Explorez tous les épisodes du podcast Political Climate

On Tuesday, former President Donald Trump was reelected in a landslide, becoming the first Republican to win the popular vote since 2004. Republicans also re-took control of the Senate, and will likely keep a majority in the House of Representatives as well. In today’s show — which was recorded the morning after the election — the hosts unpack the results, and consider what they mean for the future of America’s clean energy sector. They focus on a series of questions: how can Democrats better message clean energy policy and energy affordability moving forward? Which Republicans in Congress are poised to be clean energy leaders? Will the Biden Administration seek to expedite IRA funds before their term ends? Subscribe to Latitude Media’s newsletter to get weekly updates on tech, markets, policy, and deals across clean energy and climate tech. Political Climate is co-produced by Boundary Stone Partners, a leading bipartisan climate change strategic advisory and government affairs firm. Their mission-driven approach combines innovative solutions with expertise in technology, finance, policy, federal funding, and advocacy. Learn more and get in touch today at BoundaryStone.com. Concerned about how the 2024 election might impact the programs, policies, and incentives that matter most to you? Let Boundary Stone Partners' Climate24 service help you navigate the political landscape with their policy navigator tool, resources, and bespoke services. Learn more at BoundaryStone.com/Climate24.

The 2024 election has finally arrived. Early ballots have been mailed. The candidates are crossing the country, making their final pitches. Analysts are poring over countless polls, while tension builds.  Climate and energy didn’t surface as a central issue of this year’s presidential campaign. But the results of the race — as well as many more down-ballot — will have huge repercussions for the future of U.S. energy policy.  In today’s episode, the hosts explore the nuanced role climate played in this election cycle, highlight some down-ballot races to watch, and consider some scenarios and priorities for the lame duck session.  Also in the show: what lessons should lawmakers take away from recent catastrophic hurricanes? Could a new approach to FEMA funding and flood insurance lessen the impacts of the next big storm? This episode wraps up with our lightning round segment, the Mark-Up. Subscribe to Latitude Media’s newsletter to get weekly updates on tech, markets, policy, and deals across clean energy and climate tech. Political Climate is co-produced by Boundary Stone Partners, a leading bipartisan climate change strategic advisory and government affairs firm. Their mission-driven approach combines innovative solutions with expertise in technology, finance, policy, federal funding, and advocacy. Learn more and get in touch today at BoundaryStone.com. Concerned about how the 2024 election might impact the programs, policies, and incentives that matter most to you? Let Boundary Stone Partners' Climate24 service help you navigate the political landscape with their policy navigator tool, resources, and bespoke services. Learn more at BoundaryStone.com/Climate24.

The past month proved to be a dramatic one for America’s long-stagnant nuclear sector. First, on June 10, TerraPower – the company co-founded by Bill Gates – broke ground on the Western Hemisphere’s first advanced nuclear facility, in Wyoming. A week later, the Senate passed the ADVANCE Act on a vote of 88-2. (The House already passed the bill by similar margins in February.) If signed into law, ADVANCE will streamline permitting and funding policies for future nuclear projects.  In today’s episode, the hosts are joined by Boundary Stone co-founder Jeff Navin – who also serves as TerraPower’s Director of External Affairs – to explore the momentum behind nuclear’s resurgence. Later in the show, Jeff takes us behind the scenes of TerraPower’s Natrium project to highlight its challenges, and its promise. The episode kicks off with a discussion of both the recent Presidential debate and the Supreme Court’s decision to strike down the wide-reaching Chevron doctrine, which gave federal agencies like the EPA the room to implement ambiguous laws as they saw fit. In Chevron’s absence, those decisions will be left to Congress and the judiciary. Subscribe to Latitude Media’s newsletter to get weekly updates on tech, markets, policy, and deals across clean energy and climate tech. And listen to Climate One, a weekly podcast hosted by journalists Greg Dalton and Ariana Brocious featuring discussions with climate advocacy experts on various aspects impacting climate change, from AI to inflation. You can find Climate One on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, YouTube Music, or wherever you get your podcasts.

The skies may look clearer these days. But don’t get too excited. Levels of smog and other short-lived climate pollutants (remember HFCs?) are still high and climbing. The good news: there’s a long track record of international cooperation to get these harmful pollutants in check. The challenge: finding the political will to eliminate them entirely. Short-lived climate pollutants include black carbon or soot, methane, hydrofluorocarbons and tropospheric ozone, or what we think of as city smog. In addition to heating up the atmosphere, they dirty our air, make people sick and affect the ozone layer. In this episode, we speak to legendary environmental litigator, professor, author and advocate Durwood Zaelke about why the world needs to prioritize non-carbon dioxide greenhouse gases and what’s being done to curb them (with support from both sides of the political aisle). Zaelke is the founder and President of the Institute for Governance & Sustainable Development in Washington, DC and Paris, where he focuses on fast mitigation strategies to protect the climate. He’s received numerous awards for his work on the Montreal Protocol and his efforts to enact the Kigali Amendment to phasedown HFCs for climate protection. Recommended reading: NPR: Traffic Is Way Down Because Of Lockdown, But Air Pollution? Not So Much The Hill: Trump drags feet on climate treaty, and Republicans aren’t happy The Guardian: Study finds shock rise in levels of potent greenhouse gas Short-Lived Climate Pollutants Political Climate is produced in partnership with the USC Schwarzenegger Institute. Listen and subscribe on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Stitcher, Google Play or wherever you get podcasts! This episode is brought to you with support from Eavor, the first truly scalable form of clean baseload power. Learn more at eavor.com. This episode is also supported by the nonprofit environmental forum EarthX. The EarthxOcean virtual event takes place June 9-June 11. Tune in to learn about protecting ocean life support systems. Register at www.earthx.org/earthxocean.

Late last year, the European Union introduced a $1 trillion plan to reach carbon neutrality by 2050 and achieve a just transition away from polluting technologies. Europe’s Green Deal enjoys strong backing from many of the EU’s top political figures. But it faces pushback from coal-heavy member states. Implementation of the Green Deal has now been further complicated by the urgent need for governments to respond to the coronavirus pandemic. On this episode, we bring you a conversation with EU Ambassador to the U.S. Stavros Lambrinidis about the implications of COVID-19 for Europe’s energy and climate agenda. Not only that — we also discuss the fallout from plummeting oil prices, what to do with stranded fossil fuel assets, the outlook for a U.S. green recovery plan, and corporate clean energy commitments amid coronavirus with a stellar panel of experts from Google, The Aspen Institute and elsewhere. This episode you'll also hear from: Nikos Tsafos, senior fellow at the Center for Strategic and International Studies Kevin Book, managing director of research at Clearview Energy Partners Marsden Hanna, head of sustainability and climate policy for the government affairs team at Google Greg Gershuny, executive director of the Aspen Institute's energy and environment program Political Climate host Julia Pyper moderates this conversation, which originally took place as a virtual event hosted by the EU Delegation to the U.S. Recommended reading: GTM: Moonshot Moment: Europe Announces Green Deal GTM: EU Green Deal Should Be Canceled Because of Coronavirus, Czech PM Says Euractiv: EU leaders back ‘green transition’ in pandemic recovery plan Virtual event: How COVID-19 affects the climate and energy agenda Political Climate is produced in partnership with the USC Schwarzenegger Institute. Listen and subscribe on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Stitcher, Google Play or wherever you get podcasts! This episode is brought to you with support from Eavor, the first truly scalable form of clean baseload power. Learn more at eavor.com.

Are progressive ideas on how to tackle climate change a political poison pill? New opinion polling challenges this commonly held assumption. On this week's episode of Political Climate, we discuss how data is helping decode where the American public stands on progressive issues with Julian Brave NoiseCat, vice president of policy and strategy at the left-wing think tank Data for Progress. We dig into new polling on the Green New Deal and passing a green stimulus bill in response to COVID-19. We also look at public views on nationalizing the U.S. oil and gas industry and potential Democratic picks for vice president. Plus, Julian puts a question to co-host Shane Skelton about the Republican response to climate change. As always, we end with our segment “Say Something Nice.” Recommended reading: Politico: What AOC Gets that Bernie Didn’t Data for Progress: Voters Want a Green Stimulus Data for Progress: The Coronavirus Pandemic Has Made Voters More Supportive of the Green New Deal Data for Progress: Nationalize the Fossil Fuel Industry No Place Like Home Political Climate is produced in partnership with the USC Schwarzenegger Institute. Find us on Twitter @Poli_Climate! Tweet at our hosts at @JMPyper @BrandonHurlbut @ShaneSkelton. Listen and subscribe to Political Climate on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Stitcher, Google Play or wherever you get podcasts!

African Americans are struggling with a disproportionate death toll from COVID-19 and severe financial strain from the economic downturn. This crisis has exposed preexisting racial disparities created by deep-seated social, economic and political factors.  These same underlying issues make African Americans more vulnerable to health damage from pollution, as well as from heat waves, storms and other effects of climate change.  Meanwhile, African Americans are missing out on wealth creation opportunities in the clean energy economy, which could be an effective solution to some of these underlying issues — bringing jobs and environmental benefits to communities that need it the most. In this episode of Political Climate, the fifth in our "Path to Zero" series with Third Way, we look at how COVID-19 and climate change are affecting Black communities, and how these issues can be tackled in tandem.  We speak to Jared DeWese and Akunna Cook at Third Way about the multiple crises facing Black Americans today. We also hear from Naomi Davis, a grassroots leader and green village builder in Chicago’s Southside, who succeeded in shaping a landmark clean energy bill in Illinois.  Finally, we speak to Tony Reames, assistant professor at the University of Michigan School for Environment and Sustainability, about the issue of “energy injustice.” We also discuss takeaways from preliminary research on how African Americans are thinking about climate and energy issues in 2020. Recommended reading: National Geographic: African Americans struggle with disproportionate COVID death toll NYT: New Research Links Air Pollution to Higher Coronavirus Death Rates Quartz: The overwhelming whiteness of US environmentalism is hobbling the fight against climate change ISEA: Future Energy Jobs Act Workforce Development Programs HuffPost: Solar Power Has A Diversity Problem Political Climate is produced in partnership with the USC Schwarzenegger Institute. “Path to Zero” is created in partnership with the public policy think tank Third Way. Episodes air monthly on the Political Climate podcast feed. Listen and subscribe on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Stitcher, Google Play or wherever you get podcasts!

John Kerry isn’t pleased.  As the world celebrates the 50th anniversary of Earth Day, the former senator and secretary of state says a profound lack of leadership is causing the United States to fall behind on climate action and clean energy innovation. In this episode of Political Climate, we speak to Secretary Kerry about his outlook on combatting climate change. We get his views on abolishing the Senate filibuster, decarbonizing the power grid, the future role of fossil fuels, American leadership (or lack thereof) on the international stage, and more. We also get an update on Kerry’s World War Zero coalition. The initiative was launched last year with a high-profile cast of founding members to mobilize mass action to combat the climate crisis. The coalition's main goal is to host more than ten million “climate conversations” in 2020 with citizens from across the political spectrum. Has the star-studded effort been successful so far? Finally, we turn to a brief interview with Tia Nelson, environmental leader, climate program director at the Outrider Foundation and daughter of former Senator and Governor Gaylord Nelson, the founder of Earth Day. Nelson was 13 years old on April 22, 1970 — the first Earth Day ever. We get her thoughts on how the environmental movement has evolved over time.  Recommended reading: WaPo: John Kerry: Why I’m an optimist this Earth Day WBNS: Arnold Schwarzenegger, John Kerry, John Kasich hold town hall on climate change at Otterbein Heated: A conversation with John Kerry Isthmus: Earth Day turns 50 When the Earth Moves Film Political Climate is produced in partnership with the USC Schwarzenegger Institute. Listen and subscribe on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Stitcher, Google Play or wherever you get podcasts! This episode is brought to you by the nonprofit environmental forum EarthX. The Earthx2020 Conference and Film Festival is being held virtually from April 22-27 to mark the 50th anniversary of Earth Day. Find more information at www.earthx.org!

The 2020 election is crawling forward amid the coronavirus pandemic. Former Vice President Joe Biden has become the presumptive nominee for the Democratic Party, with Senator Bernie Sanders announcing his withdrawal from the race. With the primary settled, the next question is: can Biden win over Bernie’s climate supporters? And how much do these supporters matter? Speaking of support, clean energy stakeholders say they're in dire need of government help. Industry researchers project that the clean energy sector could lose more than a half million jobs — or 15 percent of its total workforce — in the coming months if no additional policy actions are taken by Congress. More than 106,000 workers already lost their jobs in the month of March alone, according to a new analysis by Environmental Entrepreneurs, the American Council on Renewable Energy, E4TheFuture and BW Research. In light of these numbers, will a Republican-led Senate step in to save the clean energy workforce? We discuss on this week’s episode of Political Climate. Recommended reading: Axios: Biden and Sanders vow joint climate work as part of endorsement NYT: Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez Has Never Spoken to Joe Biden. Here’s What She Would Say GTM: Virginia Mandates 100% Clean Power by 2045 The Atlantic: Coronavirus Killed the Policy Primary E2: 106,000 Jobs in Clean Energy Lost in March Due to COVID-19 Economic Crisis Political Climate is produced in partnership with the USC Schwarzenegger Institute. Listen and subscribe on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Stitcher, Google Play or wherever you get podcasts! This episode is brought to you by the nonprofit environmental forum EarthX. The Earthx2020 Conference and Film Festival will be held virtually from April 22-27 to mark the 50th anniversary of Earth Day. Find more information at www.earthx.org!

The coronavirus outbreak continues to loom large over the world. Across the globe, countries face major challenges as consumer demand contracts, employee payroll is cut, and capital shrinks as billions of people remain in quarantine.  The combination of an economic downturn, cheap oil and gas, and global supply chain disruptions will have big consequences for clean energy markets and climate action in the U.S and abroad. But is it all bad news? In this episode, we bring you a conversation on the implications of COVID-19 for climate and clean energy with four expert voices. Drawing on data and experience, speakers weigh in on the future of sustainable finance, low-carbon technology deployment, and government stimulus efforts. This discussion was recorded earlier in the week at virtual event presented by the Atlantic Council's Global Energy Center and moderated by podcast host Julia Pyper. Joining her this episode are: Ethan Zindler, Head of Americas at Bloomberg New Energy Finance Rachel Kyte, former CEO and Special Representative of the UN Secretary-General for Sustainable Energy for All and Dean of The Fletcher School at Tufts University Rich Powell, executive director of the ClearPath Foundation Adnan Amin, former Director-General of the International Renewable Energy Agency and Distinguished Fellow and the Atlantic Council's Global Energy Center Recommended reading: GTM: Coronavirus Derailed COP26 Talks, But Not Europe’s Appetite for Climate Action Vox: How the Covid-19 recession could become a depression CNN: Here's what America's oil CEOs discussed with Trump Atlantic Council: COVID-19: Clean energy and climate impacts Political Climate is produced in partnership with the USC Schwarzenegger Institute. Listen and subscribe on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Stitcher, Google Play or wherever you get podcasts! This episode is brought to you by the nonprofit environmental forum EarthX. The Earthx2020 Conference and Film Festival will be held virtually from April 22-27 to mark the 50th anniversary of Earth Day. Find more information at www.earthx.org!

Climate change didn’t stop while the world turned its attention to combating the coronavirus. Will leaders seize the moment to tackle more than one crisis? The $2 trillion Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act offered no explicit support for the energy sector. Will Congress use the next stimulus bill to accelerate the green economy as part of the COVID-19 recovery? If so, when and how? Or will climate friendly stimulus measures fall by the wayside for now? Plus, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency announced it will allow companies to break pollution laws during the pandemic and did not set a timeline to start implementing the laws again. We discuss how this compares to the crisis response of past administrations..  We end with some tips on how to weather through COVID-19 and related economic troubles, including a breakdown of the financial support available to cleantech startups under the recently passed CARES Act. Recommended reading: E&E News: Does climate change still matter in the election? The Guardian: Trump administration allows companies to break pollution laws during coronavirus pandemic Medium: A Green Stimulus to Rebuild Our Economy Wired: The Analogy Between Covid-19 and Climate Change Is Eerily Precise The Guardian: Polar ice caps melting six times faster than in 1990s Political Climate is produced in partnership with the USC Schwarzenegger Institute. Listen and subscribe on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Stitcher, Google Play or wherever you get podcasts! This episode is brought to you by the nonprofit environmental forum EarthX. The Earthx2020 Conference and Film Festival will be held virtually from April 22-27 to mark the 50th anniversary of Earth Day. Find more information at www.earthx.org!

Labor groups and environmentalists have a complicated relationship. Efforts to mitigate climate change stand to create new employment opportunities in a thriving, low-carbon economy. But they also stand to eliminate many unionized jobs, particularly in the fossil fuel industry. So how can organized labor and the environmental movement work together to promote a just and sustainable society? We discuss in a candid conversation with Lee Anderson, director of government affairs at the Utility Workers Union of America, and Anna Fendley, director of regulatory and state policy at the United Steelworkers. We also explore how policymakers can support blue collar workers and expand job prospects, while dramatically cutting down carbon emissions. Does the prospect of another economic stimulus bill in response to COVID-19 present an opportunity to accelerate America's blue-green economy? This is the fourth episode of Political Climate’s monthly “Path to Zero” series, brought to you by the public policy think tank Third Way. The series explore how people are being affected by the transition to cleaner energy resources, and the economic challenges and opportunities created in the process. It examines the technologies and policies we will need to implement to drive down carbon emissions, and the politics driving this dialogue. Listen and subscribe to all “Path to Zero” episodes here! Recommended reading: Solidarity for Climate Action Politico: Energy Issues in Stimulus Limbo A Green Stimulus to Rebuild Our Economy Political Climate is produced in partnership with the USC Schwarzenegger Institute. “Path to Zero” is created in partnership with the public policy think tank Third Way. Episodes air monthly on the Political Climate podcast feed. Listen and subscribe on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Stitcher, Google Play or wherever you get podcasts!

With cases recorded in more than 140 countries, the novel coronavirus has become a global health crisis.  In the U.S., bars and offices have been closed, conferences cancelled and kids kept home from school in an attempt to slow the spread. President Trump has declared a national emergency and invoked the Defense Production Act to accelerate the virus response. So why aren’t we reacting as swiftly to climate change -- another human-propelled global catastrophe that could harm human health and wellbeing for generations to come? These threats are not the same, but they do share certain attributes. We discuss with risk and behavioral scientist Sweta Chakraborty, founder of Adapt to Thrive and co-host the live weekly radio show “Risky Behavior.” Recommended reading: NBC: Me, worry? For coronavirus, it depends on your politics GTM: For Wind and Solar Sectors, Biggest Coronavirus Risk May Be a Damaged Economy GreenBiz: COVID-19 and climate change: A healthy dose of reality London Real: Jonathan Haidt - Climate Change Ideology Political Climate is produced in partnership with the USC Schwarzenegger Institute. Listen and subscribe on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Stitcher, Google Play or wherever you get podcasts! This episode is brought to you by the nonprofit environmental forum EarthX. Looking for a new activity? Challenge yourself to take on the 50 for 50 Challenge — 5 Pledges x 10 Actions = 50 Ways to Protect our Planet in honor of Earth Day's 50th anniversary. Sign up at www.earthx.org!

Among Republicans in Congress, few, if any, have wielded as much influence on climate and clean energy as Louisiana Representative Garret Graves.  In the past few years, Graves served as the ranking member on the House Select Committee on Climate and ran the Republican Task Force on Energy, Climate, and Conservation. He also played a central role in last year’s debt ceiling negotiations, which included a bipartisan deal on infrastructure permitting reform that the Biden administration later revised, to many lawmakers’ chagrin. In this special episode of Political Climate, Graves sits down with co-host Emily Domenech in his Washington office to dig into Congress’ record on climate, as well as his own. In the interview, Graves champions natural gas, calls for an emotion-free approach to lowering emissions, reflects on the impacts of climate change on his home state, and considers the future of U.S. energy policy, among other topics. Later in the show, all three hosts gather to discuss Graves’ comments, find consensus, and highlight areas of disagreement. (On June 14, after both Emily’s interview and the hosts’ discussion, Graves announced that he will not seek re-election this November.) Subscribe to Latitude Media’s newsletter to get weekly updates on tech, markets, policy, and deals across clean energy and climate tech. And listen to Climate One, a weekly podcast hosted by journalists Greg Dalton and Ariana Brocious featuring discussions with climate advocacy experts on various aspects impacting climate change, from AI to inflation. You can find Climate One on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, YouTube Music, or wherever you get your podcasts.

It's been pretty hard to miss the latest news. Coronavirus spreads! Oil prices plummet! Stock market crashes! What does all of this have to do with climate and clean energy? A lot, actually. On Monday, oil prices had their worst day since the 1991 Gulf War, falling 24 percent to around $34 per barrel. So how did we get here? And what does the combination of rock bottom oil prices and the coronavirus mean for clean energy? We break it down on this episode of Political Climate in an interview with David Livingston, senior analyst at the political risk consultancy Eurasia Group with a focus on energy and global macroeconomics. Recommended reading: E&E News: EVs, shale and Trump: 5 takeaways from the oil crash WaPo: White House likely to pursue federal aid for shale companies hit by oil shock, coronavirus downturn GTM: Coronavirus May Challenge Solar Industry’s Tax Credit Strategy Political Climate is produced in partnership with the USC Schwarzenegger Institute. Listen and subscribe on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Stitcher, Google Play or wherever you get podcasts! This episode is brought to you by the nonprofit environmental forum EarthX. This April marks the 50th anniversary of Earth Day, and there’s no better way to celebrate than at the EarthX Expo, Conference and Film Festival in Dallas, Texas. This event is for everyone, including you! Visit earthx.org to learn more and register.

Joe Biden had a super, Super Tuesday. We discuss the results and what they mean for climate in the 2020 Democratic Primary. We also touch on the sweeping Senate energy bill that could come to a vote any day now. Plus, there was another big winner this week! We share the results of our policy bracket competition from last week’s Decarb Madness episode. In the latter half of this show (26 min), we discuss how to pick the best policies for decarbonizing the U.S. economy with experts at the think tank Energy Innovation who created the policy simulator we used to evaluate last week’s policy brackets. If you haven’t heard the Decarb Madness episode yet, we recommend going back to give it a listen. Recommended reading: WaPo: Sweeping Senate Energy Bill Could Come to a Vote This Week GTM: Sweeping Senate Energy Bill Could Come to a Vote This Week Energy Innovation: A Policy Pathway To Reach U.S. Net Zero Emissions By 2050 Decarb Madness: How Would You Build a Policy Bracket to Decarbonize the Power Sector? Political Climate is produced in partnership with the USC Schwarzenegger Institute. Listen and subscribe on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Stitcher, Google Play or wherever you get podcasts! This episode is brought to you by the nonprofit environmental forum EarthX. This April marks the 50th anniversary of Earth Day, and there’s no better way to celebrate than at the EarthX Expo, Conference and Film Festival in Dallas, Texas. This event is for everyone, including you! Visit earthx.org to learn more and register.

Welcome to Decarb Madness! The policy bracket game for energy wonks who don’t want to play with our future.  With March Madness just around the corner and a climate crisis closing in, Political Climate challenged four energy experts to build their ideal policy bracket for decarbonizing the electricity sector. For the third episode in our “Path to Zero” series, contestants were asked to select five federal-level policies that they think will win the day — both in terms of carbon reductions in 2050 and political feasibility. Decarb Madness 2020 features Jesse Jenkins, assistant professor of mechanical and aerospace engineering Princeton University, and Leah Stokes, assistant professor of political science at the University of California, Santa Barbara. Political Climate co-hosts Brandon Hurlbut and Shane Skelton also gave it a shot.   In round one, each player explains why they made their respective policy picks. Following that, host/referee Julia Pyper steps in to explain how each bracket ranks on emissions reductions using the Energy Policy Simulator, a computer model developed by the nonpartisan climate policy firm Energy Innovation. In round two, each contestant makes the case for why their policy bracket is the most politically and technologically feasible. And then you come in! As soon as you hear this episode, head over to the Political Climate Twitter page @poli_climate and vote for whose bracket you think is the best. We will announce the winner on our next show. Game on. Recommended reading: Policy list Jesse's policy bracket Leah's policy bracket Brandon's policy bracket Shane's policy bracket Political Climate is produced in partnership with the USC Schwarzenegger Institute. “Path to Zero” is created in partnership with the public policy think tank Third Way. Episodes air monthly on the Political Climate podcast feed. Listen and subscribe on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Stitcher, Google Play or wherever you get podcasts!

Is the United States positioned to lead long-term as the global energy mix continues to shift? Fossil fuels have shaped the geopolitical map over the last two centuries. Now, the rapid deployment of renewables has set in motion a global energy transition that could have profound geopolitical consequences. In this episode of Political Climate, we speak to Daniel Simmons, assistant secretary for the Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy, about how the U.S. Energy Department is thinking about intersection of geopolitics and cleantech. We also discussed the DOE’s new Energy Storage Grand Challenge and how the agency is deploying capital to support clean energy innovation more broadly under President Trump — and how the DOE is defining “clean energy innovation” under President Trump. Plus, we hear from Matt Myers, vice president of EarthxCapital. He’s just launched a new, bipartisan initiative with the DOE’s Office of Technology Transitions to address commercialization barriers for cleantech solutions. We’ll learn more about it.  Finally, the Political Climate crew couldn’t ignore the latest news. So we also touch on this week’s fiery Democratic debate and Jeff Bezos’ new $10 billion commitment to fund climate action.  Recommended reading: Washington Examiner: Bloomberg: US can't afford to ban fracking 'for awhile' GTM: What Would It Take for the US to Become an Energy Storage Manufacturing Powerhouse? Report: Bridging the U.S. Environmental Technology Gaps to Market Political Climate is produced in partnership with the USC Schwarzenegger Institute. Listen and subscribe to the Political Climate podcast via Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Stitcher, Google Play, Overcast or any of these other services. Find us on Twitter @Poli_Climate! Follow our hosts at @JMPyper @ShaneSkelton and @BrandonHurlbut. This episode is brought to you by the nonprofit environmental forum EarthX. This April marks the 50th anniversary of Earth Day, and there’s no better way to celebrate than at the EarthX Expo, Conference and Film Festival in Dallas, Texas. This event is for everyone, including you! Visit earthx.org to learn more and register.

We’re off to the races! The Democratic primary started slow off the blocks in Iowa, but the nomination process is now well underway following the New Hampshire vote. What have we learned so far in this election? Where have we seen climate and energy play in? And what’s to come next? On this week’s episode of Political Climate, we discuss the latest developments in arguably the most consequential ⁠— or at least the most contentious ⁠— election in U.S. history. Plus we touch on a handful of energy policy updates. Recommended reading: The Nation: Climate Is on the Ballot in New Hampshire GTM: Time to Reinvent BP, Says New CEO NYT: In Crucial Pennsylvania, Democrats Worry a Fracking Ban Could Sink Them Earther: The Trump Administration Is Withholding Almost $1 Billion in Renewable Energy Funding Political Climate is produced in partnership with the USC Schwarzenegger Institute. Listen and subscribe to the Political Climate podcast via Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Stitcher, Google Play, Overcast or any of these other services. Find us on Twitter @Poli_Climate! Follow our hosts at @JMPyper @ShaneSkelton and @BrandonHurlbut. This episode is brought to you by the nonprofit environmental forum EarthX. This April marks the 50th anniversary of Earth Day, and there’s no better way to celebrate than at the EarthX Expo, Conference and Film Festival in Dallas, Texas. This event is for everyone, including you! Visit earthx.org to learn more and register.

What the heck happened in Iowa? Democratic co-host Brandon Hurlbut shares a first-hand account of the caucus reporting glitch and top voter issues in the first state to hold a presidential nominating contest. We look at where climate ranked. Meanwhile in the capitol, House Democrats have unveiled draft legislation and policy roadmap to reach net zero emissions by 2050. Is this the kind of bold climate leadership that advocates have been calling for? And are there proposals in the CLEAN Future Act that Republicans could back? Co-host Shane Skelton argues that there are. Not to be left out, House Republicans are floating their own climate plan that focuses on planting trees, removing plastic pollution and funding clean energy innovation. But is it the kind of innovation that the planet needs or is it a smokescreen? A good first step or pure optics? We discuss what innovation means to Republicans and where there's common ground with Democrats on this week's episode of Political Climate! Recommended reading: WaPo: Climate change among top concerns for Iowa Democratic caucus-goers NPR: Iowa Farmer Says He's Disenchanted With President Trump E&C: E&C Leaders Release Draft CLEAN Future Act Axios: What’s in Republicans’ new climate-change push Vox: “Innovation”: the latest GOP smokescreen on climate change policy NRDC: Promising Bipartisan Movement Political Climate is produced in partnership with the USC Schwarzenegger Institute. Listen and subscribe to the Political Climate podcast via Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Stitcher, Google Play, Overcast or any of these other services. Find us on Twitter @Poli_Climate! Follow our hosts at @JMPyper @ShaneSkelton and @BrandonHurlbut.

Science tells us we must reach net zero emissions by 2050 to stave off the most devastating impacts of climate change. But do we have all of the technologies we need to do it? In the second episode of Political Climate's “Path to Zero” series, we put that question to physicist, professor, Nobel Laureate, and former U.S. Secretary of Energy Steven Chu. Under his leadership, the DOE launched several new initiatives to help put the United States at the forefront of cleantech development, including the creation of Energy Innovation Hubs and the Advanced Research Projects Agency – Energy, or ARPA-E. Chu also oversaw $90 billion in Recovery Act funding for strategic clean energy investments. Together these measures helped jumpstart America’s modern green economy. But what now? Do we have what we need to reach net zero? Find out in this episode of “Path to Zero” series, presented with support from Third Way — a leading public policy think tank based in Washington, DC that champions thoughtful and data-driven climate solutions to put the United States on the fastest and fairest path to net-zero emissions by 2050. “Path to Zero” episodes will air monthly on the Political Climate podcast feed. Episode one "The Urgency of Reaching Net Zero" is available here. Subscribe on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Stitcher, Google Play or wherever you get podcasts! Recommended reading: The Atlantic: The 'Silent Green Revolution' Underway at the Department of Energy The Onion: Hungover Energy Secretary Wakes Up Next To Solar Panel Political Climate is produced in partnership with the USC Schwarzenegger Institute. Listen and subscribe to the Political Climate podcast via Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Stitcher, Google Play, Overcast or any of these other services.

This is a pivotal moment in the fight against climate change. There is a need to act now and there are a lot of open questions on how to do that. Net zero emissions by 2050 has emerged as the target that the world must hit in order to avoid the worst impacts of climate change. Policymakers and activists in the U.S. are working to put the net zero goal into law, and multiple major companies have already pledged to achieve carbon neutrality. But what will it really take to reach zero? That’s what Political Climate will explore in the coming months in a new podcast series called “Path to Zero,” presented in partnership with Third Way. This series will look at how people are being affected by the transition to cleaner energy resources, and the economic challenges and opportunities created in the process. It will examine the technologies and policies we need to drive down carbon emissions, and the politics influencing this activity. In this first episode of the series — introduced by Josh Freed, senior vice president of the climate and energy program at Third Way — we discuss why we’re talking about net zero emissions by 2050 to begin with. What is the climate science underpinning this goal? What does “net zero” mean? And what will the future look like if this goal isn’t met? We get the answers from scientist and climate strategist Dr. Jane Long, former associate director for energy and environment at the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory. “Path to Zero” episodes will air monthly on the Political Climate podcast feed, after the first two episodes air in January. Listen and subscribe on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Stitcher, Google Play or wherever you get podcasts! Recommended reading: The Hill: Democrats outline sweeping legislation to make U.S. carbon neutral by 2050 GTM: Spanish Oil Giant Repsol Sets Net-Zero Emissions Target for 2050 Climate Home: Net zero: the story of the target that will shape our future Third Way: Zero by 2050: Understanding the Challenge Before Us Political Climate is produced in partnership with the USC Schwarzenegger Institute. Listen and subscribe to the Political Climate podcast via Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Stitcher, Google Play, Overcast or any of these other services.

Hello and happy new year! It’s January, so we can still say that — right? Between devastating wildfires in Australia, conflict in the Middle East, and a rapidly approaching Democratic presidential primary there’s been no shortage of news since 2020 began.  In this week's episode, we discuss what the latest headlines mean for climate and energy policy. Plus, we bring you a sit-down interview with former California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger, who put in place many of the state’s foundational climate and clean energy policies (in addition to being an actor, businessman and bodybuilder, of course). We get the governor's reflections on 2019, including why he decided to support teen climate activist Greta Thunberg in her journey across North America last fall. And why he's also backing former Secretary of State John Kerry's star-studded and bipartisan World War Zero climate initiative, which some argue is at odds with the youth climate movement. Schwarzenegger also weighs in on Congress' failure to extend clean energy tax credits last legislative session and the Trump administration's lawsuit against California's cap-and-trade program. Recommended reading: Verge: John Kerry, Arnold Schwarzenegger wage ‘World War Zero’ on climate change Vox: John Kerry and the climate kids: a tale of 2 new strategies to fight climate change GTM: How the White House Killed Clean Energy Tax Credits CNN: Australia's deadly wildfires are showing no signs of stopping. Here's what you need to know Recharge: French solar power charity wins Zayed Sustainability Prize Political Climate is produced in partnership with the USC Schwarzenegger Institute. Subscribe to the Political Climate podcast via Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Stitcher, Google Podcasts, Overcast or any of these other services.

We're technically on break this week, but couldn’t resist the opportunity to bring you our full interview with Emily Atkin, author of the popular climate newsletter HEATED. Emily came on Political Climate in early December to talk about the fossil fuel industry’s climate change disinformation campaign in our episode “Big Oil on Trial.” We had a lot to cover on that show, so we weren’t able to share the entire conversation between Emily and podcast host Julia Pyper. But there was lot of great content, so we wanted to share this extended interview. It goes deeper into the fossil fuel sector, looks at the controversy over Pete Buttigieg’s climate advisor David Victor, and explores shifting dynamics in the media industry and how to be a responsible climate journalist. Political Climate will be back soon with our Democratic and Republican co-hosts, Brandon Hurlbut and Shane Skelton. In the meantime, as you pack up your holiday decorations or prep for a New Year’s Eve party, we hope that you enjoy this bonus episode. And while you’re here, please give us a rating and leave a review! Let us know what we’re doing well and what we can improve on in 2020. Thank you! Recommended reading: HEATED: Is Pete Buttigieg's climate adviser a fossil fuel shill? GTM: How Oil and Gas Giants Are ‘Buying Options’ for an Uncertain Future Political Climate is produced in partnership with the USC Schwarzenegger Institute. Subscribe to the Political Climate podcast via Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Stitcher, Google Podcasts, Overcast or any of these other services.

In recent weeks, carbon management has found itself in the spotlight – for reasons both encouraging and concerning for its proponents. On May 28th, the DOE unveiled the semifinalists for a new funding competition for carbon removal and storage companies, as well as a plan to buy over $30 million in carbon credits from the eventual winners. The same day, President Biden also revealed new policies that aim to guide and bolster the larger voluntary carbon credit market. These moves follow Biden’s much larger investments in carbon removal last year: $1.2 billion to fund two direct-air capture facilities in Texas and Louisiana, as well as nearly a billion to fund carbon storage and transport.  It’s not all good news for the sector, however. The week before the DOE’s announcement, on May 23, the trade group Edison Electric Institute joined a coalition of utilities providers to sue the EPA over new federal requirements to use carbon capture technologies in their power plants. The plaintiffs argue that the tech isn’t ready for wide-scale deployment. In today’s episode, we’ll consider whether these various forms of carbon management – from removal to capture and storage – are on a pathway to scalability, and whether industry resistance will slow their advancement. The show wraps up with the hosts’ rapid-fire hot takes in “The Mark-up.”  Subscribe to Latitude Media’s newsletter to get weekly updates on tech, markets, policy, and deals across clean energy and climate tech. And listen to Climate One, a weekly podcast hosted by journalists Greg Dalton and Ariana Brocious featuring discussions with climate advocacy experts on various aspects impacting climate change, from AI to inflation. You can find Climate One on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, YouTube Music, or wherever you get your podcasts.

Is radical reform needed to remake the U.S. electricity grid? What’s the role of nuclear power in the U.S. energy mix? Which Democratic presidential candidate has the best climate plan? What’s the most effective approach to climate advocacy? And how should journalists be covering highly politicized issues in today’s highly polarized information landscape? On this week's episode on Political Climate, we put these and other questions to David Roberts, acclaimed energy and politics reporter for Vox.   As a leading voice in the space, he has helped tens of thousands of readers better understand wonky topics like performance-based utility regulation and how batteries can benefit the power grid. He has also waded into covering broader political issues, like how the impeachment of President Trump is feeding into a bifurcated information ecosystem and may be fueling an epistemic crisis for the country. We thought it would be enlightening to end the 2019 season of Political Climate by asking Roberts a wide range of questions on American politics and how to save the planet. We hope you enjoy the interview, and we will be back with new episodes in the New Year! Recommended reading: Vox: The radical reform necessary to prepare California’s power system for the 21st century Vox: John Kerry and the climate kids: a tale of 2 new strategies to fight climate change Vox: Donald Trump and the rise of tribal epistemology Vox: With impeachment, America’s epistemic crisis has arrived Political Climate is produced in partnership with the USC Schwarzenegger Institute, and thanks to invaluable support from producer Victoria Simon. Subscribe to the Political Climate podcast via Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Stitcher, Google Podcasts, Overcast or any of these other services.

It’s week two of the United Nations COP25 climate summit, and it’s the last few days of Congress before the winter recess.  What have American policymakers accomplished?  We get an update from the U.S. Climate Action Center on site at the UN climate talks. We look at wildfire victim relief in California. And we discuss 12 pieces of clean energy legislation that House Republicans are calling on Democrats to support. What's the political strategy at play? Plus, a prominent former senator weighs in on the climate, energy and security nexus and how to avoid the game of “political football” that climate policy has become today. Later in this show, we speak to former Republican Senator Kelly Ayotte of New Hampshire about what she calls “common-sense” solutions to combat climate change. Recommended reading: Al Jazeera: As Trump walks away from climate pact, America's Pledge steps up Vox: The future of the Paris climate agreement is being decided this week NYT: PG&E Reaches $13.5 Billion Deal With Wildfire Victims E&C: Bipartisan Solutions to Protect the Environment and the Economy Political Climate is produced in partnership with the USC Schwarzenegger Institute, and thanks to invaluable support from producer Victoria Simon. Subscribe to the Political Climate podcast via Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Stitcher, Google Podcasts, Overcast or any of these other services.

Fossil fuel companies could be facing a Big Tobacco moment. This fall, Exxon Mobil went to court, facing charges that the oil giant lied to shareholders and to the public about the costs and consequences of climate change. And that’s just one of several legal cases seeking to hold oil and gas firms responsible for their contribution to global warming. As we discuss with UCLA environmental law professor Ann Carlson in this episode of Political Climate, the litigation could cost fossil fuel companies billions of dollars and fundamentally change the way the world approaches energy production.  But lawsuits aren’t the only venue for challenging the fossil fuel industry. This battle is also being waged in the court of public opinion, which has put a spotlight on how oil companies can promote their positions on social media. In this episode, we also hear from journalist Emily Atkin, author of the newsletter Heated, about why she and others are angry about the oil industry’s political ads. With the United Nations COP25 climate summit also taking place this week, fossil fuels are in the crosshairs. Recommended reading: Inside Climate: Where the Major Climate Change Lawsuits Stand Today Heated: Exxon climate ads aren’t "political," according to Twitter Axios: To tackle climate change, clean energy isn’t enough NYT: ‘Bleak’ U.N. Report on a Planet in Peril Looms Over New Climate Talks GTM: Spanish Oil Giant Repsol Sets Net-Zero Emissions Target for 2050 Political Climate is produced in partnership with the USC Schwarzenegger Institute, and thanks to invaluable support from producer Victoria Simon. Subscribe to the Political Climate podcast via Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Stitcher, Google Podcasts, Overcast or any of these other services.

The holidays can be difficult. It can be tough to get along in these polarized times. Family conversations on climate change can get heated. We get it. Sometimes we have those heated conversations on this show. But it’s all in the interest of breaking out of our self-contained opinion bubbles. So in the spirit of Thanksgiving, on this episode of Political Climate we say thank you to our listeners for engaging with this podcast — even when the feedback comes in the form of a mean Tweet. Then we cheers to the climate action happening on both sides of the aisle in an extended edition of our “Say Something Nice” segment of the show, where our Democrat and Republican co-hosts have to say something redeeming about the opposing political party. Gobble. Gobble. Political Climate is produced in partnership with the USC Schwarzenegger Institute, and thanks to invaluable support from producer Victoria Simon. Subscribe to the Political Climate podcast via Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Stitcher, Google Podcasts, Overcast or any of these other services.

In the shadow of public impeachment hearings, a group of House Democrats is attempting to advance a bold climate action plan that the entire party can rally around.  On Thursday, House members introduced legislation that would set a nationwide goal of achieving a 100 percent clean energy economy by 2050. The bill was announced with more than 150 co-sponsors. In this episode of Political Climate, we conduct an exclusive in-depth interview with one of the bill’s authors, Rep. Paul Tonko (D-NY). Tonko serves as chairman of the House Energy and Commerce Committee's environment and climate change subcommittee, where he’s been holding hearings for several weeks to flesh out what a 100 percent clean economy would look like.  "There is a lot going on beyond the impeachment inquiries that have begun, and the people need to know that," Tonko said. We ask Rep. Tonko about the newly introduced 100% Clean Economy Act of 2019 and get his outlook on how to get the bill to the president's desk. Plus, we get his thoughts on extending clean energy tax credits and what he makes of the Republican stance on climate policy. (Interview segment begins 13:50) This week’s show opens with a first-hand account of what happened at the California Democratic State Convention, and with takeaways from a lunch with Southern Republican lawmakers touring California for tips on how to grow their local clean energy sectors.  Recommended reading: McEachin, Haaland, Dingell, Blumenauer, Tonko & Pingree Introduce 100% Clean Legislation Washington Examiner: House Democrats Plan 100% Clean Economy Bill Thursday to Unite Party  GTM: Renewable Tax Credits Get Another Shot in Congress NYT: Obama Says Average American Doesn’t Want to ‘Tear Down System’ Political Climate is produced in partnership with the USC Schwarzenegger Institute, and thanks to invaluable support from producer Victoria Simon. Subscribe to the Political Climate podcast via Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Stitcher, Google Podcasts, Overcast or any of these other services.

We’re officially less than one year away from the 2020 election. What do the latest polls tell us about how the presidential candidates are stacking up? What do the 2019 elections tell us about how this could play out? And what does all of this mean for climate and energy policy? In this episode of Political Climate, we look at Democrat wins in Virginia and Kentucky. We also discuss the results of a New York Times/Siena College poll that offers a mixed bag for Democratic candidates. Plus, billionaire climate-action champion Michael Bloomberg flirts (once again) with entering the 2020 race. Does his campaign stand a chance? Finally, we discuss a rift between Democrats and Republicans over climate language included in a defense bill. Are Democrats stalling on this climate measure in hopes for a bigger legislative win? Recommended reading: GTM: Virginia’s Democratic Sweep and Its Implications for Dominion Energy’s Future NYT: Recent Polls Show Trump’s Support Is Flagging in the Suburbs — and Beyond CS Monitor: Why these Kentucky Democrats still love President Trump Cook Political: Democrats Need to Mind the Gap Between Their Base and Swing Voters BBC: US election 2020: Michael Bloomberg mulls presidential bid Washington Examiner: Why a key Democrat is holding back a bipartisan climate bill Political Climate is produced in partnership with the USC Schwarzenegger Institute, and thanks to invaluable support from producer Victoria Simon. Subscribe to the Political Climate podcast via Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Stitcher, Google Podcasts, Overcast or any of these other services.

If you’re following political news then you’ve probably heard of The Squad, a group of four newly elected congresswomen advocating for progressive policies like the Green New Deal. But have you heard of the New Democrat Coalition and its plans for dealing with climate change? In this episode of Political Climate, we hear from a lawmaker who is leading that charge. Last year, Sean Casten ran one of the most overtly pro-climate action campaigns of the 2018 midterms, in a historically Republican district. In the end, Casten, a biochemical engineer and a clean energy entrepreneur, beat out six-term Republican Rep. Peter Roskam. Rep. Casten’s race in the Illinois 6th District was identified as a 2018 battleground that could have determined whether or not Democrats took control of the House. And it’s a moderate, suburban district that Democrats will want to keep in 2020. As you’ll hear in this interview, Rep. Casten is intent on finding solutions to climate change and doesn’t shy away from getting wonky on topics like energy storage and attracting capital to the solar sector. But he also has a critical view of some of the policies his fellow Democrats have put forward. Recommended reading: New Democrat Coalition Climate Principles ThinkProgress: Newly elected Democratic congressman casts doubt on Green New Deal GTM: A Green Wave? How Climate and Clean Energy Are Playing Into the 2018 Midterms Political Climate is produced in partnership with the USC Schwarzenegger Institute, and thanks to invaluable support from producer Victoria Simon. Subscribe to the Political Climate podcast via Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Stitcher, Google Podcasts, Overcast or any of these other services.

There has been no shortage of climate related news in recent days ⁠— from President Trump’s attack on California’s emissions-trading system to Senator Schumer’s $450 billion electric vehicle proposal, and disastrous wildfires raging in the West to the anniversary of Superstorm Sandy in the East. It’s a grab bag of climate headlines on this week’s episode of Political Climate. We begin by revisiting the wildfire crisis in California, as co-host Shane Skelton copes with a power outage and warnings that his community may soon have to evacuate. Governor Gavin Newsom's administration inherited this challenge, but now that he's in power what's his plan for coping with it? Next we look at the Trump administration's attack on a foundational California climate policy: its cap-and-trade system. Did California overstep by partnering with the province of Quebec? We also look at the latest developments in the clash over California's clean vehicle standards. Finally, we check in on the new bipartisan climate caucus in the Senate and debate the Republican backlash over the Democrats' climate agenda in the House. Recommended reading: Vox: Wildfires and blackouts mean Californians need solar panels and microgrids SacBee: Gov. Newsom calls for Warren Buffett to buy PG&E as widespread power shutoffs continue WSJ: Trump Administration Sues California Over Cap-and-Trade Market Reuters: Senate Democrat Schumer proposes plan to swap gas cars for electric vehicles Reuters: GM, Toyota, Fiat Chrysler back Trump on California Emissions Challenge Washington Examiner: Republicans mount counter to Democrats’ ‘100 by 50’ climate plan Political Climate is produced in partnership with the USC Schwarzenegger Institute, and thanks to invaluable support from producer Victoria Simon. Subscribe to the Political Climate podcast via Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Stitcher, Google Podcasts, Overcast or any of these other services.

Are cites the world’s best hope for combating climate change? Many cities have committed to meeting the Paris Agreement goals. But are those targets translating to action on the ground? In this episode of Political Climate, we look at San Diego’s quest to achieve 100 percent carbon free electricity by 2035 and what other cities can learn from this experience.  We recorded this episode at the UCSD School of Global Policy and Strategy, where we were joined by Cody Hooven, the first chief sustainability officer for the City of San Diego. We covered everything from how the city’s Republican mayor pushed through a bold climate action plan, to the community choice aggregation program San Diego is pursuing, to how cities are coping with the intersection of climate and equity issues.  Before delving into the role that cities play in the fight against climate change, we touched on a few federal climate related news items. Here’s that conversation, we hope you enjoy. Recommended reading: Politico: Trump to nominate Dan Brouillette as Energy secretary The Hill: Senate Dems lose forced vote against EPA power plant rule WSJ: City Pledges for ‘100% Renewable Energy’ Are 99% Misleading San Diego Tribune: San Diego City Council takes the leap into community choice energy GTM: San Diego Moves Ahead With 100% Clean Energy Community Choice Program Political Climate is produced in partnership with the USC Schwarzenegger Institute, and thanks to invaluable support from producer Victoria Simon. Subscribe to the Political Climate podcast via Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Stitcher, Google Podcasts, Overcast or any of these other services.

Last week, Pacific Gas & Electric, intentionally cut the power off to 800,000 electricity customers in Northern California — affecting roughly 2 million people — in an attempt to avoid sparking another potentially deadly wildfire.   Classes were cancelled, businesses closed, food spoiled and people who rely on medical devices panicked. There was no fire, but the blackout has caused tempers to flare and political tensions to rise.   How did we get to a point where California’s largest utility is resorting to planned power outages to prevent destructive wildfires? And how will politicians manage the increasing risk that wildfires present going forward? We discuss on this week’s episode of Political Climate with Michael Wara, director of the Climate and Energy Policy Program at Stanford University and a member of California's Commission on Catastrophic Wildfire Cost and Recovery (begins 17:00). We kick off the show with a look at the fourth Democratic presidential debate, plus Brandon announces his 2020 candidate! As always, we end with our segment: “Say Something Nice.”  Political Climate is recording a live show at UC San Diego on Monday, October 21st. The event begins at 5pm and it’s free. You just need to sign up here. So if you’re in the San Diego area — come join us! Recommended reading: GTM: California on Edge as PG&E’s Power Outage Plan Goes Into Effect LA Times: There’s a quick way to help prevent wildfires: Shut off the power grid Guardian: California power shutoffs: when your public utility is owned by private investors NPR: PG&E's Blackouts Panic California's Vulnerable Population LA Times: Newsom and legislative leaders decline to embrace changes to California’s wildfire liability law WaPo: Green groups grapple with how to respond to Hunter Biden's gas company role Eventbrite: Political Climate podcast live show Political Climate is produced in partnership with the USC Schwarzenegger Institute, and thanks to invaluable support from producer Victoria Simon. Subscribe to the Political Climate podcast via Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Stitcher, Google Podcasts, Overcast or any of these other services.

On the heels of a climate and energy rules blitz, President Biden has announced a plan to quadruple existing tariffs on Chinese EVs – from 25 all the way up to 100 percent – and dramatically hike tariffs on Chinese solar cells, batteries, and critical minerals as well. While these numbers look huge on paper, loopholes and caveats in the policy will likely dilute their impact. On this episode of Political Climate, hosts Julia Pyper, Brandon Hurlbut, and Emily Domenech debate whether the tariffs will boost American EV and solar production, or if they add up to little more than political posturing. Then they zoom out to consider a series of new polls showing that despite the President’s wide-ranging efforts – and $1.6 trillion of funds in the IRA – a plurality of voters appear unaware of Biden’s efforts to fight climate change.  The show wraps up with some rapid fire hot takes in our new segment “The Mark-up.”  Subscribe to Latitude Media’s newsletter to get weekly updates on tech, markets, policy, and deals across clean energy and climate tech.

This week, we bring you a special episode from our friends at The Years Project.  David Gelber, creator of the Emmy Award-winning series “Years of Living Dangerously,” has teamed up with Jeff Nesbit, executive director of Climate Nexus and author of the book This is the Way the Earth Ends, on a new podcast called Climate 2020.  Each week David and Jeff will discuss the latest developments in the political fight to mitigate the climate crisis in the lead up to the 2020 election. In this episode, they speak with MSNBC’s Chris Hayes about where the Democratic candidates stand on climate and which policy proposals make the most sense.  They also discuss the recent climate strikes and UN Climate Action Summit, as well as new climate news project from veteran journalist Kyle Pope. Then they hear from voters in a Pennsylvania swing district.   Political Climate has a shared mission to create a robust climate action dialogue in the lead-up to the 2020 election, so we’re publishing the first episode of Climate 2020 this week on the feed. Next week, we will return to our regularly scheduled programming.  Political Climate is produced in partnership with the USC Schwarzenegger Institute, and thanks to invaluable support from producer Victoria Simon. Subscribe to the Political Climate podcast via Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Stitcher, Google Podcasts, Overcast or any of these other services.

Millions of young people took to the streets last month to demand governments take bolder action on climate.  Days later, world leaders assembled at the United Nations for the Secretary General's high-profile Climate Action Summit, where dozens of countries pledged to strengthen their climate goals. But did any of this resonate with American policymakers?  In this week’s episode of Political Climate we discuss takeaways from the Climate Strikes and UN climate summit, and how these events have (or haven't) influenced U.S. politics.  We share excerpts from an exclusive interview with Chilean President Sebastián Piñera, host of the upcoming COP25 climate talks set to take place in Santiago this December. And we analyze how calls to action are being received by U.S. politicians. Recommended reading: Vox: The UN Climate Action Summit was a disappointment KCRW: The UN: Climate change and future generations NPR: 'Game Recognizes Game': A Bipartisan Bond In The Age Of Impeachment Atlantic Council: Exclusive interview on climate leadership with H.E. Sebastián Piñera, president of Chile Political Climate is produced in partnership with the USC Schwarzenegger Institute, and thanks to invaluable support from producer Victoria Simon. Subscribe to the Political Climate podcast via Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Stitcher, Google Podcasts, Overcast or any of these other services.

Federal news tends to steal the limelight, but when it comes to spearheading innovative climate and energy policy states are really where the action is at. World leaders gathered at the United Nations Climate Action Summit earlier this week, where Secretary General Antonio Guterres called on countries to boost their commitments to fighting the climate crisis with concrete plans rather than platitudes. But while President Trump stopped by the summit on Monday, the U.S. was effectively absent from the high profile event. In fact, the federal government has been pulling back on its climate commitments. But there is still climate leadership to be found in the United States ⁠— it’s just coming largely from the subnational level. In this week's episode of Political Climate, we discuss how states are leading the way on climate and clean energy policy in the absence of federal action. We'll share an interview with New Mexico Governor Michelle Lujan Grisham on how she’s transitioning her fossil fuel heavy state to 100 percent clean electricity while also cleaning up the extraction industry. Then we'll bring you a conversation recorded live at the National Association of State Energy Officials annual meeting earlier this month , where we sat down with NASEO’s seasoned legal expert Jeff Genzer to discuss how both red and blue states (including some you might not expect) are implementing innovative carbon reducing policies.  Recommended reading: NYT: At U.N. Climate Summit, Few Commitments and U.S. Silence GTM: New Mexico Governor to Sign 100% Clean Electricity Bill ‘As Quickly As Possible’ Reuters: Minnesota, New Mexico to adopt California vehicle emissions rules EcoWatch: States March toward 100% Clean Energy – Who’s Next? CCL: Bipartisan climate working group forms in Senate, led by Sens. Coons, Braun Political Climate is produced in partnership with the USC Schwarzenegger Institute, and thanks to invaluable support from producer Victoria Simon. Subscribe to the Political Climate podcast via Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Stitcher, Google Podcasts, Overcast or any of these other services.

Youth activists are spearheading a powerful political movement around addressing the climate crisis. For many people, this is a moment of both fear and hope — global carbon emissions continue to increase, at the same time as demands for global climate action grow louder. Will 2019 be remembered as the year humanity turned a corner in the fight against climate change? In this episode of Political Climate, we bring you a special interview with a group of leading youth activists ahead of the Global Climate Strike and United Nations Climate Change Summit. We speak with Kelsey Juliana and Vic Barrett, two of the 21 plaintiffs in the Juliana v. United States lawsuit over the right to a safe climate and livable future, as well as and Jamie Margolin, co-founder of the organization Zero Hour and a plaintiff in a lawsuit alleging Washington State has failed to adequately regulate greenhouse gases. But first we hear from Jonah Gottlieb, director of Schools for Climate Action and the executive director of the National Children’s Campaign, who is currently in Washington D.C. with famed teen activist Greta Thunberg and other youth leaders. What does it feel like for these young people to finally have so much attention on the climate threat? Recommended reading: Grist: How 21 meddling kids could force a major turnaround on climate New Yorker: The Right to a Stable Climate Is the Constitutional Question of the Twenty-First Century CNN: NYC says its 1.1 million students can skip class for the climate strike (as long as their parents say OK) Rolling Stone: The Climate Crisis and the Case for Hope Political Climate is produced in partnership with the USC Schwarzenegger Institute, and thanks to invaluable support from producer Victoria Simon. Subscribe to the Political Climate podcast via Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Stitcher, Google Podcasts, Overcast or any of these other services.

Who stood out at the CNN Climate Crisis Town Hall? How did conservatives react? Did general voters even care? Democratic presidential candidates covered a lot of ground over the course of the seven-hour climate policy telethon — from fracking bans to a new CarbonStar program, coal worker retraining programs to a major environmental justice fund. While there was widespread consensus on the need for climate action, some key differences also emerged between the contenders. We discuss the top takeaways from town hall, as well as the latest candidate climate plans, in this week’s episode of Political Climate. To understand how the Democratic platforms resonated on the right, we’re joined by Charles Hernick, director of policy and advocacy at Citizens for Responsible Energy Solutions, a non-profit organization founded to engage Republican policymakers and the public on conservative solutions to meeting the nation’s energy needs while preserving the environment. Emma Foehringer Merchant, staff writer for Greentech Media, also joins the show to explain what’s new and novel in the latest release of candidate climate proposals.  Recommended reading: GTM: Climate Town Hall Exposes Key Differences Among Democratic Front-Runners NYT: 5 Takeaways From the Democrats’ Climate Town Hall AP/US News: Democrats Step on Shaky Political Ground With Fracking Bans GTM: Coal Miners Doubt Promises of an Inclusive Energy Transition National Clean Energy Week Political Climate is produced in partnership with the USC Schwarzenegger Institute, and thanks to invaluable support from producer Victoria Simon. Subscribe to the Political Climate podcast via Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Stitcher, Google Podcasts, Overcast or any of these other services.

The Democratic presidential primary is heating up, so we break down where the candidates stand on climate. Labor Day Weekend typically marks a shift in a presidential campaign. Things get more serious and the field starts to winnow down. And sure enough, the number of Democratic contenders is starting to decline with Jay Inslee, John Hickenlooper and Kirsten Gillibrand stepping out of the race in recent days. In this episode of Political Climate, we examine how the remaining candidates stack up on climate policy, and take a close look at new proposals from Bernie Sanders and Andrew Yang. Emma Foehringer Merchant, staff writer for Greentech Media, has reported extensively on the Democratic primary candidates’ climate and energy plans and helps us walk through the numerous proposals. Recommended reading: GTM: Bernie Sanders Proposes Huge Renewables Build-Out and Publicly Owned Power Vox: Andrew Yang’s plan to tackle climate change, explained CNN: Jay Inslee drops out of 2020 presidential election GTM: The 2020 Democratic Primary: GTM’s Definitive Climate and Energy Guide Political Climate is produced in partnership with the USC Schwarzenegger Institute. Subscribe to the Political Climate podcast via Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Stitcher, GooglePlay, Overcast or any of these other services! 

Is abolishing the filibuster necessary in order for Congress to pass meaningful climate legislation? A handful of Democratic presidential candidates have called for throwing out the Senate rule, claiming that it exacerbates gridlock in Washington DC. Former Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid also believes that abolishing the filibuster is critical to passing legislation and tackling the most important issues facing the United States, including climate change. But could killing the filibuster end up making U.S. politics even more volatile? We discuss with Senator Reid himself on this week’s episode of Political Climate. Plus we get his views on the Green New Deal and whether or not he sees hyper-partisanship subsiding in the U.S. anytime soon. Recommended reading: NYT: The Filibuster Is Suffocating the Will of the American People Vox: The Democratic debate over filibuster reform, explained WaPo: Where 2020 Democratic candidates stand on the electoral college, court packing and changes to democracy Vice: Harry Reid: 'Of Course' Medicare for All and Decriminalizing Border Crossings Are Bad Ideas Hood to Coast Relay Fundraiser Political Climate is produced in partnership with the USC Schwarzenegger Institute. Subscribe to the Political Climate podcast via Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Stitcher, GooglePlay, Overcast or any of these other services! 

This summer, the United States celebrated the 50th anniversary of the historic Apollo 11 moon landing. Fifty years later, many people wonder: if we can get to the moon, surely we can fix the environmental issues here on Earth? In this episode, we get NASA astronaut Scott Kelly’s perspective on fighting climate change, having seen the challenge we’re up against from the unique viewpoint of space. Kelly has spent a whole lot of time in space — 520 days, to be exact. Upon his return from a continuous one-year mission, scientists were keen to study the impacts of spaceflight on his body, and compare the results to his identical twin, astronaut and politician Mark Kelly, who remained on Earth. Scott, meanwhile, used his time in orbit to study the impacts of humanity on the planet. The Political Climate team sat down with Scott Kelly to discuss technology, politics and the unique perspective that traveling to space offers on the climate crisis.  We also ask if he’d ever run for office — like his twin brother Mark, husband to former Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords, who is currently campaigning for Senate in Arizona as a Democrat. Recommended reading: Newsweek: Scott Kelly Says View From Space Shows Earth Is Covered in Pollution and 'We Need Leadership to Protect It' NYT: Scott Kelly Spent a Year in Orbit. His Body Is Not Quite the Same. Political Climate is produced in partnership with the USC Schwarzenegger Institute. Subscribe to the Political Climate podcast via Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Stitcher, GooglePlay, Overcast or any of these other services! 

There were several moments of legitimate engagement on climate change at last week’s Democratic presidential debates. But did any of it resonate with voters? In this episode, we break down the key points candidates made on stage in Detroit — from promoting direct air capture to climate justice — with help from Jigar Shah, president and co-founder of Generate Capital and co-host of the Energy Gang podcast. Plus, top Republican pollster, Frank Luntz, gives Senate Democrats a lesson on climate change communication. We discuss the GOP strategist’s about face on climate change. Finally, lawmakers in Ohio just passed an enormous subsidy package for coal and nuclear plants, while gutting the state’s renewable energy and efficiency standards. Utility FirstEnergy lobbied hard and helped elect allies to office to get $1.1 billion in ratepayer funds for its aging nukes. We round out the show with a look at Ohio’s controversial new law.  Recommended reading: Grist: In Detroit, Democratic candidates actually did some climate debating Mother Jones: Joe Biden’s Climate Plan Melted During the Debate The Hill: Democratic senators turn to GOP for help in reaching conservatives on climate messaging Vox: Ohio just passed the worst energy bill of the 21st century Inslee profile pic Political Climate is produced in partnership with the USC Schwarzenegger Institute. Subscribe to the Political Climate podcast via Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Stitcher, GooglePlay, Overcast or any of these other services! 

The climate movement doesn’t have a persuasion problem; it has a turn out problem. Data reveal that environmentalists don’t show up to vote as often as the overall population in an election.  So what gives? And could this impact races in 2020? In this episode of Political Climate we take a hard look at how many Americans care about climate issues, and how many of those people actually vote — or don’t. To figure this out the podcast team sat down with Nathaniel Stinnett, founder of the Environmental Voter Project, a non-partisan non-profit that identifies environmentalists across the United States and makes sure that they vote in every election. We also discussed a new Democratic proposal to achieve 100 percent carbon neutrality by 2050. The idea was recently put forward by a group of more moderate, established Democrats rather than progressives. Is this a sign of policy alignment on the left? Or will this so-called Green New Deal alternative be a source of conflict within the party? We recorded this show live on stage last week at the Sun Valley Forum in Ketchum Idaho. Take a listen! Recommended reading: Environmental Voter Project ASU: House Committee Calls for Zero Greenhouse Gas Pollution by 2050 TNR: The Democrats’ New Climate Plan Can’t Be Serious Political Climate is produced in partnership with the USC Schwarzenegger Institute. Subscribe to the Political Climate podcast via Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Stitcher, GooglePlay, Overcast or any of these other services! 

With six months to go until the election, President Biden has unveiled a far-reaching rules package that tackles everything from power plant emissions and air toxins, to boosting the EV industry and upgrading transmission lines.  Despite their promise, many of these rules will face long rollouts and fierce legal challenges. On this episode of Political Climate, hosts Julia Pyper, Brandon Hurlbut, and Emily Domenech explore and debate the pathways to implementing these policies. Then they zero in on one rule in particular: an effort to streamline permitting for new clean energy projects. While the policy aims to cut down the enormous existing backlog – 2.6 terrawatts’ worth, twice the capacity of the entire U.S. grid today – critics argue it could actually slow down the permitting process for clean energy and other infrastructure projects alike. The show wraps up with some rapid fire hot takes in our new segment “The Mark-up.”  Subscribe to Latitude Media’s newsletter to get weekly updates on tech, markets, policy, and deals across clean energy and climate tech.

Billionaire hedge fund executive and environmental activist Tom Steyer is officially making a run for the White House — and putting an aggressive climate action plan at the center of his campaign. In this episode of Political Climate, we speak with the newest contender in the 2020 Democratic primary about why he entered the crowded race, and how he plans to use "emergency powers" to combat climate change. After the first Democratic debate it looked as though the field of presidential candidates could be thinning out. That is, until Steyer entered the race, pledging to spend $100 million on his bid. He boosted his campaign on July 25 with the launch of a bold climate action plan — the only climate action plan to effectively address the climate crisis with the urgency that it demands, according to Steyer. Political Climate sat down with the candidate for an in-depth interview the day after he announced his new climate policy. Recommended reading: Politico: How Tom Steyer would address climate change PBS: What does Tom Steyer believe? Where the candidate stands on 6 issues Framework for a Justice-Centered Climate Plan Political Climate is produced in partnership with the USC Schwarzenegger Institute. Subscribe to the Political Climate podcast via Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Stitcher, GooglePlay, Overcast or any of these other services! 

What is going on in Washington D.C.? A bubbling House Democrat feud followed by a series of racially offensive presidential tweets has unleashed chaos in the U.S Capitol. Meanwhile, there’s one thing we’re not seeing much of: governing In this episode of Political Climate we look at where we’re seeing attempts at climate action, and where we’re seeing a whole lot of climate distraction. A slate of clean energy bills have been introduced in Congress this year. Do they have any hope of passing before the 2020 election? We also take a look at President Trump’s recent speech on the environment and the launch of a new Republican caucus on conservation. Does this prove that Republicans are seeing a real need to show leadership on the environment? Finally, we check in on the Democratic presidential primary, which just saw billionaire climate activist Tom Steyer enter the race and momentum slide for a candidate forum of climate change.  Recommended reading: GTM: Clean Energy Policy Push Faces Steep Climb Ahead of 2020 Election The Hill: Republicans form conservation caucus to take on environment, climate change Huffington Post: Fox News Cuts Into Trump Speech To Deliver A Brutal Real-Time Fact Check Gizmodo: Update on Our 2020 Climate Summit Politico: Schwarzenegger to Trump: 'You have to dial down Donald' Political Climate is produced in partnership with the USC Schwarzenegger Institute and The Leonardo DiCaprio Foundation. Subscribe to the Political Climate podcast via Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Stitcher, GooglePlay, Overcast or any of these other services! 

Twenty Democratic presidential candidates faced off last week in the first debate of the 2020 election. It was a mixed bag — not only for the candidates, but also for climate. There were more questions on climate change than in previous years, and yet climate issues saw just 15 minutes of airtime over the four hours the contenders were on stage. Did Democrats hit the right notes in their (brief) responses? Or did the first showing justify calls for a dedicated climate debate? Also, who were the overall winners and losers? And are Democrats more united or divided heading into the race against President Trump? In this week’s episode, we discuss how did candidates and climate change fared in the first round of debates. Plus, what the heck happened in Oregon? Republican legislators fled the state last month to resist voting on a cap-and-trade bill, and then fringe right-wing militia groups said they would protect the politicians if law enforcement officials tried to bring them back. We discuss how a climate bill went off the rails and whether Democrats can ever count on Republicans to act in good faith on climate. Recommended reading: Inside Climate: First 2020 Debates Spent 15 Minutes on Climate Change. What Did We Learn? HuffPo: Democrats To Consider Climate Debate Amid Mounting Pressure NYT: Biden, Recalling ‘Civility’ in Senate, Invokes Two Segregationist Senators NPR: Oregon GOP State Senators Go Into Hiding To Avoid A Climate Vote Oregon Live: How Oregon’s climate-change bill ran out of gas Political Climate is produced in partnership with the USC Schwarzenegger Institute and The Leonardo DiCaprio Foundation. Subscribe to the Political Climate podcast via Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Stitcher, GooglePlay, Overcast or any of these other services!