On this installment of our series, The Road To COP26 Presented By Octopus Energy , we talk about the U.N.'s Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change's (IPCC) release of part of a major report on the current state of the climate crisis, AR6 Climate Change 2021: The Physical Science Basis . Hundreds of climate scientists were tasked with providing a physical science basis for policymakers to understand the past, present, and future of global warming. This is the IPCC's Sixth Assessment Report on ...
Aug 09, 2021•44 min•Season 1Ep. 126
Extreme weather events have devastated communities across the globe in 2021. Wildfires, floods, and heatwaves have been made worse by human-caused climate change, just as climate scientists have warned us about for decades. This week, we talk to Dr. Andrew Dessler , one of those climate scientists who has been heeding those warnings and communicating the science and policy needed to address the climate crisis. He discusses both the extreme weather he and many others have predicted for decades an...
Aug 04, 2021•47 min•Season 1Ep. 125
Washington Governor Jay Inslee made a big splash on the national stage centering his 2020 Democratic Presidential campaign on the climate crisis. Now, after his home state of Washington and much of the Pacific Northwest was devastated by a heatwave that was the deadliest weather-related disaster that area has ever experienced, he is continuing his decades-long advocacy for faster, more ambitious climate action. Governor Inslee joined us this week to talk about how he thinks about protecting his ...
Jul 28, 2021•33 min•Season 1Ep. 124
David Wallace-Wells is no stranger to contemplating the most disruptive and devastating outcomes of the climate crisis. His pivotal 2019 book, The Uninhabitable Earth , and 2017 article of the same name detailed some of the worst disasters that awaited humanity if action on climate was further delayed. Still, in 2021, even he's surprised by what he's seeing unfold. Record floods, out of control wildfires, and sweltering heatwaves are all placing constant pressure on nations and delivering tragic...
Jul 21, 2021•1 hr 15 min•Season 1Ep. 123
This is Part 2 of our two-part series covering the 1970s oil crises in America. You can listen to Part 1 with Jay Hakes here . Professor Meg Jacobs joins the show to discuss her fantastic book Panic At The Pump: The Energy Crisis and the Transformation of American Politics in the 1970s . We discuss the rise of young Conservatives in the 70s and how the decade empowered them to influence policy for a half century, what Americans were doing when panic set in, and how the experience impacted long-t...
Jul 16, 2021•1 hr 6 min•Season 1Ep. 122
This is Part 1 of our two-part series covering the 1970s oil crises in America. The conversations in this series help us understand how the oil crises in the 1970s reshaped American politics and our ability to combat the climate crisis for the next 50 years. Jay Hakes joins the show to discuss his book Energy Crises: Nixon, Ford, Carter, and Hard Choices in the 1970s . Jay was the Administrator of the US Energy Information Administration under President Bill Clinton and the Director for Research...
Jul 14, 2021•1 hr 11 min•Season 1Ep. 121
This episode kicks off The Climate Pod's "Road To COP26", our months-long series of conversations with world leaders about the importance of the United Nations' COP26 in Glasgow, Scotland, and what must be accomplished in order to successfully combat the climate crisis happening around the globe. The United Kingdom's Shadow Secretary of State for Justice David Lammy joins our show to explain why international leaders at COP26 must include the voices of the Global South in all conversations about...
Jul 07, 2021•50 min•Season 1Ep. 120
With a bipartisan agreement reportedly in place on a smaller Senate infrastructure package, President Biden has signaled he will not sign the bill without additional legislation to address climate change. Sen. Tina Smith (D-MN) joins to talk about why the clean electricity standard is essential to good climate policy and action on the crisis, how it can pass through the Senate's reconciliation process, and how the standard actually works. Then, Allison Fisher , director of the climate and energy...
Jun 30, 2021•57 min•Season 1Ep. 119
Malcolm Turnbull , the 29th Prime Minister of Australia, joins the show this week to discuss the growing threat of misinformation to liberal democracy, the role Rupert Murdoch and News Corp are playing to exacerbate the problem, the obstacles to international cooperation on reducing emissions, the responsibility and needed role of the United States and Australia on the global stage, and his hopes for what can be accomplished in 2021 to tackle climate change. Co-hosts Ty Benefiel and Brock Benefi...
Jun 23, 2021•1 hr 9 min•Season 1Ep. 118
Dallas Goldtooth and Jane Kleeb have been fighting pipelines for years. Like so many others, opposing the Keystone XL pipeline has been a remarkable experience in their political and personal lives and part of an ongoing fight to bring about greater racial, economic, and environmental justice. As news last week confirmed TC Energy was finished with the Keystone XL pipeline and water protectors in Minnesota brought more attention to the construction of the Line 3 pipeline, Goldtooth and Kleeb joi...
Jun 16, 2021•1 hr 7 min•Season 1Ep. 117
This week, Tim Jackson joins the podcast to discuss his new book, Post Growth: Life after Capitalism . He discusses how we reshape our economy to be in better balance with our natural world, prioritize our well-being, and truly value the aspects of our society that create real prosperity - and how we got so far off-track. Tim Jackson is the Director of the Centre for the Understanding of Sustainable Prosperity and Professor of Sustainable Development at the University of Surrey in the UK. His pr...
Jun 09, 2021•1 hr 3 min•Season 1Ep. 116
Two great guests discuss a few of the most important aspects of the climate crisis conversation. First, Alex Steffen , author, speaker, and futurist, talks about his new newsletter, podcast, and book project called The Snap Forward . He discusses what he's most passionate about exploring in his writing after 30 years of covering the space, how we should reimagine our future and present as we face the climate crisis, our current discontinuity with the planet, and how to push past predatory delay ...
Jun 04, 2021•1 hr 22 min•Season 1Ep. 115
Last week, we saw massive news break for some of the world's biggest fossil fuel companies. ExxonMobil was one of the companies that received backlash for climate inaction and our guest this week, Dr. Naomi Oreskes, has been following the company for a long time. Her recent paper with Dr. Geoffrey Supran, "Rhetoric and frame analysis of ExxonMobil's climate change communications" looks at the company's decades-long campaign to sow climate doubt. We discuss their findings as well as the major dev...
Jun 02, 2021•1 hr•Season 1Ep. 114
Recently, NOAA released their new U.S. Climate Normals map, which is updated every ten years. It's yet another reminder that we are living in an increasingly warm world. So how will we adapt? Three expert guests join us for a roundtable discussion on how we deal with the health, economic, justice, and climate repercussions of a hotter country and planet. Kathy Baughman McLeod is the Senior Vice President and Director of the Adrienne Arsht-Rockefeller Foundation Resilience Center at the Atlantic ...
May 28, 2021•59 min•Season 1Ep. 113
How do we prevent future pandemics? As COVID-19 has continued to rage across the globe, Dr. Peter J. Hotez has been working tirelessly to answer that question - in addition to leading efforts to develop a COVID-19 vaccine and explain crucial details about the current pandemic to the public. In his new book, Preventing the Next Pandemic: Vaccine Diplomacy in a Time of Anti-science , Dr. Hotez explains the biggest drivers behind the spread of disease across the globe, including climate change, war...
May 26, 2021•1 hr 4 min•Season 1Ep. 112
This week, Tony Hiss joins the show to talk about his new book, Rescuing the Planet: Protecting Half the Land to Heal the Earth . Tony talks about the history of conservation biology and highlights several people who have led conservation efforts in North America over the last 100 years. Tony Hiss is the author of 15 books, including the award-winning book, The Experience of Place . Previously, Hiss was a staff writer at The New Yorker for more than thirty years and a visiting scholar at New Yor...
May 19, 2021•50 min•Season 1Ep. 111
This week, Cass Sunstein joins the show to discuss his new book, Averting Catastrophe: Decision Theory for COVID-19, Climate Change, and Potential Disasters of All Kinds . His book lays out how policymakers can make decisions that avoid our natural biases and result in better outcomes, especially in the face of catastrophic outcomes like those posed by the climate crisis. Cass Sunstein is a professor at Harvard Law School, Advisor of the World Health Organization, and Senior Counselor and Regula...
May 12, 2021•58 min•Season 1Ep. 110
This week, Parker Molloy , editor at large at Media Matters For America , joins the show to discuss how recent lies about Biden's climate plans became widespread on right-wing media outlets. We discuss the bogus origins of Biden's #Burgergate, how it took hold on Fox News, and why some mainstream media outlets accepted the false premise in their coverage. Then, Tyler J. Kelley, a journalist who has written for the New York Times , The Wall Street Journal , and The New Yorker, talks about his new...
May 05, 2021•1 hr 22 min•Season 1Ep. 109
This week, Kate Aronoff , staff writer at The New Republic and author of the new book, Overheated: How Capitalism Broke the Planet- And How We Fight Back , joins the show to discuss neoliberalism's influence over bad climate policy and how America can combat the climate crisis best by building a more democratic society that benefits the lives of everyone. We also talk about how a Green New Deal can create a just transition that helps build a larger, stronger coalition for Democrats. Buy Overheat...
Apr 28, 2021•1 hr 6 min•Season 1Ep. 108
This week, Rep. Earl Blumenauer joins the show to discuss his new legislation to reinstate superfund taxes and make polluters pay for toxic cleanup. He discusses why eliminating tax breaks are essential to the cleanup of toxic and hazardous waste sites throughout the United States. Then, Dr. Robbie Shilliam discusses his new book Decolonizing Politics: An Introduction and how international political scholars need to recontextualize, reconceptionalize, and reimagine some of the most prominent pol...
Apr 21, 2021•1 hr 20 min•Season 1Ep. 107
This week, Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI) talks to us about dark money in politics, the biggest obstacles to passing big, bipartisan climate laws, and what he hopes President Joe Biden can accomplish during this term. Then, Maurice Mitchell , National Director of the Working Families Party , joins the show to talk about centering racial and economic justice in infrastructure plans and how to build back to battle climate change. Subscribe to our Substack newsletter "The Climate Weekly" : https://...
Apr 14, 2021•1 hr 2 min•Season 1Ep. 106
This week, two expert guests, Professor Jeffrey Sachs and Yonah Freemark , join the show to talk about the American Jobs Plan and how we can better decarbonize our economy with smart infrastructure spending. Professor Sachs explains how to best aim spending plans to create sustainable jobs, build up a green economy, and reduce inequality in the process. Freemark tells us why transportation emissions keep increasing, how to get fewer cars on the road, and the importance of federal and local coord...
Apr 07, 2021•1 hr 4 min•Season 1Ep. 105
This week, Nathaniel Rich , award-winning journalist and author of Second Nature: Scenes From a World Remade joins the show to talk about what he's learned covering the scientists, politicians, and corporations that are reshaping our planet and its inhabitants for better and for worse. About Our Guest: Nathaniel Rich is an award-winning journalist and author. In 2019, he wrote "Losing Earth: A Recent History", and his 2016 New York Times Magazine article "The Lawyer Who Became DuPont's Worst Nig...
Mar 31, 2021•1 hr 2 min•Season 1Ep. 104
This week, Kim Stanley Robinson, renowned science fiction writer and author of "The Ministry For The Future," joins the show for a wide-ranging discussion on the systemic collapse that's led to the climate crisis, the power and importance of language and fiction in dissecting complicated policies and decisions, his problem with most economists, and what keeps him optimistic about what could happen in the future. He also tells us how the American leftist tradition helped shape his politics in the...
Mar 24, 2021•1 hr 5 min•Season 1Ep. 103
This week, Michelle Nijhuis , author of Beloved Beasts: Fighting for Life in an Age of Extinction , joins the show to discuss the history of the conservation movement. Michelle explains how conservation expanded beyond local efforts to an international movement, why so many inspiring and problematic people alike have taken up the conservation fight, and what climate activists can learn from the historic fight to stave off extinctions. About Our Guest: Michelle Nijhuis is a project editor at the ...
Mar 17, 2021•1 hr 15 min•Season 1Ep. 102
This week, Dr. Stephanie Kelton joins the show to discuss how American politicians totally misunderstand the national debt and how the Federal government can use fiscal policy to create a just and sustainable society. Her book, The Deficit Myth , explains Modern Monetary Theory and shows why America can and must spend big on just climate solutions or we'll create the real intergenerational debt that matters. Buy The Deficit Myth: Modern Monetary Theory and the Birth of the People's Economy Subsc...
Mar 10, 2021•1 hr 16 min•Season 1Ep. 101
This week, three of the authors behind Dirty Gold: The Rise And Fall Of An International Smuggling Ring join the show to talk about the tragic human and environmental loss stemming from illegal gold mining and the illegal international trade that fuels the issue. Authors Jay Weaver , Jim Wyss , and Nicholas Nehamas explain how the true crime story at the center of their reporting unfolded, how this became such a big issue, and why it matters to the climate movement. Co-hosts Ty Benefiel and Broc...
Mar 03, 2021•1 hr 11 min•Season 1Ep. 100
This week, we look back on the winter weather disaster in Texas and assess the lessons moving forward: how do we properly adapt to a changing climate that's affecting our winters? Dr. Gabriel Filippelli , Professor of Earth Sciences at Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis, explains why winter weather is getting weirder and American Clean Power CEO Heather Zichal discusses the accelerated need for more clean energy to combat the crisis. Co-hosts Ty Benefiel and Brock Benefiel also di...
Feb 24, 2021•55 min•Season 1Ep. 99
Sonia Shah 's new book The Next Great Migration is an essential read for the climate movement. What are most people missing when it comes to migration across the globe? Shah discusses the common misconceptions, where it originated, and the awful history of many environmental leaders promoting xenophobia and ecofascism. Co-hosts Ty Benefiel and Brock Benefiel also discuss the Texas winter weather emergencies, renewable energy myths in a crisis, and how the most energy insecure are being impacted....
Feb 17, 2021•1 hr 10 min•Season 1Ep. 98
Commander Scott Kelly is here! The renowned space explorer and author of the new children's book Goodnight, Astronaut , joins the show to discuss the adventures he documents in the book, why he wants to inspire kids to dream big, what space is like, growing up with his twin brother Sen. Mark Kelly, and how looking down on Earth affected his outlook on climate change. Co-hosts Ty Benefiel and Brock Benefiel also discuss why renewable energy standards in Arizona matter to the entire country. Subsc...
Feb 10, 2021•57 min•Season 1Ep. 97
