Joseph Romm
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Joseph J. Romm (born June 27, 1960) is an American author, editor, physicist and climate expert, who advocates reducing
greenhouse gas emissions Greenhouse gas emissions from human activities strengthen the greenhouse effect, contributing to climate change. Most is carbon dioxide from burning fossil fuels: coal, oil, and natural gas. The largest emitters include coal in China and ...
to limit
global warming In common usage, climate change describes global warming—the ongoing increase in global average temperature—and its effects on Earth's climate system. Climate change in a broader sense also includes previous long-term changes to E ...
and increasing
energy security Energy security is the association between national security and the availability of natural resources for energy consumption. Access to (relatively) cheap energy has become essential to the functioning of modern economies. However, the uneven d ...
through energy efficiency,
green energy Energy is sustainable if it "meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs". Most definitions of sustainable energy include considerations of environmental aspects such as greenh ...
technologies and green transportation technologies.About Us: Joseph Romm
, Cleanhouston.org, Citizen’s League for Environmental Action Now, Houston, Texas, accessed July 14, 2016
Romm is a Fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science. In 2009, ''
Rolling Stone ''Rolling Stone'' is an American monthly magazine that focuses on music, politics, and popular culture. It was founded in San Francisco, California, in 1967 by Jann Wenner, and the music critic Ralph J. Gleason. It was first known for its ...
'' magazine named Romm to its list of "100 People Who Are Changing America","The 100 People Who Are Changing America", ''Rolling Stone'' magazine, March 18, 2009 and ''
Time Time is the continued sequence of existence and events that occurs in an apparently irreversible succession from the past, through the present, into the future. It is a component quantity of various measurements used to sequence events, ...
'' magazine named him one of its " Heroes of the Environment (2009)", calling him "The Web's most influential climate-change blogger"."Heroes of the Environment 2009"
''Time'' magazine feature with quote, September 2009, linking to full article: Walsh, Bryan

''Time'' magazine, September 2009.
Romm is the founding Editor-in-Chief of progressive news aggregator ''Front Page Live''. He has written for various energy and news sources, and he was the Chief Science Advisor for documentary series ''
Years of Living Dangerously ''Years of Living Dangerously'' is an American documentary television series, spread over two seasons, focusing on climate change. The first season, consisting of nine episodes, was broadcast on Showtime in 2014. The second season, consisting ...
'', which won the 2014 Emmy Award for Outstanding Documentary or Nonfiction Series. At the
Center for American Progress The Center for American Progress (CAP) is a public policy research and advocacy organization which presents a liberal viewpoint on economic and social issues. It has its headquarters in Washington, D.C. The president and chief executive offic ...
, where he was a Senior Fellow, he founded the climate blog, ''Climate Progress'' in 2006, which became part of the ''
Think Progress ''ThinkProgress'' was an American progressive news website that was active from 2005 to 2019. It was a project of the Center for American Progress Action Fund (CAP Action), a progressive public policy research and advocacy organization. Found ...
'' website. ''Time'' magazine named Romm's blog one of the "Top 15 Green Websites".Roston, Eric
"Green Websites: ''Climate Progress''"
Time.com, April 17, 2008 (originally published in ''Time'' magazine in 2007), accessed November 29, 2010
In 2009, Thomas L. Friedman, in ''
The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid d ...
'', called ''Climate Progress'' "the indispensable blog", and in 2010, ''Time'' included it in a list of the 25 "Best Blogs of 2010"."Best Blogs of 2010"
''Time'' magazine, June 28, 2010
In the 1990s, Romm served at the U.S. Department of Energy including, for six months, as Acting Assistant Secretary. He has published several books on
global warming In common usage, climate change describes global warming—the ongoing increase in global average temperature—and its effects on Earth's climate system. Climate change in a broader sense also includes previous long-term changes to E ...
and energy technology. His 2006 book '' Hell and High Water'' summarized observations and forecasts of climate change, discussed technology and policy solutions, and criticized political disinformation used to undermine climate science.Talbot, David
"Hell and Hydrogen"
''Technology Review'', March/April 2007 issue, accessed October 29, 2015
His 2015 book, ''Climate Change: What Everyone Needs to Know'', covers basic climate science in a Q&A format. He has also written books on how scientists and activists can communicate more persuasively to explain science and policy to the public. His 2012 book, ''Language Intelligence'', concerns the effective use of rhetoric, and his 2018 book, ''How to Go Viral and Reach Millions'' discusses how to tell scientific stories in ways that draw attention and connect with people emotionally.


Biography


Early life and career

Romm was born and grew up in Middletown, New York, the youngest of three sons of Al Romm (1926–1999), managing editor of the '' Times Herald-Record'' newspaper, and
Ethel Grodzins Romm Ethel Grodzins Romm (March 3, 1925 – November 9, 2021) was an American author, journalist, project manager and environmental technology company CEO. She also served as Co-Chair of the Lyceum Society of the New York Academy of Sciences. Romm gra ...
, a retired author, journalist,"The Workmen's Circle to Honor Activists Ethel Grodzins Romm & Joe Romm at 2016 Winter Benefit"
BroadwayWorld.com, October 20, 2016
project manager, former CEO of an environmental technology companyThomson, Elizabeth A

MIT News, December 13, 1995, accessed July 12, 2016
and former chair of the Lyceum Society of the
New York Academy of Sciences The New York Academy of Sciences (originally the Lyceum of Natural History) was founded in January 1817 as the Lyceum of Natural History. It is the fourth oldest scientific society in the United States. An independent, nonprofit organization wi ...
. Romm's brother David was the host and producer of
Shockwave Radio Theater ''Shockwave Radio Theater'' was broadcast for 28 years on Fresh Air Radio, the community radio station KFAI, 90.3FM Minneapolis, 106.7FM St. Paul from 1979 to 2007. Much of Shockwave Radio is archived on archive.org or on the audio page of Dave Rom ...
on KFAI-FM, and his brother Daniel is a retired physician. His uncle is physicist
Lee Grodzins Lee may refer to: Name Given name * Lee (given name), a given name in English Surname * Chinese surnames romanized as Li or Lee: ** Li (surname 李) or Lee (Hanzi ), a common Chinese surname ** Li (surname 利) or Lee (Hanzi ), a Chinese s ...
, and his aunt was library science expert
Anne Grodzins Lipow Anne Lipow (February 27, 1935 – September 9, 2004) was a prominent librarian who worked at the University of California, Berkeley Libraries. In 1992, she retired from Berkeley and started the Library Solutions Institute and Press. Early life ...
. Romm graduated from Middletown High School in 1978. Romm then attended the
Massachusetts Institute of Technology The Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) is a private land-grant research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Established in 1861, MIT has played a key role in the development of modern technology and science, and is one of the ...
, where he earned a
Bachelor of Science A Bachelor of Science (BS, BSc, SB, or ScB; from the Latin ') is a bachelor's degree awarded for programs that generally last three to five years. The first university to admit a student to the degree of Bachelor of Science was the University o ...
degree in 1982 and a Ph.D. in 1987, both in
physics Physics is the natural science that studies matter, its fundamental constituents, its motion and behavior through space and time, and the related entities of energy and force. "Physical science is that department of knowledge which r ...
.Directory of APS & AIP Congressional Science Fellows: 1987–88
APS.org, accessed November 28, 2010
He pursued part of his graduate work at the Scripps Institution of Oceanography. In 1987, Romm was awarded an American Physical Society Congressional Science Fellowship for the U.S. House of Representatives, where he provided science and security policy advice on the staff of Representative Charles E. Bennett. From 1988 to 1990, Romm worked as Special Assistant for International Security at the Rockefeller Foundation. From 1991 to 1993, he was a researcher at the
Rocky Mountain Institute RMI (Rocky Mountain Institute) is an organization in the United States co-founded by Amory Lovins dedicated to research, publication, consulting, and lecturing in the field of sustainability, with a focus on profitable innovations for energy an ...
."Joe Romm"
EcoSpeakers.com, July 8, 2016
He co-authored the 1994
Rocky Mountain Institute RMI (Rocky Mountain Institute) is an organization in the United States co-founded by Amory Lovins dedicated to research, publication, consulting, and lecturing in the field of sustainability, with a focus on profitable innovations for energy an ...
Report, ''Greening the Building and the Bottom Line: Increasing Productivity Through Energy-Efficient Design.'' For the Global Environment and Technology Foundation, he performed the first environmental analysis of a system integrating cogenerating fuel cells, fly wheels, and
power electronics Power electronics is the application of electronics to the control and conversion of electric power. The first high-power electronic devices were made using mercury-arc valves. In modern systems, the conversion is performed with semiconducto ...
aimed at achieving very high-availability power. In 1990 and 1991, Romm taught a course entitled "Rethinking National Security" at
Columbia University Columbia University (also known as Columbia, and officially as Columbia University in the City of New York) is a private research university in New York City. Established in 1754 as King's College on the grounds of Trinity Church in Manhatt ...
's
School of International and Public Affairs The School of International and Public Affairs at Columbia University (SIPA) is the international affairs and public policy school of Columbia University, a private Ivy League university located in Morningside Heights, Manhattan, New York City. ...
. In 1992, Romm published ''The Once and Future Superpower'', a book describing his views on how to spend the
peace dividend ''Peace dividend'' was a political slogan popularized by US President George H. W. Bush and UK Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher in the light of the 1988–1991 dissolution of the Soviet Union, that described the economic benefit of a decrease in d ...
to restore America's economic, energy and
environmental security Environmental security examines threats posed by environmental events and trends to individuals, communities or nations. It may focus on the impact of human conflict and international relations on the environment, or on how environmental problems c ...
. In 1993, he wrote ''Defining National Security: The Nonmilitary Aspects'', for the Council on Foreign Relations, describing how America's security depends on non-military factors such as how it obtains energy. In 1994, Romm published ''Lean and Clean Management'', a book that discussed management techniques that can reduce the impact of manufacturing and other industries on the environment while increasing productivity and profits. He co-authored, with Charles B. Curtis, "MidEast Oil Forever," the cover story of the April 1996 issue of the '' Atlantic Monthly'', which discussed alternative energy strategies. The same year, he co-authored a paper for the
ACEEE The American Council for an Energy-Efficient Economy (ACEEE) is a nonprofit, 501(c)(3) organization. Founded in 1980, ACEEE's mission is to act as a catalyst to advance energy efficiency policies, programs, technologies, investments, and behav ...
Summer Study on Energy Efficiency in Buildings on "Policies to Reduce Heat Islands". In 1999, Romm published ''Cool Companies: How the Best Businesses Boost Profits and Productivity by Cutting Greenhouse Gas Emissions'', the first book to benchmark corporate best practices for using advanced energy technologies to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.


Service at the U.S. Department of Energy

Romm served as Acting Assistant Secretary of the U.S. Department of Energy, in charge of the Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy for six months in 1997 and as Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary from August 1995 through June 1998, and Special Assistant for Policy and Planning from 1993 to July 1995. This office, with an annual budget at the time of $1 billion and 550 employees, assists businesses in the industrial, utility, transportation and buildings sectors to develop and use advanced clean energy technologies to cut costs, increase reliability, and reduce pollution.Profile of Romm
Capital E, accessed November 29, 2010
As Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary, Romm was in charge of all policy and technology analysis and programmatic development for the Office, which was then developing PEM fuel cells, microturbines, advanced cogeneration, superconductivity, building controls, photovoltaics and other renewables, biofuels, and hydrogen production and storage. Among other projects, he initiated, supervised, and publicized a comprehensive technical analysis in 1997 by five national laboratories of how energy technologies can best reduce greenhouse gas emissions cost-effectively, entitled ''Scenarios of U.S. Carbon Reductions.''


1998 to 2006

After leaving the Department of Energy, Romm was the executive director and founder of the
non-profit A nonprofit organization (NPO) or non-profit organisation, also known as a non-business entity, not-for-profit organization, or nonprofit institution, is a legal entity organized and operated for a collective, public or social benefit, in co ...
Center for Energy and Climate Solutions, an organization based in the Washington DC area that helped businesses and U.S. States adopt high-leverage strategies for saving energy and cutting pollution and
greenhouse gas emissions Greenhouse gas emissions from human activities strengthen the greenhouse effect, contributing to climate change. Most is carbon dioxide from burning fossil fuels: coal, oil, and natural gas. The largest emitters include coal in China and ...
. He was also a principal of the Capital E Group, which consulted on
technology assessment Technology assessment (TA, German: , French: ) is a scientific, interactive, and communicative process that aims to contribute to the formation of public and political opinion on societal aspects of science and technology. This is a means of as ...
and sustainable design services for clean energy technologies, and sat on the Advisory Board of Securing America's Future Energy. While at Capital E Group, Romm was also a registered lobbyist, representing the interests of clients Ion America and Sunpower Corp. During these years, Romm wrote widely on global warming and energy technologies that can reduce global warming. His 2004 book, ''
The Hype about Hydrogen ''The Hype About Hydrogen: Fact and Fiction in the Race to Save the Climate'' is a book by Joseph J. Romm, published in 2004 by Island Press and updated in 2005. The book has been translated into German as ''Der Wasserstoff-Boom''. Romm is an ...
'', argues that putting off the implementation of current green technologies in favor of waiting for technological breakthroughs in hydrogen cars is a dangerous distraction that will delay urgently needed government action on reducing greenhouse gas emissions. The book was named one of the best science and technology books of 2004 by Library Journal. In reviewing the book, Daniel I. Sperling, then a member of
California Air Resources Board The California Air Resources Board (CARB or ARB) is the "clean air agency" of the government of California. Established in 1967 when then-governor Ronald Reagan signed the Mulford-Carrell Act, combining the Bureau of Air Sanitation and the Moto ...
, offered dissenting views. In 2004, Romm also wrote the National Commission on Energy Policy's report, "The Car and Fuel of the Future", which was rated the #1 Hottest Article on Energy Policy by ScienceDirect. He was also the principal investigator for the National Science Foundation project, ''Future Directions for Hydrogen Energy Research and Education'' (2004).Award Abstract
NSF.gov, January 29, 2004
Romm is interviewed in the 2006 documentary film ''
Who Killed the Electric Car? ''Who Killed the Electric Car?'' is a 2006 American documentary film directed by Chris Paine that explores the creation, limited commercialization and subsequent destruction of the battery electric vehicle in the United States, specifically the ...
'', directed by Chris Paine and narrated by
Martin Sheen Ramón Antonio Gerardo Estévez (born August 3, 1940), known professionally as Martin Sheen, is an American actor. He first became known for his roles in the films ''The Subject Was Roses'' (1968) and ''Badlands'' (1973), and later achieved wid ...
. In the film, Romm gives a presentation intended to show that the government's " hydrogen car initiative" was a bad policy choice and a distraction that was delaying the exploitation of more promising technologies, such as electric and hybrid cars that could reduce greenhouse gas emissions and increase America's
energy security Energy security is the association between national security and the availability of natural resources for energy consumption. Access to (relatively) cheap energy has become essential to the functioning of modern economies. However, the uneven d ...
. As of 2010, Romm continued to view hydrogen as a "breakthrough technology illusion". Romm's 2006 book '' Hell and High Water'' projects that humans have a window of opportunity of only about a decade to head off the most catastrophic effects of global warming. It calls upon Americans to demand government action to encourage and require the use of current emission-cutting technologies.
Tyler Hamilton Tyler Hamilton (born March 1, 1971) is an American former professional road bicycle racer. He is the only American rider to win one of the five Monuments of cycling, taking Liège–Bastogne–Liège in 2003. Hamilton became a professional cycli ...
, in his review of the book for '' The Toronto Star'', wrote: "Whereas the first third of Romm's book presents overwhelming and disturbing evidence that human-caused greenhouse gases are the primary ingredients behind global warming, the pages that follow offer alarming detail on how the U.S. public is being misled by a federal government (backed by conservative political forces) that is intent on inaction, and that's also on a mission to derail international efforts to curb emissions."Hamilton, Tyler
"Fresh alarm over global warming"
''Toronto Star'', January 1, 2007, accessed 22 October 2009
'' Technology Review'' wrote that ''Hell and High Water'' "provides an accurate summary of what is known about global warming and climate change, a sensible agenda for technology and policy, and a primer on how political disinformation has undermined climate science."


''Climate Progress'' and recent years

Beginning in 2006, Romm was a Senior Fellow at the
Center for American Progress The Center for American Progress (CAP) is a public policy research and advocacy organization which presents a liberal viewpoint on economic and social issues. It has its headquarters in Washington, D.C. The president and chief executive offic ...
, where he founded their climate blog, '' Climate Progress'', which focused on climate science, policy and reporting. In 2008, ''
Time Time is the continued sequence of existence and events that occurs in an apparently irreversible succession from the past, through the present, into the future. It is a component quantity of various measurements used to sequence events, ...
'' magazine named his blog one of the "Top 15 Green Websites", writing that it "counters bad science and inane rhetoric with original analysis delivered sharply. ... Romm occupies the intersection of climate science, economics and policy. Resist temptation to lump him in with knee-jerk enviros. On his blog and in his December 2006 book, '' Hell and High Water'', you can find some of the most cogent, memorable, and deployable arguments for immediate and overwhelming action to confront global warming." In 2010, ''Time'' magazine wrote, "Viewing climate change through the prism of national security, Romm analyzes breaking energy news and the relevant research, but most important, he challenges the beliefs and conclusions of the mainstream media on climate-change issues." Romm contributed to the site until 2019.Doniger, David
"Clean Air and Climate Change: Two Books to Get You Going"
''The Huffington Post'', January 2, 2016
At the same time, he has continued to write for other energy and news sites, including ''
The Huffington Post ''HuffPost'' (formerly ''The Huffington Post'' until 2017 and sometimes abbreviated ''HuffPo'') is an American progressive news website, with localized and international editions. The site offers news, satire, blogs, and original content, and ...
'', ''
Grist Grist is grain that has been separated from its chaff in preparation for grinding. It can also mean grain that has been ground at a gristmill. Its etymology derives from the verb ''grind.'' Grist can be ground into meal or flour, depending on ho ...
'', '' Slate'',
CNN CNN (Cable News Network) is a multinational cable news channel headquartered in Atlanta, Georgia, U.S. Founded in 1980 by American media proprietor Ted Turner and Reese Schonfeld as a 24-hour cable news channel, and presently owned by ...
, and
Salon.com ''Salon'' is an American politically progressive/ liberal news and opinion website created in 1995. It publishes articles on U.S. politics, culture, and current events. Content and coverage ''Salon'' covers a variety of topics, including re ...
. His 2012 ''
New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid ...
'' opinion piece was called "Without Carbon Controls, We Face a Dust Bowl".Romm, Joseph
"Without Carbon Controls, We Face a Dust Bowl"
''The New York Times'', 25 July 2012
After Queen Elizabeth II died in 2022, Romm urged
Charles III Charles III (Charles Philip Arthur George; born 14 November 1948) is King of the United Kingdom and the 14 other Commonwealth realms. He was the longest-serving heir apparent and Prince of Wales and, at age 73, became the oldest person t ...
to continue his climate advocacy as a non-political, moral imperative. Romm has testified at various times before congressional committees on energy and global warming issues, offering his views on government action to curb global warming. For example, in July 2012, he testified before a Natural Resources Subcommittee of the U.S. House of Representatives on the 2012 U.S. drought and wildfires. In March of the same year, he testified before the House Energy & Commerce Committee on "The American Energy Initiative" and rising gasoline prices. In 2010, he testified before the
House Ways and Means Committee The Committee on Ways and Means is the chief tax-writing committee of the United States House of Representatives. The committee has jurisdiction over all taxation, tariffs, and other revenue-raising measures, as well as a number of other progra ...
on how to optimize "Energy Tax Incentives Driving the Green Job Economy", and in 2007, he testified before the House Committee on Science and Technology on the subject of "Fuels for the Future", specifically the use of liquid fuel from coal, which he believes would accelerate global warming. He also lectures on energy technology,
global warming In common usage, climate change describes global warming—the ongoing increase in global average temperature—and its effects on Earth's climate system. Climate change in a broader sense also includes previous long-term changes to E ...
and how the media portrays climate change. Romm's 2010 book, '' Straight Up'', is "largely a selection of his best blog postings over the past few years related to climate change issues". '' TreeHugger'' describes the book as "a whirlwind tour through the state of climate change, the media that so badly neglects it, the politicians who attempt to address it (and those who obstruct their efforts and ignore hescience), and the clean energy solutions that could help get us out of the mess."Merchant, Brian
"''Straight Up'' Tackles Climate in the Blog Era"
''Treehugger.com'', April 22, 2010
In 2011, Romm sat on the panel of the Green Car Summit of the Washington Auto Show. His 2012 book, ''Language Intelligence'', concerns persuasion and the effective use of rhetoric. Ed Markey commented on the book, "Joe masterfully ... scripts ways to master the metaphor, and incorporate irony. Solutions the reader can use for speeches, social media, or just winning the debate around the kitchen table." Romm wrote an article for ''Time'' magazine in August 2012 using the research from ''Language Intelligence'' to analyze whether Mitt Romney or
Barack Obama Barack Hussein Obama II ( ; born August 4, 1961) is an American politician who served as the 44th president of the United States from 2009 to 2017. A member of the Democratic Party, Obama was the first African-American president of the ...
is the more effective communicator.Romm, Joseph
"Who Is the Better Communicator: Romney or Obama?"
''Time'' magazine, August 14, 2012
In speeches and lectures since then, Romm has encouraged scientists to use the principles of effective communication outlined in the book (instead of their accustomed, technical, neutral style) to better explain the dangers of, and solutions to, climate change to lay people and the media. Romm was the chief science editor for the documentary TV series ''
Years of Living Dangerously ''Years of Living Dangerously'' is an American documentary television series, spread over two seasons, focusing on climate change. The first season, consisting of nine episodes, was broadcast on Showtime in 2014. The second season, consisting ...
'', about the impact of and solutions to climate change. The first season of the series ran in 2014 on the Showtime network and won the 2014 Emmy Award for Outstanding Documentary or Nonfiction Series."Creative Arts Emmys Doled Out in Hollywood"
CBS Local, August 16, 2014
Romm also wrote "Climate Change 101: An Introduction", for the series' website. A second season ran in 2016 on the National Geographic Channel. In 2015,
The Weather Channel The Weather Channel (TWC) is an American pay television channel owned by Weather Group, LLC, a subsidiary of Allen Media Group. The channel's headquarters are in Atlanta, Georgia. Launched on May 2, 1982, the channel broadcasts weather foreca ...
included Romm as one of "the world's 25 most compelling voices" on climate in its series ''The Climate 25''. That year, Romm also wrote the book ''Climate Change: What Everyone Needs to Know'', a primer on the topic, in Q&A format. Ralph Benko in ''
Forbes ''Forbes'' () is an American business magazine owned by Integrated Whale Media Investments and the Forbes family. Published eight times a year, it features articles on finance, industry, investing, and marketing topics. ''Forbes'' also r ...
'' magazine wrote that the "impressive book ... lucidly presents the case both for deep concern and optimism". In '' New York'' magazine, David Wallace-Wells cited the book as an "authoritative primer". Romm's 2018 book, ''How to Go Viral and Reach Millions'', "teaches everything from word choice to how to recast your scientific stories in ways that connect with people emotionally. … Romm teaches owto become a force of good in this world using time-tested techniques". In June 2019, Romm founded a progressive news aggregator, ''Front Page Live'', together with Carl Cameron, Laura Dawn, Sunny Hundal, Helen Stickler and others. Romm was its first Editor-in-Chief.


Media comment and interviews

Romm is often cited, quoted or interviewed by journalists to explain the impact of public policy and energy technologies and applications on global warming and energy security, or to explain causes and impacts of climate change or the influence of the media. For example, In 2009,
MSNBC MSNBC (originally the Microsoft National Broadcasting Company) is an American news-based pay television cable channel. It is owned by NBCUniversala subsidiary of Comcast. Headquartered in New York City, it provides news coverage and politi ...
relied on him to assess natural gas hydrates, and he was featured on '' 60 Minutes'' discussing the scientific evidence that " clean coal" is not clean. In 2010, MSNBC's '' Countdown with Keith Olbermann'' program interviewed Romm on how the military is taking action on climate change to improve national security; ''
Guernica Magazine ''Guernica / A Magazine of Art and Politics'' is an online magazine that publishes art, photography, fiction, and poetry from around the world, along with nonfiction such as letters from abroad, investigative pieces, and opinion pieces on internat ...
'' interviewed him on the science and politics of global warming; ''
The New Yorker ''The New Yorker'' is an American weekly magazine featuring journalism, commentary, criticism, essays, fiction, satire, cartoons, and poetry. Founded as a weekly in 1925, the magazine is published 47 times annually, with five of these issues ...
'' asked him to comment on the Koch-funded exhibit on evolution and climate change at the National Museum of Natural History; and ''
The Atlantic ''The Atlantic'' is an American magazine and multi-platform publisher. It features articles in the fields of politics, foreign affairs, business and the economy, culture and the arts, technology, and science. It was founded in 1857 in Boston, ...
'' and CBS News each reviewed a media call by Romm concerning the relationship between the January 2010 snowstorms in Washington, DC and global warming. In 2011, ''
The Washington Post ''The Washington Post'' (also known as the ''Post'' and, informally, ''WaPo'') is an American daily newspaper published in Washington, D.C. It is the most widely circulated newspaper within the Washington metropolitan area and has a large nati ...
'' linked with approval to Romm's review of the scientific literature on climate change. ''Time'' magazine explored Romm's critique of
Matthew Nisbet Matthew C. Nisbet is a professor of Communications and Public Policy at Northeastern University. He is the former Editor-in-Chief of ''Environmental Communication'' and Senior Editor of the ''Oxford Encyclopedia of Climate Change Communication''. ...
and praised his analysis of the decline of media coverage regarding climate change. '' National Geographic'' quoted him about the part that the media has played in the dearth of information about climate reaching the public. The same year, '' Technology Review'' quoted Romm regarding the relationship between government-assisted deployment and rapid innovation in energy technologies, and the ''
Toronto Star The ''Toronto Star'' is a Canadian English-language broadsheet daily newspaper. The newspaper is the country's largest daily newspaper by circulation. It is owned by Toronto Star Newspapers Limited, a subsidiary of Torstar Corporation and pa ...
'' quoted him regarding President Obama's 2011 State of the Union address. In 2012 in ''The New York Times'', economist
Paul Krugman Paul Robin Krugman ( ; born February 28, 1953) is an American economist, who is Distinguished Professor of Economics at the Graduate Center of the City University of New York, and a columnist for ''The New York Times''. In 2008, Krugman was ...
cited Romm on the connection between drought and Climate change, and ''The Atlantic'' interviewed and cited him on the reluctance of the Democrats to discuss climate change. ''National Geographic'' quoted him about disappearing arctic ice and the effect of climate change on the polar bear, and Current TV's Bill Press interviewed Romm about record-breaking heat. In 2014 ''
Businessweek ''Bloomberg Businessweek'', previously known as ''BusinessWeek'', is an American weekly business magazine published fifty times a year. Since 2009, the magazine is owned by New York City-based Bloomberg L.P. The magazine debuted in New York City ...
'' quoted Romm regarding the lack of commercial viability of hydrogen fuel cells for cars, and ''
The Guardian ''The Guardian'' is a British daily newspaper. It was founded in 1821 as ''The Manchester Guardian'', and changed its name in 1959. Along with its sister papers ''The Observer'' and ''The Guardian Weekly'', ''The Guardian'' is part of the Gu ...
'' quoted him concerning international cooperation on climate change. In 2015, ''The Guardian'' quoted Romm about historic high global temperatures, and '' MarketWatch'' quoted him on actions that
Donald Trump Donald John Trump (born June 14, 1946) is an American politician, media personality, and businessman who served as the 45th president of the United States from 2017 to 2021. Trump graduated from the Wharton School of the University of P ...
might take concerning climate agreements if he were to be elected president. Later that year, ''
Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists The ''Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists'' is a nonprofit organization concerning science and global security issues resulting from accelerating technological advances that have negative consequences for humanity. The ''Bulletin'' publishes conte ...
'' interviewed Romm about nuclear power and climate change. ''
The Wall Street Journal ''The Wall Street Journal'' is an American business-focused, international daily newspaper based in New York City, with international editions also available in Chinese and Japanese. The ''Journal'', along with its Asian editions, is published ...
'' quoted him in 2016 about the cost and pace of change in clean energy technology. In 2017, ''
Mother Jones Mary G. Harris Jones (1837 (baptized) – November 30, 1930), known as Mother Jones from 1897 onwards, was an Irish-born American schoolteacher and dressmaker who became a prominent union organizer, community organizer, and activist. She h ...
'' listed Romm's reading recommendations for "understanding in this age of rancor". The same year, ''Huffington Post'' said that Romm's 2017 appearance on
Sam Harris Samuel Benjamin Harris (born April 9, 1967) is an American philosopher, neuroscientist, author, and podcast host. His work touches on a range of topics, including rationality, religion, ethics, free will, neuroscience, meditation, psychedelics ...
's podcast "over the course of two hours unpacks the scientific case for climate change like only Romm can." In 2018,
Tucker Carlson Tucker Swanson McNear Carlson (born May 16, 1969) is an American television host, conservative political commentator and writer who has hosted the nightly political talk show '' Tucker Carlson Tonight'' on Fox News since 2016. Carlson began ...
interviewed Romm on Fox News about the threat of global warming. Later that year, Romm was quoted by Alaska Public Media regarding Lisa Murkowski's record on climate change and in ''The Guardian'' about President Trump and the
Clean Power Plan The Clean Power Plan was an Obama administration policy aimed at combating anthropogenic climate change (global warming) that was first proposed by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) in June 2014. The final version of the plan was unveil ...
. Friedman cited Romm in ''The New York Times'' in 2019 regarding the proposed Green New Deal. '' GQ Britain'' quoted Romm in 2020 criticizing carbon offsets. In 2022, writing for CNN, Romm argued that
Charles III Charles III (Charles Philip Arthur George; born 14 November 1948) is King of the United Kingdom and the 14 other Commonwealth realms. He was the longest-serving heir apparent and Prince of Wales and, at age 73, became the oldest person t ...
, who has been a climate activist for decades, "should make climate change a key focus of his reign" despite his obligations as king.


Romm's views

''
The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid d ...
'' "Dot Earth" column reviewed Romm's views on global warming solutions on November 24, 2008, including his belief that, to combat global warming, humans cannot wait for new technologies and scientific breakthroughs; that instead we must "deploy existing and near-term low-carbon technologies as fast as is humanly possible".Revkin, Andrew C
"Joe Romm on Hansen’s Mistakes, Cap’s Limits"
Dot Earth, ''The New York Times'', November 24, 2008
In his blog, Romm has described the technology solutions that he believes can control global warming. ''The New York Times'' also quoted Romm as stating that, to solve the climate crisis, "We will need a WWII-style approach". The article noted Romm's belief that "credible people" and the press should publicly support the notion that government action is needed to help solve the global warming crisis. In particular, the press should explain how current news stories, such as hurricanes, droughts and insect infestations are related to global warming. According to ''U.S. News & World Report'', Romm believes that global warming "is advancing more swiftly than most people think and than the mainstream media usually report. He has called for significantly ramping up government spending on clean energy technology, halting the construction of new coal plants, rapidly increasing the use of energy-efficient technologies, and imposing a
cap and trade Emissions trading is a market-based approach to controlling pollution by providing economic incentives for reducing the emissions of pollutants. The concept is also known as cap and trade (CAT) or emissions trading scheme (ETS). Carbon emission t ...
system to sharply limit carbon dioxide emissions". In 2006, in a radio interview, Romm stated, "Global warming is going to transform this country and our transportation and the way we live our lives. If we don't act pretty soon, in an intelligent fashion, then change will be forced upon us by the radically changed climate... global warming is the issue of the century". In March 2009, Romm summarized and updated his views in an "introduction" to his blog, and in another post, setting forth a summary of "global warming impacts". In 2011, Romm stated that "Feeding some 9 billion people by mid-century in the face of a rapidly worsening climate may well be the greatest challenge the human race has ever faced." Romm's 2010 book, ''Straight Up'' notes: "the bottom line is that the economic cost of action is low, whereas the cost of inaction is incalculably greater". Romm calculates that deployment of existing technologies on the massive scale that can save the climate can be accomplished at the cost of 0.12 percent of global GDP per year. He also asks in the book, "will the United States be a global leader in creating jobs and exports in clean energy technologies, or will we be importing them from Europe, Japan, and the likely clean energy leader in our absence, China." In 2005, with respect to the U.S. Congress's actions on climate, including its votes on the XL Pipeline, Romm told ''The Guardian'': "Future generations suffering from the consequences of our inaction will be bewildered that the legislative body of the richest country in the world could devote so little effort to ameliorating the climate problem and so much effort to making it worse." Romm has been critical of media coverage of global warming. In his 2010 book, '' Straight Up'', he wrote, "Historically, even the most respected newspapers have fallen into the trap of giving the same credence – and often the same amount of space – to a handful of U.S. scientists, most receiving funds from the fossil fuel industry, as they give to hundreds of the world's leading climate scientists. No surprise that much of the public has ended up with a misimpression about the remarkable strength of our scientific understanding and the need for action". He concludes, "more and more pieces are being written by senior political reporters, who know very little about global warming". Romm also believes that scientists and politicians need to be more effective communicators about climate change.


Reputation

In 2008, Romm was elected a Fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science for "distinguished service toward a sustainable energy future and for persuasive discourse on why citizens, corporations, and governments should adopt sustainable technologies". In 2009, ''
Rolling Stone ''Rolling Stone'' is an American monthly magazine that focuses on music, politics, and popular culture. It was founded in San Francisco, California, in 1967 by Jann Wenner, and the music critic Ralph J. Gleason. It was first known for its ...
'' magazine named Romm to its list of "100 People Who Are Changing America", quoting journalist David Roberts as follows: "Joe combines two qualities you don't often find together. A deep knowledge of technology, policy and science along with genuine moral passion." Former Houston, Texas mayor Bill White called Romm "the nation’s leading expert on energy efficiency." '' U.S. News & World Report'' featured Romm as one of eight "key players" who were "Driving Public Policy in Washington", calling Romm an "oft-cited expert on climate change issues, and a go-to witness at congressional hearings".Garber, Kent. "Driving Public Policy in Washington", ''U.S. News & World Report'', p. 39, vol. 146, no. 3, April 2009 (online a
"Top Energy Player: Joe Romm, Influential Liberal Climate Change Expert and Blogger"
)
''Time'' magazine named Romm one of its " Heroes of the Environment (2009)", writing, "He combines ... intellect with a strong sense of moral outrage. He also possesses a Jon Stewart-like quality for pointing out the absurdity of his opponents." ''Time'' named his blog as one of the "Top 15 Green Websites" in 2009. The same year, Thomas L. Friedman, in ''The New York Times'', called ''Climate Progress'' "the indispensable blog".Friedman, Thomas L
"The Inflection Is Near?"
''The New York Times'', March 7, 2009
In 2010, ''Time'' included Romm's blog in a list of the 25 "Best Blogs of 2010" and one of the "Top Five Blogs ''TIME'' Writers Read Daily". The same year, TreeHugger named Romm's blog the "Best Politics Website", adding, "this is the art of blogging at its best". The UK's ''
The Guardian ''The Guardian'' is a British daily newspaper. It was founded in 1821 as ''The Manchester Guardian'', and changed its name in 1959. Along with its sister papers ''The Observer'' and ''The Guardian Weekly'', ''The Guardian'' is part of the Gu ...
'' ranked ''Climate Progress'' at the top of its list of blogs in its "Top 50 Twitter climate accounts to follow". Reviewing Romm's 2010 book ''Straight Up'', Bill McKibben wrote that Romm "knows his climate science ... ndhas been a persuasive voice for the most important truth about global warming: that it is a far worse problem than either politicians or the general public understand. ... Romm has been consistent in insisting that we have much of the technology necessary to at least begin tackling the problem." He called Romm "a tireless foil to the 'right-wing disinformation machine' that has tried – with great success ... to delay action by confusing and disheartening Americans about global warming. ... It requires a thick skin to take on the daily task of dealing with the disinformers, but Romm has the taste for this kind of blood sport, and the talent as well." In 2011, ''The New York Times'' called Romm "one of the country’s most influential writers on climate change". In 2012, ''Planetsave'' wrote that Romm is "considered the world’s best blogger on climate science, and politics related to it."


Personal life

Romm lives in Washington, D.C. He has long had an interest in comedy. From 1994 through 2007, he was a regular contributor to
The Style Invitational The Style Invitational, or Invite, is a long-running humor contest that ran first in the Style section of the Sunday ''Washington Post'' before moving to Saturday's Style and later returning to the Sunday paper. Started in 1993, it has run weekly, ...
, a weekly humor contest run by ''The Washington Post''. Among his submissions was the winning entry of what was later declared to be the best overall week's results of the Style Invitational's first decade. (A discarded first draft of some famous line: "We hold these truths to be, like, du-uuh.")


Bibliography

In addition to his books and other publications listed below, Romm has written or co-written numerous articles and lectured widely on
global warming In common usage, climate change describes global warming—the ongoing increase in global average temperature—and its effects on Earth's climate system. Climate change in a broader sense also includes previous long-term changes to E ...
effects and solutions, clean technologies, business and environment issues and
distributed energy Distributed generation, also distributed energy, on-site generation (OSG), or district/decentralized energy, is electrical generation and storage performed by a variety of small, grid-connected or distribution system-connected devices referred to ...
. His articles have been published in ''
Nature Nature, in the broadest sense, is the physical world or universe. "Nature" can refer to the phenomena of the physical world, and also to life in general. The study of nature is a large, if not the only, part of science. Although humans are ...
'',Romm, Joseph
''Desertification: The next dust bowl''
''Nature'', 478, 450–451, 27 October 2011
'' U.S. News & World Report'', '' Technology Review'', ''
Issues in Science and Technology ''Issues in Science and Technology'' is a policy journal published by the United States National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine and Arizona State University. ''Issues'' is a forum for discussion of public policy related to scienc ...
'', ''
Forbes ''Forbes'' () is an American business magazine owned by Integrated Whale Media Investments and the Forbes family. Published eight times a year, it features articles on finance, industry, investing, and marketing topics. ''Forbes'' also r ...
'', '' Foreign Affairs'', ''
The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid d ...
'', the ''
Los Angeles Times The ''Los Angeles Times'' (abbreviated as ''LA Times'') is a daily newspaper that started publishing in Los Angeles in 1881. Based in the LA-adjacent suburb of El Segundo since 2018, it is the sixth-largest newspaper by circulation in the U ...
'', ''
The Guardian ''The Guardian'' is a British daily newspaper. It was founded in 1821 as ''The Manchester Guardian'', and changed its name in 1959. Along with its sister papers ''The Observer'' and ''The Guardian Weekly'', ''The Guardian'' is part of the Gu ...
'', ''
The Washington Post ''The Washington Post'' (also known as the ''Post'' and, informally, ''WaPo'') is an American daily newspaper published in Washington, D.C. It is the most widely circulated newspaper within the Washington metropolitan area and has a large nati ...
'', ''
Science Science is a systematic endeavor that Scientific method, builds and organizes knowledge in the form of Testability, testable explanations and predictions about the universe. Science may be as old as the human species, and some of the earli ...
'', ''
Scientific American ''Scientific American'', informally abbreviated ''SciAm'' or sometimes ''SA'', is an American popular science magazine. Many famous scientists, including Albert Einstein and Nikola Tesla, have contributed articles to it. In print since 1845, it ...
'',Romm, Joseph.
"Hybrid Vehicles Gain Traction"
Calcars.org, 2006; and "The Verification of Compliance with Arms-Control Agreements" (with Hafemeister and Tsipis), ''Scientific American'', March 1985, pp. 39-45
'' Physics Today'', ''
Physics World ''Physics World'' is the membership magazine of the Institute of Physics, one of the largest physical societies in the world. It is an international monthly magazine covering all areas of physics, pure and applied, and is aimed at physicists in ...
'', ''
The Economist ''The Economist'' is a British weekly newspaper printed in demitab format and published digitally. It focuses on current affairs, international business, politics, technology, and culture. Based in London, the newspaper is owned by The Eco ...
'', ''Time'' magazine, ''
Grist Grist is grain that has been separated from its chaff in preparation for grinding. It can also mean grain that has been ground at a gristmill. Its etymology derives from the verb ''grind.'' Grist can be ground into meal or flour, depending on ho ...
'' magazine, ''
Businessweek ''Bloomberg Businessweek'', previously known as ''BusinessWeek'', is an American weekly business magazine published fifty times a year. Since 2009, the magazine is owned by New York City-based Bloomberg L.P. The magazine debuted in New York City ...
'' and ''
Mother Earth News ''Mother Earth News'' is a bi-monthly American magazine that has a circulation of 500,520 . It is published in Topeka, Kansas. Since its founding, ''Mother Earth News'' has promoted renewable energy, recycling, family farms, good agricultural ...
'', among other publications. In 2006, Romm and Prof. Andrew A. Frank co-authored "Hybrid Vehicles Gain Traction", published in ''Scientific American'', in which they argue in favor of Plug-in hybrid electric vehicles. The same year, Romm published "California's Hydrogen Highway Reconsidered" in '' Golden Gate University Law Review''. In 2007, he co-authored "Plugging into the Grid: How Plug-In Hybrid-Electric Vehicles Can Help Break America's Oil Addiction and Slow Global Warming" in the Progressive Policy Institute's ''Policy Report''. Romm contributed a chapter to the 2007 book '' Energy and American Society: Thirteen Myths'', disputing that "The Hydrogen Economy Is a Panacea". In 2008, ''Nature'' published Romm's article "Cleaning up on Carbon", in which he advocated "accelerating the deployment of the 11 wedges ... originally modelled by Socolow and Pacala."Romm, Joseph
"Cleaning up on carbon"
Nature Reports: Climate Change, June 19, 2008, Nature Publishing Group, a division of Macmillan Publishers Limited, accessed November 29, 2010
In 2011, ''Nature'' published Romm's article ''Desertification: The next dust bowl'', exploring the dangers to the world economy and populations of droughts that are projected to be caused by climate change, such as food insecurity.


Books by Romm

* * * * * An updated edition was published in 2005 (). The book has also been translated into German as ''Der Wasserstoff-boom''. * * * *
Chapter 7, available online
*


Selected journal articles and reports


Report: "The Self-Limiting Future of Nuclear Power"
AmericanProgressAction.org, 2008
"The Car and Fuel of the Future"
''Energy Policy'', 34 (2006), pp. 2609–14 *"Future Directions for Hydrogen Energy Research and Education" (Principal Investigator), Report to the National Science Foundation, November 2004 *"The internet and the new energy economy", ''Resources, Conservation and Recycling'', p. 36 (2002) pp. 197–210 *"Combined Heat and Power for Saving Energy and Carbon in Buildings" (with Kaarsberg, Koomey, Rosenfeld and Teagen), Proceedings of 1998
ACEEE The American Council for an Energy-Efficient Economy (ACEEE) is a nonprofit, 501(c)(3) organization. Founded in 1980, ACEEE's mission is to act as a catalyst to advance energy efficiency policies, programs, technologies, investments, and behav ...
Summer Study, Pacific Grove, CA, 1999
Report: "The Internet Economy and Global Warming"
(with Arthur H. Rosenfeld and Susan Herrmann), Center for Energy and Climate Solutions, The Global Environment and Technology Foundation, 1999–2000 *"Engineering-Economic Studies of Energy Technologies to Reduce Greenhouse Gas Emissions: Opportunities and Challenges" (with Brown, Levine, Rosenfeld and Koomey), ''
Annual Review of Energy and the Environment The ''Annual Review of Environment and Resources'' is a peer-reviewed scientific journal that publishes review articles about environmental science and environmental engineering. It was first published in 1976 under the name the ''Annual Review o ...
'', 1998
"A Roadmap for U.S. Carbon Reductions"
(with Levine, Brown, and Petersen), ''Science'', January 30, 1998, vol. 279, no. 5351, pp. 669–70 *"Cool Communities: Strategies for Heat Island Mitigation and Smog Reduction" (with Rosenfeld, Hashem Akbari and Melvin Pomerantz), ''Energy and Buildings'' 28 (1998) pp. 51–62
"Policies to Reduce Heat Islands" "Policies to Reduce Heat Islands"
(with Rosenfeld, Akbari, Pomerantz and Haider G. Taha), 1996 ACEEE Summer Study on Energy Efficiency in Buildings, Pacific Grove, CA. Vol. 9, p. 177
"Greening the Building and the Bottom Line: Increasing Productivity Through Energy-Efficient Design"
(with Browning), Rocky Mountain Institute, November 1994 (peer-reviewed by U.S. Green Building Council); first published as Proceedings of 1994 ACEEE Summer Study, Pacific Grove, CA


Notes


External links



by Keith Olbermann regarding the News Corp. hacking scandal (2011)
Interview
at
The Commonwealth Club The Commonwealth Club, is a private gentlemen's club in Richmond, Virginia, Richmond, Virginia, United States, USA. Its present clubhouse was completed in 1891. The defining structure of the Commonwealth Club Historic District, it is located at 4 ...
(2010)
Romm featured
on ''Climate Denial Crock of the Week'' (2013)
Interview
about the 5th IPCC report, by Thom Hartmann (2012)
Interview
about the
Clean Power Plan The Clean Power Plan was an Obama administration policy aimed at combating anthropogenic climate change (global warming) that was first proposed by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) in June 2014. The final version of the plan was unveil ...
(2015)
Keynote speech at the annual sustainability event
of the Colorado Renewable Energy Society, at University of Colorado Denver (2016) {{DEFAULTSORT:Romm, Joseph J. American bloggers American editors American environmentalists American non-fiction environmental writers American political writers American science writers American male journalists American male non-fiction writers Center for American Progress people Climate activists Fellows of the American Association for the Advancement of Science Green thinkers Jewish American journalists Jewish American scientists Jewish American writers Journalists from New York (state) Living people MIT Department of Physics alumni People from Middletown, Orange County, New York Sustainability advocates Writers from Washington, D.C. Writers from New York (state) 1960 births Environmental bloggers Activists from New York (state) 21st-century American non-fiction writers American male bloggers 21st-century American Jews