Resources Radio

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 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