Welcome to Season 7 of The Climate Conversation podcast! When it comes to clean transportation, the journey is the destination. Today’s episode covers GRID Alternatives, a nonprofit advancing access to renewable energy sources, that was brought on to California’s Communities in Charge project to ensure the equitable deployment of Level Two charging stations for electric vehicles. Dan and Alison sit down with Norah Kyassa, an outreach coordinator with GRID Alternative’s Clean Mobility Program, to talk about why clean transportation is so crucial for environmental justice.

Show notes:

• California Puts Communities in Charge for EV Transition: https://www.eesi.org/articles/view/california-puts-communities-in-charge-for-ev-transition 

The way that climate change is covered in the media has a significant impact on public opinion as well as policy formation. In the Season 6 finale of The Climate Conversation, Dan and Aaron sit down with Evlondo Cooper, a senior writer with the climate and energy program at Media Matters for America, to discuss the extent of climate change coverage in 2022. In his reporting and in today’s conversation, Evlondo focuses on how national TV news networks talk about the climate crisis.

Show notes:

Public Polling on Climate Change: https://www.eesi.org/briefings/view/020923camp

As EESI prepares for our extensive coverage of the 28th Conference of the Parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (COP28) in Dubai, we turn our attention to a topic that will be critical for global emission reductions—fossil fuel subsidies. Government subsidies are an important tool for stabilizing the economy, especially after a shock to the market, but they can also generate profits for polluting industries, as is the case with fossil fuels. Earlier this year, Canada made headlines by releasing the first national plan to eliminate inefficient subsidies to domestic fossil fuel companies. Dan and Alison are joined by Phil Gass and Laura Cameron of the International Institute for Sustainable Development (IISD) to discuss Canada’s framework and the state of global fossil fuel subsidies in the lead-up to COP28.

Show notes:

• Proposals to Reduce Fossil Fuel Subsidies (2021): https://www.eesi.org/papers/view/fact-sheet-proposals-to-reduce-fossil-fuel-subsidies-2021 

Extreme heat is the silent killer out of all climate-related disasters. Fatalities from extreme heat typically do not receive as much attention as those from other severe weather events like hurricanes, floods, blizzards, or wildfires, and yet heat is the top weather-related public health hazard in the United States. For today’s episode, Dan and Alison are joined by Kurt Shickman, the newest member of EESI’s Board of Directors, to hear his perspective as an expert on policy solutions for extreme heat. Kurt details many different strategies to combat heat that are both affordable and attainable, and how the right policies can bring these solutions to life.

Show notes:

• Q&A: The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s Response to Extreme Heat: https://www.eesi.org/articles/view/qa-the-centers-for-disease-control-and-preventions-response-to-extreme-heat

The most complicated part of solving the climate crisis is not developing clean energy technologies—we’ve already made enormous strides there—but, rather, funding the deployment and widespread adoption of those technologies. The Loan Programs Office (LPO) at the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) is working to overcome that barrier by financing large-scale energy infrastructure projects to help the United States reach its climate goals. In this episode, Dan and Alison are joined by LPO Chief Strategist Jonah Wagner to discuss DOE’s Pathways to Commercial Liftoff Reports, the role of the private sector in the transition to a decarbonized economy, and some of the clean energy technologies on the front lines of this transition.

Idyllic water views may be great for tourists, but for homeowners and residents of coastal communities, they can be a foreboding red flag. With each passing year, the climate crisis brings more extreme storms, storm surge, and even sunny-day flooding—all on top of rising sea levels. This episode explores policy approaches to help build resilience for coastal communities. Dan and Alison sit down with Jeff Peterson, co-facilitator at the Coastal Flood Resilience Project, to talk about a wide range of solutions, including risk disclosure, strengthening infrastructure, supporting relocation efforts, and more.

Show notes:

• Sea Level Rise: Policies to Anticipate Threats and Build Preparedness: https://www.eesi.org/briefings/view/051822climatechange 

Last season, in Episode 5, we talked about the U.S. Geological Survey’s Climate Adaptation Science Centers, or CASCs. These regional consortiums facilitate partnerships between universities, tribal nations, and other institutions to deliver science that helps fish, wildlife, water, land, and people adapt to a changing climate. In this episode, Dan and Anna explore the South Central CASC and its work on the Red River Basin. They are joined by Barney Austin, president and CEO of Aqua Strategies Inc, and Newakis Weber, water resource manager for the Chickasaw Nation, to talk about why the Red River is so critical and how decision-makers in the region can increase resilience to the projected impacts of climate breakdown.

Welcome to Season 6 of The Climate Conversation podcast! To kick off the season, we are discussing a book, The Octopus in the Parking Garage: A Call for Climate Resilience. Since its publication earlier this year, The Octopus in the Parking Garage has helped non-expert readers understand climate resilience in a way that is not only accessible, but also empowering. Author Rob Verchick—a renowned climate law scholar and professor at Loyola University New Orleans—sits down with Dan and Alison to talk about the major themes and findings from his book, including public perception of climate and resilience, modern forms of casteism, and planning for an uncertain future. 

Show notes:

• A Resilient Future for Coastal Communities: Federal Policy Recommendations from Solutions in Practice: https://www.eesi.org/papers/view/a-resilient-future-for-coastal-communities