In this episode I’d like to explore the impacts of the precautionary principle in public policy. Many people think that the precautionary principle is the safest way forward. We shouldn’t use a tool until we’re sure that it won’t harm us. This just makes sense, doesn’t it? The application of the precautionary principle in European energy policy, for example, has lead to the shut down of Germany’s nuclear fleet, strong labelling laws for GMO products, and many other decisions of which I am not yet aware. Today I’ll be interviewing an economist who has a unique interdisciplinary perspective on the environment, health, and labor economics to get an expert opinion on this topic. I came across his insightful work as references in a Freakonomics podcast episode titled, “nuclear energy isn't perfect. Is it good enough?’.
Matthew Neidell is an economics professor in the Department of Health Policy and Management at Columbia University’s Mailman School of Public Health. He is also a faculty member with the Earth Institute and the Columbia Population Research Center. Neidell received his PhD in economics from UCLA and has performed policy work for various organizations, including the Environmental Protection Agency, Institute of Medicine, Rockefeller Foundation, and World Bank
He specializes in environmental, health, and labor economics, applying the latest empirical methods to examine the relationship between the environment and a wide range of measures of well-being, including worker productivity and human capital, and how human behavior affects these relationships.
Support more penetrating public policy perspectives at patron.podbean.com/therationalview
Join the Facebook discussion @TheRationalView
Twitter @AlScottRational
Instagram @The_Rational_View
#TheRationalView #podcast #precautionaryprinciple #nuclearpower #publicpolicy #environment #energytransition #greenenergy #atomicenergy
Dr. Ben Heard on environmental advocacy in a polarized world
Dr. Janet Tulloch asks if The Big Bang is just another origin story (re-release)
David Moscrop says we shouldn't fund Catholic schools
Scott Santens dispels the myths blocking Universal Basic Income
Dr. Karl Widerquist says we need Universal Basic Income now
The deuterium episode controversies
Dr. Laszlo Boros reviews evidence for health impacts of deuterium
Petra Davelaar says heavy water is not healthy water
Zion Lights dissects degrowth
Humanist Joel Garreau believes humanity is poised for radical evolution
Critical Thinking Skills with Melanie Trecek-King
Dr. Chris Keefer reviews a year of nuclear successes
The Rational View 2023 year in review
Dr. Barbel Honisch tells how scientists know what CO2 levels were millions of years ago
Guilia Dominijanni talks bionic enhancements for the masses
The importance of dark skies with Rob Dick
Dark skies with Jim Goetz
How to train your brain with Andy Vasily
A rational rant about banking fees
Dr. Steven Levitsky on the crisis in American democracy
Create your
podcast in
minutes
It is Free
Just Dumb Enough Podcast
Criminal
The Why Files: Operation Podcast
Freakonomics Radio
Jimmy Akin’s Mysterious World