Episode 11: Putting a Price on Carbon - Nathan Graf, Swarthmore College

Guest: Nathan GrafClimate Action Senior Fellow, Swarthmore CollegeHost: Dave Karlsgodt, Principal, Fovea, LLCMy guest in this episode is Nathan Graf from Swarthmore College, a small liberal arts college located just outside of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Nathan and I discussed Swarthmore’s carbon charge program. Nathan explains the origin of their policy, the nuts-and-bolts of how the charge is calculated, and how the funds from the program are used. We go on to discuss how putting a price on carbon has impacted students, faculty and staff as well as the reputation of Swarthmore as a leader in sustainability. We explore Swarthmore’s use of a shadow price on carbon when evaluating larger capital projects and the challenges of calculating a specific cost for impacts of carbon emissions on society at large. Nathan explains how Swarthmore’s program compares to alternative approaches used by other institutions that are also working to put a price on carbon emissions.