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 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