What Does Energy Economics Teach Us About a Zero Carbon Electricity Grid by the year 2050?
Energy engineers are having an interesting fight over whether the US electricity grid can "easily" be 100% renewables (and thus create 0 GHG emissions) in the next 30 years. A prominent Stanford Engineer and his team says "yes" while some important critics say no.
Summer School 2017 in Paris
If you look at these photos, you might be able to find me in one of them (hint --- look at the dinner photo). I enjoyed speaking on June 15th 2017. As I should have guessed, the room was not air conditioned and my students were not that cheery in the heat.
Notes from Europe
I haven't been blogging because I've been traveling around France. I return to my sunny home very soon. Some random observations;
1. High speed trains do create nice synergies between small and medium sized cities and Superstar cities (the Paris to Renne train proves this).
2.
The Economics of Pollution Exposure
The Fed of Richmond has published an excellent interview with Janet Currie. Janet has written several high quality papers investigating the consequences of pollution exposure but this work raises the issue of why people choose to expose themselves to pollution.
Why Are NYC's Subway Trains So Old?
Yes, NYC has an old subway system but that doesn't explain the interesting fact presented in the NY Times today that the C trains are over 53 years old. Binding budget constraints provide the explanation for why this rich city (that relies on public transit) isn't investing in public capital.
One Comment on Dr. Krugman's NY Times Column
Paul Krugman has written a new column about President Trump and the climate change mitigation Paris Treaty. Here is a direct quote:
"The same goes for claims that trying to rein in emissions will do terrible economic damage and destroy millions of jobs.
An Economic Explanation for Why Republicans Do Not Prioritize Fighting Climate Change
The NY Times has published a long article that contains many interesting ideas focused on why Republicans oppose climate change regulation. The Koch Brothers make an appearance as the Times reporters argue that the Kochs use their $ to influence public opinion.
My Slides for my Economics Lectures in Rennes
For those who are interested in environmental and urban economics, you might enjoy reading through my slides for the three lectures that I will give in Rennes, France in mid-June.
President Trump's Impact on Endogenous Technological Change
What problems do entrepreneurs target to work on? Put simply, if there were no bald men on the planet or if the bald men all had no $, would any drug company invest in R&D to cure baldness? No.
Some Nuances Concerning President Trump's Recent Decision on the Paris Treaty
I go to Paris soon. While I can't speak French, here is what I will say to those who ask me about President Trump's decision. First, I do not support his decision but the issues here are much more nuanced than either he or the New York Times argues.
1.
