of Why: The New Science of Cause and Effect” by Judea Pearl and Dana Mackenzie; https://www.hachettebookgroup.com/titles/judea-pearl/the-book-of-why/9780465097616/

In this week’s episode, host Daniel Raimi talks with Shuchi Talati, founder and executive director of the Alliance for Just Deliberation on Solar Geoengineering, about the potential for solar geoengineering as a tool to combat climate change. Talati discusses the science behind solar geoengineering, democratic and inclusive processes for engaging all nations in deliberation over the use of solar geoengineering, and public perception of the technology. References and recommendations: The Alliance for Just Deliberation on Solar Geoengineering; https://sgdeliberation.org/ “An Inconvenient Truth” film; https://participant.com/film/inconvenient-truth Episode 4 (“2059: Face of God”) and Episode 5 (“2059 Part II: Nightbirds”) of “Extrapolations” TV show; https://tv.apple.com/us/show/extrapolations/umc.cmc.4uoqxmxlnipm9zsc88bkjyjx4 “Climate Crisis Is on Track to Push One-Third of Humanity Out of Its Most Livable Environment” by Abrahm Lustgarten; https://www.propublica.org/article/climate-crisis-niche-migration-environment-population

In this week’s episode, host Daniel Raimi talks with Stefano De Clara, head of secretariat at the International Carbon Action Partnership, about the development of carbon markets around the world. Carbon markets, which also are known as “emissions trading systems,” are market-based policies that set a cap on total emissions and issue a limited number of emissions permits that emitters then can trade within the market. De Clara discusses carbon markets in Europe, China, India, Nigeria, and the United States; the growth of voluntary carbon markets; and policy developments to watch in the near future. References and recommendations: “Emissions Trading Worldwide: 2023 International Carbon Action Partnership Status Report” from the International Carbon Action Partnership; https://icapcarbonaction.com/en/publications/emissions-trading-worldwide-2023-icap-status-report “The New Map: Energy, Climate, and the Clash of Nations” by Daniel Yergin; https://www.danielyergin.com/books/thenewmap “The Ministry for the Future” by Kim Stanley Robinson; https://www.hachettebookgroup.com/titles/kim-stanley-robinson/the-ministry-for-the-future/9780316300162/ “Facing Fears and Imagining Innovation for Climate Change, with Kim Stanley Robinson; https://www.resources.org/resources-radio/facing-fears-and-imagining-innovation-for-climate-change-with-kim-stanley-robinson/

In this week’s episode, host Kristin Hayes talks with Michael Pahle, head of the Climate and Energy Policy Working Group at the Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research, about the clean energy transition in Germany. Pahle discusses the history of Germany’s energy transition, the nation’s current decarbonization goals, the relationship between national climate policy and European climate policy, and lessons from decades of German energy policy. References and recommendations: “The Tragedy of Stopping Climate Change” by Jessi Jezewska Stevens; https://foreignpolicy.com/2021/11/09/climate-change-narratives-sense-of-an-ending/

In this week’s episode, host Daniel Raimi talks with Jamie Van Nostrand, former director of the Center for Energy and Sustainable Development at West Virginia University and current chair of the Massachusetts Department of Public Utilities. Van Nostrand discusses how the state government in West Virginia historically has supported and promoted the coal industry, how the state’s support of coal has affected electricity prices for West Virginia residents, and how recent policies could influence the future of energy in West Virginia. References and recommendations: “The Coal Trap: How West Virginia Was Left Behind in the Clean Energy Revolution” by James M. Van Nostrand; https://www.thecoaltrap.com “What Is An ‘Energy Community’? Alternative Approaches for Geographically Targeted Energy Policy” by Daniel Raimi and Sophie Pesek; https://www.rff.org/publications/reports/what-is-an-energy-community-alternative-approaches-for-geographically-targeted-energy-policy/ Sixth Assessment Report from the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change; https://www.ipcc.ch/report/sixth-assessment-report-cycle/

In this week’s episode, host Daniel Raimi talks with Nikos Zirogiannis, an assistant professor at Indiana University, about excess emissions of air pollutants—emissions that exceed the legal limits. Zirogiannis discusses some potential causes of excess emissions, the health effects of excess emissions, and the gaps in policy and data that could be addressed to help prevent these dangerous events. References and recommendations: “Excess Emissions: Environmental Impacts, Health Effects, and Policy Debate” by Alex Hollingsworth, David M. Konisky, and Nikolaos Zirogiannis; https://www.journals.uchicago.edu/doi/full/10.1086/723885 “Residents Must Stay Indoors After Texas Chemical Fire” by Cecelia Smith-Schoenwalder; https://www.usnews.com/news/national-news/articles/2019-03-21/deer-park-texas-residents-ordered-to-stay-inside-after-chemical-fire “The Big Myth” by Naomi Oreskes and Erik M. Conway; https://www.bloomsbury.com/us/big-myth-9781635573572/

In this week’s episode, host Daniel Raimi talks with Silvia Pianta, a junior scientist at the sister institution to Resources for the Future (RFF), the RFF-CMCC European Institute on Economics and the Environment. Pianta discusses the influence of social and political factors on climate and energy policymaking, how incorporating these factors into models can help inform the process of climate policymaking, and the efficacy of emissions-reduction strategies at the global and national scales. References and recommendations: “Emissions Lock-in, Capacity, and Public Opinion: How Insights from Political Science Can Inform Climate Modeling Efforts” by Silvia Pianta and Elina Brutschin; https://www.cogitatiopress.com/politicsandgovernance/article/view/5462 “On Time and Water” by Andri Snær Magnason; https://www.openletterbooks.org/products/on-time-and-water

In this week’s episode, host Kristin Hayes talks with David Brown, an associate professor at the University of Alberta, about research on the value of electricity reliability that he coauthored with Resources for the Future University Fellow Lucija Muehlenbachs. Brown discusses dollar-value estimates of how much consumers are willing to pay to avoid power outages, the technologies that households and communities are using to improve electricity reliability, and policies for addressing inequitable access to those technologies. References and recommendations: “The Value of Electricity Reliability: Evidence from Battery Adoption” by David P. Brown and Lucija Muehlenbachs; https://www.rff.org/publications/working-papers/the-value-of-electricity-reliability-evidence-from-battery-adoption/ “Socioeconomic and demographic disparities in residential battery storage adoption: Evidence from California” by David P. Brown; https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0301421522001021 “What Are the Benefits of Electric Vehicles for Climate, Air Pollution, and Health?” by Joshua Linn and Daniel Shawhan; https://www.resources.org/common-resources/what-are-the-benefits-of-electric-vehicles-for-climate-air-pollution-and-health/

This week’s episode is the fifth and final installment of a multipart series called Climate Hits Home, in which guests discuss the effects of climate change on cities and towns across the United States and how local communities are addressing those effects. In this episode, host Margaret Walls talks with Nico Zegre, an associate professor at West Virginia University, about flooding in Appalachia. Zegre discusses the growing problem of floods in the area, including in West Virginia and eastern Kentucky; the unique vulnerability of local communities to this issue; and how local, state, and federal governments can mitigate flooding risks and impacts. References and recommendations: “You’re It!” song by Wookiefoot; https://soundcloud.com/wookie-foot/youre-it