New Episode of Resources Radio on Economics and Environmental Policy, with Robert Stavins
WASHINGTON, DC—Resources for the Future (RFF) today released a new installment of Resources Radio: “Economics in the Age of Environmental Policy, with Robert Stavins.”
In today’s podcast, host Daniel Raimi interviews Robert Stavins, the A.J. Meyer Professor of Energy and Economic Development at Harvard’s John F. Kennedy School of Government. Stavins explains how economics can be used to create effective policies, and he provides an overview of past environmental policies that have utilized economic principles. Stavins also gives his take on current environmental policy proposals, such as the Green New Deal and a carbon tax.
Notable quotes from the podcast:
- “So if the causes [of environmental problems] are economic and the consequences have important economic dimensions, then surely economics, at least from my perspective, is essential for a full understanding of environmental problems”—Robert Stavins (4:34)
- “In terms of policy instruments to address climate change, the use of economic incentive approaches is very significant, but it's by no means dominant.”—Robert Stavins (19:18)
- “So my view is that carbon pricing instruments will be necessary but not sufficient. Necessary because it's only with a carbon pricing mechanism that you can possibly affect, broadly across the economy, all of the uses of fossil fuels.”—Robert Stavins (21:38)
Resources Radio is a weekly podcast series exploring timely environmental, energy, and natural resources topics, and can be found on iTunes, Stitcher, Spotify, and SoundCloud.
Resources for the Future (RFF) is an independent, nonprofit research institution in Washington, DC. Its mission is to improve environmental, energy, and natural resource decisions through impartial economic research and policy engagement. RFF is committed to being the most widely trusted source of research insights and policy solutions leading to a healthy environment and a thriving economy.
Unless otherwise stated, the views expressed here are those of the individual authors and may differ from those of other RFF experts, its officers, or its directors. RFF does not take positions on specific legislative proposals.
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