Build Back Never? And Tackling Methane Emissions

Is Build Back Better really dead? Could the climate and clean energy provisions live on? Political Climate weighs in on the timely issue of Senator Manchin’s “no” on President Biden’s marquee legislation. Plus, Brandon, Shane and Julia share some 2022 predictions.

In the second half of the show we look at the troubling rise in global methane emissions. Methane is 80 times more potent as a global warming gas than carbon dioxide, and is responsible for roughly one-quarter of the climate warming we see today. Recognizing the scope and scale of the issue, the United States and European Union recently spearheaded a Global Methane Pledge at COP26, which has been signed by around 100 countries. In addition, the U.S. EPA has proposed new rules to tackle methane leaks from oil and gas production. 

To round out the episode, we speak to Sarah Smith, program director of super pollutants at the Clean Air Task Force, about why methane emissions are such a big problem and what’s being done to address it. 

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Recommended reading:

• NYT: What the Stalled Build Back Better Bill Means for Climate, in One Chart
• Canary Media: The US oil patch is the Wild West. We need regulation to control the sector’s methane emissions
• CNN: Biden announces new methane rules and launches global pledge to slash planet-warming emissions