Resources Radio

In this week’s episode, Daniel Raimi talks with Erin Mayfield, a postdoctoral fellow at Princeton University. Mayfield is part of a team of researchers that recently released a report titled “Net-Zero America,” which lays out a variety of pathways for the United States to reach net-zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2050. In the conversation, Mayfield discusses key findings from the report, including how much the transition might cost, how much new infrastructure we’ll need to build, what effects we might see on energy sector employment, and the models the team used to generate these results—including a discussion of the limitations of models in addressing complex social issues. References and recommendations: “Net-Zero America” by Eric Larson, Chris Greig, Jesse Jenkins, Erin Mayfield, Andrew Pascale, Chuan Zhang, Joshua Drossman, Robert Williams, Steve Pacala, Robert Socolow, Ejeong Baik, Rich Birdsey, Rick Duke, Ryan Jones, Ben Haley, Emily Leslie, Keith Paustian, and Amy Swan; https://acee.princeton.edu/rapidswitch/projects/net-zero-america-project/ “The Foxes” painting by German expressionist artist Franz Marc; https://artsandculture.google.com/asset/the-foxes/dwF1pkUhw9uZpg The art of Erin Mayfield’s eight-year-old nephew, Vinny “Accelerating Decarbonization of the U.S. Energy System” from the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine, by Stephen W. Pacala, Colin Cunliff, Danielle Deane-Ryan, Kelly Sims Gallagher, Julia Haggerty, Christopher T. Hendrickson, Jesse D. Jenkins, Roxanne Johnson, Timothy C. Lieuwen, Vivian Loftness, Clark A. Miller, William A. Pizer, Varun Rai, Ed Rightor, Esther Takeuchi, Susan F. Tierney, and Jennifer Wilcox; https://www.nap.edu/catalog/25932/accelerating-decarbonization-of-the-us-energy-system

In this week’s episode, host Kristin Hayes talks with Karen Palmer, a senior fellow at Resources for the Future (RFF) and director of RFF’s Future of Power Initiative. Palmer has deep expertise in the US power sector and has authored numerous publications on electricity policy drivers and options in power market design and electrification of various sectors of the economy. This episode features two very capable and kind women in celebration of International Women’s Day on March 8. Hayes and Palmer discuss a new report released by the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine entitled “The Future of Electric Power in the United States.” Karen and her coauthors on this study, including RFF Board of Directors Chair Susan Tierney, were tasked with framing a broad set of issues facing the US power sector over the next several decades and with providing recommendations to a range of decisionmakers on how to address those drivers. References and recommendations: “The Future of Electric Power in the United States” interactive site; https://www.nap.edu/resource/25968/interactive/ “The Future of Electric Power in the United States” from the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine, by Granger Morgan, Anuradha Annaswamy, Anjan Bose, Terry Boston, Jeffery Dagle, Deepakraj Divan, Michael Howard, Cynthia Hsu, Reiko A. Kerr, Karen Palmer, H. Vincent Poor, William H. Sanders, Susan Tierney, David Victor, and Elizabeth Wilson; https://www.nationalacademies.org/our-work/the-future-of-electric-power-in-the-us#sectionPublications “Enhancing the Resilience of the Nation’s Electricity System” from the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine, by M. Granger Morgan, Dionysios Aliprantis, Anjan Bose, W. Terry Boston, Allison Clements, Jeffery Dagle, Paul De Martini, Jeanne Fox, Elsa Garmire, Ronald E. Keys, Mark McGranaghan, Craig Miller, Thomas J. Overbye, William H. Sanders, Richard E. Schuler, Susan Tierney, and David G. Victor; https://www.nap.edu/catalog/24836/enhancing-the-resilience-of-the-nations-electricity-system Transmission episodes of the “Voltscast” podcast, with host David Roberts; https://podcasts.apple.com/ie/podcast/transmission-month-everything-in-one-place/id1548554104?i=1000509879797 “Lessons from the Texas mess” episode of the “Voltscast” podcast, with host David Roberts; https://podcasts.apple.com/ie/podcast/lessons-from-the-texas-mess/id1548554104?i=1000510532364 “A Shock to the System: Restructuring America’s Electricity Industry” by Timothy J. Brennan, Karen L. Palmer, Raymond J. Kopp, Alan J. Krupnick, Vito Stagliano, and Dallas Burtraw; https://www.routledge.com/A-Shock-to-the-System-Restructuring-Americas-Electricity-Industry/Brennan-Palmer-Kopp-Krupnick-Stagliano-Burtraw/p/book/9780915707805 “Alternating Currents” by Timothy J. Brennan, Karen L. Palmer, and Salvador A. Martinez; https://www.routledge.com/Alternating-Currents-Electricity-Markets-and-Public-Policy/Brennan-Palmer-Martinez/p/book/9781891853074

In this week’s episode, host Kristin Hayes talks with Kevin Rennert, a fellow at Resources for the Future (RFF) and director of RFF’s Social Cost of Carbon Initiative. Rennert has prior experience as deputy associate administrator for the Office of Policy at the US Environmental Protection Agency, senior advisor on energy for the US Senate Committee on Finance, and senior professional staff for the US Senate Committee on Energy and Natural Resources. Rennert’s expertise and leadership in these areas make him the perfect candidate to discuss the recently released interim estimate for the social cost of carbon—what it is, why it matters, how it’s evolved, and what will happen next with this important number. References and recommendations: “Discounting 101” explainer by Brian Prest; https://www.rff.org/publications/explainers/discounting-101/ “Estimating the Value of Carbon: Two Approaches” by Resources for the Future and New York State Energy Research and Development Authority; https://www.rff.org/publications/reports/estimating-the-value-of-carbon-two-approaches/ “Assessing Approaches to Updating the Social Cost of Carbon” from the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine, by Maureen L. Cropper, Richard G. Newell, Myles R. Allen, Maximilian Auffhammer, Chris E. Forest, Inez Y. Fung, James K. Hammitt, Henry D. Jacoby, Robert E. Kopp, William Pizer, Steven K. Rose, Richard Schmalensee, and John P. Weyant; https://www.nationalacademies.org/our-work/assessing-approaches-to-updating-the-social-cost-of-carbon#sectionPublications “Accelerating Decarbonization of the U.S. Energy System” from the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine, by Stephen W. Pacala, Colin Cunliff, Danielle Deane-Ryan, Kelly Sims Gallagher, Julia Haggerty, Christopher T. Hendrickson, Jesse D. Jenkins, Roxanne Johnson, Timothy C. Lieuwen, Vivian Loftness, Clark A. Miller, William A. Pizer, Varun Rai, Ed Rightor, Esther Takeuchi, Susan F. Tierney, and Jennifer Wilcox; https://www.nap.edu/catalog/25932/accelerating-decarbonization-of-the-us-energy-system

In this episode, host Daniel Raimi talks with Severin Borenstein, a professor at the University of California at Berkeley’s Haas School of Business, faculty director of the Energy Institute at Haas, and member of the Board of Governors of the California Independent System Operator. As the state of Texas struggles to keep the lights on due to extreme cold, Raimi asks Borenstein about lessons learned from California’s blackouts during the summer of 2020: the cause of the outages, the role of renewables, and market reforms that could help reduce the risk of blackouts in the future. Raimi and Borenstein also discuss how California’s experience can help Texas and other regional electricity networks plan for a future with more renewable power. References and recommendations: “An empirical analysis of the potential for market power in California’s electricity industry” by Severin Borenstein and James Bushnell; http://faculty.haas.berkeley.edu/borenste/download/JIE99Cournot.pdf “Measuring Market Inefficiencies in California’s Restructured Wholesale Electricity Market” by Severin Borenstein, James B. Bushnell, and Frank A. Wolak; http://faculty.haas.berkeley.edu/borenste/download/AER02BBW.pdf “Capacity Markets at a Crossroads” by James Bushnell, Michaela Flagg, and Erin Mansur; https://haas.berkeley.edu/wp-content/uploads/WP278.pdf “The Box: How the Shipping Container Made the World Smaller and the World Economy Bigger” by Marc Levinson; https://press.princeton.edu/books/paperback/9780691170817/the-box “The Bet: Paul Ehrlich, Julian Simon, and Our Gamble over Earth’s Future” by Paul Sabin; https://yalebooks.yale.edu/book/9780300198973/bet “Under a White Sky” by Elizabeth Kolbert; https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/617060/under-a-white-sky-by-elizabeth-kolbert/

In this episode, host Daniel Raimi talks with Francisco X. Aguilar, a professor at the Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences and leader of the Team of Specialists on Wood Energy of the United Nations Economic Commission for Europe. Aguilar and coauthors recently published a study on the environmental effects of the rapid growth of the wood pellet industry. Because wood pellets are viewed as carbon neutral, the boom in wood pellets may help meet climate targets in Europe. This conversation focuses on how the wood pellet industry’s growth has affected the number of trees and carbon stocks in the southeastern United States, where most wood pellets are produced. The key questions are whether wood pellets are truly renewable and whether they truly produce net-zero emissions. Aguilar helps us make sense of it all. References and recommendations: “Expansion of US Wood Pellet Industry Points to Positive Trends but the Need for Continued Monitoring” by Francisco X. Aguilar, Ashkan Mirzaee, Ronald G. McGarvey, Stephen R. Shifley, and Dallas Burtraw; https://www.rff.org/publications/journal-articles/expansion-us-wood-pellet-industry-points-positive-trends-need-continued-monitoring/ “Wood Energy in America” by Daniel deB. Richter Jr., Dylan H. Jenkins, John T. Karakash, Josiah Knight, Lew R. McCreery, and Kasimir P. Nemestothy; https://science.sciencemag.org/content/323/5920/1432 “Wood Energy Efficiency: More Heat with Less Wood” by the United Nations Economic Commission for Europe; https://unece.org/node/20841 “Net-Zero America” by Eric Larson, Chris Greig, Jesse Jenkins, Erin Mayfield, Andrew Pascale, Chuan Zhang, Joshua Drossman, Robert Williams, Steve Pacala, Robert Socolow, Ejeong Baik, Rich Birdsey, Rick Duke, Ryan Jones, Ben Haley, Emily Leslie, Keith Paustian, and Amy Swan; https://environmenthalfcentury.princeton.edu/sites/g/files/toruqf331/files/2020-12/Princeton_NZA_Interim_Report_15_Dec_2020_FINAL.pdf “The Overstory” by Richard Powers; https://wwnorton.com/books/9780393356687

In this episode, host Kristin Hayes talks with David Miller, former mayor of the city of Toronto and author of the book, “Solved: How the World’s Great Cities are Fixing the Climate Crisis.” The book came out in late 2020 and argues that cities are, in many ways, uniquely central to climate change action—and are, in fact, some of the best-equipped jurisdictions to take on the climate challenge. Miller draws from his own experience as a mayor in reflecting on these issues, but also draws on his experience in working with the C40 Cities Climate Leadership Group. The book includes anecdotes and lessons learned from a number of municipalities across the globe—accounts of tangible actions that are tremendously refreshing, when so much of the climate conversation can feel intractable. The conversation touches on Miller’s motivation in putting the book together and what he’s discovered along the way. References and recommendations: “Solved: How the World’s Great Cities are Fixing the Climate Crisis” by David Miller; https://utorontopress.com/us/solved-3 “Capital in the Twenty-First Century” by Thomas Piketty; https://www.hup.harvard.edu/catalog.php?isbn=9780674979857 “The Bicycling Big Book of Cycling for Beginners” by Tori Bortman; https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/593171/the-bicycling-big-book-of-cycling-for-beginners-by-tori-bortman/

In this episode, host Daniel Raimi talks with Tisha Schuller, principal of Adamantine Energy and author of a new book, “The Gamechanger’s Playbook.” The book is a provocative and insightful look at how oil and gas companies can play a leading role in reducing greenhouse gas emissions. Schuller lays out the case for why these companies need to change, how companies can approach the climate challenge in a new way, and what practical steps the oil and gas industry can take today to lay the groundwork for future success. References and recommendations: “The Gamechanger’s Playbook: How Oil & Gas Leaders Thrive in an Era of Continuous Disruption” by Tisha Schuller; https://energythinks.com/gamechanger/ “After the Pandemic: Hope and Breakthroughs for 2021” by Ted Nordhaus and Alex Trembath at the Breakthrough Institute; https://thebreakthrough.org/issues/energy/after-the-pandemic “CO2 Emissions from Fossil Fuels May Have Peaked in 2019” by Zeke Hausfather at the Breakthrough Institute; https://thebreakthrough.org/issues/energy/peak-co2-emissions-2019 “How to Be an Antiracist” by Ibram X. Kendi; https://www.ibramxkendi.com/how-to-be-an-antiracist “On Fire: The Burning Case for a Green New Deal” by Naomi Klein; https://naomiklein.org/on-fire/

In this episode, host Daniel Raimi talks with David Hawkins, director of climate policy in the Climate & Clean Energy Program at the Natural Resources Defense Council and a member of the board of directors at Resources for the Future. Hawkins has decades of experience working on energy and climate policy issues in NGOs and government. He walks us through the past 60 years of federal climate policy in the United States; helps us understand the scientific, political, and economic drivers that have shaped policy decisions from the 1960s all the way up through today, including a reflection on the Trump years; and takes a look ahead to the next four years under a new administration. References and recommendations: "Braiding Sweetgrass" by Robin Wall Kimmerer; https://milkweed.org/book/braiding-sweetgrass "Coffeeland" by Augustine Sedgewick; https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/316748/coffeeland-by-augustine-sedgewick/

This week, host Daniel Raimi talks with Tony Reames, an assistant professor at the University of Michigan’s School for Environment and Sustainability, and a leading scholar on the closely related topics of energy justice and energy poverty. In his conversation with Raimi, Reames describes what energy poverty is, how the federal government currently addresses energy poverty, and how quantifying the problem can lead to good policy solutions. References and recommendations: “An incandescent truth: Disparities in energy-efficient lighting availability and prices in an urban U.S. county” by Tony G. Reames, Michael A. Reiner, and M. Ben Stacey; https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0306261918302769 “Three Scenarios for the Future of Climate Change” by Elizabeth Kolbert; https://www.newyorker.com/news/annals-of-a-warming-planet/three-scenarios-for-the-future-of-climate-change “The Warmth of Other Suns” by Isabel Wilkerson; https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/190696/the-warmth-of-other-suns-by-isabel-wilkerson/

In this episode, we get the details on a friendly wager between Ken Caldeira, a senior scientist at the Carnegie Institution, and Ted Nordhaus, founder and executive director of the Breakthrough Institute. Caldeira also is a senior advisor to Gates Ventures, but is not speaking on their behalf. Nordhaus is betting that global CO₂ emissions peaked in 2019, but Caldeira disagrees. Host Daniel Raimi asks each of them to lay out the arguments for and against the assertion that emissions peaked in 2019, and they explore the underlying factors that will likely drive the outcome of the wager. Raimi, Caldeira, and Nordhaus discuss the role of Covid-19, energy technologies, human behavior, and even the extinction of the dinosaurs. References and recommendations: The origin of the bet on Twitter; https://twitter.com/KenCaldeira/status/1344783094553800705?s=20 "How to Avoid a Climate Disaster" by Bill Gates; https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/633968/how-to-avoid-a-climate-disaster-by-bill-gates/ "Growth" by Vaclav Smil; https://mitpress.mit.edu/books/growth