Resources Radio

In this episode, host Kristin Hayes talks with Jeremy Firestone, a wind energy specialist, professor, and director of the Center for Research in Wind at the University of Delaware. For many years, Firestone has explored people’s attitudes and economic preferences related to wind power development. He and coauthors recently published new research about the intersection of offshore wind development and coastal recreation in the journal “Energy Research & Social Science,” a study that Firestone and Hayes discuss; they also talk more broadly about the opportunities and challenges associated with increasing offshore wind development in the United States. References and recommendations: “Uncharted waters: Exploring coastal recreation impacts, coping behaviors, and attitudes towards offshore wind energy development in the United States” by Michael D. Ferguson, Darrick Evensen, Lauren A. Ferguson, David Bidwell, Jeremy Firestone, Tasha L. Dooley, and Clayton R. Mitchell; https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S2214629621001225 “Wind energy: A human challenge” by Jeremy Firestone; https://science.sciencemag.org/content/366/6470/1206.1 “Expert elicitation survey predicts 37% to 49% declines in wind energy costs by 2050” by Ryan Wiser, Joseph Rand, Joachim Seel, Philipp Beiter, Erin Baker, Eric Lantz, and Patrick Gilman; https://www.nature.com/articles/s41560-021-00810-z “The Economic Costs of NIMBYism: Evidence from Renewable Energy Projects” by Stephen Jarvis; https://haas.berkeley.edu/wp-content/uploads/WP311.pdf “Carbon policy and the emissions implications of electric vehicles” by Kenneth Gillingham, Marten Ovaere, and Stephanie M. Weber; https://www.nber.org/system/files/working_papers/w28620/w28620.pdf “Coffeeland: One Man’s Dark Empire and the Making of Our Favorite Drug” by Augustine Sedgewick; https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/316748/coffeeland-by-augustine-sedgewick/

In this episode, host Kristin Hayes talks with Sheila Hollis, acting executive director of the United States Energy Association (USEA). USEA is an industry association that represents 150 members across the US energy sector, from the largest Fortune 500 companies to small energy consulting firms. The organization supports policy and technical discussions with the US Department of Energy to expand the use of clean energy technology globally; it also works with the US Agency for International Development to expand energy access in developing countries. Hollis describes the changes faced by the energy industry in both mature and developing markets. References and recommendations: “The New Map: Energy, Climate, and the Clash of Nations” by Daniel Yergin; https://www.danielyergin.com/books/thenewmap

In February this year, we noticed at Resources for the Future that our explainer about carbon capture and storage—which provides an overview of the technology, along with its uses, benefits, and drawbacks—had suddenly skyrocketed in terms of page use on the website. When we investigated what had prompted this sudden expanded interest, we found Elon Musk's announcement from the day prior: Musk had offered $100 million in prize money, through the XPRIZE Foundation, to teams that can envision, prototype, and validate scalable carbon capture and removable technology. At the end of the four-year contest period, several prizes will be awarded: $50 million for first place, $20 million for second place, and $10 million for third. In addition, the program will offer 25 six-figure scholarships to competing academic teams. According to XPRIZE officials, the $100 million on offer represents one of the largest—if not the largest—incentive prizes in history. So, this episode is about prizes: how they've been used, what we can learn from past successes and failures, and how they compare to other instruments that are designed to spur innovation. Zorina Khan joins the podcast to talk about these fascinating issues. Khan is a professor of economics at Bowdoin College and a member of the National Bureau of Economic Research. Her research examines issues in law and economic history, including intellectual property rights, technological progress in Europe and the United States, antitrust litigation, legal systems, and corporate governance. She's an award-winning author, and her newest book is called "Inventing Ideas: Patents, Prizes, and the Knowledge Economy." 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 "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

In this episode, host Daniel Raimi talks with Pilar Thomas, a partner at Quarles & Brady and a professor of the practice at the University of Arizona and Arizona State University. Thomas is an expert on energy development and environmental management on tribal lands and has served in the US Departments of Justice, Interior, and Energy. Raimi and Thomas discuss how different tribes are approaching fossil and renewable energy development, preparing for the energy transition, and addressing energy poverty on tribal lands. References and recommendations: Tribal Energy Atlas from the National Renewable Energy Laboratory; https://maps.nrel.gov/tribal-energy-atlas Writing and analysis from Wood Mackenzie; https://www.woodmac.com/ Studies and analysis from Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory; https://www.lbl.gov/ Sandia National Laboratories; https://www.sandia.gov/

In this episode, host Kristin Hayes talks with Ariel Ortiz-Bobea, an associate professor of applied economics and policy at Cornell University and a faculty fellow at the Cornell Atkinson Center for Sustainability. Much of Ortiz-Bobea’s research focuses on the links between climate change and agricultural productivity—which is the topic of this conversation. In particular, Ortiz-Bobea discusses a paper that he and colleagues released recently in Nature Climate Change, which covers the historical impact of anthropogenic climate change on global agricultural productivity. The key word here is “historical.” Whereas a large body of research focuses on future impacts, this study looks back to see how much climate change already has affected agriculture globally. Spoiler alert: the impacts today have been fairly large. References and recommendations: “Anthropogenic climate change has slowed global agricultural productivity growth” by Ariel Ortiz-Bobea, Toby R. Ault, Carlos M. Carrillo, Robert G. Chambers, and David B. Lobell; https://www.nature.com/articles/s41558-021-01000-1 “Creating Abundance” by Alan L. Olmstead and Paul W. Rhode; http://services.cambridge.org/us/academic/subjects/history/american-history-general-interest/creating-abundance-biological-innovation-and-american-agricultural-development

In this week’s episode, host Kristin Hayes talks with Neil Maher, professor of history at the New Jersey Institute of Technology and Rutgers University-Newark. Maher’s research focuses on the intersection of environmental and political history, and his scholarship includes a 2008 book called “Nature’s New Deal.” Maher and Hayes discuss the Civilian Conservation Corps’s successes, challenges, and legacy in the American conservation and historical landscape. Maher also describes lessons from the Depression-era program that could apply to current policy and political deliberations. References and recommendations: “Stop Saving the Planet! An Environmentalist Manifesto” by Jenny Price; https://wwnorton.com/books/9780393540871

This week, host Daniel Raimi talks with New Yorker staff writer and Pulitzer Prize–Winning author Elizabeth Kolbert about her new book, “Under a White Sky: The Nature of the Future.” The book is a fascinating and darkly funny exploration of how humanity is trying to manage the negative effects we’ve inflicted on the natural world. Using examples such as the Asian carp, endangered desert pupfish, the Great Barrier Reef, and solar geoengineering, Kolbert’s book includes interviews with leading experts around the world who are using new technologies to try and counteract the harms done by old technologies. References and recommendations: “Beloved Beasts” by Michelle Nijhuis; https://michellenijhuis.com/beloved-beasts

In this episode, host Kristin Hayes talks with Wesley Look and Daniel Raimi, Resources for the Future (RFF) colleagues who have led RFF's research on enabling fairness for energy workers and communities in transition. Look is a senior research associate and Raimi is a fellow at RFF, and the work they describe in this episode has been carried out over the past year in partnership with Environmental Defense Fund (EDF), culminating in a synthesis report released on March 25, 2021. Look and Raimi share some of the lessons that they and their EDF colleagues have learned about this complex topic, including the many facets of transition, how the federal government can improve outcomes for workers, and what researchers and policymakers alike can learn from various communities and countries that already face these changing ties to the energy industry. References and recommendations: “Enabling Fairness for Energy Workers and Communities in Transition” synthesis report by Wesley Look, Daniel Raimi, Molly Robertson, Jake Higdon, and Daniel Propp; https://www.rff.org/publications/reports/enabling-fairness-for-energy-workers-and-communities-in-transition/ Fairness for Workers and Communities in Transition report series by Wesley Look, Daniel Raimi, Molly Robertson, Jake Higdon, and Daniel Propp; https://www.rff.org/fairness-for-workers-and-communities/ “Economic Development Policies to Enable Fairness for Workers and Communities in Transition” by Daniel Raimi, Wesley Look, Molly Robertson, and Jake Higdon; https://www.rff.org/publications/reports/economic-development-fairness-workers-communities/ “Environmental Remediation and Infrastructure Policies Supporting Workers and Communities in Transition” by Daniel Raimi; https://www.rff.org/publications/reports/environment-infrastructure-fairness-workers-communities/ “The Role of Public Benefits in Supporting Workers and Communities Affected by Energy Transition” by Jake Higdon and Molly Robertson; https://www.rff.org/publications/reports/public-benefits-supporting-workers-and-communities-affected-energy-transition/ “Labor Policies to Enable Fairness for Workers and Communities in Transition” by Wesley Look, Molly Robertson, Jake Higdon, and Daniel Propp; https://www.rff.org/publications/reports/labor-policies-to-enable-fairness-for-workers-and-communities-in-transition/ Just Transition Initiative at the Center for Strategic & International Studies (CSIS); https://www.csis.org/programs/energy-security-and-climate-change-program/projects/just-transition-initiative The American Jobs Plan from the Biden administration; https://www.whitehouse.gov/briefing-room/statements-releases/2021/03/31/fact-sheet-the-american-jobs-plan/

In this episode, host Daniel Raimi talks with William Acworth, Head of Secretariat at the International Carbon Action Partnership (ICAP). ICAP recently released its 2021 status report on global emissions trading, and we're highlighting the group's status report for the second year in a row. This time, Acworth gets us up to speed on China's recently launched national emissions trading scheme, along with programs from elsewhere in Asia, Europe, and the Americas. Acworth and Raimi discuss how markets have responded to the pandemic, where prices might be headed, and how markets are expanding to cover new sectors such as buildings and transportation. References and recommendations: "Emissions Trading Worldwide: Status Report 2021" from the International Carbon Action Partnership; https://icapcarbonaction.com/en/icap-status-report-2021 “Prices in the world’s biggest carbon market are soaring” from the Economist magazine; https://www.economist.com/finance-and-economics/2021/02/24/prices-in-the-worlds-biggest-carbon-market-are-soaring "2020 China Carbon Pricing Survey" from China Carbon Forum; http://www.chinacarbon.info/sdm_downloads/2020-china-carbon-pricing-survey/ "Barbarian Days: A Surfing Life" by William Finnegan; https://www.pulitzer.org/winners/william-finnegan "Under a White Sky" by Elizabeth Kolbert; https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/617060/under-a-white-sky-by-elizabeth-kolbert/ "How to Avoid a Climate Disaster" by Bill Gates; https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/633968/how-to-avoid-a-climate-disaster-by-bill-gates/

In this week's episode, host Daniel Raimi talks with Danielle Wood, assistant professor and director of the Space Enabled research group at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology Media Lab. Wood uses her expertise in aerospace engineering, aeronautics and astronautics, and technology policy to enhance societal development, bringing together tools not just from space and engineering, but also from economics and other social sciences. Wood discusses her recent research in Brazil and collaborations with policymakers around the world, who use space-based technologies to improve life here on Earth. References and recommendations: VALUABLES Consortium; https://www.rff.org/valuables/ "Combining Social, Environmental and Design Models to Support the Sustainable Development Goals" by Jack Reid, Cynthia Zeng, and Danielle Wood; https://www.media.mit.edu/publications/combining-social-environmental-and-design-models-to-support-the-sustainable-development-goals/ "Interactive Model for Assessing Mangrove Health, Ecosystem Services, Policy Consequences, and Satellite Design Using Earth Observation Data" by Jack Reid and Danielle Wood; https://www.media.mit.edu/publications/interactive-model-for-assessing-mangrove-health-ecosystem-services-policy-consequences-and-satellite-design-in-rio-de-janeiro-using-earth/ "Decision Support Model and Visualization for Assessing Environmental Phenomena, Ecosystem Services, Policy Consequences, and Satellite Design" by Jack Reid and Danielle Wood; https://www.media.mit.edu/publications/decision-support-model-and-visualization-for-assessing-environmental-phenomena-ecosystem-services-policy-consequences-and-satellite-desig/ Zora Neale Hurston’s books; https://www.zoranealehurston.com/books/ "Barracoon: The Story of the Last 'Black Cargo'" by Zora Neale Hurston; https://www.harpercollins.com/products/barracoon-zora-neale-hurston "Stamped from the Beginning: The Definitive History of Racist Ideas in America" by Ibram X. Kendi; https://www.nationalbook.org/books/stamped-from-the-beginning-the-definitive-history-of-racist-ideas-in-america/ "In & Of Itself" movie; https://www.inandofitselfshow.com/

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