Political Climate

Democrats are dominating the public dialogue on climate change. That is just a fact. It’s part of their party platform in a way that it’s simply not for Republicans. And yet, things aren’t entirely black and white — or blue and red. In this episode, we look at a range of Republican views on climate issues, from flat out denialism to reticent acceptance to legitimate climate commitments. We discuss...

We are losing the fight against climate change, warns UN Secretary General António Guterres. Even if countries were on track to meet their Paris Agreement goals — which they’re not — the world would experience catastrophic levels of warming by the end of the century. But there are still signs of hope. In this episode Political Climate, we discuss the state of global climate action with Mr. Guterre...

Teen climate activist Greta Thunberg was all alone when she started protesting the lack of political action on climate change last year outside of the Swedish parliament. Today, climate strikes inspired by Thunberg are drawing out more than 1 million young people around the world. But as she tells Political Climate: the fight is “not over yet.” This week’s podcast was recorded at the R20 Austrian...

The Arctic is warming twice as fast as the rest of the planet, which comes with both opportunities and risks. Climate change is opening up new shipping routes and increasing access to fossil fuel reserves, while also threatening ecosystems and fueling geopolitical tensions. Are we approaching the end of the polar peace zone? Earlier this month, the Arctic Council met in Finland to frame a collabor...

House Democrats disinvited former Congressman Carlos Curbelo from a climate change hearing this week, just days before the Florida Republican was scheduled to testify. Did the Dems prioritize politics over finding climate solutions? In this episode we're joined by Curbelo, a strong advocate for a national carbon tax, to get his view of what happened (15:15). Plus co-hosts Shane Skelton and Brandon...

Democrats came together last week to present a united front on tackling climate change, but will it matter before 2020? Political Climate speaks with Representative Kathy Castor (FL-D) on the passage of HR 9, the first meaningful climate change bill to pass the House of Representatives in nearly a decade. We find out why passing a bill to keep the U.S. in the Paris climate agreement was an importa...

Democratic Presidential hopeful Beto O’Rourke unveiled a comprehensive climate change plan this week that seeks to achieve net-zero carbon emissions in the U.S. by 2050. The $5 trillion proposal is the most detailed climate plan announced by a 2020 presidential candidate to date. But the policy wasn't even a day old when the Sunrise Movement, a youth-led climate group backing the progressive Green...

The Green New Deal is all over the news these days. But how did it get there? Efforts to reform the U.S. economy in a more sustainable and equitable way didn't start with the introduction of Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez's Green New Deal resolution. And they certainly don't end there. In this episode, Political Climate sits down with Green New Deal architects Rhiana Gunn-Wright, Demond Drummer and...

What do bodybuilding and gerrymandering have to do with the fight against climate change? Arnold Schwarzenegger explains in an exclusive Political Climate interview. The former California governor and global environmental leader has been tackling the related issues of climate change and pollution for years by working across the political aisle. In this episode (13:30), Schwarzenegger explains why...

Political Climate is back after a four-month hiatus. Did we miss anything? Well, there was the Green New Deal resolution and launch of the new House Select Committee on the Climate Crisis. There was also the introduction of a Republican-backed clean energy plan and the kickoff of a climate-centric presidential election. So there’s that. In this episode, the Political Climate co-hosts catch up on t...

The Political Climate partial shutdown comes to an end on April 8. Climate politics are evolving rapidly as the 2020 election looms large. The bipartisan podcast team will be back to discuss all of the latest twists and turns in an exciting new season.

Is there a bipartisan path forward on meaningful climate policy in America? If so, what does it look like? Those are questions we’ve been grappling with on Political Climate this entire podcast season. Now we’re putting them — point blank — to our Democrat and Republican co-hosts. This is our solutions show, and our final episode for 2018. We kick it off with a rundown of the latest news headlines...

The Sunrise Movement over a blue wave. It sounds like a tropical scene, but it was actually the state of affairs last week on Capitol Hill. As Democrats prepare to take control of the House in 2019, a group of young activists — backed by Representative-elect Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez — have put climate change front and center on the post-election agenda. And on protest signs right in front of Nancy...

Democrats have claimed the House of Representatives in the 2018 midterm elections. It gives the party powerful new oversight authority. But will it translate to meaningful action on climate and clean energy? Several moderate Republicans were voted out of Congress this week, casting doubt on any hope of bipartisan legislation. At the same time, Democrats now have chance to block the GOP's deregulat...

We’ve heard a lot about the potential for a "blue wave" in this year’s midterms — but what about a green one? We’re talking about all things climate and clean energy in the 2018 midterm election in this special episode of Political Climate, recorded live at Yale University. It’s less than a week until voting day. So how are climate and clean energy playing into this year’s election, for both Democ...

A battle over the future of U.S. clean car standards just stepped up a gear. We sit down with the woman leading the charge against Trump to keep more stringent fuel economy rules in place. Mary Nichols is currently on her second tour as chair of the California Air Resources Board. Arguably no single individual has done more to advance the Golden State’s pioneering — and bipartisan — effort to clea...

Time is running out to combat climate change.  The United Nations has released an alarming new climate science report — but will it even matter? We discuss how the report is being received by leaders in the U.S. and abroad. Plus, we look at the politics of ditching coal power. The new UN Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change report calls for a global coal phase out by 2050. How feasible is tha...

Cutting fossil fuel subsidies, updating building codes, offering electric vehicle ridesharing programs for farm workers, and more. In this show, we talk climate solutions. A new landmark United Nations climate report concluded that world leaders have just 12 years to fundamentally restructure society, including dramatic changes to the energy system, if we are to avoid the most disastrous impacts o...

Is an federal carbon price worth pursuing in a politically divided United States? We hear the case for why it is. Advocates say an economy-wide carbon tax would send a clear market signal to emitters, while accounting for the externalities and risks that fossil fuels pose to the U.S. economy. The concept aligns with classic conservative principles on small government and rooting solutions in the f...

“Decarbonization” was the catchword of last week’s Global Climate Action Summit in San Francisco. Stakeholders from all over the world made new commitments to combatting climate change. But the spotlight was really on California, where Governor Jerry Brown signed an historic bill into law — requiring the state to power its electric grid with 100 percent carbon-free resources by 2045. That’s not al...

California lawmakers just passed an historic 100 percent clean electricity mandate.  A few years ago, advocating for 100 percent clean energy was considered radical. Even some political allies of the cause argued that the concept was so far-fetched it was damaging to the climate movement. Democratic podcast co-host Brandon Hurlbut recalls the early days of championing 100 percent renewables as a m...

Senator Martin Heinrich believes a 100 percent clean energy electric grid is within reach during his lifetime. There will be technical challenges to overcome, but it’s “completely doable,” he said, in an exclusive interview with Political Climate. This week marks the launch of Senator Heinrich’s “Clean Energy Vision,” a part of his re-election campaign for this fall. The ad and supporting document...

Are people who care about climate change downplaying the issue under social and political pressure? Has their alarmism been too muted? Or has the outcry become so loud that it's drowning out the possibility of collective action? The jury is out. In this episode of Political Climate, we tackle a difficult question posed by a listener on the severity of the climate threat and the appropriate policy...

Political tribalism has created gridlock on climate policy — even more so than the polarization on climate science — according to a new peer-reviewed study. If that’s the case, is there any hope of action any time soon?  Tensions are running high. It’s officially less than 100 days until the 2018 midterm election. Democrats are angry and hell-bent on taking back Congress. Republicans are fighting...

What does the rise of millennials mean for climate action? Will this plugged-in generation make climate change a priority? Can they find common ground between liberals and conservatives to solve this issue collectively? Millennials are on the brink of becoming the largest generation in America. That means they will have an enormous impact on U.S. politics in the years ahead. In fact, they’re havin...