Goodbye, July! My new declaration is that I no longer want to host visitors in this sweltering, sweaty month! Bring on August, which leads us to September and fall weather!
This week’s must read: Can American Find Common Ground On Climate Change? This Former Senator Thinks So (Katie Couric Media)
This is now a Senator Bill Frist fan account… He’s definitely having a moment and we are here for it!
From the article:
“For too long, he says, climate change has been framed primarily as a story of sacrifice: drive less, fly less, eat differently, pay more for energy, or accept fewer choices. Whether or not every one of those perceptions is accurate, the cumulative message many Americans hear is that climate action will have a negative impact on their own personal experience.”
From the Senator:
“The most durable climate policies will not ask Americans simply to give something up,” the former Senate Majority Leader told Katie Couric Media. “They will offer something better: healthier communities, lower costs, greater energy security, stronger local economies, and a more resilient nation.”
The EcoRight Speaks talks RGGI with Shuting Pomerleau
Welcome back for episode two of our new season, where I speak to one of my favorite fellow carbon pricers.
Shuting Pomerleau is the Director of Energy and Environmental Policy at the American Action Forum. Shuting’s work focuses on energy and environmental policy analysis. Research topics include carbon border adjustments, carbon taxation, climate and trade, the latest developments in energy markets, and electricity markets. Her work has been featured in a wide range of outlets including Bloomberg, Financial Times, and TIME. She has also spoken at many public conferences and events.
Today we are discussing the ramifications of Virginia rejoining the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative, RGGI, and how that re-entry plus the ambitious emissions reduction schedule the state already has on the books and its rapid data center expansion will likely impact energy prices.
Shuting wrote about this topic (you can find her research here) and we hope you enjoy this conversaion.
Coming up next week, my conversation with Congresswoman Nikki Budzinski, who is leading on agricultural policy for the 21st century for the Thriving Economy Project.
Then, for the rest of August:
08/11: Greg Bertelsen, Climate Leadership Council
08/18: Kimberly Johnston, NextGen Energy
08/25: Pat Wood, Hunt Energy Network
September is shaping up to have a great roster as well!
Carbon pricing in the real world
Our intern Livia Payne is at it again and penned this blog post in response to this week’s podcast.
Here is a preview: With a special interest in carbon tax policy, I have been closely following Virginia’s re-entry, as it provides a current example of how carbon pricing plays out in our political economy and offers insight into the complexity of market-based environmental policy. However, the development has also left many with questions, particularly concerning spikes in consumer energy prices and what the government plans to do with the revenue from the auctioning of carbon allowances.
Worth a Watch
David Frum closes this week’s latest podcast episode of The David Frum Show using Christopher Nolan’s The Odyssey as a jumping-off point for an intriguing discussion of Eric Cline’s 1177 B.C.: The Year Civilization Collapsed. He explores how environmental change, innovation, and adaptation have shaped civilizations throughout history, and what those lessons might mean today.
Watch the closing segment (of his show, not the movie) here.
“Maybe we can’t control [climate change] but we best learn to adapt to it because if we don’t, it will be the end of us.”
Which is why we believe in market signals to spark American innovation and ingenuity.
And on that note, if you haven’t seen it yet, maybe this is the weekend to see The Odyssey. Fewer lines than opening weekend, if we’re lucky?
Have a great weekend.