Resources Radio

• Governing the Satellites that Orbit Earth, with Akhil Rao

  In this week’s episode, host Daniel Raimi talks with Akhil Rao, a professor of economics at Middlebury College, about the use and management of Earth’s orbit. Rao outlines the significant increase in the number of objects orbiting the Earth in recent decades, challenges caused by this accumulation, and governance of the various layers of Earth’s orbit by countries and international organizations. Rao and Raimi also discuss the management of space as a resource, which is the subject of Rao’s current research on space sustainability technologies. References and recommendations: “The Earth Transformed: An Untold History” by Peter Frankopan; https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/635264/the-earth-transformed-by-peter-frankopan/ “Building a Ruin: The Cold War Politics of Soviet Economic Reform” by Yakov Feygin; https://www.hup.harvard.edu/books/9780674240995

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• The Los Angeles Fires, with Yanjun (Penny) Liao, David Wear, and Matthew Wibbenmeyer

  In this week’s episode, host Margaret Walls talks with Resources for the Future (RFF) scholars Yanjun (Penny) Liao, David Wear, and Matthew Wibbenmeyer about the recent wildfires in Los Angeles, California. They discuss the factors that exacerbated the wildfires, measures that homeowners and communities can take to mitigate wildfire risk and damage, the negative health effects of wildfire smoke, and the evolving landscape in California for insurance that covers wildfires. They also talk about federal responses to the wildfires and recommend organizations that are helping affected communities in Los Angeles and accepting donations. References and recommendations: “From Catastrophe to Caution: The Effect of Wildfires on Community Hazard Mitigation Investments” by Yanjun (Penny) Liao, Simon Sølvsten, and Zachary Whitlock; https://www.rff.org/publications/working-papers/from-catastrophe-to-caution-the-effect-of-wildfires-on-community-hazard-mitigation-investments/ “Insurance Availability and Affordability under Increasing Wildfire Risk in California” by Yanjun (Penny) Liao, Margaret A. Walls, Matthew Wibbenmeyer, and Sophie Pesek; https://www.rff.org/publications/issue-briefs/insurance-availability-and-affordability-under-increasing-wildfire-risk-in-california/ “Changing Hazards, Exposure, and Vulnerability in the Conterminous United States, 2020–2070” by David N. Wear, Travis Warziniack, Claire O’Dea, and John Coulston; https://www.rff.org/publications/working-papers/changing-hazards-exposure-and-vulnerability-in-the-conterminous-united-states-20202070/ California Community Foundation; https://www.calfund.org/ World Central Kitchen; https://wck.org/ Los Angeles Fire Department Foundation; https://supportlafd.org/ Grassroots Wildland Firefighters; https://www.grassrootswildlandfirefighters.com/

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• Energy Poverty and Utility Disconnections in the United States, with Sanya Carley

  In this week’s episode, host Daniel Raimi talks with Sanya Carley, a professor and faculty director at the University of Pennsylvania and a university fellow at Resources for the Future, about energy poverty in the United States. Carley discusses the problem of utility disconnections, which occurs when a utility turns off a household’s water, electricity, or heat; the potentially risky strategies that households employ to avoid shutoffs by reducing energy consumption and costs; the groups that are most vulnerable to disconnection; and potential improvements to government programs that help low-income households pay utility bills. References and recommendations: “Behavioral and financial coping strategies among energy-insecure households” by Sanya Carley, Michelle Graff, David M. Konisky, and Trevor Memmott; https://www.pnas.org/doi/10.1073/pnas.2205356119 “Assessing demographic vulnerability and weather impacts on utility disconnections in California” by Trevor Memmott, David M. Konisky, and Sanya Carley; https://www.nature.com/articles/s41467-024-53913-y “Which households are energy insecure? An empirical analysis of race, housing conditions, and energy burdens in the United States” by Michelle Graff, Sanya Carley, David M. Konisky, and Trevor Memmott; https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S2214629621002371 Utility Disconnections Dashboard; https://energyjustice.indiana.edu/disconnection-dashboard/index.html “The incidence of extreme economic stress: Evidence from utility disconnections” by Steve Cicala; https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0047272721000979 “High temperatures and electricity disconnections for low-income homes in California” by Alan Barreca, R. Jisung Park, and Paul Stainier; https://www.nature.com/articles/s41560-022-01134-2 “Minnesota’s energy paradox: Household energy insecurity in the face of racial and economic disparities” by Bhavin Pradhan and Gabriel Chan; https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S1040619024000587 “The Night Watchman” by Louise Erdrich; https://www.harpercollins.com/products/the-night-watchman-louise-erdrich

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• Reversing Deforestation in Latin America, with Brent Sohngen

  In this week’s episode, host Kristin Hayes talks with Brent Sohngen, a professor at the Ohio State University and a university fellow at Resources for the Future, about the intersecting forces that are helping curb and reverse deforestation in Latin America. Sohngen discusses the origins of his research on forests in Latin America; the relationship between economic conditions, technological innovations, and the health of forests in Latin American countries; how property rights and community ownership can motivate effective stewardship of forests; and ongoing efforts to protect forests in Latin America and across the world. References and recommendations: “Reversing Deforestation: How Market Forces and Local Ownership Are Saving Forests in Latin America” by Brent Sohngen and Douglas Southgate; https://www.sup.org/books/politics/reversing-deforestation “A Wild Idea” by Jonathan Franklin; https://www.harpercollins.com/products/a-wild-idea-jonathan-franklin “The Overstory” by Richard Powers; https://www.richardpowers.net/the-overstory/

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• 2024 Year in Review on Environmental Economics, with Karen Palmer, Kevin Rennert, and Margaret Walls

  In this week’s episode, host Daniel Raimi talks with Karen Palmer, a senior fellow at Resources for the Future (RFF) and director of RFF’s Electric Power Program; Kevin Rennert, a fellow at RFF and director of RFF’s Federal Climate Policy Initiative; and Margaret Walls, a senior fellow at RFF and director of RFF’s Climate Risks and Resilience Program. Palmer, Rennert, and Walls offer insights on notable stories in energy and the environment in 2024, including an intense Atlantic hurricane season and emerging narratives around climate policymaking in all three branches of government. They also look ahead to developments to watch in environmental and energy policy in 2025. References and recommendations: “Storm Watch Series: Weather Volatility in the United States” on the Common Resources blog; https://www.resources.org/special-series-weather-volatility-in-the-united-states/ “Brave the Wild River” by Melissa L. Sevigny; https://wwnorton.com/books/9780393868234 “Troublesome Rising: A Thousand-Year Flood in Eastern Kentucky” edited by Melissa Helton; https://www.kentuckypress.com/9781950564439/troublesome-rising/ “Shift Key” podcast; https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/shift-key-with-robinson-meyer-and-jesse-jenkins/id1728932037 “Alone on the Ice” by David Roberts; https://wwnorton.com/books/Alone-on-the-Ice/ “Landman” television series; https://www.imdb.com/title/tt14186672/ “Boomtown” podcast; https://www.texasmonthly.com/podcasts/series/boomtown/

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