Resources Radio

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

This week, host Daniel Raimi talks with Neil Lewis Jr., an assistant professor of communication and social behavior at Cornell University, about how different socioeconomic groups define what is—and what is not—an “environmental” issue. Lewis’s research touches on a variety of policy issues, from industrial pollution and housing policy to climate change and unemployment. In this episode, Lewis describes how individuals define “environmental” issues differently and asserts that recognizing these differences can help inform policymaking. References and recommendations: “What counts as an ‘environmental’ issue? Differences in issue conceptualization by race, ethnicity, and socioeconomic status” by Hwanseok Song, Neil A. Lewis Jr., Matthew T. Ballew, Mario Bravo, Julie Davydova, H. Oliver Gao, Robert J. Garcia, Sofia Hiltner, Sarah M. Naiman, Adam R. Pearson, Rainer Romero-Canyas, and Jonathan P. Schuldt; https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0272494419304220 “Palaces for the People” by Eric Klinenberg; https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/557044/palaces-for-the-people-by-eric-klinenberg/ “Rediscovery of Abandoned Wells in the World’s First Oil Field” StoryMap from the National Energy Technology Laboratory; https://www.netl.doe.gov/node/9367

In this episode, we say, "So Long, 2020!" and look ahead to 2021. To do so, host Daniel Raimi talks with two of the smartest energy and environmental thinkers around: Sarah Ladislaw, from the Center for Strategic and International Studies, and Barry Rabe, from the Ford School of Public Policy at the University of Michigan. Ladislaw and Rabe reflect on the crazy year that was 2020—in particular, by noting which developments in energy and environmental policy likely will stay with us; some of the legacies of the Trump presidency; and what climate policy might look like under a Biden administration, which has laid out ambitious climate goals but likely faces a challenging political landscape. References and recommendations: "Trust" by Pete Buttigieg; https://wwnorton.com/books/9781631498770 "Theories of Change" podcast; https://www.csis.org/podcasts/theories-change "Power Grab" by Paasha Mahdavi; https://www.cambridge.org/us/academic/subjects/politics-international-relations/political-economy/power-grab-political-survival-through-extractive-resource-nationalization "Carbon Province, Hydro Province" by Douglas Macdonald; https://utorontopress.com/us/carbon-province-hydro-province-4 "The Wizard and the Prophet" by Charles C. Mann; https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/220698/the-wizard-and-the-prophet-by-charles-c-mann/

This week, host Daniel Raimi talks with Jordy Lee, a senior research associate at the Payne Institute for Public Policy at the Colorado School of Mines. Lee discusses rare earth minerals, which are used widely in clean energy technologies, including wind, solar, and energy storage. Raimi and Lee talk about what rare earth minerals are, whether they're literally “rare,” how they’re mined and processed around the world, and their geopolitical implications. References and recommendations: "Sustain What?" podcast from the Earth Institute at Columbia University; https://www.earth.columbia.edu/videos/channel/sustain-what

This week, host Kristin Hayes talks with Sheila Olmstead, a professor at the University of Texas at Austin, a university fellow at Resources for the Future (RFF) and a senior fellow at the Property and Environment Research Center in Bozeman, Montana. She spent time at the Council of Economic Advisers during the transition from the Obama to Trump administrations, and she has coauthored a recent report, commissioned by the External Environmental Economics Advisory Committee (E-EEAC), which is the subject of this episode. The E-EEAC is an independent organization dedicated to providing up-to-date, nonpartisan advice on the state of economic science as it relates to programs at the US Environmental Protection Agency. Regular listeners may recall that Hayes discussed a previous E-EEAC report on Resources Radio, with coauthors Mary Evans and Matt Kotchen, about the Mercury and Air Toxics Standards (MATS) rule. This week, Hayes and Holmstead talk about the newly released report commissioned by the E-EEAC, this time about the 2015 Clean Water Rule and its eventual replacement, the Navigable Waters Protection Rule. They discuss what the rules are all about, how the rules have shifted under different presidential administrations, and Holmstead's views on how to improve the economic analysis that underpins the development and finalization of these rules. References and recommendations: "Report on the Repeal of the Clean Water Rule and its Replacement with the Navigable Waters Protection Rule to Define Waters of the United States (WOTUS)" by David A. Keiser, Sheila M. Olmstead, Kevin J. Boyle, Victor B. Flatt, Bonnie L. Keeler, Daniel J. Phaneuf, Joseph S. Shapiro, and Jay P. Shimshack; https://www.e-eeac.org/wotusreport "Bowlaway" by Elizabeth McCracken; https://www.harpercollins.com/products/bowlaway-elizabeth-mccracken?variant=32205511360546 "The Giant's House" by Elizabeth McCracken; https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/110879/the-giants-house-by-elizabeth-mccracken/

This week, host Daniel Raimi talks with Nyeema Harris, an assistant professor of ecology and evolutionary biology at the University of Michigan. Harris has coauthored a recent study that shows how communities of lions are distributed across national parks and hunting concessions in West Africa. Harris and Raimi discuss how these different environments affects patterns in lion movement and distribution, how those findings can inform conservation policy, and the controversial and fascinating topic of trophy hunting. References and recommendations: “Where lions roam: West African big cats show no preference between national parks, hunting zones” by Jim Erickson; https://news.umich.edu/where-lions-roam-west-african-big-cats-show-no-preference-between-national-parks-hunting-zones/ "Comparable space use by lions between hunting concessions and national parks in West Africa" by Kirby L. Mills, Yahou Harissou, Isaac T. Gnoumou, Yaye I. Abdel-Nasser, Benoit Doamba, and Nyeema C. Harris; https://besjournals.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1111/1365-2664.13601 Black Mammalogists Week; https://blackmammalogists.com/ "A Terrible Thing to Waste" by Harriet A. Washington; https://www.hachettebookgroup.com/titles/harriet-a-washington/a-terrible-thing-to-waste/9780316509428 “Trophy hunting—can it really be justified by ‘conservation benefits’?” by Melanie Flynn; https://theconversation.com/trophy-hunting-can-it-really-be-justified-by-conservation-benefits-121921

This week, host Daniel Raimi talks with Mahmoud Taha, a professor and chair of the Department of Civil Engineering at the University of New Mexico. Taha is an expert on many things related to materials science; in this episode, he talks about cement, which he calls the “magic glue” of construction. Taha and Raimi discuss the greenhouse gas footprint of cement, options for reducing that footprint, how the use of new materials might affect the cost and performance of cement, and government policies that can help spur innovation and speed deployment. References and recommendations: “Good Economics for Hard Times” by Abhijit V. Banerjee and Esther Duflo; https://www.goodeconomicsforhardtimes.com/ “Sweden’s HYBRIT starts operations at pilot plant for fossil-free steel” in Reuters; https://www.reuters.com/article/us-sweden-steel-hydrogen/swedens-hybrit-starts-operations-at-pilot-plant-for-fossil-free-steel-idUSKBN25R1PI

In this episode, host Kristin Hayes talks with Apala Mukherjee, circular economy leader and sustainability director at BASF Corporation. BASF is one of the largest chemical companies in the world and has been considering how best to reduce waste—for both sustainability and cost-reduction reasons. As noted on the BASF website, the concept of a circular economy isn't just about waste reduction; Mukherjee helps define the term, explains what "circular economy" means in practice at a large multinational firm like BASF, and describes some implementation challenges that businesses must confront, if they're committed to circular economy principles. References and recommendations: "The Circular Economy Handbook" by Peter Lacey, Jessica Long, and Wesley Spindler; https://www.palgrave.com/us/book/9781349959679 “Breaking the Plastic Wave: Top Findings for Preventing Plastic Pollution” by Simon Reddy and Winnie Lau; https://www.pewtrusts.org/en/research-and-analysis/articles/2020/07/23/breaking-the-plastic-wave-top-findings

In this week's episode, host Kristin Hayes talks with the coauthors of the new book “Reviving Rationality: Saving Cost-Benefit Analysis for the Sake of the Environment and Our Health," Michael A. Livermore and Richard Revesz. Livermore was the founding executive director of the Institute for Policy Integrity at New York University (NYU) and now serves as one of its senior advisors. He is a professor at the University of Virginia’s School of Law. Revesz is the Lawrence King Professor of Law at NYU and the current director of the Institute for Policy Integrity. Oxford University Press released the new book last week; in this episode, Livermore and Revesz talk about why they chose to invest their time in this project, what messages they intend the book to convey, and how they see the issues described in the book playing out over the next few years. References and recommendations: “Reviving Rationality: Saving Cost-Benefit Analysis for the Sake of the Environment and Our Health" by Michael A. Livermore and Richard Revesz; https://global.oup.com/academic/product/reviving-rationality-9780197539446 "Mindscape" podcast; https://www.preposterousuniverse.com/podcast/ "Nice White Parents podcast; https://www.nytimes.com/2020/07/23/podcasts/nice-white-parents-serial.html

This week, host Daniel Raimi talks with Mark Tercek, longtime investment banker at Goldman Sachs, a former CEO of The Nature Conservancy, and a current member of the President's Council at Resources for the Future (RFF). Tercek talks about his current work advising private companies on how to take more ambitious steps to address environmental problems—particularly climate change. He and Raimi discuss some examples of what companies are doing, why they’re doing it, and how a skeptical public can evaluate the veracity of corporate climate commitments. References and recommendations: "The Instigator" newsletter by Mark Tercek; https://marktercek.substack.com/ "Reimagining Capitalism in a World on Fire" by Rebecca M. Henderson; https://reimaginingcapitalism.org/ "Playing the Enemy: Nelson Mandela and the Game that Made a Nation" by John Carlin; https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/530626/playing-the-enemy-by-john-carlin/ Amy Harder's interview with Bernard Looney via Axios on HBO; https://www.axios.com/bp-ceo-climate-reinvention-axios-on-hbo-624c3a9c-9ad4-4fb1-9b38-552c558a3544.html

In this week's episode, guest hosts Richard Newell and Sue Tierney talk with each other about the difference it makes for policymakers to have access to sound economic and policy analysis, economic and climate policy in the near and longer term, the best ways to deploy resources to achieve ambitious policy outcomes, and highlights from prior episodes in the "Big Decisions" series they've spearheaded on the Resources Radio podcast. Newell is president and CEO of Resources for the Future (RFF). Tierney serves as the chair of RFF's Board of Directors and is a senior advisor at Analysis Group. This is the final episode of our month-long spin-off series, “Big Decisions: The Future of US Environmental and Energy Policy.” For this series, which has aired in our same Resources Radio time slot every Tuesday in October, RFF Board of Directors Chair Sue Tierney and RFF President Richard G. Newell have shared guest-hosting duties and talked with leading decisionmakers, analysts, researchers, and reporters about the big decisions that will impact US environmental and energy policy in the years to come. References and recommendations: "The New Map" by Daniel Yergin; https://www.danielyergin.com/books/thenewmap "Growth" by Vaclav Smil; https://mitpress.mit.edu/books/growth "Occupied" TV series; https://www.netflix.com/title/80092654 "The Comey Rule" TV miniseries; https://www.sho.com/the-comey-rule "The Trial of the Chicago 7" film; https://www.netflix.com/title/81043755 "The Splendid and the Vile" by Erik Larson; https://eriklarsonbooks.com/book/the-splendid-and-the-vile/ "A Crisis Wasted" by Jeffrey L. Cummings and Reed Hundt; https://www.simonandschuster.com/books/A-Crisis-Wasted/Reed-Hundt/9781948122313