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Bård Harstad

@bardharstad.bsky.social

6.5K followers 5K following 160 posts

Stanford economist: Professor of Political Economy; Business & Sustainability. GSB, Doerr, NBER, CEPR, UiO, TSE, 3ERCs. Homepage: https://www.gsb.stanford.edu/faculty-research/faculty/bard-harstad Climate & environmental economics; international trade.

www.gsb.stanford.edu

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Bård Harstad @bardharstad.bsky.social · Dec 31

Even in California, it's possible to escape from it all for a few days.
But to implement a Happy New Year, guys, this time we all need to put in some effort!
Let's go!

Bård Harstad @bardharstad.bsky.social · 20d

Happy Fiestas Patrias and Independence Day to Chile --
which issued the first ever sovereign sustainability-linked bonds (March 2022).
These ideas can be valuable at COP30 or beyond.
americas.societegenerale.com/en/news-nort...

First ever sustainability-linked sovereign bond supports the Republic of Chile's climate ambitions

Societe Generale was active bookrunner and joint sustainability structuring advisor of first-ever sustainability linked sovereign bond.

americas.societegenerale.com

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Bård Harstad @bardharstad.bsky.social · 22d

The atlas can also be use to illustrate the distribution of benefits (and bargaining powers...) when countries negotiate more ambitious cuts at COP30.

Bård Harstad @bardharstad.bsky.social · 22d

Today is a beautiful date for honoring Pythagoras (and the simplest proof of his theorem)

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Bård Harstad @bardharstad.bsky.social · 27d

On the "economics" of it, of course...

International Growth Centre @theigc.bsky.social · 27d

#LSEEnvironmentWeek 2025: Biodiversity

Join us online to explore the urgent challenge of #biodiversity loss & the economic innovations needed to address it.

22 Sept | 2:45pm - 3:45pm BST
🎙️@bardharstad.bsky.social

Register: lse-environment-week.com/environment-...

Bård Harstad @bardharstad.bsky.social · 29d

Det er for tidlig å konkludere at venstresiden vant valget.
Når (/om) både Sp og MDG innser at de kan vippe regjeringen, er det høyresiden som vinner:
Siden Sp og MDG ønsker motsatt politikk på noen områder, vil høyresiden kunne "kjøpe" en av dem, uansett hvilken platform Ap ender opp med å tilby.

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Bård Harstad @bardharstad.bsky.social · Sep 7

Happy Independence Day to what can become the most important country this Fall...
cop30.br/en

Bård Harstad @bardharstad.bsky.social · Sep 5

What's the future of carbon pricing?
To answer, one must understand political economics.
More than 800 scholars have realized this and signed up for the 9/9 Webinar by @eaere.bsky.social on this exact topic.
You can still do it:
www.eaere.org/events/suppo...

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Bård Harstad @bardharstad.bsky.social · Sep 4

Nå tilgjengelig opptak av @kholtsmark.bsky.social mm:
www.klimastiftelsen.no/arrangement/...

Petropraten: Står gassen i veien for fornybar energi?

Det sies at gass er veien til fornybar, men kan gass i stedet stå i veien for fornybar? En ny studie viser at gass kan bidra til å bremse omstillingen.

www.klimastiftelsen.no

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Bård Harstad @bardharstad.bsky.social · Aug 15

My recommendations for how to improve tropical forest conservation financing (for the upcoming COP30 meeting):
www.belfercenter.org/research-ana...

Improving Tropical Forest Financing: From TFFF and REDD+ to SSLB and FLL

Deforestation in the tropics is a key contributor to climate change as well as to the loss of biodiversity. Therefore, Brazil—which will host the 30th Conference of Parties to the United Nations Frame...

www.belfercenter.org

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Bård Harstad @bardharstad.bsky.social · Aug 12

To conserve forests, @cop30brazil.bsky.social proposes TFFF. TFFF has severe weaknesses but can, fortunately, be modified if payments are forest-linked loans rather than grants -- among other things discussed in this Policy Brief:
drive.google.com/file/d/1B4sW...

Bård Harstad @bardharstad.bsky.social · Aug 11

Indeed:
- if this destructive bill becomes law – just weeks ahead of Cop30 in Belém – it threatens to erode Brazil’s credibility on the global stage.
www.theguardian.com/world/2025/a...

Brazil’s president signs environmental ‘devastation bill’ but vetoes key articles

Campaigners had urged Lula to veto the bill entirely, but many have welcomed his alterations

www.theguardian.com

Bård Harstad @bardharstad.bsky.social · Jul 25

Beautiful -- but this is a Norwegian pic of climate change. Melting glaciers bring particles that color lakes green.

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Bård Harstad @bardharstad.bsky.social · Jul 19

And Brazil has been criticized for investing in roads through the Amazon before: www.science.org/doi/full/10....

www.science.org

Bård Harstad @bardharstad.bsky.social · Jul 19

Just as roads are main drivers of deforestation in other parts of the world: le.uwpress.org/content/77/2...

Predicting the Location of Deforestation: The Role of Roads and Protected Areas in North Thailand

Using plot level data, we estimate a bivariate probit model to explain land clearing and the siting of protected areas in North Thailand in 1986. The model suggests that protected areas (national park...

le.uwpress.org

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Bård Harstad @bardharstad.bsky.social · Jul 19

Roads are main drivers of deforestation in the Brazilian Amazon not only when they are built, but years later too:
www.sciencedirect.com/science/arti...

Road network and deforestation of indigenous lands in the Brazilian Amazon

This research evaluates the relationship between the official and unofficial road network and deforestation in the Brazilian Amazon within and around …

www.sciencedirect.com

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Bård Harstad @bardharstad.bsky.social · Jul 19

Because an abundant body of research finds that new roads, as those being built to host COP30, causes more deforestation: onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1...

Predictors of deforestation in the Brazilian Amazon

Aim and Location We assessed the effects of biophysical and anthropogenic predictors on deforestation in Brazilian Amazonia. This region has the world's highest absolute rates of forest destruction .....

onlinelibrary.wiley.com

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Bård Harstad @bardharstad.bsky.social · Jul 19

Why is it not only sad and ironic, but also indicative of extremely poor Brazilian judgement to select Belém as the location for COP30? 🧵
www.bbc.com/news/article...

Amazon rainforest cut down to build highway for COP climate summit

The infrastructure required to host COP30 in Belém is undermining the cause, campaigners say.

www.bbc.com

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Reposted by Bård Harstad

Tony Addison @tonysangle.bsky.social · Jul 15

I’ll modestly suggest my own book ‘Resources Matter: ending poverty while protecting nature’ (OUP). The PDF is free to download (open access) 👇 global.oup.com/academic/pro...

global.oup.com

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Bård Harstad @bardharstad.bsky.social · Jul 10

Forskningspublikasjonen "The Gas Trap", med @kholtsmark.bsky.social, byr på et par anbefalinger for norsk energipolitikk:
www.dn.no/kronikk/det-...

Europa kan havne i gassfellen

Naturgass er bra for klimaet på kort sikt – men ikke på lang.

www.dn.no

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Bård Harstad @bardharstad.bsky.social · Jul 9

The Gas Trap FT OpEd - paper version
(based on the forthcoming JPE with @kholtsmark.bsky.social )

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Bård Harstad @bardharstad.bsky.social · Jul 7

Today in @financialtimes.com:
OpEd on how it is tempting to let gas outcompete coal,
but why the long-term consequence is less renewables and more emissions
+ policy implications for Europe
based on:
The Gas Trap, with @kholtsmark.bsky.social, forthcoming in JPE.
www.ft.com/content/e969...

The natural gas trap

Switching to gas reduces emissions in the short term but increases them in the long run

www.ft.com

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Bård Harstad @bardharstad.bsky.social · Jul 6

"The Gas Trap" paper, with @kholtsmark.bsky.social, is accepted in JPE!
GSB Insights @stanford.edu wrote an article about it:
www.gsb.stanford.edu/insights/rus...

The Rush to Quit Coal Is Leading Countries Into the “Gas Trap”

www.gsb.stanford.edu

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Reposted by Bård Harstad

The New Republic @newrepublic.com · Jul 1

"Folks out there who are waiting to inherit at least $30 million, today is a good day for you! Collectively, you will receive approximately $211 billion in tax breaks." Sanders said sarcastically.

"For the top two-tenths of one percent: Congratulations, you hit the jackpot.”
https://trib.al/misUweA

Bernie Sanders Slams GOP Budget as Worst Bill in Modern U.S. History

The Vermont senator warned that Republicans’ budget bill is a “death sentence.”

trib.al

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Reposted by Bård Harstad

Ross Macfarlane @rossmacfarlane.bsky.social · Jul 1

Open letter from @sierraclub.org @lcv.org and others: "We Won't Pay for Big Tech's Power Needs" www.sierraclub.org/press-releas...

Full Page Open Letter Calls on Amazon, Google, Meta, and Microsoft to Stop Fueling Climate Change with Data Center Demands

San Francisco, Ca – A full page open letter in the Sunday papers of the San Francisco Chronicle (A3) and Seattle Times (A5) calls on the country’s largest technology company CEOs – Amazon’s Andy Jassy...

www.sierraclub.org

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Reposted by Bård Harstad

Adam Bonica @adambonica.bsky.social · Jun 8

NEW: I analyzed nearly 300 federal cases involving the Trump administration. Federal judges—across the political spectrum—are using language I’ve never seen before. One called government actions “unconscionable.” Another quoted Kafka. They’re begging us to pay attention.

Federal Judges Are Begging Us to Pay Attention

A Data-Driven Analysis of nearly 300 Federal Cases Reveals Judges Quoting Kafka and Warning of Democracy in Peril

open.substack.com

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