The Daily

Should The Government Pay for Your Bad Climate Decisions?

Mar 24, 2023

Jim Tankersley, a White House correspondent for The New York Times, dives into the Biden administration's recent report highlighting the economic risks posed by climate change. He discusses the complexities of aligning government funding with climate-friendly policies and critiques existing practices that unintentionally lead to risky behaviors, like flood insurance and mortgage lending. Tankersley emphasizes the urgent need for the government to provide better information and withdraw support from harmful environmental practices to foster safer, more informed public decisions.

27:07

Creator website

Episode guests

Jim Tankersley

Highlights

AI Chapters

Episode notes

The difficulty of "pricing in" the risk (and cost) of climate change

02:28

The Cost of Living in a Flood Zone

00:34

Intro

2min

Government Policies and Climate Risks

11min

Government Strategies for Safer Climate Decisions

3min

Rethinking Risk: Government Policies and Climate Disasters

10min

Confronting Climate Change and Financial Decisions

2min

Assurances of Data Security: TikTok's Stance on Independence

2min

A few days ago, the Biden administration released a report warning that a warming planet posed severe economic challenges for the United States, which would require the federal government to reassess its spending priorities and how it influenced behavior.

White House reporter Jim Tankersley explains why getting the government to encourage the right decisions will be so difficult.

Guest: Jim Tankersley, a White House correspondent for The New York Times.

Background reading:

A chapter in the new Economic Report of the President focuses on the growing risks to people and businesses from rising temperatures.
In theory, funding the government takes place in two major stages. But it’s a fraught and complicated process. Here’s a step-by-step guide.

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