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Shining Light on Clean Energy Workforce Development, with Adewale OgunBadejo Mar 27, 2023

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In this week’s episode, host Kristin Hayes talks with Adewale OgunBadejo, vice president for workforce development at GRID Alternatives, the largest nonprofit installer of solar panels in the United States. OgunBadejo and Hayes discuss how an organization can recruit and train people effectively in the solar industry, how partnerships with organizations in clean energy industries can bolster workforce development, and how the clean energy transition offers important opportunities for positive socioeconomic change. References and recommendations: “Key Recommendations: Cultivating a Diverse and Skilled Talent Pipeline for the Equitable Transition” from the Interstate Renewable Energy Council; https://irecusa.org/resources/key-recommendations-cultivating-a-diverse-and-skilled-talent-pipeline-for-the-equitable-transition/ “National Solar Jobs Census 2021” from the Interstate Renewable Energy Council; https://irecusa.org/resources/national-solar-jobs-census-2021/

Energy Transition in Canada’s Oil Sands, with Andrew Leach Mar 20, 2023

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In this week’s episode, host Daniel Raimi talks with Andrew Leach, a professor at the University of Alberta, about the oil and gas industry in Alberta, Canada. Leach discusses how oil and gas are extracted in Alberta’s oil sands region, the environmental liabilities that result from this type of extraction, tensions between provincial and national leaders over environmental policies and emissions-reduction goals, how First Nations participate in the decisionmaking related to energy development, the energy transition, and more. “The Patch” by Chris Turner; https://www.simonandschuster.com/books/The-Patch/Chris-Turner/9781501115103 “How to Be a Climate Optimist” by Chris Turner; https://www.penguinrandomhouse.ca/books/668167/how-to-be-a-climate-optimist-by-chris-turner/9780735281974

Protecting Habitats and Meeting Net-Zero Emissions Targets, with Grace Wu Mar 13, 2023

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In this week’s episode, host Margaret Walls talks with Grace Wu, an assistant professor at the University of California, Santa Barbara, about the intersection of land use change and the adoption and implementation of clean energy technologies. Wu discusses the impacts of land use change on species and ecosystems, the land use requirements of different clean energy technologies, and strategies that can help us meet net-zero energy targets while minimizing negative impacts on habitats and ecosystems. References and recommendations: “Minimizing habitat conflicts in meeting net-zero energy targets in the western United States” by Grace C. Wu, Ryan A. Jones, Emily Leslie, James H. Williams, Andrew Pascale, Erica Brand, Sophie S. Parker, Brian S. Cohen, Joseph E. Fargione, Julia Souder, Maya Batres, Mary G. Gleason, Michael H. Schindel, and Charlotte K. Stanley; https://www.pnas.org/doi/10.1073/pnas.2204098120 “Clean Energy Solutions that Protect People and Nature in the West” from The Nature Conservancy; https://www.nature.org/en-us/what-we-do/our-priorities/tackle-climate-change/climate-change-stories/power-of-place/ “Does the world need hydrogen to solve climate change?” by Simon Evans and Josh Gabbatiss; https://www.carbonbrief.org/in-depth-qa-does-the-world-need-hydrogen-to-solve-climate-change/ “Carbon Brief” website; https://www.carbonbrief.org/ “How green are biofuels? Scientists are at loggerheads” by Dan Charles; https://knowablemagazine.org/article/food-environment/2022/how-green-are-biofuels “Knowable” Magazine; https://knowablemagazine.org/

An Environmental and Economic History of the Bering Strait, with Bathsheba Demuth Mar 06, 2023

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In this week’s episode, host Daniel Raimi talks with Bathsheba Demuth, an associate professor at Brown University, about the history of the Bering Strait, which separates Alaska and northeastern Russia. Demuth discusses the ecosystems, peoples, and economic systems in the region and how interactions between Indigenous peoples and colonial settlers affected the local environment and social and political life around the Bering Strait. References and recommendations: “Floating Coast: An Environmental History of the Bering Strait” by Bathsheba Demuth; https://wwnorton.com/books/9780393635164 “Wolfish: Wolf, Self, and the Stories We Tell About Fear” by Erica Berry; https://us.macmillan.com/books/9781250821621/wolfish

Opportunities and Risks of Scaling Up Carbon Dioxide Removal, with Gregory Nemet Feb 27, 2023

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In this week’s episode, host Daniel Raimi talks with Gregory Nemet, a professor at the University of Wisconsin–Madison, about technologies and natural processes that can remove carbon dioxide from Earth’s atmosphere. Nemet discusses efforts in the public and private sectors to deploy new technologies, benefits and costs of different methods of carbon dioxide removal, and the risks and challenges of using carbon dioxide removal to reach global climate goals. References and recommendations: “The State of Carbon Dioxide Removal” by Stephen M. Smith, Oliver Geden, Jan C. Minx, and Gregory F. Nemet; https://www.stateofcdr.org/ “Scrubbing the Sky: Inside the Race to Cool the Planet” by Paul McKendrick; https://www.figure1publishing.com/book/scrubbing-the-sky/ “Purple Mountains” film; https://www.purplemountainsfilm.com/

How Can Disasters Damage Local Budgets?, with Yanjun (Penny) Liao Feb 19, 2023

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In this week’s episode, host Daniel Raimi talks with Yanjun (Penny) Liao, a fellow at Resources for the Future, about the effect of weather-related disasters on local government finances. Liao discusses how municipalities, states, and the federal government provide disaster aid; how these disasters can affect tax revenues and the ability of local governments to provide community services; and how the fiscal impacts of natural disasters differ between higher- and lower-income communities. References and recommendations: “The Fiscal Impacts of Wildfires on California Municipalities” by Yanjun (Penny) Liao and Carolyn Kousky; https://www.rff.org/publications/journal-articles/the-fiscal-impacts-of-wildfires-on-california-municipalities/ “Extreme Weather Events and Local Fiscal Responses: Evidence from U.S. Counties” by Qing Miao, Michael Abrigo, Yilin Hou, and Yanjun (Penny) Liao; https://www.rff.org/publications/journal-articles/extreme-weather-events-and-local-fiscal-responses-evidence-from-us-counties/ “The Economic Incidence of Wildfire Suppression in the United States” by Patrick Baylis and Judd Boomhower; https://www.aeaweb.org/articles?id=10.1257/app.20200662 “Social Vulnerability to Environmental Hazards” by Susan L. Cutter, Bryan J. Boruff, and W. Lynn Shirley; https://www.jstor.org/stable/42955868 “Devotions” by Mary Oliver; https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/536247/devotions-by-mary-oliver/ “Silent Spring Revolution: John F. Kennedy, Rachel Carson, Lyndon Johnson, Richard Nixon, and the Great Environmental Awakening” by Douglas Brinkley; https://www.harpercollins.com/products/silent-spring-revolution-douglas-brinkley

Environmental Justice and the Cumulative Impacts of Pollution, with Ana Baptista Feb 13, 2023

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In this week’s episode, host Margaret Walls talks with Ana Baptista, an associate professor at the New School in New York City and codirector of its Tishman Environment and Design Center. Baptista discusses the cumulative impacts of pollution on environmental justice communities; the sources of pollution in these communities; and the groundbreaking legislation and data tools that are being employed by state governments, researchers, and environmental justice groups to mitigate cumulative impacts in overburdened communities. References and recommendations: “Understanding the Evolution of Cumulative Impacts: Definitions and Policies in the U.S.” by Ana Isabel Baptista, Adrienne Perovich, Maria Fernanda Pulido-Velosa, Enrique Valencia, Marisa Valdez, and Jennifer Ventrella; https://www.tishmancenter.org/blog/new-research-understanding-the-evolution-of-cumulative-impacts-definitions-and-policies-in-the-us Articles by Rachel Morello-Frosch; https://scholar.google.com/citations?user=lSdMXgQAAAAJ&hl=en “Toxic Communities” by Dorceta Taylor; https://nyupress.org/9781479861781/toxic-communities/ “The Quest for Environmental Justice” by Robert D. Bullard and Maxine Waters; https://www.counterpointpress.com/books/the-quest-for-environmental-justice/

Hydrogen Fuel Technology, Policy, and Environmental Risks, with Aaron Bergman and Alan Krupnick Feb 06, 2023

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In this week’s episode, host Daniel Raimi talks with Aaron Bergman and Alan Krupnick—both scholars at Resources for the Future—about the technology and policy landscape of hydrogen fuel. Bergman and Krupnick discuss methods of hydrogen fuel production, the raft of new federal policies that incentivize the production of low-emissions hydrogen and build up the regional marketplaces known as “hydrogen hubs,” why some communities oppose hydrogen development, and how hydrogen can contribute to global warming. References and recommendations: “The Opposite of Butterfly Hunting” by Evanna Lynch; https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/677563/the-opposite-of-butterfly-hunting-by-evanna-lynch/ “Clue” movie; https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Clue_(film) “Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery” movie; https://www.netflix.com/title/81458416

New York’s Scoping Plan for Climate Action, with Maureen Leddy Jan 29, 2023

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In this week’s episode, host Kristin Hayes talks with Maureen Leddy, who serves as director of the Office of Climate Change at the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation. Leddy discusses the state’s recently approved Scoping Plan, which proposes strategies for meeting the state’s emissions-reduction goals that are required by the Climate Leadership and Community Protection Act of 2019. Leddy reviews how the plan was developed, the community engagement involved in the development process, and specific emissions-reduction strategies that are outlined in the Scoping Plan. References and recommendations: “New York State Climate Action Council Scoping Plan” from the New York State Climate Action Council; https://climate.ny.gov/ScopingPlan “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/ “The Energy Gang” podcast; https://www.woodmac.com/market-insights/types/podcasts/the-energy-gang/

Measuring Scholarly Diversity in Environmental Economics, with Neha Khanna and Nick Kuminoff Jan 23, 2023

Show notes

In this week’s episode, host Daniel Raimi talks with researchers Neha Khanna and Nick Kuminoff about the diversity of scholars in the field of environmental and resource economics. Khanna is a professor of economics at Binghamton University, and Kuminoff is an associate professor of economics at Arizona State University. Khanna and Kuminoff discuss the gender equity of authorship in environmental economics journals, equity in tenure-track academic jobs, how diversity in a research field contributes to the advancement of scientific knowledge, the state of the community of environmental economists, and prospects for early-career scholars. References and recommendations: “New Evidence on Diversity in Environmental and Resource Economics” by Nicolai V. Kuminoff, Katherine E. Ciaramello, Hanna M. Dooley, Martin D. Heintzelman, Neha Khanna, Lea-Rachel Kosnik, Lynne Y. Lewis, and Eric Trimble; https://www.journals.uchicago.edu/doi/10.1086/722907 “Don’t Look Up” film; https://www.netflix.com/title/81252357 “Is Climate Change like Diabetes or an Asteroid?” by Ted Nordhaus; https://thebreakthrough.org/articles/is-climate-change-like-diabetes “The Three-Body Problem” in the trilogy of novels called “Remembrance of Earth’s Past” by Liu Cixin; https://us.macmillan.com/books/9780765382030/thethreebodyproblem

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