Perspectives on Sustainable Development

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We're back!!!

What I thought was just going to be a quick break for the summer as I planned a conference, ended up being more of an endeavor as I then had to deal with a fried hard drive, being laid off, and starting my own consulting company. Oh, also during this period, I went to NYC Climate Week.

This episode was recorded a few days after climate week. We were fortunate to be joined by two leaders who have helped push aggressive climate reforms in their states at the highest levels. NJDEP Commissioner Shawn Latourette and Former Commissioner of the NYSDEC (and currently Partner and Senior Policy Director at Foley Hoag LLP) Basil Seggos have led New Jersey and New York to being at the forefront of climate and EJ policies, and both men are regulars at NYC Climate Week and similar events around the country. 

How do we judge progress and incremental gains in the face of a problem as encompassing as climate? Unfortunately, those who have contributed the least to the problem often bear a higher rate of climate impacts and have a lower capacity to respond. This is the ultimate risk evaluation in that the more the planet warms, the more likely it will be that we see increased flooding, droughts, heat waves, stronger storms, biodiversity loss, etc. Project Drawdown does a great job of walking through all of this and lately put out their Drawdown Explorer to help connect local people with applicable projects in their communities. 

Ultimately, it will cost us far more the longer we wait to act, and if we wait, we will likely have less to protect. These are heavy topics, and it is always important to find hope, to highlight progress, and celebrate collaboration. 

I hope you enjoy this discussion with Shawn and Basil, I know I did. 

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About four years ago I was giving a talk in Ohio and someone in the crowd asked me, "EJ just kind of sprang up, where did it come from, how did this start?" At first I was pretty taken back by the comment since the environmental justice movement began around the time I was born, but this gentleman simply had not heard about it until that point, until it was tied into his operations. 

My two guests this episode are Vernice Miller-Travis (EVP of the Metropolitan Group and Co-Founder of WeAct for Environmental Justice) and Adrienne Hollis, PhD, JD, VP of EJ, Health, and Community Resilience and Revitalization at the National Wildlife Federation. They have been at this for a long time and describe multiple situations that drove them to get into this work. Having to wipe oil smears off windshields so they could drive, swimming in polluted waterways, and seemingly having no say in what happened in their communities. Thankfully, much has changed over the last decades and nearly all environmental metrics have improved, but there are still many areas that need to be addressed sustainably. 

If you are going to do this work, you have to try and understand sense of place, community, and heritage and how environmental and public health impacts can affect each. Paraphrasing something from the episode, the community will know if there's a problem, the science will identify the source (s), and hopefully collaboration among all parties can bring on solutions. 

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There's a common fallacy out there that public policy that is protective of public health is likely bad for bottom lines. That could not be further from the truth. Sound policy is protective but in a sustainable way that also promotes economic growth. 

For this episode, who better to talk about taking on complex policy development, than two people who have done it at the highest levels? Sandra Whitehead is an expert on cumulative health impacts, a professor at GW, and formerly a member of the White House EJ Advisory Council. Ryan Hathaway is currently with Lawyers for Good Government, and was the Director for Environmental Justice with CEQ and previously the EJ Coordinator with the Department of the Interior. Both Sandra and Ryan share my desire for objectivity and passion for following the numbers. 

They were gracious enough to share insights from their work with the previous administration and many forward looking thoughts on major policy development. Protecting public health and promoting economic development are not mutually exclusive. 

Enjoy the episode!

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It feels appropriate that this episode is posting in the middle of a heat wave in much of the United States, with four straight days of heat index readings at or above 110F. While we were planning for the episode a glacier in Europe gave way, burying the town of Blatten, Switzerland. Our world is warming, and that has many difficult implications. With all the changes of the last six months, we had many options for episode names on this one, but something one of our guests said stuck out. We live in systems not silos. Climate is the ultimate tiered system where if you make a change at the top, you should expect to see changes below. The Arctic is a great example of this and why so many climate researchers focus on that part of the world.

This episode brings back one of our first guests, Marisol Maddox (Senior Arctic Fellow, Dartmouth College) and a Zach Labe (Climate Scientist, and Graphical Wizard, at Climate Central). Our discussion covers national security concerns, biodiversity loss, the rate of change that we have been seeing, and what these changes mean as climate impacts in the rest of the world. Zach was also kind enough to showcase some of his graphical and storytelling skills toward the beginning of the episode to set the tone for us. 

Enjoy, and I hope this episode inspires you to look into these topics. 

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I almost decided to name this episode, "so this is why we can't have nice things." On our last episode, Doug Houseman and Mark Jacobson showed us what's possible albeit challenging from a technical perspective. This episode Eric Beightel (Federal Strategy Director, Environmental Science Associates) and Josh Kaplowitz (Senior Counsel, Troutman Pepper Locke LLP) walk us through grid decarbonization and renewables development from a legal and policy perspective. Simply put, our current regulatory models aren't made for this. But if you decide to rip it all down and start over (NEPA reference there), how do you make sure the new model is more up to the challenge?

We cover a lot in this episode, from the critical role of SCOTUS over the next four years, whether or not we are in an energy emergency (as defined historically), environmental assessments and stakeholdering as part of the permitting process, federalism, and "what you wish we could have done differently over the last four years". 

Josh and Eric have been right in the middle of this at the highest levels during the previous administration and are what I'd like to call objective optimists on the topic. I suggest watching the previous episode before you watch this one. Good policy should focus on technical challenges and look to improve timelines. 

Enjoy!

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For a project to be sustainable it must factor in the economic, social, and environmental impacts of its scope before its built, in order to minimize any detrimental impacts and maximize benefits. But backing up another step, for a project to be built at all, it must first have a handle on associated logistical constraints and how they factor into timelines and budgeting. 

My two guests this week are energy experts who have decades of experience around the world. Mark Jacobson (Director, Atmosphere/Energy Program at Stanford University) and Doug Houseman (Principal Consultant, 1898&Co) are as good as it gets, and both not afraid to lean into this topic. Mounting global climate impacts have driven a push for decarbonization. That's a gargantuan lift on many fronts. Both men acknowledge the challenges, but disagree at numerous points as to where we are and how to move forward. 

This was not an entirely comfortable conversation. That's OK, the best ones aren't. If we are going to try to effect positive changes in this space, we need to be willing to dig into the hard questions and start finding some solutions. 

I enjoyed this one and know you will too!

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In 2018 the US processed roughly 292.4 million tons of municipal solid waste (MSW), or 4.9 pounds/person per day, which equates to an increase of 93% from 1980. Of that amount, 69 million tons were recycled and 25 million composted. In 2021 the US recycled 58.6 million tons of metals, iron, steel. These figures have only increased over the last few years, and project continued increases in coming years due to population growth. It is a massive problem and responsibility for those leading solid waste and scrap recycling facilities. Historically, many of these sort of facilities have also been sited in overburdened communities.

My guests this week, Dr. Jyoti Agarwal (Director of Environmental Programs, Reworld) and Andrew Cooley (Senior VP of Strategy, EMR USA) know these issues well, and dig into root causes, impacts, and drivers for the industry. Solid waste management is a crucial public health, environmental, and climate topic. This podcast was started to hear from multiple perspectives on these critical issues, and to learn from experts in each field. This week's episode is a great example of that mission. I learned a few things, and hope you all will as well. Enjoy!

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I start every EJ or climate talk that I give with a photo of my children. They are the reason why I am so passionate about all of this, they are why I do this work. The same can be said for many of those in environmental advocacy; over time it becomes a family affair, and we often see children joining efforts that their parents have worked on for decades. On the episode this week, I tell a story of late last year, I was moderating a panel in Chicago with Cheryl Johnson, daughter of Hazel Johnson (Mother of Environmental Justice). As I listened to Cheryl speak, I appreciated the fact that he stories and wisdom was coming from decades of experience. 

My guests this week are Maya and Anneke van Rossum (Delaware Riverkeeper Network). Maya is the founder of the Green Amendment movement, which has so far yielded green amendments in three states, with at least twenty more considering similar actions. Anneke is Maya's daughter and the Policy Director at Delaware Riverkeeper. As Maya and Anneke put it, "this is the people's fight for a clean, safe, and healthy environment. 

This one will make you think. As you listen, consider what may change if your state adopted a green amendment? 

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Climate change impacts are mounting across the world, and it has been difficult to watch. From cloud bursts, to drought, to stronger hurricanes, and longer heat waves, the economic and public health impacts are mounting and costing us all a lot more. The 2025 California wildfires alone are estimated to have cost $250B.

How do insurance companies factor in climate change? How do they incur rising associated costs? How do these rising impacts affect major project siting and development?

For this episode Chris was joined by Justin Roth (Associate Director - Catastrophe Analytics, Howden Re) and Michael Perron (Renewable Energy Market Lead, FM Renewable Energy). Justin and Mike offer a ton of great info in this episode but one of the key takeaways is that climate change is costing us more, no matter where you live, but proactively insuring for projected increased risk in your areas can be a really smart play. Rising insurance costs is also a major climate justice issue that does not get enough attention. 

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This week Chris was joined by James May (Distinguished Professor of Law, Washburn University) and Dana Johnson (Chief Movement Advisor, Strategic Movement Collective, LLC). The topic for this episode is environmental justice and dignity rights. Taping this made us think of the golden rule, you know the one that most of us learn around Kindergarten, "treat others as you want to be treated". Policy choices over decades have led to environmental justice areas and associated elevated health impacts. Objectively, there's just too much activity going on in these areas, with highways often built through the middle, amplifying the problem with mobile source emissions. 

There have been a flurry of changes at the federal level on EJ, but the main drivers for policy improvements are still state programs and community groups. Industry has an opportunity here to show that they understand these issues, and are taking tangible steps to reduce their impacts and maximize benefits to the community. To be a "good neighbor" means embracing these issues for the long haul, and objectively presenting environmental, economic, and social impacts to all major projects at the proposal stage. 

This episode is not always optimistic, not always easy to hear, but it is an important conversation with two experts in their fields. Enjoy. 

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