Center for Environmental Policy and Administration News

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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