Resources Radio - Resources for the Future

Latest Episodes:

Climate and Weather, with Jason Samenow of the Capital Weather Gang (Rebroadcast) Aug 18, 2024

Show notes

This week, we’re rebroadcasting an episode from the Resources Radio archive while the team is on a break through the rest of August. We’ll be back in September with new episodes; in the meantime, enjoy this throwback and poke around the archive at Resources.org for more topics you might be interested in. In this week’s episode rerun, host Kristin Hayes talks with Jason Samenow, weather editor for the Washington Post and one of the leaders of the Post’s Capital Weather Gang. They discuss the intersection of climate change and weather, with a particular focus on how meteorologists communicate with the public about climate change in a scientifically rigorous way and how that communication has evolved alongside climate science. Samenow and Hayes also talk about the increasing number of extreme weather events that have been occurring both globally and in the Washington, DC, area. References and recommendations: Climate Central; https://www.climatecentral.org/ World Weather Attribution; https://www.worldweatherattribution.org/ Penn State Weather Camps; https://weather-camp.outreach.psu.edu/ Lenticular clouds; https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lenticular_cloud Mammatus clouds; https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mammatus_cloud Kelvin-Helmholtz clouds; https://scied.ucar.edu/image/kelvin-helmholtz-clouds Snowmageddon 2010; https://www.washingtonpost.com/weather/2019/02/05/remembering-s-snowmageddon-images-scenes/ Eye on the Tropics newsletter by Michael Lowry; https://michaelrlowry.substack.com/ “The Weather” song by Lawrence; https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M9TYHOARDFI

AC / DC: Unequal Access to Air Conditioning, with Kelly T. Sanders (Rebroadcast) Aug 12, 2024

Show notes

This week, we’re rebroadcasting an episode from the Resources Radio archive while the team is on a break through the rest of August. We’ll be back in September with new episodes; in the meantime, enjoy this throwback and poke around the archive at Resources.org for more topics you might be interested in. In this week’s episode rerun, host Daniel Raimi talks with Kelly T. Sanders, an associate professor at the University of Southern California. With her coauthors, Sanders published a series of studies on air-conditioning use in southern California, with a focus on who does (and does not) have access to cooling on hot days. This work, which touches on issues of energy and environmental justice, has big implications for managing climate change in the decades to come. References and recommendations: “Utilizing smart-meter data to project impacts of urban warming on residential electricity use for vulnerable populations in Southern California” by Mo Chen, George A. Ban-Weiss, and Kelly T. Sanders; https://iopscience.iop.org/article/10.1088/1748-9326/ab6fbe/meta “Growth: From Microorganisms to Megacities” by Vaclav Smil; https://mitpress.mit.edu/books/growth “These Truths: A History of the United States” by Jill Lepore; https://wwnorton.com/books/9780393357424

Exploring Partisan Divides on Climate and Energy Policy, with David Spence Aug 05, 2024

Show notes

In this week’s episode, host Daniel Raimi talks with David Spence, a law professor at the University of Texas at Austin, about Spence’s new book, “Climate of Contempt: How to Rescue the US Energy Transition from Voter Partisanship,” which was released today. Spence discusses reasons that climate and energy have become such divisive topics in US politics, including the partisan state of Congress and the modern media environment, and strategies to help build support among voters for climate action and temper polarization across the political spectrum. References and recommendations: “Climate of Contempt: How to Rescue the US Energy Transition from Voter Partisanship” by David B. Spence; https://climateofcontempt.com/ “Saving Us: A Climate Scientist’s Case for Hope and Healing in a Divided World” by Katharine Hayhoe; https://www.simonandschuster.com/books/Saving-Us/Katharine-Hayhoe/9781982143848 Deep canvassing idea from Joshua Kalla and David Broockman; https://news.berkeley.edu/2020/06/26/want-to-persuade-an-opponent-try-listening-berkeley-scholar-says/ “The Gulf: The Making of an American Sea” by Jack E. Davis; https://www.pulitzer.org/winners/jack-e-davis

An Introduction to the Environmental and Health Risks of Forever Chemicals, with Caroline Noblet Jul 27, 2024

Show notes

In this week’s episode, host Daniel Raimi talks with Caroline Noblet, an associate professor at the University of Maine, about the risks and negative impacts of forever chemicals on the environment and human health. “Forever chemicals” refer to per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS), which are a group of synthetic chemicals with extremely durable chemical bonds that have become dangerously common in water systems, consumer goods, agricultural production, and manufacturing facilities. Because PFAS chemical bonds do not break down easily, forever chemicals stick around for long periods of time. Noblet discusses policy solutions to decrease existing water contamination due to forever chemicals and limit future exposure to these chemicals, while accounting for geographic and economic differences across communities; new rules mandating the testing of public water systems for certain PFAS chemicals; and the economic implications of efforts to clean up and reduce exposure to forever chemicals. References and recommendations: “Dark Waters” film; https://www.imdb.com/title/tt9071322/ “Natural Capital” by Dieter Helm; https://yalebooks.yale.edu/book/9780300219371/natural-capital/

Four Dam Removals on the Klamath River, with Amy Bowers Cordalis Jul 20, 2024

Show notes

In this week’s episode, host Margaret Walls talks with Amy Bowers Cordalis, cofounder and principal of Ridges to Riffles Indigenous Conservation Group, about efforts to remove four dams on the Klamath River in California and Oregon. Cordalis discusses her experience growing up on the Klamath River as a member of the Yurok Tribe, the ecological damage to the Klamath River Basin and the Yurok Tribe that has been caused by the dams and nearby agricultural production, and the process that led to the removal of the dams. References and recommendations: “Undammed” video with Amy Bowers Cordalis; https://www.patagonia.com/stories/undammed/video-148718.html “Treaty Justice” by Charles Wilkinson; https://uwapress.uw.edu/book/9780295752723/treaty-justice/ “The Water Remembers” by Amy Bowers Cordalis; https://www.hachettebookgroup.com/titles/amy-bowers-cordalis/the-water-remembers/9780316568951

Designing the Electricity Markets of the Future, with Chiara Lo Prete Jul 15, 2024

Show notes

In this week’s episode, host Kristin Hayes talks with Chiara Lo Prete, an associate professor of energy economics at Penn State University, about the design of electricity markets in the United States. Lo Prete discusses the differences among electricity markets in different regions of the country; efforts to ensure that electric utilities can meet demand for electricity under adverse conditions, such as extreme weather events; and new designs of electricity markets that aim to accommodate both growing demand for electricity and the further integration of renewable energy resources into the US electric grid. References and recommendations: “Time for a Market Upgrade? A Review of Wholesale Electricity Market Designs for the Future” by Chiara Lo Prete, Karen Palmer, and Molly Robertson; https://www.rff.org/publications/reports/review-of-wholesale-electricity-market-designs-for-the-future/ “Superpower: One Man’s Quest to Transform American Energy” by Russell Gold; https://www.simonandschuster.com/books/Superpower/Russell-Gold/9781501163593 “4 3 2 1” by Paul Auster; https://us.macmillan.com/books/9781250618801/4-3-2-1

Loved to Death? Social Media and Rising Visitation to National Parks, with Casey Wichman Jul 07, 2024

Show notes

In this week’s episode, host Margaret Walls talks with Casey Wichman, an assistant professor at the Georgia Institute of Technology and university fellow at Resources for the Future, about the influence of social media on the popularity of national parks. Wichman estimates in a recent study that more exposure of a national park on social media increases visits to that park. He discusses people’s relationships with national parks in a digital age; the effects of increased visitation on persistent issues in national parks, such as overcrowding and underfunding; and the potential boost in revenue that social media exposure can provide to national parks. References and recommendations: “Social Media Influences National Park Visitation” by Casey Wichman; https://www.rff.org/publications/journal-articles/social-media-influences-national-park-visitation/ “A New Study Finds Crowds at National Parks May Be Due to Social Media” by Wes Siler in “Outside” magazine; https://www.outsideonline.com/outdoor-adventure/hiking-and-backpacking/national-parks-social-media/ “Do National Monuments Help or Hinder Local Economies?” episode of the “Resources Radio” podcast; https://www.resources.org/resources-radio/do-national-monuments-help-or-hinder-local-economies-margaret-walls/ “Outside” magazine; https://www.outsideonline.com/ “Mountain Gazette” magazine; https://mountaingazette.com/ “The Wolf, the Duck, and the Mouse” by Mac Barnett and Jon Klassen; https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/559535/the-wolf-the-duck-and-the-mouse-by-mac-barnett-illustrated-by-jon-klassen/

Teaching and Mentoring in Environmental Economics, with Jill Caviglia-Harris Jun 30, 2024

Show notes

In this week’s episode, host Margaret Walls sits in on the annual conference of the Association of Environmental and Resource Economists to talk with Jill Caviglia-Harris, a professor at Salisbury University, about her work teaching and mentoring early-career scholars in the field of environmental economics. Caviglia-Harris discusses her approach to teaching and mentorship, efforts to facilitate diverse perspectives in environmental economics by building diverse cohorts of scholars, and the importance of collective leadership methods in these types of inclusive programs. References and recommendations: “The six dimensions of collective leadership that advance sustainability objectives: rethinking what it means to be an academic leader” by Jill Caviglia-Harris, Karen E. Hodges, Brian Helmuth, Elena M. Bennett, Kathleen Galvin, Margaret Krebs, Karen Lips, Meg Lowman, Lisa A. Schulte, and Edward A. G. Schuur; https://ecologyandsociety.org/vol26/iss3/art9/ “Looking at Environmental and Natural Resource Economics through the Lens of Racial Equity” by Amy Ando, Titus Awokuse, Jimena González Ramírez, Sumeet Gulati, Sarah Jacobson, Dale Manning, Samuel Stolper, and Matt Fleck; https://www.resources.org/common-resources/looking-at-environmental-and-natural-resource-economics-through-the-lens-of-racial-equity/ “Systemic Racism in Environmental Economics” podcast episode from Resources Radio; https://www.resources.org/resources-radio/systemic-racism-in-environmental-economics-with-jimena-gonzalez-ramirez-and-sarah-jacobson/ “Environmental and Natural Resource Economics and Systemic Racism” by Amy Ando, Titus Awokuse, Nathan W. Chan, Jimena González Ramírez, Sumeet Gulati, Matthew G. Interis, Sarah Jacobson, Dale T. Manning, and Samuel Stolper; https://www.rff.org/publications/working-papers/environmental-and-natural-resource-economics-and-systemic-racism/ “Environmental and Natural Resource Economics and Systemic Racism” by Amy W. Ando, Titus O. Awokuse, Nathan W. Chan, Jimena González-Ramírez, Sumeet Gulati, Matthew G. Interis, Sarah Jacobson, Dale T. Manning, and Samuel Stolper; https://www.journals.uchicago.edu/doi/10.1086/727693 “Thinking Like an Economist” by Elizabeth Popp Berman; https://press.princeton.edu/books/hardcover/9780691167381/thinking-like-an-economist

What Can Cell Phone Data Tell Us about Outdoor Recreation?, with Daniel Phaneuf Jun 22, 2024

Show notes

In this week’s episode, host Margaret Walls sits in on the annual conference of the Association of Environmental and Resource Economists to talk with Daniel Phaneuf, a professor at the University of Wisconsin–Madison, about Phaneuf’s work on estimating the value of outdoor spaces for recreation. Phaneuf discusses methods for estimating the value of nonmarket goods (e.g., outdoor recreation sites) and the influence of environmental conditions, like water quality, on people’s choices regarding the use of outdoor recreation sites. Phaneuf also discusses the advantages and disadvantages of locational cell phone data and the implications of this data for future estimates of the value of outdoor recreation sites. References and recommendations: “Best Practices for Implementing Recreation Demand Models” by Frank Lupi, Daniel J. Phaneuf, and Roger H. von Haefen; https://www.journals.uchicago.edu/doi/abs/10.1093/reep/reaa007 Author Arthur C. Brooks at the “Atlantic” magazine; https://www.theatlantic.com/author/arthur-c-brooks/ “Harvard’s Arthur C. Brooks on the Secrets to Happiness at Work” from Harvard Business Review; https://hbr.org/2023/09/harvards-arthur-c-brooks-on-the-secrets-to-happiness-at-work

Straining the System: Heat and Health-Care Outcomes, with Sandra Aguilar-Gomez Jun 15, 2024

Show notes

In this week’s episode, host Kristin Hayes sits in on the annual conference of the Association of Environmental and Resource Economists to talk with Sandra Aguilar-Gomez, an assistant professor of economics at the Universidad de los Andes in Bogotá, Colombia, about Aguilar-Gomez’s work on heat-induced overcrowding in hospitals in Mexico. They discuss the effect of heat on human health, the stress that high temperatures exert on the Mexican public health-care system, and the impact of overcrowded hospitals on patient outcomes. Aguilar-Gomez also shares strategies for bolstering the emergency preparedness of hospitals, such as improving communication between hospitals and encouraging people to take preventative measures during periods of extreme heat. References and recommendations: Sandra Aguilar-Gomez homepage; https://sandraaguilargomez.com/ “Babbage” podcast; https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/babbage-from-the-economist/id508376907 “How to Save the Planet” podcast; https://gimletmedia.com/shows/howtosaveaplanet

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