Political Climate

We often can’t see or feel air pollution — and yet, it is taking a toll.

Air pollution is responsible for the early deaths of some 7 million people every year, around 600,000 of who are children, according to the United Nations. In this episode, we hear stories of how people around the world are calling attention to this invisible killer.

We speak to Rosamund Adoo-Kissi-Debrah, a mother campaigning to have pollution officially named as her daughter’s cause of death [3:30].

We also talk to Beth Gardiner, the author of “Choked,” a book about science, politics and personal experiences linked to pollution [12:55].

We hear from entrepreneur Romain Lacombe at Plume Labs, about his mission to map out city pollution the way that Google maps out traffic [20:00].

And we learn about how a group of women in Southern California are trying to protect their town from the real-world health impacts of online-shopping in an interview with Grist reporter Justine Calma [28.05].

Recommended reading:

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!

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 President Trump’s replacement for Obama’s Clean Power Plan, we look at new polling numbers that show Republican voters are concerned about their party’s stance on climate change, and we dig into conservative alternatives to the Green New Deal.

The Republican Party stance on climate change is shifting — but will any conservative climate proposals actually address the issue?

We sit down with former six-term South Carolina Congressman Bob Inglis, a thought leader of the eco-right, to get his take is on the current state of American politics and hear how he’s continuing to advance a conservative climate platform through his non-profit RepublicEN.

Recommended Reading:

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!

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. Guterres in an interview recorded last week at the R20 Austrian World Summit in Vienna.

Plus, Republicans attack their own on climate policy, while Democratic presidential hopefuls Joe Biden and Elizabeth Warren roll out bold climate change plans. We begin the show with a check-in on U.S. politics.

Recommended reading:

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!

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 World Summit in Vienna, where former California governor Arnold Schwarzenegger teamed up with Thunberg to call attention to the climate crisis. We sit down with Schwarzenegger to get his reaction to meeting Greta. Plus, we speak with the 16-year-old Swedish protester about her advice to climate activists in the U.S.

We also discuss takeaways from the recent EU Parliament elections, where Green Party members saw big gains in some of Europe’s largest countries. Could these results foreshadow a green wave in the next U.S. election?

Recommended reading:

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 and Overcast. 

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 collaborative agenda on economic development and environmental protection. But for the first time since the Council’s inception, participants failed to sign a joint declaration after the U.S. refused to accept language on climate change — sparking fury and confusion.

In this episode, we speak with Retired Rear Admiral David Titley (9:45), meteorology professor at Penn State University, about the consequences of a warming Arctic.

We also talk to Malte Humpert (28:35), founder of The Arctic Institute, about the significance of the Pompeo’s statements and takeaways from the latest Arctic Council summit.

Plus, we discuss if there’s any chance of seeing climate policy pass in an infrastructure bill and co-host Brandon Hurlbut celebrates his first semi-viral tweet. As always, Political Climate ends with our segment called “Say Something Nice,” where our Democrat and Republican co-hosts have to say something redeeming about the opposing political party (43:00).

Tweet us your feedback on this episode @Poli_Climate!

Recommended Reading:

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 and Overcast. 

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 Hurlbut spar over what this political play says about the future of climate action in the U.S. 

We also delve into reports of Joe Biden’s “middle ground” climate plan. Reuters says Biden plans to "appeal to both environmentalists and the blue-collar voters who elected Donald Trump.”

The former Vice President and 2020 Democratic presidential candidate has yet to officially release a climate platform, but the backlash has already begun — including from Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez.

Recommended Reading:

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 and Overcast. 

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 important political move, despite zero chance of getting it past the self-proclaimed “Grim Reaper” Mitch McConnell.

Also, we revisit the scuffle between Democratic presidential candidate Beto O'Rourke and the youth-led climate activist group The Sunrise Movement. In a quick turnaround, Sunrise walked backed their critique of Beto’s climate action plan, while Beto signed on to the "No Fossil Fuel Money Pledge." Is this a kumbaya moment or egg on their faces?

Not to be outdone by O'Rourke, fellow presidential hopeful, Washington Governor Jay Inslee, presented part one of his “Climate Mission” plan last week. Political Climate discusses the details and whether Biden will offer up his own climate change plan now that he’s entered the race.

Recommended Reading:

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 and Overcast. 

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 New Deal, slammed O'Rourke for not being more ambitious.

O'Rourke isn't the only Democratic politician to face criticism for his climate plan in recent days. Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti also saw pushback over his Green New Deal plan for the city.

On this week’s episode of Political Climate, we look at how green Democrats need to be to win support from progressive members of their own party. Is this type of in-fighting a genius political strategy to push the envelope on what’s possible? Or will it end up muddling plans to address climate change?

Recommended reading:

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 and Overcast. 

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 Zach Exley for an in-depth interview on the sweeping -- and evolving -- plan to address both climate change and economic inequality.

What can the climate movement learn from the original New Deal and World War II mobilization? Is there a viable alternative to the neoliberal policy model? Can progressive Democrats ever work with Republicans? We discuss all of this and more in a candid conversation (starts 21:00) with Gunn-Wright, Drummer and Exley, who currently lead the progressive policy shop New Consensus.

Plus, what does rapper and comedian Lil Dicky have in common with AOC? We kick off this episode with a look at two influential climate videos making their way around the Internet.

Recommended reading:

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 and Overcast. 

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 he still believes in working with people of all political stripes.

The show kicks off with a look at recent headlines, including the clash between former Secretary of State John Kerry and Rep. Thomas Massie over climate science. Plus, Democratic Senators introduce a carbon pricing bill. We ask: is this an effective political strategy?

Recommended reading:

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 and Overcast.