Resources Radio

This week, host Daniel Raimi talks with Catherine Hausman and Samuel Stolper of the University of Michigan about a new working paper they’ve coauthored, called "Inequality, Information Failures, and Air Pollution." Catie and Sam take an economics lens to the problem of environmental justice and identify a new and important channel through which these problems can arise: the role of information. References and recommendations: "Inequality, Information Failures, and Air Pollution: by Catherine Hausman and Samuel Stolper; https://www.nber.org/papers/w26682 "Hop on Pop" by Dr. Seuss; https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/43028/hop-on-pop-by-hop-on-pop/ "The Dispossessed" by Ursula K. Le Guin; https://www.ursulakleguin.com/dispossessed

This week, host Daniel Raimi talks with Zeke Hausfather, director of climate and energy at the Breakthrough Institute. Hausfather discusses the past, present, and future of global greenhouse gas emissions, the emissions trajectory that the world is currently on, how that pathway looks different from some of the worst-case scenarios that researchers have used in the past, and the crucial uncertainties that remain when it comes to estimating future global warming under any given emissions pathway. References and recommendations: "The End of Nature" by Bill McKibben; http://billmckibben.com/end-of-nature.html "Explainer: Nine 'tipping points' that could be triggered by climate change" by Robert McSweeney; https://www.carbonbrief.org/explainer-nine-tipping-points-that-could-be-triggered-by-climate-change The "Broken Earth" trilogy by NK Jemisin; https://www.hachettebookgroup.com/articles/n-k-jemisin-broken-earth-trilogy-books-in-order/ "Endless Night at -50 Degrees: A Look at Life on an Icebreaker" by Henry Fountain; https://www.nytimes.com/2020/02/07/climate/mosiac-mission-arctic-climate-change-photos.html "Wild storms and shifting ice: Two explorers talk about Arctic life" by Henry Fountain and Esther Horvath; https://www.chicagotribune.com/travel/travel-news/sns-nyt-wild-storms-shifting-ice-explorers-talk-arctic-life-20200209-pj2n6kbceraolkjed5wfg364bq-story.html

This week, host Kristin Hayes talks with Julia Nesheiwat, the first chief resilience officer for the state of Florida. Nesheiwat elaborates on how she’s helping support Florida’s climate resiliency efforts by coordinating across communities and organizations across the state and cutting the red tape that tends to stall environmental efforts related to climate change response. Nesheiwat has served in combat with the US Army; she earned her PhD from Tokyo Institute of Technology, MA from Georgetown University, and BA from Stetson University in Florida. She has lectured on the geopolitics of energy, climate, and technology at the US Naval Postgraduate School, Stanford University, and the University of California, San Diego. Fittingly for the Florida resident, Nesheiwat likes to go stand-up paddleboarding and surfing. References and recommendations: "Master the Disaster" from FM Global; https://www.fmglobal.com/insights-and-impacts/2019/master-the-disaster "The Geography of Risk" by Gilbert M. Gaul; https://us.macmillan.com/books/9780374160807

In this episode, host Daniel Raimi talks with J.B. Ruhl, a professor at Vanderbilt University Law School who specializes in environmental, natural resources, and property law. Ruhl provides an overview of the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA), the landmark law that permits lawsuits against federal agencies for any actions that are perceived to affect the quality of the environment. Drawing from his years practicing environmental law, Ruhl explains how NEPA lawsuits are especially complex—involving statutes, court opinions, and recent regulatory changes that are often at odds. He also discusses the implications of a proposed rule change by the Trump administration that could limit the types of litigation that can be pursued under NEPA. References and recommendations: "Guns, Germs, and Steel" by Jared Diamond; https://wwnorton.com/books/Guns-Germs-and-Steel/ "Boomtown" podcast; https://www.texasmonthly.com/boomtown/

In this week's episode, host Kristin Hayes talks with Amy Harder, national energy and climate change reporter at Axios. Harder's reporting includes exclusive scoops and analyses of national and global trends. Previously, she covered similar issues for the Wall Street Journal and National Journal. Harder also was the inaugural journalism fellow for the University of Chicago’s Energy Policy Institute in 2018. Harder has been a longtime friend of RFF and has participated as a moderator in several RFF events. You may have followed her work on shale gas development, carbon pricing, and so many of the other topics of interest in today’s energy and climate policy conversations. Here, Harder discusses how she thinks about environmental journalism—and journalism in general—in this day and age. References and recommendations: RFF's Global Energy Outlook tool; https://www.rff.org/geo/ Wall Street Journal reporter Russell Gold's climate reporting; https://twitter.com/russellgold "See how global warming has changed since your childhood" by Tim Leslie, Joshua Byrd, and Nathan Hoad; https://www.abc.net.au/news/2019-12-06/how-climate-change-has-impacted-your-life/11766018

This week, host Daniel Raimi talks with Lisa Mandle, lead scientist at the Natural Capital Project, based at the Stanford Woods Institute for the Environment. Lisa is the co-editor of a new book called "Green Growth That Works: Natural Capital Policy and Finance Mechanisms from around the World." The book presents a range of fascinating case studies from around the world, all centered around the tools that governments and others can use to protect and enhance ecosystem services. Raimi and Mandle discuss some of those cases, including New York’s famously unfiltered water, preservation of wetlands, and stormwater management in Washington, DC. References and recommendations: "Green Growth That Works: Natural Capital Policy and Finance Mechanisms Around the World" by Lisa Ann Mandle, Zhiyun Ouyang, James Edwin Salzman, and Gretchen Cara Daily; https://islandpress.org/books/green-growth-works (offer code "GROWTH" provides a discount) "Everyone wants to Instagram the world's most beautiful canyon. Should they?" by Rebecca Jennings; https://www.vox.com/the-goods/2019/7/11/20686194/antelope-canyon-instagram-page-arizona-navajo "Ice on Fire" documentary; https://www.hbo.com/documentaries/ice-on-fire

This week, host Daniel Raimi talks with Daniel Esty, a professor at Yale University and a member of the board of directors at Resources for the Future (RFF). Dan talks about a new book he edited, "A Better Planet: 40 Big Ideas for a Sustainable Future." As its title suggests, the book covers a wide range of topics. Raimi and Esty's conversation focuses on an essay that Esty wrote, which outlines how to design environmental policy in a way that fosters innovation and new technologies. They also touch on the role of finance and politics in shaping environmental outcomes. References and recommendations: "A Better Planet: 40 Big Ideas for a Sustainable Future" edited by Daniel C. Esty; https://yalebooks.yale.edu/book/9780300246247/better-planet Hearing on "Building a 100 Percent Clean Economy: Solutions for Economy-Wide Deep Decarbonization" with Daniel C. Esty, Noah Kaufman, David K. Gattie, and Tim Profeta; https://energycommerce.house.gov/committee-activity/hearings/hearing-on-building-a-100-percent-clean-economy-solutions-for-economy "Decarbonizing Space Heating with Air Source Heat Pumps" by Noah Kaufman, David Sandalow, Clotilde Rossi di Schio, and Jake Higdon; https://energypolicy.columbia.edu/research/report/decarbonizing-space-heating-air-source-heat-pumps

This week, host Daniel Raimi talks with Megan Mullin, an associate professor of environmental politics at Duke University’s Nicholas School of the Environment. Mullin talks about her research, which analyzes how communities pay to rehabilitate beaches affected by erosion and how differential tax rates can affect levels of support for these beach nourishment projects. Mullin also makes clear why coastal management is relevant: as climate change accelerates the erosion of beaches, and as federal funding dries up, local communities will increasingly have to grapple with how to pay to replenish their shorelines. References and recommendations: "Paying to save the beach: effects of local finance decisions on coastal management" by Megan Mullin, Martin D. Smith, and Dylan E. McNamara; https://rd.springer.com/article/10.1007/s10584-018-2191-5 The Conversation, "Where does beach sand come from?" https://theconversation.com/where-does-beach-sand-come-from-126323 "The Dark Crystal: Age of Resistance"; https://www.netflix.com/title/80148535

This week, host Daniel Raimi talks with Robert Litterman, a founding partner at Kepos Capital and a board member at Resources for the Future (RFF). Litterman recently was named the chair of a new committee that will be advising US financial regulators on the economic risks of climate change, a new position that leverages Litterman's extensive experience working on risk management in the financial sector and his deep interest in climate change. Raimi and Litterman talk about the scale of the risks to the US financial system from climate change; whether and how markets are currently pricing the risks of climate change for assets like coastal property or energy companies; and the recent paper Litterman coauthored, which takes an unconventional and novel approach to carbon pricing. References and recommendations: "Global Warming of 1.5 degrees," an IPCC special report; https://www.ipcc.ch/sr15/ "Declining CO2 price paths" by Kent D. Daniel, Robert B. Litterman, and Gernot Wagner; https://www.pnas.org/content/116/42/20886

This week's episode features a review of the year 2019 in environmental and energy policy, with two amazing guests: Susan Tierney, senior advisor at the Analysis Group and chair of the board at Resources for the Future (RFF); and Sarah Ladislaw, senior vice president, director, and senior fellow at the Center for Strategic and International Studies, with their Energy and National Security Program. Host Daniel Raimi facilitates a conversation with Tierney and Ladislaw, asking what they consider to be the most interesting environmental and energy policy developments during the past year, at the federal and state level. The discussion touches on everything from vehicles to electricity, to interstate natural gas pipelines, and more. References and recommendations: "Time to move away from old precedents in FERC pipeline reviews" by Susan Tierney; https://www.utilitydive.com/news/time-to-move-away-from-old-precedents-in-ferc-pipeline-reviews/567512/ "FERC’s Certification of New Interstate Natural Gas Facilities" by Susan Tierney; https://www.analysisgroup.com/globalassets/content/insights/publishing/revising_ferc_1999_pipeline_certification.pdf "Blowout" by Rachel Maddow; https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/576330/blowout-by-rachel-maddow/ "The River" by Peter Heller; https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/576820/the-river-by-peter-heller/ "Made in China: 2025 and the Future of American Industry" by Marco Rubio; https://www.rubio.senate.gov/public/_cache/files/d1c6db46-1a68-481a-b96e-356c8100f1b7/3EDECA923DB439A8E884C6229A4C6003.02.12.19-final-sbc-project-mic2025-report.pdf "Perspectives on the Green New Deal" with Leah Stokes and Jerry Taylor; https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jMPf9Zf2RSQ Riders in the Sky; https://www.ridersinthesky.com