Commentary from Community Health and Environmental Policy

Infrastructure Finance
Green Bonds Can Leave Issuers in the Red
Nov 22, 2021
Brian Wong, Ismael Arciniegas Rueda

To achieve the Biden administration's blueprint for solar energy and focus on climate change mitigation and adaptation, green bonds may be worth considering. But Brian Wong (cohort '20) suggests that, like any other financing instrument, they may be best considered through a cost-benefit lens.
Military Veterans
On Veterans Day, There Are Still Thousands of Homeless Vets in L.A. We Followed 26 to Find Out Why
Nov 11, 2021
Sarah B. Hunter

An estimated 3,900 veterans live unhoused in Los Angeles. The city has the largest VA medical center in the nation. There are federal housing programs exclusively for veterans. So why hasn't Los Angeles been able to make a dent?
Residential Housing
Renters' Last Chance for Pandemic Aid Before Evictions Resume
Sep 24, 2021
George Zuo

The pandemic has battered Los Angeles renters, and a new wave of pain is coming with the moratorium on evictions ending September 30. But this housing crisis doesn't have to turn into a new homelessness crisis. Californians with incomes below 80 percent of their area's median are eligible to receive funds from the COVID-19 Rent Relief program.
Emergency Preparedness
Hurricane Ida Is Part of a Cycle of Disasters—Mitigating Their Impact Means Building Back Better
Sep 13, 2021
Jay Balagna, Aaron Clark-Ginsberg @aclarkginsberg

Building back better means focusing on recovery that not only restores damage from a disaster but also reduces future risk. To meet that goal today, we need to look at the ways our disaster preparedness and response systems actually create risk themselves, by reinforcing things like wealth inequality, systemic discrimination, or access to crucial services.
Environmental Regulation
Achieving Decarbonization and Energy Equity Through Reconciliation
Sep 9, 2021
Liam Regan, Benjamin Lee Preston @bl_preston

The past two years have witnessed increasingly vocal calls for rapid decarbonization of the global economy through a clean energy transition. How can Congress ensure that new costs associated with a clean energy transition do not fall disproportionately on lower-income ratepayers?
Alternative and Renewable Energy
Costa Rica Leads the Way in Cutting Carbon Emissions
Aug 30, 2021

Almost every country has pledged to slash carbon emissions to slow the gears of global warming. Costa Rica's plan provides a glimpse of what a carbon-neutral future will look like. It shows how nations can take action and make investments that hold up, regardless of what future comes to pass.
Wildfires
Climate Change Is Only One Driver of Explosive Wildfire Season—Don't Forget Land Management
Aug 16, 2021
Jim Whittington, Aaron Clark-Ginsberg @aclarkginsberg, et al.

The fire seasons that have been scorching huge areas and wiping entire towns from the map appear to be the future. Accepting that wildland fires are a part of our environment and working to live with fires rather than continuously fighting against them may be the most responsible path forward.
Public Health Preparedness
How Have Communities Been Faring During COVID-19? And How Will Lessons Learned Inform Future Response and Planning?
Aug 11, 2021
Anita Chandra, Linnea Warren May @LinneaKWMay, et al.

As the United States emerges from the devastation of the pandemic, it may be time to examine the choices communities made during the last year to see how these approaches shape continued COVID-19 response and recovery and help build resilience for future pandemic response.
Data Analysis
Equitable Data Analysis: Lessons from a COVID-19 Research Collaborative
Jul 27, 2021
Linnea Warren May @LinneaKWMay, Jason Beery, et al.

The health inequities exposed by COVID-19 underscored the importance of collecting race-stratified data to inform local policymakers. For the public health researchers trying to provide that, the pandemic also revealed some major pitfalls, especially about relying on open-source data.
Workplace Well-Being
As Fire Season Heats Up, Burnout Looms
Jul 21, 2021
Grace Hindmarch, Aaron Clark-Ginsberg @aclarkginsberg, et al.

Increasingly intense fire seasons are taking a physical and mental toll on wildland firefighters. Without more direct attention paid to firefighters' mental health, burnout could decimate the ranks of those who protect lives and property across the West.
Disaster Recovery Operations
Four Strategies to Reduce Disaster Risk in Fragile and Conflict-Affected Contexts
Jul 9, 2021
Aaron Clark-Ginsberg @aclarkginsberg, Ronak B. Patel, et al.

Addressing the circumstances for the more than two billion people living in fragile and conflict-affected contexts is crucial for delivering on the United Nations commitment for disaster risk reduction. Four strategies can help reduce risk and improve resilience for these communities.
Infrastructure
Promoting Social Equity in Infrastructure Planning and Delivery
Jun 17, 2021
Melissa L. Finucane @MelissaFinucane, Jaime Madrigano @JMadrigano, et al.

The American Jobs Plan and the American Families Plan propose to address racial inequities through significant infrastructure, workforce, education, and child care investments. Multiple barriers may need to be addressed for the funds to reach their intended destination.

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Researcher Spotlight

Robert J. Lempert

Director, Frederick S. Pardee Center for Longer Range Global Policy and the Future Human Condition

Robert Lempert is a principal researcher at the RAND Corporation and director of the Frederick S. Pardee Center for Longer Range Global Policy and the Future Human Condition. His research focuses on risk management and decisionmaking under conditions of deep uncertainty. Lempert's work aims to…

Nicholas E. Burger

Director, Washington Office

Nicholas Burger (he/him) is a senior economist at RAND and director of RAND’s Washington office. His environmental economics research focuses on domestic and international energy, climate, and resilience issues. His recent work has focused on economic approaches to valuing and prioritizing…

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Commentary from Community Health and Environmental Policy

Green Bonds Can Leave Issuers in the Red

On Veterans Day, There Are Still Thousands of Homeless Vets in L.A. We Followed 26 to Find Out Why

Renters' Last Chance for Pandemic Aid Before Evictions Resume

Hurricane Ida Is Part of a Cycle of Disasters—Mitigating Their Impact Means Building Back Better

Achieving Decarbonization and Energy Equity Through Reconciliation

Costa Rica Leads the Way in Cutting Carbon Emissions

Climate Change Is Only One Driver of Explosive Wildfire Season—Don't Forget Land Management

How Have Communities Been Faring During COVID-19? And How Will Lessons Learned Inform Future Response and Planning?

Equitable Data Analysis: Lessons from a COVID-19 Research Collaborative

As Fire Season Heats Up, Burnout Looms

Four Strategies to Reduce Disaster Risk in Fragile and Conflict-Affected Contexts

Promoting Social Equity in Infrastructure Planning and Delivery

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