Toward a More Sustainable Plastics Economy, with Fernando Vidal

In this week’s episode, host Kristin Hayes talks with Sebastian Blanco, editor-in-chief at SAE Media Group and a journalist on the automotive and vehicle-technology beat. This episode jump-starts a multipart series on electric vehicles (EVs), including the most practical matters that EV users need to know. In this first episode of the series, Blanco discusses the foundations of EV ownership. He covers different EV makes and models, the logistics of charging EVs at home and on the road, pro tips for locating charging stations through smartphone apps and other resources, and insights on EV maintenance based on his experience. Future episodes dive deeper on battery technology, charging stations, and driver experience. Listen in and stay tuned for those additional episodes in this series! Please let us know if we’ve missed any questions that you’re curious about; we may address those in a future podcast episode or blog post. And if you’re not interested in EV-ery detail, then tune back in after a few weeks, when we’ll return to our normally scheduled programming, which covers all kinds of topics in environmental economics. References and recommendations: PlugShare app for electric vehicle charging infrastructure; https://www.plugshare.com/ Flo app for electric vehicle charging infrastructure; https://www.flo.com/products/software/flo-mobile-app/ Alternative Fuels Data Center from the US Department of Energy; https://afdc.energy.gov/ “Transport Evolved” YouTube series; https://www.youtube.com/transportevolved “State of Charge” YouTube series; https://www.youtube.com/StateOfChargeWithTomMoloughney

In this week’s episode, host Daniel Raimi talks with Travis Roach, an associate professor and director of the Central Policy Institute at the University of Central Oklahoma, about how the prevalence of air pollution may increase the incidence of fatal traffic accidents in the United States. Roach discusses the characteristics of airborne particulate matter that is 2.5 microns in diameter or less, which is air pollution known as PM2.5; the sources of PM2.5, including coal- and natural gas–fired power plants, vehicle tailpipe emissions, and wildfire smoke; the negative effects of PM2.5 exposure on physical health and cognitive functioning; and policies and technologies that can help reduce public exposure to PM2.5. References and recommendations: “Negative Externalities of Temporary Reductions in Cognition: Evidence from Particulate Matter Pollution and Fatal Car Crashes” by Anne M. Burton and Travis Roach; https://annemburton.com/pages/working_papers/Burton_Roach_Pollution.pdf PurpleAir sensors and maps that measure air-quality data “Prairie Up: An Introduction to Natural Garden Design” by Benjamin Vogt; https://www.press.uillinois.edu/books/?id=p086779

In this week’s episode, host Kristin Hayes talks with Fernando Vidal, a postdoctoral researcher at the Polymat research institute in Spain, about technological and policy options to create a more sustainable plastics economy. Vidal discusses the greenhouse gas emissions associated with the life cycle of plastics, changes to the chemical makeup and recycling of plastics that could reduce the impact of plastics on communities and the environment, and international efforts to reduce the negative impacts of the plastics economy. Vidal shares recommendations for a more sustainable plastics economy from an article that he coauthored, which recently was published in the journal “Nature.” References and recommendations: “Designing a circular carbon and plastics economy for a sustainable future” by Fernando Vidal, Eva R. van der Marel, Ryan W. F. Kerr, Caitlin McElroy, Nadia Schroeder, Celia Mitchell, Gloria Rosetto, Thomas T. D. Chen, Richard M. Bailey, Cameron Hepburn, Catherine Redgwell, and Charlotte K. Williams; https://www.nature.com/articles/s41586-023-06939-z “Nudes in Nature” photography exhibit by Laura Aguilar at the Phoenix Art Museum; https://phxart.org/exhibition/laura-aguilar/ Photographer Laura Aguilar; https://www.lauraaguilarphotography.com/

In this week’s episode, host Daniel Raimi talks with Brad Harris, the director of government affairs at Resources for the Future, about the increasing demand for electricity in the United States. Harris discusses the main sources of this surge in electricity demand, also known as load growth; the challenges that load growth poses to goals for reducing greenhouse gas emissions that have been set by utilities and the United States; and tools available to utilities and policymakers that can help meet growing demand and mitigate the effects of load growth on ratepayers and emissions. References and recommendations: “Harlan County, USA” documentary; https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Harlan_County,_USA “Enron: The Smartest Guys in the Room” documentary; https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Enron:_The_Smartest_Guys_in_the_Room

In this week’s episode, host Daniel Raimi talks with Lisa Rennels, a PhD candidate at the University of California, Berkeley, about a class of synthetic industrial chemicals used in air-conditioners, refrigerators, and other technologies: hydrofluorocarbons. Rennels discusses the proliferation of these chemicals in recent decades, the cost of hydrofluorocarbon emissions to society, the feedback loop between global warming and increased use of these chemicals for air-conditioning, and global efforts to reduce the emissions of hydrofluorocarbons. References and recommendations: “The social costs of hydrofluorocarbons and the benefits from their expedited phase-down” by Tammy Tan, Lisa Rennels, and Bryan Parthum; https://www.nature.com/articles/s41558-023-01898-9 “Comprehensive Evidence Implies a Higher Social Cost of CO₂” by Kevin Rennert, Frank Errickson, Brian C. Prest, Lisa Rennels, Richard G. Newell, William Pizer, Cora Kingdon, Jordan Wingenroth, Roger Cooke, Bryan Parthum, David Smith, Kevin Cromar, Delavane Diaz, Frances C. Moore, Ulrich K. Müller, Richard J. Plevin, Adrian E. Raftery, Hana Ševčíková, Hannah Sheets, James Stock, Tammy Tan, Mark Watson, Tony E. Wong, and David Anthoff; https://www.rff.org/publications/journal-articles/comprehensive-evidence-implies-a-higher-social-cost-of-co2/ “The Impossible Will Take a Little While: A Citizen’s Guide to Hope in a Time of Fear” by Paul Rogat Loeb; https://www.hachettebookgroup.com/titles/paul-rogat-loeb/the-impossible-will-take-a-little-while/9780465038589 “Not the End of the World: How We Can Be the First Generation to Build a Sustainable Planet” by Hannah Ritchie; https://www.hachettebookgroup.com/titles/hannah-ritchie/not-the-end-of-the-world/9780316536752/ “Are we the last generation—or the first sustainable one?” TED Talk by Hannah Ritchie; https://www.ted.com/talks/hannah_ritchie_are_we_the_last_generation_or_the_first_sustainable_one “The High Sierra: A Love Story” by Kim Stanley Robinson; https://www.hachettebookgroup.com/titles/kim-stanley-robinson/the-high-sierra/9780316306812

In this week’s episode, host Daniel Raimi talks with Susan F. Tierney, a senior advisor at Analysis Group and chair of the board of directors at Resources for the Future, about the future of fossil fuels in the United States. Tierney discusses the challenges of meeting climate goals while maintaining energy security, the importance of making energy accessible to citizens, and how to support communities and states that historically have depended on the coal and oil and gas industries for jobs and public revenue. References and recommendations: “Accelerating Decarbonization in the United States: Technology, Policy, and Societal Dimensions” by Stephen W. Pacala, Danielle Deane-Ryan, Alexandra Fazeli, Julia H. Haggerty, Chris T. Hendrickson, Roxanne Johnson, Timothy C. Lieuwen, Vivian E. Loftness, Carlos E. Martín, Michael A. Méndez, Clark A. Miller, Jonathan A. Patz, Keith Paustian, William Pizer, Ed Rightor, Patricia Romero-Lankao, Devashree Saha, Kelly Sims Gallagher, Susan F. Tierney, and William Walker; https://nap.nationalacademies.org/resource/25931/interactive/ “Community Engagement for an Equitable Energy Transition, with Julia Haggerty” from “Resources Radio”; https://www.resources.org/resources-radio/community-engagement-for-an-equitable-energy-transition-with-julia-haggerty/ “Our Homes and Our Climate, with Carlos Martín” from “Resources Radio”; https://www.resources.org/resources-radio/our-homes-and-our-climate-with-carlos-martin/ “The Covenant of Water” by Abraham Verghese; https://www.abrahamverghese.org/the-covenant-of-water/

In this week’s episode, host Daniel Raimi talks with Simon Greenhill (PhD candidate at the University of California, Berkeley) and Hannah Druckenmiller (university fellow at Resources for the Future and assistant professor at the California Institute of Technology). Along with other coauthors, Greenhill and Druckenmiller recently published an article in the journal Science that uses a new machine learning model to predict which waterways are regulated under the Clean Water Act according to different definitions of what the Clean Water Act calls “waters of the United States.” Greenhill and Druckenmiller discuss the differences in regulation when considering a broader or narrower interpretation of waters of the United States, along with the implications for wetland protection, clean water, and flood mitigation. References and recommendations: “Machine learning predicts which rivers, streams, and wetlands the Clean Water Act regulates” by Simon Greenhill, Hannah Druckenmiller, Sherrie Wang, David A. Keiser, Manuela Girotto, Jason K. Moore, Nobuhiro Yamaguchi, Alberto Todeschini, and Joseph S. Shapiro; https://www.rff.org/publications/journal-articles/machine-learning-predicts-which-rivers-streams-and-wetlands-the-clean-water-act-regulates/ Clean Water Act regulation map; https://simondgreenhill.github.io/wotus-map/ Clean Water Act regulation map explainer video by Simon Greenhill; https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Jkhz5gVUo2w&ab “Wetlands, Flooding, and the Clean Water Act” by Charles A. Taylor and Hannah Druckenmiller; https://www.rff.org/publications/working-papers/wetlands-flooding-and-the-clean-water-act/ “The Hungry Tide” by Amitav Ghosh; https://www.harpercollins.com/products/the-hungry-tide-amitav-ghosh “The High Sierra: A Love Story” by Kim Stanley Robinson; https://www.hachettebookgroup.com/titles/kim-stanley-robinson/the-high-sierra/9780316306812/

In this week’s episode, host Kristin Hayes talks with James Cox, a professor at Duke University, about a rule issued by the US Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) that mandates publicly traded firms to disclose certain greenhouse gas emissions associated with business operations. Cox discusses how the rule standardizes the disclosures of certain climate-related risks that firms face, the differences between the final rule and the initial rule proposed by the commission in 2022, the potential challenges of verifying emissions from a company’s suppliers and customers, and the value of transparency and information for investors. References and recommendations: “Special Series: The SEC Climate Disclosure Rule” from the “Common Resources” blog; https://www.resources.org/special-series-sec/

In this week’s episode, host Margaret Walls talks with Lala Ma, an associate professor of economics at the University of Kentucky and a new university fellow at Resources for the Future, about the effect on housing prices in California of informing homebuyers about the risk of wildfire. Ma discusses how California classifies and discloses the risk of wildfire throughout the state, the difference in housing prices between areas in which wildfire risk is disclosed and areas where that disclosure isn’t mandated, and factors that may influence the willingness of an individual to pay more to avoid wildfire risk. References and recommendations: “Risk Disclosure and Home Prices: Evidence from California Wildfire Hazard Zones” by Lala Ma, Margaret A. Walls, Matthew Wibbenmeyer, and Connor Lennon; https://www.rff.org/publications/working-papers/risk-disclosure-and-home-prices-evidence-from-california-wildfire-hazard-zones Books by Emily Oster, including “Expecting Better” and “Cribsheet”; https://emilyoster.net/writing/ “The Two-Parent Privilege: How Americans Stopped Getting Married and Started Falling Behind” by Melissa S. Kearney; https://press.uchicago.edu/ucp/books/book/chicago/T/bo205550079.html

In this week’s episode, host Daniel Rami talks with Jeffrey Rissman, a senior director at Energy Innovation and the author of “Zero-Carbon Industry,” a new book about decarbonizing the global industrial sector. Rissman discusses the sources of greenhouse gas emissions in major subsectors—iron and steel, chemicals, and cement—and some technologies and policies that could help reduce or eliminate emissions from these subsectors. References and recommendations: “Zero-Carbon Industry: Transformative Technologies and Policies to Achieve Sustainable Prosperity” by Jeffrey Rissman; https://zerocarbonindustry.com/ “Daybreak” board game; https://www.daybreakgame.org/