Commentaries (reflecting my personal views, not that of UW)

2024

• From Climate Purist To Climate Pragmatist: The Case Of Kamala Harris. Forbes.com, September 30.
• SBTi, Climate Pledges, and Share Prices. The Regulatory Review, September 9.
• Climate Change As A Moral Trigger: Starbucks CEO And Corporate Jets. Forbes.com, August 30.
• Is Washington’s Climate Commitment Act In Trouble? Forbes.com, July 31.
• Will Trump 2.0 Hinder Climate Progress? Forbes.com, July 21.
• Paris Olympics: Should Rich Countries Use Air Conditioners?. Forbes.com, June 29.
• Climate Betrayal Or Climate Leadership? New York’s Congestion Pricing And Congressional Politic. Forbes.com, June 16.
• Climate Policy: A Glass Half-Full Or Half-Empty? Forbes.com, May 20.
• The Rise and Fall of ESG. Forbes.com, April 23.
• Progress, retreat, or compromise: SEC climate disclosure rule. Forbes.com, March 10.
• Eras forests could offset Taylor Swift’s carbon footprint. Forbes.com, February 25.
• Presidential elections and Biden’s gas export pause. Forbes.com, February 6.
• Managing public views of decarbonization, cold waves, and blackouts Forbes.com, January 30.
• Rural backlash could impede climate ambition. The Regulatory Review, January 22.

2023

• Taylor Swift and other Jet-setters can send a climate message Forbes.com, December 26.
• Could climate aid avoid development aid’s implementation problems? Forbes.com, December 3.
• Is politics causing Delhi air pollution and climate policy slowdown? Forbes.com, November 13.
• Pope Francis and climate change: Does morality play a role in climate policy. Forbes.com, October 9.
• Biden joined the UAW picket line but workers remain concerned about EVs. Forbes.com, September 26.
• Climate clashes with labor: UAW strike reveals ESG problems. Forbes.com, September 18.
• Vandalizing museums, Disrupting the Burning Man, and climate activism. Forbes.com, September 4
• Taylor Swift and climate change: Is the youth “Shaking Off” or embracing carbon-intensive lifestyles? Forbes.com, August 2.
• The innovation-inducing effects of carbon pricing. The Regulatory Review, July 24.
• Who is a climate leader? Amazon’s 2022 Sustainability Report. Forbes.com, July 23.
• Biden and Modi talked about China but not about climate. Forbes.com, June 25.
• Should air pollution in New York and Washington D.C. trigger a climate emergency?. Forbes.com, June 17.
• The Ukraine invasion reveals how national security, international trade, and climate change are connected. Forbes.com, May 29.
• Why blowing up pipelines will not solve the climate crisis. Forbes.com, May 1.
• Dogs are humans’ best friends: Could we reduce their carbon footprint?. Forbes.com, April 9.
• The political logic of Willow project’s approval. Forbes.com, March 24.
• Greta Thunberg joins Indigenous communities in opposing wind energy: How to address community opposition to renewable projects. Forbes.com, March 2.
• Net-zero emission pledges may not lead to full decarbonization. The Regulatory Review, February 13.
• Here’s why climate change gets the spotlight but biodiversity doesn’t . Forbes.com, February 1.
• Public opinion supports Electric Vehicle tax credits. The Regulatory Review, January 23.

2022

• Governor DeSantis, Larry Fink, and the ESG Debate: How climate policy could avoid culture wars. Forbes.com, December 27.
• How to reboot climate policy after COP27: Five models of policy making. Forbes.com, December 4.
• Should climate groups become human rights advocates? COP 27, Egypt, and Greenpeace. Forbes.com, November 14.
• Climate policy lesson from Liz Truss’s resignation: Beware of budget deficits. Forbes.com, October 22.
• Will hurling tomato soup on Van Gogh’s Sunflowers advance climate policy?. Forbes.com, October 19.
• Stock markets fail to punish firms that cause harm. The Regulatory Review, September 20.
• Pakistan is seeking flood assistance — but not from foreign NGOs. Washington Post, September 13.
• King Charles III should become a climate monarch. Forbes.com, September 10.
• California is facing an electricity crisis. But it has also mandated a switchover to Electric Vehicles. Forbes.com, September 7.
• Three reasons why Manchin did a U-Turn on climate policy. Forbes.com, August 3.
• Inflation Reduction Act is a step forward but climate policy contradictions remain. Forbes.com, July 28.
• For Democrats, trying to slow climate change is good politics. Washington Post, July 15.
• Supreme Court and carbon regulation: West Virginia V. EPA requires rethinking climate activism. Forbes.com, July 4.
• Will vandalizing the Mona Lisa bring climate progress? . Forbes.com, May 31.
• Fewer donors say they’re willing to give to a charity when it supports immigrants – especially if they’re undocumented. The Conversation, May 17.
• Climate Policy And Partisan Wars: Elon Musk And Twitter. Forbes.com, May 14.
• 2022 Earth Day brings grim news on climate policy: What is the way forward?. Forbes.com, April 22.
• Is ESG simply the old CSR wine in a new bottle?. Regulatory Review, March 28.
• Here’s why Biden switched from opposing Russian oil ban to supporting it. Forbes.com, March 9.
• Ukraine crisis is terrible news for climate policy. Forbes.com, February 23.
• Climate activists should worry that Seattle housing market is going through the roof. Forbes.com, February 20.
• Larry Fink, stakeholder capitalism, and climate action. Forbes.com, January 23.
• Autocrats are exploiting COVID-19 to weaken central bank independence. Foreign Policy, January 10.
• Don’t Look Up: Political and citizenship failures to fight climate change. Forbes.com, January 4.

2021

• Mitigate or adapt: Republicans and Democrats disagree about climate spending. Forbes.com, December 18.
• When promoting democracy, less is more. Foreign Policy, December 8.
• The message from Glasgow: Climate politics is local. Forbes.com, December 1.
• Storms and power outages: Decarbonization depends on reliable electricity supply. Forbes.com, October 29.
• Carbon capture: Is the Glasgow summit ready for this conversation? Forbes.com, October 23.
• Larry Fink wants $100 billion for decarbonization aid: We are not persuaded. Forbes.com, October 14.
• Pew reports support for low-emission lifestyles. Will individuals cut down on air travel?. Forbes.com, September 19.
• Climate change and price stability mandates at central banks. The Regulatory Review, September 13.
• U.S. climate agenda in the aftermath of the Afghanistan withdrawal. Forbes.com, August 20.
• Wildfires, heatwaves, and the IPCC report: Yet climate policy is losing steam. Forbes.com, August 14.
• Why are New York and Seattle Mayoral candidates not talking about climate change? Forbes.com, July 30.
• Billionaires claiming climate leadership should not promote space tourism. Forbes.com, July 12.
• Including tree equity in the Climate Pledge: Here’s how Amazon can help address the heat island effect. Forbes.com, July 7.
• Why local communities may support nuclear energy. The Regulatory Review, June 29.
• Heat waves are a local health hazard: Firms should plant trees in poor neighborhoods. Forbes.com, June 23.
• Oil industry’s fluctuating fortunes: Recent wins and losses in climate policy. Forbes.com, May 30.
• The lack of EV charging stations could limit EV growth. Forbes.com, May 4.
• Here’s why domestic politics shaped Biden’s Climate Summit Agenda. Forbes.com, April 28.
• Nomadland, economic disruption, and the need for “just climate transition.” Forbes.com, April 12.
• It’s World Water Day. Here’s why democracies do better at delivering water equally to all. Washington Post, March 22.
• Carbon-free electricity requires policies to build and finance transmission and storage. Forbes.com, February 21.
• Fights over Indian farm laws ignore Green Revolution’s climate and economic problems. Forbes.com, February 16.
• Blind spots in climate policy: EV supply chain and climate adaptation. Forbes.com, January 5.

2020

• Milton Friedman versus Jeff Bezos on climate leadership. The Regulatory Review, December 28.
• The Green Revolution is in trouble: Here’s why Indian farmers are protesting. Forbes.com, December 20.
• Different styles of philanthropy: McKinsey Scott And Jeff Bezos. Forbes.com, December 16.
• Are net-zero emission pledges credible? The Regulatory Review, December 14.
• John Kerry as Presidential Climate Envoy: Virtue signaling or the path to climate policy progress? Forbes.com, November 23.
• Bezos Earth Fund should support grassroots organizations working on “just transition”. Forbes.com, November 19.
• Biden’s biggest climate challenge is to satisfy both the ‘workers’ and the ‘elites’. Forbes.com, November 6.
• Will the Biden Administration transform U.S. climate policy? Forbes.com, October 16.
• Will Amazon’s “Climate Pledge Friendly” label transform online shopping?, Forbes.com, October 6.
• Republicans embrace local environmental issues in competitive races, Forbes.com, September 23.
• West Coast wildfires reveal massive governance failures, Forbes.com, September 13.
• National Parks and Pebble Mine reveal the influence of competitive elections and conservative celebrities, Forbes.com, August 29.
• Urban heatwaves are worse for low-income neighborhoods, Forbes.com, August 14.
• China’s covid-19 stimulus plan isn’t as green as it looks, Washington Post, August 3.
• Biden’s climate plan needs to do better on the concepts of ‘Just Transition’ and ‘Critical Minerals’, Forbes.com, July 16.
• Heat waves, solar rooftops, and renewable energy jobs: Climate equity should guide decarbonization, Forbes.com, July 3.
• Amazon’s Climate Pledge Arena: Virtue signaling or a game-changer?, Forbes.com, June 26.
• Amazon pledges $2 billion climate fund, as its carbon emissions grow, Forbes.com, June 24.
• Unilever’s climate plan: Emissions from supply chain and consumers are the real challenge, Forbes.com, June 18.
• Here’s why tech platforms might need regulation but not breaking up, Forbes.com, June 13.
• National parks enjoy bipartisan support, let’s back state parks, too, Forbes.com, June 11.
• Have banks really become climate advocates? Or are they just ‘climate washing?’, Forbes.com, May 30.
• Siloization of climate and public health: The case of Covid-19, Global Policy Opinion, May 26.
• Whistleblowers fired, VP resigns: Amazon's looming political problems, Forbes.com, May 7.
• Climate change helped global cooperation. Will Coronavirus undermine it?, Forbes.com, April 11.
• Just (climate) transition” provides a roadmap for “just (COVID-19) containment”, Forbes.com, April 4.
• Coronavirus mimics climate politics: The emerging frame of “the cure is worse than the disease”, Forbes.com, March 26.
• Coronavirus encouraged pro-climate behaviors: Here’s how Earth Day celebrations could help sustain them, Forbes.com, March 19.
• Here's why Coronavirus and climate change are different sorts of policy problems, Forbes.com, March 15.
• Coronavirus and global supply chain disruption: A wake-up call for climate policy?, Forbes.com, March 7.
• Bezos’ Earth Fund should revitalize the American Rust Belt instead of chasing technological solutions, Forbes.com, February 20.
• Restoring the reputations of charities after scandals, The Conversation, February 13.
• The business case for climate leadership: Amazon’s social license to operate, Forbes.com, January 29.
• The climate leadership race: Microsoft’s Climate Moonshot and Amazon’s Climate Pledge, Forbes.com, January 17.

2019

• Delhi’s air pollution: A failure of democratic governance, Global Asia, December, 2019.
• 2020 New Year’s resolution: Fly less, Forbes.com, December 26, 2019.
• Turning holiday shopping green: Gifting tree certificates instead of “stuff”, Forbes.com, November 28, 2019.
• Does Greta Thunberg’s lifestyle equal climate denial? One climate scientist seems to suggest so, Forbes.com, November 14, 2019.
• Saving Delhi from the toxic smog: Regulations have failed but financial incentives could work, Forbes.com, November 2, 2019.
• U.S. coal bankruptcies reveal the future of Alberta Tar Sands, Forbes.com, October 30, 2019.
• “Shallow” And “Deep” Decarbonization: Amazon’s Climate Pledge, Forbes.com, October 20, 2019.
• The Amazon isn’t the only forest that’s burning. Can consumer pressure stop the destruction?, Washington Post's Monkey Cage, October 14, 2019.
  
• Keeping climate on the agenda when everybody is talking impeachment, Forbes.com, September 27, 2019.
• Amazon's climate pledge: Greenwashing or a game-changer?, Forbes.com, September 20, 2019.
• Climate strikes: What they accomplish and how they could have more impact, Forbes.com, September 14, 2019.
• Jobs and climate change: America's (Rust) Belt and Road Initiative, Forbes.com, July 14, 2019.
• Air travel and climate change: KLM's "Fly Responsibly" campaign Forbes.com, July 10, 2019.
• Labor unions and the Green New Deal: Love, hate, or indifference? Forbes.com, July 6, 2019.
• The message from Miami debates: Climate change is not the top issue for Democrats. Forbes.com, June 29, 2019.
• Should the Judiciary be making US climate policy? Forbes.com, June 22, 2019.
• Why did India's devastating Cyclone Fani kill only 40 people -- not 10,000? Washington Post's Monkey Cage, May 17, 2019.
• Are climate action supporters avoiding the Green New Deal label? Forbes.com, May 1, 2019.
• The Notre Dame fire, the carbon tax and climate policy. Forbes.com, April 22, 2019.
• Are India's political parties ignoring climate change? Forbes.com, April 13, 2019.
• Why Americans appear more likely to support Christian refugees. The Conversation, April 9, 2019.
• The New Deal or the Manhattan Project: Historical analogies to imagine climate action. Forbes.com, April 5, 2019.
• Can the Socialist label hurt the Green New Deal? Forbes.com, March 23, 2019.
• The Green New Deal and the new politics of climate change. Forbes.com March 13, 2019.
• Climate scientists have a moral responsibility to lead by example. The Hill, March 8, 2019.
• 3 ways to translate Green New Deal into actual policy. The Hill, February 13, 2019.
• Schultz is not running against Trump --- He's running against Bloomberg. The Hill, February 4, 2019.
• Americans say they're worried about climate change -- so why don't they vote that way?. The Conversation, February 4, 2019.
• Climate movement should focus on winning 2020 presidential elections. The Hill, January 4, 2019.

2018

• Can the climate movement survive populism? Lessons from 'yellow vest' protests. The Hill, December 6, 2018.
• Lessons for Washington from a carbon tax autopsy. Crosscut, November 27, 2018.
• Read my lips: No new (carbon) tax. The Hill, November 13, 2018.
• If liberal billionaires really wanted to change politics, here's what they'd do. Huffpost, October 24, 2018.
• Don't be afraid to talk about the costs of dealing with climate change. The Conversation, October 10, 2018.
• A green economy must achieve climate justice. The Regulatory Review, September 27, 2018.
• Seattle's smoky summers are becoming the new normal The Hill, August 22, 2018.
• What Amazon owes Seattle's homeless is a matter of debate The Hill, May 18, 2018.
• Environmentalists need to reconnect with blue-collar America The Hill, April 25, 2018.
• The climate change hypocrisy of jet-setting academics. HuffPost, March 31, 2018.
• Should India's Supreme Court enforce regulations? The Regulatory Review, March 27, 2018.
• The unexpected consequences of private regulatory standards. The Regulatory Review, February 27, 2018.
• The Oxfam scandal shows that, yes, nonprofits can behave badly. So why aren't they overseen like for-profits?. Washington Post/Monkey Cage, February 19, 2018.
• The key to a successful carbon tax is how you spend the money. The Hill, February 13, 2018.
• Why is India "missing" 63 million women -- even though development is roaring?. Washington Post/Monkey Cage, February 8, 2018.

2017

• Information-based regulation and the search for Amazon's second headquarters. The Regulatory Review, December 19, 2017.
• Amazon HQ2 in the time of climate change. HuffPost, December 4, 2017.
• Delhi is blanketed with toxic smog. This is why. Washington Post/Monkey Cage, November 11, 2017.
• How donors can help make nonprofits more accountable The Conversation, November 1, 2017.
• Solar panels on border wall The Regulatory Review, July 11, 2017.
• Across the globe, governments are cracking down on civic organizations. This is why. Washington Post/Momey Cage, July 5, 2017.
• Why retreat from Paris now? The Regulatory Review June 22, 2017.
• International organizations and the crisis of legitimacy openGlobalRights/openDemocracy.net, June 9, 2017.
• Are we overreacting to US withdrawal from the Paris Agreement on climate? The Conversation, June 1, 2017.
• Does the environmental movement need new messengers? Solutions, May, 2017.
• Four years after one of the worst industrial accidents ever, what have we learned? Washington Post/Monkey Cage, April 24, 2017.
• Why did Scott Pruitt refuse to ban a chemical that the EPA itself said is dangerous. Washington Post/Monkey Cage, April 12, 2017.
• Climate politics: Environmentalists need to think globally, but act locally The Conversation, March 28, 2017.
• The Trump administration wants to kill the popular Energy Star program because it combats climate change. Washington Post/Monkey Cage, March 23, 2017.
• Do African exports to China hurt labor rights?Here's what we found. Washington Post/Monkey Cage, March 3, 2017.
• Yes, consumers can cange public policies -sometimes. Here are the challenges. Washington Post/Monkey Cage, February 27, 2017.
• Here's a better way to regulate carbon -- and change the tired environment-versus-economy debate. The Conversation, January 30, 2017.

2016

• The US environmental movement needs a new message. The Conversation, December 12, 2016.
• Trump can't abolish the EPA. Slate.com, November 16, 2016
• The Dakota pipeline protests should think big. Slate.com, November 3, 2016
• The upside of ignoring climate change. Slate.com, October 31, 2016
• "Climate change did It!" Is a convenient excuse. Slate.com, October 21, 2016
• Manufacturing dissent: How The New York Times covered the Brexit vote. Duck of Minerva, September 29, 2016
• The big fight over the Dakota Access Pipeline, explained. Washington Post/Monkey Cage, September 20, 2016
• Here's what many journalists missed when covering the Brexit vote. Washington Post/Monkey Cage, August 4, 2016
• Perils of technocraticism, Will environmentalists learn from Brexit. Governance Journal Blog, June 27, 2016.
• Let's take institutional failure more seriously. Statecrafting.net, June 9, 2016.
• It's not just Flint: Heres why we ignore water pollution. Washington Post/ Monkey Cage, June 8, 2016.
• Here's what Clinton really thinks about Appalachian coal CountryWashington Post/Monkey Cage, May 15, 2016
• What drives the crackdown on NGOs and how can it be stopped? opendemocracy.net, April 22, 2016.
• Environmental inclusion: A moral imperative and political necessity. Stanford Social Innovation Review, February 26, 2016
• NGOs are great at demanding transparency. They're not so hot at providing it. Washington Post/Monkey Cage, February 22, 2016

2015 and before

• Government contractors as civil society? Stanford Social Innovation Review, November 9, 2015.
• Foreign disentaglement. Stanford Social Innovation Review, Fall 2016
• Unanticipated consequences: Polio and the hunt for Bin Laden. opendemocracy.com, August 5, 2014
• Don't blame the military alone: Women's rights in Pakistan. opendemocracy.net, August 16, 2013
• Misplaced priorities. Global leadership and India's domestic neglect of human rights. opendemocracy.net, July 9, 2013
• Government corruption leads to industrial accidents, not global brands. opendemocracy.net, May 29, 2013
• India rapes show gender inequality persists despite economic growth Seattle Times, May 4, 2013
• Foreign aid to local NGOs: good intentions, bad policy. opendemocracy.net, May 29, 2013