Twice a month, we’re compiling the most relevant news stories from diverse sources online, connecting the latest environmental and energy economics research to global current events, real-time public discourse, and policy decisions. Keep reading, and feel free to send us your feedback.
Here are some questions we’re asking and addressing with our research chops this week:
How are policymakers helping spur the adoption of sustainable aviation fuels, and how can researchers support policymakers in understanding and facilitating the use of these fuels?
California has partnered with a trade group that represents most major US airlines to increase the production of sustainable aviation fuels (SAFs) in the state. The partnership aims to make 200 million gallons of SAFs available for use in California by 2035. SAFs are integral to efforts to reduce the climate impact of the aviation industry, such as the industry’s goal to achieve net-zero emissions by 2050. “[Available] types of SAFs are compatible with today’s aircraft engines and viable for use in the near term,” says Nafisa Lohawala, a fellow at Resources for the Future (RFF), in a recent blog post about considerations for policymakers who want to increase the adoption of SAFs. Learn more about the policy landscape for SAFs in this week’s episode of the Resources Radio podcast, which features Lohawala as a guest, and in a new blog post coauthored by Lohawala and RFF Senior Fellow Michael A. Toman, which surveys potential areas of research about SAFs that could help inform policymaking.
How can community engagement help support the clean energy transition?
The first loan from the Greenhouse Gas Reduction Fund, which was created through a provision in the Inflation Reduction Act, will support a solar energy project at the University of Arkansas. The project is expected to generate economic benefits in communities across the state. While the future of the fund (and other provisions in the Inflation Reduction Act) seems uncertain given the results of the election, the fund provides an example of how policymakers can incorporate community engagement in energy projects. Shalanda Baker, who helped design the Greenhouse Gas Reduction Fund as Director of the Office of Energy Justice and Equity at the US Department of Energy, discusses the fund and the broader context of community engagement and environmental justice in the clean energy transition in a recent Q&A blog post with RFF Fellow Suzanne Russo. “The ideal is to have workers that are building those projects come from [underserved] communities, and for companies that originate from those communities to be part of those new projects,” says Baker.
What’s our current understanding of the potential for cooperative and non-cooperative approaches to solar radiation modification, a geoengineering method that could ameliorate globally increasing temperatures?
Solar radiation modification (SRM) is a technological approach to cool the planet, and scholars from Harvard University and the University of Washington have pursued research in recent years on the potential for SRM to help mitigate climate change. While these efforts have sparked pushback and discussions about the environmental and social considerations of SRM, exploring the social-science aspects of possible interventions with SRM will be important to ensure that society is better prepared for what may happen. In a new blog post, RFF scholars Joseph E. Aldy, Milan Elkerbout, and Billy Pizer, along with coauthor Tyler Felgenhauer, explore takeaways from a recent RFF workshop on SRM social-science research. “Cooperative approaches, with a globally agreed-upon strategy, appear relatively more attractive but raise the question of how such an agreement would arise and under what conditions,” they say. “Non-cooperative approaches … raise questions about national capacities and the potential strategic responses of other nations.”
Expert Perspectives
In Focus: Effects of Offshore Wind Development
Major offshore wind projects in the United States have been canceled, delayed, or renegotiated in recent years due to the increasing cost of development. Yet, offshore wind farms may deliver benefits that exceed costs, says RFF Fellow Daniel Shawhan in a recent In Focus video. Shawhan discusses these benefits, the particular communities that stand to benefit most from offshore wind, and the implications of new offshore wind farms for electricity generators and consumers.
Resources Roundup
Credit: Leonid Sorokin / Shutterstock
Understanding the Business of the Energy Transition
The Inflation Reduction Act and other recent federal laws have created incentives for energy companies to invest in clean energy projects and technologies. However, the forthcoming change to a new presidential administration, risk in global supply chains, and high interest rates have contributed to an uncertain business environment for investors. On December 4–5, energy experts will convene in Houston, Texas, to share insights about how to navigate this uncertainty, along with the opportunities and challenges of the energy transition, for a conference called Energy Transition North America 2024. The conference, part of Energy LIVE 2024, is hosted by Reuters; RFF is an association partner of the conference. Register for Energy Transition North America using code “RFF250” to score a $250 discount on tickets.
Trade, Tariffs, and Carbon: An Emerging International Policy Landscape
Policy issues related to climate and to international trade likely will continue to overlap, given the rollout of the EU Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism and the plans of the incoming Trump administration to impose tariffs on US trade partners. This week, RFF Senior Fellow Karen Palmer joined RFF Board of Directors member Barbara Kates-Garnick and Senator Angus King (I-ME) to discuss the implications of tariffs and the evolving trade environment for industries and policymakers in Maine. “Reducing global greenhouse gas emissions and building global expertise in green technologies will serve Maine companies well,” said Palmer during the panel discussion, which was hosted by the Maine State Chamber of Commerce.
Supporting Resilience in Energy-Transition Regions
In western Colorado, communities that produce oil and gas are navigating economic challenges as the energy sector changes. In a new report, RFF scholars Daniel Raimi and Zachary Whitlock examine a gap in support from the federal government and state governments across different industries and regions: Whereas coal communities have received dedicated resources to help facilitate an economic transition, oil and gas communities have received much less support. “Whatever form policies take, federal support will be more effective if it is tailored to the capacity and needs of affected communities,” say Raimi and Whitlock. This report, which is funded by the Resilient Energy Economies initiative, is the second in a series of reports about the economic opportunities and challenges in historically fossil fuel–dependent communities.
Improving Access to Finance for Clean Energy Innovation
New low-carbon technologies often struggle to compete with traditional fossil fuel–based technologies in the market, partially because the cost of greenhouse gas emissions to society generally is not included in the price of fossil technologies. Coauthors of a new journal article, including Emanuele Campiglio and Alessandro Spiganti of the RFF-CMCC European Institute on Economics and the Environment, examine policies that can help level the playing field and accelerate decarbonization. The authors note that a subsidy which helps finance innovation and new clean energy technologies will be key to rapid decarbonization.
Improving Circumstances for Black Farmers in the United States
The amount of land operated by Black farmers in the United States has declined from approximately 41 million acres to 5 million acres over the past century, as Black farmers have faced limited access to agricultural markets and the capital necessary to stay in business. Seanicaa Edwards Herron, founder and executive director of the Freedmen Heirs Foundation, joined a recent episode of the Resources Radio podcast to discuss the historical inequities and discrimination behind many of the challenges faced by Black farmers, along with the mission of the Freedmen Heirs Foundation to support Black farmers. “We are bridging the gap between two worlds: Black farmers and the marketplace,” says Herron.
#ChartOfTheWeek
Data: International Air Transport Association, Air Transport Action Group, Barclays Research. Chart: Institute for Energy Economics and Financial Analysis
Sustainable aviation fuels (SAFs) offer an alternative to conventional jet fuels that can help reduce the climate impact of the aviation sector, which is expected to continue to grow after briefly contracting during the pandemic. This Chart of the Week highlights projected growth in demand for conventional jet fuels and carbon dioxide emissions, with global consumption of jet fuels expected to increase through 2050. Without intervention, emissions are expected to reach 1,600 million metric tons per year. Significant emissions reductions, which could be achieved with the adoption of SAFs and the use of carbon offsets, will be necessary to achieve net zero in the aviation industry.
