Category Archives: Uncategorized

It’s been blistering hot in the western U.S. Last week’s record-breaking temperatures had roads buckling, planes grounded, and electricity demand soaring. Temperatures in California last week: Source High temperatures drive up peak electricity demand which drives up investment in costly … Continue reading →

There are two fundamental, and fundamentally different, barriers to pricing greenhouse gases. The one economists tend to focus on is the economy-wide cost of reducing emissions: substituting to lower-carbon and (for now) higher cost production of energy and other products. … Continue reading →

Most discussions about energy in the developing world quickly turn to the 1.3 billion people who don’t have access to electricity. Many initiatives are focused on serving these people, such as Kenya’s Last Mile Connectivity Project or the US’s ambitions … Continue reading →

With all that’s been happening in Washington DC, you may have taken your finger off the pulse of California climate change policy. But now’s a good time to check back in. There’s a new cap-and-trade proposal in town, and it’s … Continue reading →

Capping greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions at individual facilities is a bad idea whose time, unfortunately, may have come in California. Unlike a statewide cap or tax on emitting GHGs, facility-specific caps have essentially zero support among environmental economists, as I … Continue reading →

It has been slowing down for decades, but is electricity use by American households now going down? Americans tend to use more and more of everything.  As incomes have risen, we buy more food, live in larger homes, travel more, … Continue reading →

How a “little” California vehicle standard prevented an urban “airmaggedon” My midlife crisis did not lead to me to buy a German convertible — which would assist me in tanning my bald head and at the same time increasing the … Continue reading →

This has been a spring of leaks. Most of you probably heard about the hole at the Oroville Dam. In my house, we’ve had leaks in both our skylight and our car. Yes, it’s great to be out of the … Continue reading →