Ever wondered why some countries seem to grow their economies without dramatically increasing energy consumption, while others can't break free from the old "more growth = more energy" trap? This episode explores research that reveals R&D spending as the secret modifier that completely changes how capital, trade, inflation, and energy interact in modern economies. This study was coauthored by Dr. Minghao Li, an Associate Professor in the Department of Economics, Applied Statistics, and International Business. The paper is entitled "Pipeline incidents and property values" and was published in the Journal of Environmental Economics and Management in 2024. (https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jeem.2024.103041)