David Roberts, Volts

David has been reporting on and explaining clean energy topics for almost 20 years. He talks to politicians, analysts, innovators, activists, and more about the latest progress in the world's most important fight. David’s work is deeply researched and an invaluable resource for people who want a better understanding of what a clean energy transition and viable future could look like. And he isn’t afraid to share his strongly held opinions.

In this conversation, Jason learns more about David’s background, his views on the issue and how they’ve evolved throughout his career. They discuss some of the fundamental politics ingrained in climate, and some of the solutions that are accelerating our transition away from fossil fuels. There’s a lot of insight packed into this episode and we hope you enjoy it.

In this episode, we cover:

[4:49] How David got involved in journalism and climate
[9:10] His thoughts on the climate issue early in his career and how they've evolved
[13:54] How concerned he thinks people should be
[23:32] Approaching solutions to climate that also solve other issues
[27:25] Importance of celebrating small victories to motivate future progress
[34:37] David's optimism for a clean energy future
[44:16] The human need to feel some sense of control and how that impacts their views on climate
[54:07] U.S. journalism today
[57:54] Intersection between environmentalism and climate
[1:01:03] David's thoughts on tech and how it’s approaching clean energy
[1:05:02] Speed round including solar geoengineering, nuclear, carbon capture, offsets, and more

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Episode recorded on September 23, 2022.

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*Editing and post-production work for this episode was provided by The Podcast Consultant