Resources Radio - Resources for the Future

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Wildfires: Burning through State Budgets, with Colin Foard Dec 04, 2022

Show notes

In this week’s episode, host Kristin Hayes talks with Colin Foard, a manager at the Pew Charitable Trusts, about a new report that documents how efforts to reduce wildfire risks are stressing state budgets. Foard and Hayes acknowledge that figuring out how to pay for wildfire mitigation and recovery is critical for many levels of government; discuss how local, state, and federal governments collaborate on wildfire suppression; and walk through recommendations for reducing the costs of wildfire management. References and recommendations: “Wildfires: Burning through State Budgets” from the Pew Charitable Trusts; https://www.pewtrusts.org/en/research-and-analysis/reports/2022/11/wildfires-burning-through-state-budgets “Disaster Recovery: Actions Needed to Improve the Federal Approach” from the US Government Accountability Office; https://www.gao.gov/products/gao-23-104956 “Highlights Hello” magazine; https://www.nappaawards.com/product/highlights-hello-magazine-by-highlights-for-children/

Overcoming the Obstacles in the Mid-Transition to Clean Energy, with Emily Grubert Nov 28, 2022

Show notes

In this week’s episode, host Daniel Raimi talks about the clean energy transition with Emily Grubert, an associate professor of sustainable energy policy at the University of Notre Dame. Grubert discusses challenges associated with the “mid-transition,” a period of the clean energy transition when both fossil fuels and clean energy infrastructure may be necessary. Grubert and Raimi examine the investments, policies, and communication strategies that could help maintain a reliable and affordable energy system during the tricky mid-transition period. References and recommendations: “Designing the mid-transition: A review of medium-term challenges for coordinated decarbonization in the United States” by Emily Grubert and Sara Hastings-Simon; https://wires.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1002/wcc.768 “Heat Wave: A Social Autopsy of Disaster in Chicago” by Eric Klinenberg; https://press.uchicago.edu/ucp/books/book/chicago/H/bo20809880.html

One Rural Community’s Uncertain Energy Future, with Kelli Roemer Nov 19, 2022

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In this week’s episode, host Daniel Raimi talks with Kelli Roemer, a PhD candidate in earth sciences at Montana State University. Roemer discusses a small town in Montana called Colstrip, which historically has been dependent on coal mining and coal-fired power generation. Their conversation examines the importance of the local coal industry to Colstrip’s community and how local stakeholders are planning for the possible closure of the Rosebud Mine and power plant in Colstrip. References and recommendations: “The energy transition as fiscal rupture: Public services and resilience pathways in a coal company town” by Kelli F. Roemer and Julia H. Haggerty; https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S2214629622002560 “Coal Communities in Transition: A Case Study of Colstrip, Montana” by Kelli Roemer, Daniel Raimi, and Rebecca Glaser; https://www.rff.org/publications/reports/coal-communities-in-transition-a-case-study-of-colstrip-montana/ “Richest Hill” podcast; https://www.npr.org/podcasts/689406568/richest-hill “Fireline” podcast; https://www.npr.org/podcasts/975478087/fireline

Fostering the Forest Economy in the United States, with James Boyd Nov 14, 2022

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In this week’s episode, host Daniel Raimi talks with James Boyd, a senior fellow at Resources for the Future, about the implications of recent private-sector and government investments in US forests for wildlife management, forest products markets, and forest conservation efforts. Boyd examines how these investments could affect wildfire risk, communities that rely on nearby forests, and the scale at which forests can store carbon dioxide. References and recommendations: “Aubrey-Maturin series” of nautical historical novels; https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aubrey%E2%80%93Maturin_series “Master and Commander: The Far Side of the World” film; https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0311113/

Choking on Wildfire Smoke: Quantifying Its Effects on Air Pollution, with Marissa Childs Oct 29, 2022

Show notes

In this week’s episode, host Kristin Hayes talks with Marissa Childs, a postdoctoral fellow at the Harvard University Center for the Environment, about a recently published study that explores the prevalence and dangers of wildfire smoke in the United States. Childs discusses changes in the location and frequency of wildfire smoke, the degree to which increased prevalence of air pollution can be attributed to wildfire smoke, and the disproportionate effect of wildfire smoke on certain groups of people. References and recommendations: “Daily Local-Level Estimates of Ambient Wildfire Smoke PM2.5 for the Contiguous US” by Marissa L. Childs, Jessica Li, Jeffrey Wen, Sam Heft-Neal, Anne Driscoll, Sherrie Wang, Carlos F. Gould, Minghao Qiu, Jennifer Burney, and Marshall Burke; https://pubs.acs.org/doi/10.1021/acs.est.2c02934 “All We Can Save: Truth, Courage, and Solutions for the Climate Crisis” edited by Ayana Elizabeth Johnson and Katharine K. Wilkinson; https://www.allwecansave.earth/anthology

Integrating Nature into US Economic Statistics, with Eli Fenichel Oct 23, 2022

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This week, podcast co-host Margaret Walls joins Resources Radio for her first episode, with guest Eli Fenichel, the Assistant Director for Natural Resource Economics and Accounting in the Office of Science and Technology Policy at the White House. Fenichel and Walls discuss the recently announced plan from the Biden-Harris administration to integrate the value of natural resources and the environment with measurements of the national economy, such as GDP. References and recommendations: “National Strategy to Develop Statistics for Environmental-Economic Decisions: A US System of Natural Capital Accounting and Associated Environmental-Economic Statistics” from the Office of Science and Technology Policy, the Office of Management and Budget, and the Department of Commerce; https://www.whitehouse.gov/wp-content/uploads/2022/08/Natural-Capital-Accounting-Strategy.pdf “This Explains Everything” by John Brockman; https://www.harpercollins.com/products/this-explains-everything-john-brockman

A Funder’s View on Energy and the Environment, with Evan Michelson Oct 15, 2022

Show notes

This week, host Kristin Hayes talks with Evan Michelson, a program director at the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation who oversees the foundation’s energy and environment program. They discuss the world of energy and environmental research from a funder’s perspective: how philanthropies set funding priorities, how the world of environmental philanthropy has evolved, and why research matters. References and recommendations: “Philanthropy and the Future of Science and Technology” by Evan S. Michelson; https://www.routledge.com/Philanthropy-and-the-Future-of-Science-and-Technology/Michelson/p/book/9780367498832 “The Genesis of Technoscientific Revolutions: Rethinking the Nature and Nurture of Research” by Venkatesh Narayanamurti and Jeffrey Y. Tsao; https://www.hup.harvard.edu/catalog.php?isbn=9780674251854

Getting to a Net-Zero Resilient Economy, with Billy Pizer Oct 10, 2022

Show notes

This week, host Daniel Raimi talks with Billy Pizer, the vice president for research and policy engagement at Resources for the Future, about getting to a net-zero resilient economy. Pizer discusses the meaning of “net-zero resilient economy,” the existing suite of global net-zero goals and pledges, and how recent federal policy has moved the United States closer to its net-zero goals. Pizer and Raimi also talk about barriers to achieving a net-zero future, including the potential tension between reducing emissions deeply and reducing emissions quickly. References and recommendations: Net-Zero Economy Summit from Resources for the Future; https://www.rff.org/events/conferences/net-zero-economy-summit/ “US Federal Government Subsidies for Clean Energy: Design Choices and Implications” by Richard G. Newell, Billy Pizer, and Daniel Raimi; https://www.rff.org/publications/journal-articles/us-federal-government-subsidies-clean-energy-design-choices-and-implications/ “Inflation Reduction Act: Electric Vehicle Subsidies for Passenger Vehicles” by Beia Spiller; https://www.resources.org/common-resources/inflation-reduction-act-electric-vehicle-subsidies-for-passenger-vehicles/ Climate Action Tracker; https://climateactiontracker.org/ “The Last Best Hope: America in Crisis and Renewal” by George Packer; https://us.macmillan.com/books/9780374603663/lastbesthope

A Global Look at Urban Air Quality, with Pallavi Pant Oct 03, 2022

Show notes

In this week’s episode, host Kristin Hayes talks about air pollution with Pallavi Pant, the head of global health at the Health Effects Institute. Pant discusses a new study that explores the prevalence of fine particulate matter and nitrogen dioxide pollution in more than 7,000 cities worldwide. Pant and Hayes also delve into the health effects of air pollution, trends in urban air quality in regions around the world, and how the COVID-19 pandemic has impacted air quality. References and recommendations: “Air Quality and Health in Cities: A State of Global Air Report” from the Health Effects Institute; https://www.stateofglobalair.org/resources/health-in-cities “Agents of Change in Environmental Justice” podcast; https://agentsofchangeinej.org/podcast/

The Latest in Nuclear Energy Innovation and Deployment, with Alex Gilbert Sep 26, 2022

Show notes

In this week’s episode, host Daniel Raimi talks about the latest developments in nuclear energy innovation, policy, and deployment with Alex Gilbert, a PhD student and fellow at the Payne Institute for Public Policy at Colorado School of Mines and the Director of Space and Planetary Regulation at Zeno Power. Gilbert discusses the types of nuclear technologies in the development pipeline, how they differ from older technologies, which technologies are being piloted, and how recent policies—especially the Inflation Reduction Act—incentivize the deployment of these technologies. References and recommendations: “Global Energy Outlook 2022: Turning Points and Tension in the Energy Transition” by Daniel Raimi, Erin Campbell, Richard G. Newell, Brian C. Prest, Seth Villanueva, and Jordan Wingenroth; https://www.rff.org/publications/reports/global-energy-outlook-2022/ “Our Great National Parks” television series; https://www.netflix.com/title/81086133

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