Jessica Coria - My Blogs

Debate Articles, and Policy Blogs

I regularly write blog posts and opinion pieces on topics at the intersection of environmental economics, regulation, and sustainability. My aim is to make academic insights accessible to broader audiences and engage with ongoing policy debates. Below, I have organized them thematically to highlight recurring challenges I engage with— from circular-economy failures, and e-waste flows to climate policy and chemical regulation.

♻️ Circular Economy, E-Waste, and Life-Cycle Impacts of Green Technologies

Coria, J. (2026). Space trash: Orbit shows where the circular economy breaks down. The Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists.

We celebrate technological breakthroughs — new devices, new materials, new systems, and our reach into space — but rarely think about the waste they leave behind. On Earth, it piles up; in orbit, it circles us.

Innovation attests to our ingenuity; ignoring its waste attests to our failure to take responsibility for the full lifecycle of what we create. In this commentary, I reflect on how space debris exposes the same structural limits that constrain circularity on Earth.

Coria, J. (2025). Why recycling your phone costs more than you think – and isn’t likely getting cheaper soon. Environment for Development (EfD) Blog.

This post explains why, despite advances in recycling technology and the fast growth of e‑waste, the cost of recycling modern phones hasn’t decreased — largely due to product design complexity and regulatory gaps that hinder circular solutions.

Coria, J. (2025). Toxic Waste or Treasure? Why E-Waste Flows South. London School of Economics International Development Blog, UK.

While e-waste often flows from high-income to lower-income countries due to regulatory and economic asymmetries, this blog argues that the focus shouldn't only be on stopping the flow, but on investing in proper infrastructure in the Global South. Informal recycling is a major source of livelihood, and with better support, it can become safer, more efficient, and part of a more just circular economy.

Coria, J (2024): Green and Smart? OFCE Le Blog, OFCE, Sciences Po, Paris, France.

A critical look at whether “green” and “smart” technologies live up to their environmental promise, arguing that without full life‑cycle accountability — including extraction, use, and disposal — digital and eco‑tech innovations can still generate significant environmental burdens.

▼ View More Blog Posts 📚

🧪 Chemical and Pesticide Regulation

Coria, J. and S. Elgueta (2022). El alto costo de la desregulación en el uso de plaguicidas. CIPER Chile.

Deregulation and weak enforcement of pesticide controls in Chile have led to excessive pesticide use, posing risks to health, the environment, and food safety, and stresses the need for stronger regulatory frameworks and monitoring.

Coria, J. (2021). Ny kemikaliestrategi lyfter EU:s ledarskapsroll. Europa-Kommentaren, Centrum för Europaforskning vid Lunds Universitet.

While the EU’s Chemicals Strategy for Sustainability is often presented as a sign of global leadership, this blog critically examines its limitations — arguing that it lacks clear mechanisms for global coordination, especially with the Global South, and fails to address the political and structural barriers that prevent the broader transformation needed for a truly non-toxic environment.

Coria et al. (2015). “Kemikalieskatter bidrar till en giftfri miljö”, Svenska Dagbladet.

Taxing hazardous chemicals is an effective way to reduce harmful substance use, encourage the use of safer alternatives, and support the transition toward a non-toxic environment.

🌍 Climate Policy

Coria, J. and T. Sterner (2019). Is the key to saving the climate less meddling from politicians? Apolitical.

Climate progress is held back by short political cycles. The post calls for institutional reforms to reduce short‑term political interference, enabling long‑term, evidence‑based climate policy to prevail.

Coria (2018). Vad kostar det egentiglen att rädda klimatet?, Svenska Dagbladet.

This op-ed challenges alarmist narratives about the high cost of climate action, arguing that inaction is far more expensive in the long run — economically, environmentally, and socially — and that well-designed policies can reduce emissions without sacrificing prosperity.

Ambec, S. and J. Coria (2015). La détérioration de la qualité de l’air : une bonne nouvelle pour le climat ?. Le Monde.

Efforts to improve air quality can sometimes have unintended climate consequences, and vice versa. It argues that such trade-offs highlight the urgent need for better coordination between air pollution control and climate policy.

Ambec, S. and J. Coria (2015). Why air pollution is sometimes good news for the climate? The Economist.

Air quality and climate goals can sometimes conflict: reducing certain pollutants may increase warming in the short term. Coordinated policy is needed to manage these trade-offs effectively.