Center for Environmental Policy and Administration News

Wilson op-ed on fossil fuels, skiing published in Colorado Sun

In his co-authored op-ed, "Fossil fuels are threatening Colorado skiing," Associate Professor of Geography and the Environment Robert Wilson discusses what's needed in a truly robust climate-funding agenda, including electricity-grid improvements supporting wind and solar farms, green energy development that leverages fossil fuel industry workers’ technical skills, and a Civilian Climate Corps. The piece was published in the Colorado Sun.

Popp talks to NPR about the impact of transitioning to electric cars

This month, New York Gov. Kathy Hochul signed a bill promising no more sales of fossil fuel-burning passenger vehicles by 2035 and for larger vehicles by 2045, a change that will have implications on the state’s economy and labor market. "There needs to be big investments in infrastructure, building charging stations, and so on," says Professor David Popp. "And so to the extent that people that might be displaced, can be put to work and things like that, that would certainly be useful," he says. Read more in the NPR article, "What challenges loom as New York transitions to electric car sales by 2035?"

Popp weighs in on Biden's proposed Civilian Climate Corps in AP

President Joe Biden and congressional Democrats are pushing for a modern counterpart to the New Deal-era Civilian Conservation Corps: a Civilian Climate Corps that would create hundreds of thousands of jobs building trails, restoring streams and helping prevent catastrophic wildfires. David Popp, professor of public administration and international affairs, discusses in the Associated Press article, "Biden, Dems push Civilian Climate Corps in echo of New Deal."

Jay Golden named inaugural Pontarelli Professor

Jay Golden has been named the inaugural Pontarelli Professor of Environmental Sustainability and Finance in the Maxwell School’s Department of Public Administration and International Affairs. Golden will teach across undergraduate and graduate degree programs, drawing students interested in diverse careers that intersect with sustainability and finance, including aspiring entrepreneurs, economists and policy makers. Golden also is a faculty research affiliate in the Center for Environmental Policy and Administration, and he has launched the Dynamic Sustainability Lab at the Maxwell School to examine the impacts of new technologies, policies and strategies aimed at meeting sustainability commitments.

Wilcoxen, CEF team release report on 80×30 clean electricity standard

Professor Pete Wilcoxen and members of the Clean Energy Futures team released a report titled "An 80x30 Clean Electricity Standard: Carbon, Costs, and Health Benefits." The report analyzes the energy, economic, environmental and health outcomes of an illustrative clean energy standard (CES) design that reaches 80% clean electricity by 2030, and offers important information on the costs and benefits of such a policy.

Popp cited in New York Times article on green jobs

Industry studies, including one cited by the White House, suggest that vastly increasing the number of wind and solar farms could produce over half a million jobs a year over the next decade—primarily in construction and manufacturing. David Popp, professor of public administration and international affairs, says those job estimates were roughly in line with his study of the green jobs created by the Recovery Act of 2009, but with two caveats: First, the green jobs created then coincided with a loss of jobs elsewhere, including high-paying, unionized industrial jobs. And the green jobs did not appear to raise the wages of workers who filled them. Read more in the New York Times article, "Building Solar Farms May Not Build the Middle Class."

Maxwell School announces 2021 faculty promotions

The Syracuse University Board of Trustees has approved promotions for six faculty members at the Maxwell School. They are: Alan Allport, who was promoted to professor of history; Shana Kushner Gadarian, who was promoted to professor of political science; Dimitar Gueorguiev, who was promoted to associate professor of political science; Matt Huber, who was promoted to professor of geography and the environment; Guido Pezzarossi, who was promoted to associate professor of anthropology; and Junko Takeda, who was promoted to professor of history.

Bendix interviewed by NBCLX on climate change, wildfires

Jacob Bendix, professor of geography and the environment, was interviewed on NBCLX's LX News about the impact of climate change on wildfires. "I think that both last year and this year we are seeing impact of climate change on fire behavior and the size of the fires we're having because, quite simply, we have higher temperatures and in many cases, more extensive drought as well than in the past," says Bendix. "High temperatures and dry conditions favor fire. The more heat we have and the longer we have heat—that is, higher temperatures earlier in the summer so we have less snow pack—the worse fires we're going to see." His interview begins at approximately 20:00.

Bendix quoted in LA Times article CA wildfires, climate change

California is off to another record-breaking year of wildfires as the state enters its most dangerous months, with extreme heat and dry terrain creating the conditions for rapid spread. More than twice as many acres burned in the first six months of this year than during the same period last year—and hundreds more fires, officials say. "The exceptional fire weather this year and in recent years does not represent random bad luck," says Jacob Bendix, professor of geography and the environment. "It is among the results of our adding carbon to the atmosphere—results that were predictable, and indeed that have been predicted for decades." Read more in the Los Angeles Times article, "California hit by record-breaking fire destruction: 'Climate change is real, it’s bad'."

Bendix talks to LA Times about CA wildfires, fireworks threat

Last month, more than 100 fire scientists signed a letter urging the Western U.S. to forgo fireworks this Fourth of July. Jacob Bendix, professor of geography and the environment who specializes in the study of wildfire distribution, was one of the scientists who signed the letter. Given the increasingly flammable landscape, "pleas to skip the fireworks make perfect sense," says Bendix. "This is particularly true in Southern California, where the vast majority of wildfires are started by people rather than lightning," he says, "so that it is largely in our hands as to whether our behavior causes catastrophe." Read more in the Los Angeles Times article, "No such thing as ‘safe and sane’ fireworks in a bone-dry California primed to burn."

Pralle examines changes in flood insurance rate maps in RHCPP

"To appeal and amend: Changes to recently updated Flood Insurance Rate Maps," co-authored by Associate Professor of Political Science Sarah Pralle, was published in Risk, Hazards & Crisis in Public Policy. The findings suggest changes to flood zones on Flood Insurance Rate Maps (FIRM) occur more often where people have greater socioeconomic means, raising questions of equity for future FIRM appeals and revisions.

Popp weighs in on Biden's green stimulus spending in NYT, Guardian

President Biden is preparing the details of a new, vastly larger, economic stimulus plan that again would use government spending to unite the goals of fighting climate change and restoring the economy. "Unless they can pair it with a policy that forces people to reduce emissions, a big spending bill doesn’t have a big impact," says Professor David Popp. Read more in the New York Times article, "Biden’s Lesson From Past Green Stimulus Failures: Go Even Bigger." Popp was also interviewed for the Guardian article, "Biden’s $2tn infrastructure plan aims to ‘finally address climate crisis as a nation'."

Pralle talks to Forbes about FEMA's upcoming changes, flood insurance

Flood insurance premiums for millions of at-risk homes and businesses could surge as much as four times what they currently pay over the next few years when FEMA announces its "Risk Rating 2.0." For homeowners, or prospective buyers, "rising insurance rates could lead to a reduction in home values," says Sarah Pralle, associate professor of political science, and "they could be forced to sell at a loss, or even abandon their property." Pralle agrees that flood insurance has to change, but the government needs to "help vulnerable communities and homeowners who’ll struggle with the transition." Read more in the Forbes article, "FEMA’S Upcoming Changes Could Cause Flood Insurance To Soar At The Shore."

Popp talks to CNN, Wash Examiner about effects of Obama's Recovery Act

A study led by Professor David Popp, Caroline Rapking Faculty Scholar in Public Administration and Policy, examined the "green" funds from the Recovery Act—focused on environment-related issues—and found that for every $1 million spent, 10 new jobs were created a few years later. "Almost all of those jobs were in manual labor, a lot of them were construction," Popp told CNN. "A lot of that's by design because that's where the money was targeted" through energy efficiency renovations and installing renewable energy infrastructure. Popp also spoke to the Washington Examiner about the impact of Obama's Recovery Act.

Popp weighs in on Biden's climate directives in New York Times

On Wednesday, President Biden signed a sweeping series of executive actions while casting the moves as much about job creation as the climate crisis. David Popp, Caroline Rapking Faculty Scholar in Public Administration and Policy, discounted the notion of creating one million new auto manufacturing jobs. "He’s basically saying he’s going to double auto manufacturing. I find that hard to believe," says Popp. "You can’t do that with auto emissions regulations. You can’t do that with government procurement." Read more in the New York Times article, "Biden, Emphasizing Job Creation, Signs Sweeping Climate Actions."

Popp discusses Biden's green jobs agenda in Forbes article

"Wages in solar and wind could increase if demand increased, at least initially," says Professor David Popp, who wrote about the impact of fiscal policy on green jobs in a working paper in June 2020. "But higher wages would also attract more workers to develop the skills to work in wind and solar, so the increase need not be permanent." Read more in the Forbes article, "The Challenge Facing Biden’s Green Jobs Agenda? Green Jobs."

Ajello Fellows create open data repository of electric grid in Vietnam

When the pandemic hit, Nguyen Phan Bao Linh and Yu En Hsu were worried that they wouldn’t be able to find internships and they would have to leave their Data Analytics for Public Policy program. A gift from James Ajello’s MPA ’76 provided them the opportunity to quickly put together a project focused on energy and the environment that let them use their unique skills and abilities to create a valuable resource for sustainability researchers worldwide.

Pralle discusses updating county flood maps in Cortland Standard

The Cortland County flood map "might show a reasonable flood risk today, but since we don’t make those investment decisions with ramifications far into the future, the maps don’t really help us plan for a different climate," says Sarah Pralle, associate professor of political science. "When we look at flood maps now, the conversations are about the insurance cost," Pralle says. Instead, "we have to get to the point where we talk about these things as risks and how to mitigate these things as well." Read more in the Cortland Standard article, "What Cortland County’s flood map does, and doesn’t, show."

Bendix explores solutions to the western wildfire crisis in The Hill

"Recognition of the multiple contributors to the wildfire crisis should enable us to move past the focus on simple solutions — one size does not fit all, and reducing fire impacts will require a mix of approaches that match the geographic and ecological complexity of fire regimes," writes Jacob Bendix, professor of geography and the environment. His article, "Western wildfires — there is no 'silver bullet,' but there are things to be done," was published in The Hill.

Sultana talks to Media Sanctuary about divesting from fossil fuels

Farhana Sultana, associate professor of geography and the environment, recently spoke with Media Sanctuary about divesting from fossil fuels. Sultana says "a divestment from fossil fuels signals a commitment to ending climate breakdown, to have climate justice, and to think about equitable and just transitions toward regenerative economies and societies that move away from fossil fuels."

Bendix speaks to AP, Bloomberg about the California wildfires

"Climate change makes everything worse," Jacob Bendix, professor of geography and the environment, tells Bloomberg. Efforts to manage fire risks "will be of limited use as long as the climate is getting warmer and in many cases getting drier." Bendix was interviewed by the Associated Press and Bloomberg about the extreme fire behavior driven by drought and warming temperatures. Experts, including Bendix, attribute these conditions to climate change.

Popp comments on green stimulus, economic crisis in MIT Tech Review

"What’s really important right now is getting money out quickly, and Congress can’t even do that," says David Popp, professor of public administration and international affairs. "I worry about tacking on green stimulus, or anything else that slows down the process. We can worry about financing the green transition six months from now." Popp was quoted in the MIT Technology Review article "The US needs a green stimulus—but not right now."

Pralle discusses the climate crisis on WAER

"Unlike some problems like terrorism or chronic poverty or addiction, things like that, that are very difficult to figure out, the causal chains are hard, but (with climate crisis), we know what we need to do, which is stop emitting carbon emissions," Sarah Pralle, associate professor of political science, tells WAER. "So, we need to stop burning fossil fuels and we know when we need to do it." She was interviewed for the segment "CNY College Educators: Climate Crisis Has Slipped from Agenda, Has Parallels with COVID Crisis."

Popp discusses green investments, post-COVID recovery in SPI blog post

In his recent blog post for the Smart Prosperity Institute, David Popp, Caroline Rapking Faculty Scholar in Public Administration and Policy, looks at how government investments can help workers affected by environmental regulation and provides guidance on the role green investments can play in post-COVID recovery. "Our research shows that green investments can help smooth the transition to a green economy, but must be used carefully," says Popp.

Wilcoxen comments on Trump's (SAFE) Vehicles rule in Washington Post

Peter Wilcoxen, who chairs the EPA Science Advisory Board's review of the rule, says the original proposal’s cost and benefit projections stemmed from flawed assumptions. "The core justification does not rely on a sound scientific basis," he says. Wilcoxen was interviewed for the Washington Post article "Trump promised his mileage standards would make cars cheaper and safer. New documents raise doubts about that."

Wilcoxen weighs in on EPA regulatory rollbacks in Washington Post

Peter Wilcoxen was interviewed for the Washington Post article "EPA’s scientific advisers warn its regulatory rollbacks clash with established science." "The reports are important because they scrutinize whether in fact EPA was using the best available science or not," says Wilcoxen, who is a member of the EPA's Science Advisory Board. "You could end up establishing a regulation for huge sectors of the economy based on incorrect information."

Popp paper on low-carbon technologies published by Brookings

"Despite progress made over the past decade, further innovation is necessary to achieve deep decarbonization of the U.S. economy," writes David Popp. In his article, "Promoting innovation for low-carbon technologies," published by the Brookings Institution, Popp explains how to use various policy instruments that have different effects depending on the type of technology, the stage of development, and the sector of the economy.

NAPA names four fellows from Maxwell School faculty

Four Maxwell School faculty members have been selected to join the National Academy of Public Administration as 2019 Academy Fellows. The inductees — all of them professors of public administration and international affairs — are James E. Baker, Leonard Burman, Leonard Lopoo, and Peter Wilcoxen.

Popp article on climate policy published in Newsweek

"It's Time to Convince Both Liberals and Conservatives: The Time for a Carbon Tax Is Now," written by David Popp, was published in Newsweek. "The argument for a carbon tax is simple," writes Popp. "The more we tax pollution we don't want, the less we can tax hard work and investment that we do want."

Huber piece on ecological politics published in Catalyst

In his latest piece for Catalyst titled "Ecological Politics for the Working Class," Matthew Huber examines the environmental movement through the lenses of class and economic politics and argues for an approach "that tackles the ecological crisis by organizing around working-class interests."

Popp quoted in Washington Post article on taxing carbon

David Popp was interviewed for the Washington Post article "Everyone’s got a climate plan. So where’s the carbon tax?" Elizabeth Warren analogizes her own plan to the industrial policy America previously undertook for the space race and our mobilization against Nazi aggression. But in both of those historical comparisons, "The goal wasn’t to create a commercial product," says Popp. "The government was the consumer."

Wilson study on authoritarian environmental governance published

"Authoritarian Environmental Governance: Insights from the Past Century," written by Robert Wilson, was published in the Annals of the American Association of Geographers. Wilson explores authoritarian environmental governance in the Soviet Union, Maoist China, and Nazi Germany, three countries and eras largely overlooked by nature–society geographers.

Pralle quoted in CBS News article on flooding in Midwest

Flooding is "a critical national issue that must be addressed more aggressively in an age of climate change," says Sarah Pralle, associate professor of political science. Pralle was interviewed for the CBS News article "Midwest flood damage will likely total more than $1 billion."

Huber quoted in Motherboard article on tech advances, climate change

"I think we actually do need a fair amount of innovation," says Matthew Huber, associate professor of geography. "But I think in our current society, innovation is narrowly guided by what is profitable. Huber was interviewed for the Motherboard article "Lab-Grown Meat Can't Fix the Planet That Capitalism Broke."

Huber speaks to Motherboard about the Yellow Vest protests in France

"The people who are resistant to climate policies on the right constantly argue that the reasons we can’t do climate policies is it’s gonna cost the economy, and it’s gonna cost families, and it’s gonna cost everyday people," says Matt Huber, associate professor of geography. Huber was interviewed for the Motherboard article "The Paris ‘Yellow Vest’ Protests Show the Flaws of Capitalism."

Huber speaks with VICE about the Green New Deal

Matt Huber, associate professor of geography, was interviewed for the VICE article "The Left Thinks a 'Green New Deal' Could Save Earth and Destroy the GOP." "History shows that, especially with our country being the richest and having the most wealth and resources to deploy, we can do massive transformational things," says Huber.

Gift funds professorship and research in energy, environmental policy

A $250,000 gift from Maxwell School alumnus James Ajello ’76 MPA will create a new professorship in energy and environmental policy, while supporting interdisciplinary research projects in that field. The gift, with an initial term of five years, also funds opportunities — both training and research — for graduate and undergraduate students.

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