The Climate Pod

In recent weeks, as tragedy has unfolded in Ukraine, a disturbing trend has emerged: climate misinformation flooding major media coverage of the war. Evlondo Cooper , senior writer with the climate and energy program at Media Matters,  joins the show to discuss many of the bizarre, false claims that are circulating and why some are trying to use this tragedy to lock in fossil fuel use for decades....

The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change's (IPCC) latest report, Climate Change 2022: Impacts, Adaptation and Vulnerability , provides another critical summary for policymakers on the growing threat of warming temperatures as well as the loss and damages that have already occurred. This is part two of its Sixth Assessment Report. Prof. Jörn Birkmann , one of the lead authors of the report, jo...

The biggest hurdle to the mass adoption of electric vehicles seems to be the sticker shock of higher prices. But what is the true cost of an EV versus an internal combustion engine (ICE) vehicle? Nick Nigro, founder of Atlas Public Policy and Tom Taylor, policy analyst at Atlas Public Policy, have a new report out that answers this exact question. In this conversation, we explore the actual costs...

The burning of fossil fuels has warmed our planet, polluted our air, and poisoned our water. On top of all of that, fossil fuel companies require billions of dollars in subsidies just to stay alive, and even with those government handouts they were on their last leg in 2016. So why did the Trump Administration focus so much of its efforts on bolstering the dying industry? And what are the long ter...

This week, we speak to one of the leading global experts on climate science to get straight to the most important facts in combating the climate crisis. Prof. Mark Maslin is a Professor of Earth System Science at University College London. He's a prolific author of several books and academic papers and his newest book " How To Save Our Planet: The Facts " is packed with essential knowledge of what...

This week, Rep. Ro Khanna (D-CA) joins the podcast to discuss his new book "Dignity in a Digital Age: Making Tech Work for All of Us", as well as what he thinks will happen with President Biden's climate legislation in the Build Back Better Act. He also gives us a preview of what to expect with the upcoming House Oversight and Reform Subcommittee on Environment's hearings featuring representatives...

In Davos Man , an excellent new book by New York Times ' Global Economics Correspondent Peter S. Goodman , the case is clear: billionaires are making massive profits off extracting resources from the planet while social services are being gutted. From climate change to COVID-19, Goodman shows how decades of slashing taxes on the richest people and cutting social spending has accelerated the 21st c...

This is one of the most wide-ranging, comprehensive episodes we've ever had. Simon Mundy , who serves as the Moral Money editor of the Financial Times, spent years traveling through 26 countries on six continents finding a diverse set of stories and people who represent many of the massive shifts underway around the globe. In his new book, Race For Tomorrow: Survival, Innovation, And Profit On The...

Adam McKay is the writer/director of some of our favorite films over the years - from Anchorman to The Big Short to Vice and more. So when we heard he was making a disaster film that serves as an allegory for climate change, we...um...freaked out. And we freaked even more when he was kind of enough to join us on the show to discuss the film, the power structures behind the climate crisis he wanted...

The world lost a legendary biologist and conservationist when Dr. Thomas Lovejoy passed away in December at the age of 80. Carter Roberts , president and CEO of World Wildlife Fund in the United States, knew Dr. Lovejoy well. So we asked him to join us on the podcast today to honor the memory of Dr. Lovejoy and share what he meant to WWF and talk about the legacy he leaves behind. Carter also disc...

This week, we spoke with Dr. Richard Alley, a glaciologist and member of the International Thwaites Glacier Collaborative, about why this particular glacier - dubbed the 'Doomsday Glacier by Jeff Goodell - could raise sea levels beyond catastrophic levels and cause so much damage to coastal communities around the world. We also discuss how soon and how likely that might actually happen, and the la...

When Joe Biden defeated Donald Trump in 2020, it marked a massive shift for the direction of the United States' action on climate change. And once President Biden was inaugurated in 2021, his administration brought big expectations to the Oval Office for how it would combat the crisis. So what would Joe Biden commit to through executive action? What would Congress pass to fight climate change? How...

After decades of denial and delay tactics by the fossil fuel industry, in 2021, America was largely unprepared for multiple climate-fueled extreme weather disasters. Wildfires. Heatwaves. Hurricanes. Droughts. Floods. Tornadoes. How did a warming planet impact these weather events? Why haven't America's leaders done more to combat the climate crisis? What are fossil fuel companies still doing to d...

This week, we talk to Jeffrey Ball , who lead the recent study " Hot money: Illuminating the financing of high-carbon infrastructure in the developing world ." In this conversation, we ask: if renewables are so cheap, why is fossil fuel infrastructure still being built in the developing world? Ball helps us understand what is happening and, more importantly, where the money is coming from to power...

This week, we speak with US Representative Donald McEachin (D-VA) about the environmental justice measures contained within the Bipartisan Infrastructure Bill and the Build Back Better Act. Rep. McEachin, representing the 4th Congressional District of Virginia, co-founded the United for Climate and Environmental Justice Task Force in the House and has been instrumental in raising awareness for env...

The House passed President Biden's Build Back Better Bill and now this historic climate legislation sits in the Senate waiting to get final approval. So what would the bill actually mean to Biden's climate pledges on the campaign trail if it makes it through the Senate? Rep. Sean Casten (D-IL) is back on the show to explain and also talk about some of the climate benefits for mitigation and adapta...

This week, climate economist Gernot Wagner discusses his new book " Geoengineering: The Gamble ". Gernot Wagner was the co-founding director of Harvard's Geoengineering Research Program and provides an honest assessment of the pros, cons, and unknowns of solar geoengineering. This interview is a must-listen for anyone that wants to understand the climate, economic, political, and philosophical imp...

After a two year wait, COP26 has finally concluded. We are left with the Glasgow Climate Pact, which is no doubt disappointing and fails in several key areas. But all was not lost at COP26. Several major commitments were made and pressure continues to mount on world leaders to do more. We review the outcome with Michael Sheldrick , Co-Founder and Chief Policy, Impact and Government Affairs Officer...

On this installment of our series, The Road To COP26 Presented By  Octopus Energy , we speak with the Under-Secretary-General of the United Nations and Executive Director of the UN Environment Programme, Inger Andersen about the UNEP gap reports, the meaning of the COP26 pledges, and the importance of real actions by world leaders to decarbonize and ensure a just transition. Co-hosts Ty and Brock...

On this installment of our series, The Road To COP26 Presented By  Octopus Energy , we speak with Scotland's Cabinet Secretary for Net Zero, Energy, and Transport, Michael Matheson . He provides insight into what all levels of government, not just national governments, can do to deliver a just and sustainable transition and why future COPs should be inclusive of local governments as well. Co-hosts...

On this installment of our series, The Road To COP26 Presented By  Octopus Energy , we look at how to leverage science and technology to decarbonize the global economy with Bertrand Piccard , a legendary explorer, founder and chairman of the Solar Impulse Foundation , and first person to fly around the globe in a solar airplane. We discuss how to deploy sustainable solutions to improve people's li...

On this installment of our series, The Road To COP26 Presented By  Octopus Energy , we discuss gender equality and representation with Amiera Sawas , Director of Programmes and Research at Climate Outreach . She explains what we lose when women are underrepresented in climate media, climate negotiations, and climate science authorship, the specific burden women around the world face with the clima...

On this installment of our series, The Road To COP26 Presented By  Octopus Energy , we look at why global migration policy is  crucial to adaptation in the face of climate change with J ulia Blocher , researcher on the linkage between climate change and migration at The Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research and President of the The International Youth Federation. We explore what people oft...

On this installment of our series, The Road To COP26 Presented By  Octopus Energy , we celebrate COP26's Nature Day with two exceptional guests. Jackie Savitz , Oceana 's Chief Policy Officer of  North America, joins the show to discuss how world leaders should act to protect oceans and how the Build Back Better Act can help progress in the United States. Then, Dr. Bernadette Arakwiye , manager of...

On this installment of our series, The Road To COP26 Presented By  Octopus Energy , we welcome Indian environmental and climate justice activist John Paul Jose to the show to discuss how young leaders are fighting to make their voices heard at COP26 and the strategies activists are using to make real change at this critical event and beyond. We discuss how young leaders are pushing climate action...