Drilled Drilling Deep: The Way Things Are Is Not the Way They Have to Be, with Natasha Hakimi Zapata
Dec 2, 2025
Natasha Hakimi Zapata, a journalist and author, shares her insights on progressive policies globally. She highlights Uruguay’s remarkable shift to renewable energy, achieving 98% renewable electricity in just two years, which drastically reduced poverty rates. Natasha emphasizes the importance of framing renewable transitions as economic opportunities rather than just climate issues. She discusses the role of crises in catalyzing reforms and links renewable energy with social justice, showcasing hopeful examples from both abroad and within the U.S.
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Personal Health Crisis Sparked The Book
- Natasha recounts her mother's undiagnosed diabetes and amputation during grad school.
- That personal crisis motivated her interest in universal healthcare and inspired the book.
Rapid Grid Transformation In Uruguay
- Uruguay moved from rolling blackouts to ~98% renewable electricity in about two years starting around 2010.
- The public utility UTE kept control while private firms built generation capacity under public contracts.
Economics, Not Climate, Drove The Shift
- The energy shift began as a pragmatic response to drought-driven blackouts, not climate rhetoric.
- Framing the transition as an economic and reliability solution unlocked broad political support.
