Political Climate

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. 

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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:

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:

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:

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:

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:

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:

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.

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:

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:

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:

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.