Course timing and readings
Braddock Bay Raptor Research: I sent a payment of $55 to them this week, you can see receipts on the website. Five of your classmates in the WTA group accepted their share, so we ended up collecting a gross of $80 meaning most of you playing the game and who owed money actually paid (five did not).
For the class material, I am going to finish the material on risk and popular environmental conceptions, then we will move onto the section on Efficiency. If you are interested in Energy Economics, please let me know, as we can stick that in at this point of the course, or at the end (I’m still waffling on when is the best time). Two years prior we spent 1/3 of the course on that topic so I need to trim it down, obviously.
Assignments and due dates
I have posted your third weekly assignment, it’s not extremely long. So, to be clear, assignment #2 is due this Sunday the 7th and assignment #3 is due on Sunday the 14th.
- EETT Project Part One: is included as part of this week’s homework. If you plan to skip the homework this week, you must STILL hand in the EETT Brainstorm portion. We are expecting fantastic papers this year, and we feel strongly that working on it individually and in stages is the best way to deliver a quality project that you will be proud of.
- Discussion Portions of Your Weekly Assignments: Please check out Caitlin’s weekly announcement, great job during week two.
Wegmans Projects and More: look for a preliminary note from me and Caitlin and Max very soon. Consider:
- Not all of you who have applied will be selected to participate in the project, at the moment we are looking at something in the 20 to 22 student range
- If you are NOT selected for the project, we expect you to form a new group (probably two) and work on the EETT/Interview two-part project. Your first checkpoint for that project is due next weekend, so you have time to connect and hone in on a topic.
- In my meeting with the U of R liaison this week, I learned that I would be eligible for a Bond program payment for stewarding the project. So I will have some
- funds available to support the project in terms of data needs, transportation, and so on. I can imagine being able to use it to support attendance at a seminar or conference related to the data work you are needing to do. Funds are also intended to compensate me for the time I put into the project..
Excellent projects are those that are pondered and discussed and debated all semester long. It will be evident if you do or do not do this. I know that our course does not have quizzes or exams, but if you are not regularly coming to class, you are going to struggle mightily on inclusion of environmental economics ideas in your projects, and your project will surely suffer. Just working hard and doing a very well-produced project is NOT a guarantee of a good grade. Doing great environmental economics is a requirement for a good grade.
Note that Professor Rizzo grades all non-weekly work for the course.
Course projects
Group Project Cheat Sheet
We have THREE group experiences in lieu of quizzes and exams.
- 1. Get Outside Project:
- a. Due November 4th.
- b. Group size between 4 and 8.
- 2. EETT (this is part one of a two-part engagement experience)
- a. Reflection 1: due as part of Week 3 RRR (Sept 14th)
- b. Reflection 2: due as part of Week 4 RRR (Sept 21st)
- c. Individual EETT Submission: due Sept 25th
- d. Group Precis: due Oct 5th
- e. Final Project: due Oct 17th
- f. Group size between 4 and 8
- 3. Interview Project (this is part two of a two-part engagement experience)
- a. Project due December 11th
- b. Group size between 4 and 8
Other class administration and availability
TA Office Hours and Info Look for an announcement from our Head TA Cailtin Lipton for an update.
- The TAs are going to offer office hours and weekly discussion sessions which will enable you to explore class topics more deeply, and to dive into portions of the weekly class work (and possibly receive credit for doing so).
My Availability: For the most up to date info on my office hours availability, and campus whereabouts and other ways (possibly) to meet and get in touch with me, check our Office Hours Blackboard page at tiny.cc/RizzoHours.
Please stop by our picnic lunch bunches on Mondays and Wednesdays from 11:30am to 12:45pm, they’ve been fun. Meet new people! Talk to my freshmen!
I am headed to the woods again at lunch on Friday and will not come out until next Monday morning. Will be a long and fun weekend, but I will be out of cellphone touch. Connect before the weekend.
PUBLIC SERVICE
No One Dies Alone (NODA): From a former student: “No One Dies Alone (NODA) URMC extends this mission to patients who are facing the end of life without loved ones at their side, or who do not qualify for hospice services.
Some patients may be eligible for hospice but are unable to access it due to bed/staff shortages or lack of awareness of hospice care. NODA volunteers step in to provide for these individuals.
If you are interested in volunteering, please fill out this short form. For more information or questions, contact Anika Sharma at ashar51@u.rochester.edu
GET OUTSIDE
ADK Hike: I am likely to make my way to the ADKS on the 9/26 weekend and/or 10/17 weekend (or more than one), my favorite fall hike ever is doing Rocky Peak Ridge and Giant from New Russia as a through hike and then either spot a car or bicycle. There are many others. An easier hike, but with nearly as exposed views may be the Jay Range. Will let you know. I used to organize campsites and hotel rooms and all that, not so this time around. Both Meadowbrook Campground and Wilmington Notch are booked, though there are spots in Frontier Town (35 mins south in Shroon Lake) available. There may be spots at the private Lazy Acres. There are hostels both in LP and in Keene Valley, the place I used to go to a bunch was T-Max and Topos.
NAPLES GRAPE FESTIVAL: try some Grape Pie after you do a hike of Hi Tor.
BLOOD MOON SUNDAY
Sunday, September 7th: Beginner Birder Trip – Charlotte and Turning Point Park 8am-noon
We’ll be looking for shorebirds, warblers, and other fall migrants along the river and lakeshore. At Charlotte Beach, we’ll look for gulls in many plumages and some shorebirds, too. At Turning Point Park, we will look for local resident birds and fall migrants.
The Charlotte Beach area is mostly flat and paved; one long, steep grade at Turning Point Park. Length about 2 miles total. Restrooms are available at Charlotte only. Meet at 8:00 a.m. at Ontario Beach Park in Charlotte in the northeast corner of the parking lot, beside the Genesee River outlet. Binoculars and spotting scopes are good to have.
Leaders: John Boettcher 585-671-9639 and co-leader TBA
Restrooms are available at Charlotte only.
Meet at 8:00 a.m. at Ontario Beach Park in Charlotte in the northeast corner of the parking lot, beside the Genesee River outlet. Bring binoculars and, if you have them, spotting scopes.
Note: This is a field trip for beginners. New birders should feel free to join these trips regardless of experience level: bring binoculars if you have them. The pace & focus of Beginner Trips may not be satisfying for experienced birders. Our Beginner Trips focus on teaching identification skills, learning new habitats, and answering questions. Experienced birders are welcome but may be pressed into service as educators
Upcoming Special Events
Department of Economics Engerman Lecture
Who: Robert Margo of Boston University
A specialist in the history of the American economy with particular emphasis on the economic history of African-Americans, Margo is the author or co-author of 5 books and over 150 articles, book chapters and book reviews. He has served on the editorial boards of many journals, including the Journal of Economic History, the American Economic Review, and the Quarterly Journal of Economics; and he has served as editor or co-editor of the Southern Economic Journal and of Explorations in Economic History. He was elected a Fellow of the Cliometric Society in 2012.
Additionally, Margo is an accomplished performer on classical guitar, mandolin, renaissance and baroque lutes. In the Boston area, he performs regularly with the Providence (Rhode Island) Mandolin Orchestra and the New American Mandolin Ensemble.
When: Wednesday, October 15th
Where: TBD
What: TBD
The Politics and Markets Project, Hosted by Professor David Primo
Title: Topic TBD (this will be a moderated panel discussion, likely on immigration)
Date: Wednesday, November 5th
Time: 7:30pm to 8:30pm
Location: Wegmans Hall, 1400.
The Department of Economics will be hosting several additional events this fall, TBA, coming soon!
Expected Guests/Topics: Lorenzo Caliendo (late September); Paul Bloom on Empathy/Compassion; David Livingstone-Smith (philosopher); Victor Haghani (money manager)
Some Things That Captured Our Attention
Rub a Balloon Against Your Hair … and kill weeds?!?!
Guyana, Suriname and Caribbean Riches: “If we’re right, Guyana is just the beginning of an extended oil and gas boom that could reach levels few are fully anticipating. Let’s put some numbers to the potential.”
Hallowed Hudson River: “That’s just something I wanted to highlight,” Henkelman said, noting some studies suggest the river is the cleanest it's been since the Civil War. “It’s the foresight of generations before us that recognized that clean water and clean air is important.” Tech-ed Up Trash!
Decades of Clean Air Progress ������ up in smoke
More Climate Damage Model Nonsense: “In this case significant errors were made in an economic analysis, the peer review process broke down, media and policy analysts were far too credible, and the flawed analysis has been adopted as gospel in policy guidance for banks and others managing the global financial system. It is no exaggeration that the errors in KLW24 may impact all of us, to the extent that NGFS guidelines influence the actions of financial institutions.
The scandal here is not simply that a flawed study made its way through peer-review — that happens.
The scandal here is that the paper’s errors have been understood for well over a year and yet the flawed paper continues to be relied on as the basis for important policy guidance. Nature has one job — to publish good science — and it has clearly failed in this case”
What Drives Changes in ? US Carbon Emissions Over Time
Powering the AI Revolution: Out with old coal, in with the gas: “Homer City Redevelopment (“HCR”) today announced an agreement in principle (the “Agreement”) for EQT Corporation (NYSE: EQT) (“EQT”) to serve as HCR’s exclusive partner to source and supply the natural gas needed to power the 4.4 gigawatt natural gas facility that will serve the Homer City Energy Campus — a 3,200 acre AI and high-performance computing (HPC) data center campus currently under construction and slated to begin producing power in 2027. The project is designed to meet the needs of the innovative technology companies shaping America’s digital future. This partnership marks a major milestone in the execution of HCR’s plan for the evolution of the former Homer City Generating Station, first announced on April 2, 2025. The project will transform the site that was previously home to Pennsylvania’s largest coal-burning power plant into a next-generation power and data infrastructure hub, combining high-performance AI computing with a fully integrated, on-site natural gas
generating station.””
Finger Lakes Land Trust continues its land acquisition at the southern end of Canandaigua Lake
Nuclear Renaissance Continues: privately funded nuclear waste/fuel recycling in Tennessee
Evil Honey
When Conservation is Concerning: not all species need pristine forest, the decline of the Golden Winged Warbler
Chart of the Week
When Norway connected its energy sector to the European Grid …
Photo of the Week
We Have a Nominee for Finalist in the 2025 ____ of the Year Award!
Film, music, cultural item of the Week
An institutional solution to America’s “we can’t build” problem … so how do we create institutions we can trust?
They Said It
“WL’s [White Liberals] think all the world’s problems can be fixed without any cost to themselves. We don’t believe that. There’s a lot to be said for sacrifice, remorse, even pity. It’s what separates us from roaches”
…
“among a coward's weapons, cynicism is the nastiest of all”
― Paul Farmer, Mountains Beyond Mountains: The Quest of Dr. Paul Farmer, a Man Who Would Cure the World