ENVS 115 Reading Responses

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School

University of California, Santa Barbara *

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115

Subject

Economics

Date

Jan 9, 2024

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pdf

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Week 2: In your words, what were the main points/arguments made by the author/s? You don't have to cover all the points. Cover the ones that intrigued you, and especially those points that you want to discuss further in your response. Discuss one or two concepts, arguments, or points from the reading. Do you agree or disagree with those arguments? How do those concepts or arguments apply to other examples that you have seen or experienced? Why do you disagree with those arguments? What are some of the gaps in the article's arguments? The purpose of the reading response is to engage with the article; not simply to summarize it. Your reading response doesn't need to be lengthy. But it should be at least half a page long (250 words) if not more. In the article, the authors explored expanding electricity access to poor and underprivileged communities. Access to electricity was deemed as a human right, but 1-2 billion people still have little to no access to reliable electricity. Greater access to electricity is closely linked to improvements in human development, as it was observed that greater human development was positively correlated to increased energy consumption. In contrast to developed areas, underdeveloped communities have limited access due to factors including lack of political power, regional/ geographical restrictions, and diffuse populations. This leads to a higher marginal cost of connection compared to its expected usage in these areas. The author believes that the solution to giving poorer communities greater access to electricity lies in the decentralization of power grids. Centralized grid extensions put poorer communities at a disadvantage, for the control over electricity often lies in political powers. Without the support of strong institutions, such communities are not regarded as a priority. The development of off-grid electricity systems are taking place in order to provide the basic lighting and communication needs to the people. I agree with the author that electricity is a basic right to people, especially in the modern world in which it is the foundation of. Lack of incentive for the private sector to expand their systems to poorer populations leaves the issue up to policy makers to represent the underrepresented, but I believe that leaving it up to policy makers wouldn’t be enough to incite adequate improvements, since the private sector holds much of the power. I also agree that improving access to electricity would be a smart investment in advancing the undeveloped world in order to lessen pollution created through dated methods of power generation.

Week 3: In the article “What is Killing the Coal Industry?”, the author elaborates on several different factors that may have led to the decline in the coal industry in both production and jobs. The Trump administration along with right-winged policy makers pointed fingers at environmental regulation as the culprit of the decline, but the author of the article points at other factors that have contributed to its decline. These include the deregulation of the railroads, the fracking revolution, and higher productivity in coal mining. In regards to environmental regulation, the author claims that the Clean Air act of 1970, which initially put a strain on the coal industry, was amended 1977 in a way which relieved this strain. I agree with the author that lifting important environmental regulations is not the solution to boost the industry, for its decline is inevitable due to the modernization of technology and the push for greener sources of energy. Coal is becoming a poor investment, and instead of revitalizing the dying industry, we should look to the industries that will pave the future. In the article “Fossil electricity retirement deadlines for a just transition”, the author discusses the 2035 electricity decarbonization deadline, which shows the futility in attempting to bring back the coal industry. This article stresses the importance of establishing strict retirement deadlines for fossil fuel plants and generators. Advanced planning and policy enactments give time for transition planning to offset the social costs that come with ending carbon fueled industries. Having been given just over a decade to end a massive industry that powers most of the country, starting planning as soon as possible is the key to making the transition as smooth as possible to prepare for the rise and fall of these industries. Week 4: In the article “Assessment of Methane Emissions from the U.S. Oil and Gas Supply Chain”, the authors provide an overall assessment of emission of the oil and natural gas supply chain. When comparing their results of CH4 emissions to the measurements gathered from the EPA Greenhouse Gas Inventory, they found a significant difference between the two. The EPA severely underestimated emissions, with the cumulative studies estimating emission rates at around 63% higher. Much of the emissions could be attributed to abnormal operations, and they found that the two largest sources of aggregate emissions were pneumatic controllers and equipment leaks. This suggests that if the sources of emissions were to operate properly as designed, emissions would be significantly lower. Emissions could be reduced because their cause is a controllable factor with better emission detection and repair systems to quickly identify any abnormalities. Improved monitoring and strict accountability of facility functions should be upheld to prevent unnecessary emissions. In NPR’s article about the threat of gas stoves, it is revealed that gas stoves expose people to potential health threats. There has been extensive research that suggests that gas stoves are linked to health issues because of the pollutants they produce. This research and the push for electric stovetops pose a threat to the gas utility industry, which has tried to downplay the affects gas stoves may have on indoor air quality. Although a proper ventilation system may nullify the negative effects of a gas stove, it would be more beneficial to convert to an electric stove to prevent the unnecessary exposure to pollutants. In addition, gas stoves are also linked

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