Political Climate

Young Americans voted in record numbers during the 2020 election and played a key role in tipping the scales to Joe Biden. Early research shows that climate change was a major driver of that robust turnout.The Sunrise Movement and other environmental groups mounted extensive campaigns to register and mobilize voters to oppose President Trump and vote climate champions into office. Biden’s climate platform isn’t the Green New Deal plan that many climate activists called for, and Democrats will have a tough time passing progressive climate policies unless they win both Senate runoff races in Georgia. Still, Donald Trump’s defeat gives the planet a better chance of avoiding an apocalyptic future. We speak to first-time presidential election voters, Troy Distelrath in Michigan and Gabriela Rodriguez in Florida, about what they want to see next from their political leaders.Plus, while Biden’s win represents a new era in the climate fight, the United States remains deeply divided and the policy path forward remains murky. So in the second half of this episode, we speak to Andreas Karelas about his critically acclaimed new book Climate Courage, and how to advance climate solutions in these polarized times. Recommended reading: Inside Climate: Young Voters, Motivated by Climate Change and Environmental Justice, Helped Propel Biden’s Campaign Boston Globe: Biden has a climate mandate Tufts CIRCLE Report: Election Week 2020 Climate Courage Listen and subscribe to Political Climate on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Stitcher, Google Play or wherever you get podcasts! Follow us on Twitter and Instagram @Poli_Climate.

Americans are waiting with bated breath for the results of a long and contentious election. At the time of publication, former Democratic Vice President Joe Biden looks poised to take the White House, while Republicans are likely to hold on to the Senate. But the final outcome of this unprecedented pandemic election remains uncertain, with ballots still being counted in several key states.In this episode, we discuss what we know so far — from the top of the ticket down to local ballot initiatives — and what those results mean for climate and clean energy policy. Then we look at what a divided Congress would spell for a Biden presidency and the future of his ambitious climate plan. From solar tax credits, to vehicle fuel economy standards, to oil drilling permits, what's likely to advance and what doesn't stand chance? We discuss with Glenn Schwartz, director of environmental and energy policy at Rapidan Energy Group. Recommended reading: NYT: Democrats’ ‘Blue Wave’ Crashed in Statehouses Across the Country Washington Examiner: Republicans win key House races with energy policy implications GTM: Prospect of Republican Senate Majority Narrows Democrats’ Options on Clean Energy Policy Law 360: Nevada Voters Approve Renewable Energy Mandate Listen and subscribe to Political Climate on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Stitcher, Google Play or wherever you get podcasts!

What comes after November 3? As presidential candidates make their closing arguments, many stakeholders in the climate and energy community are already looking beyond Election Day. In this episode, experts discuss the top action items they’re watching for in a potential Biden versus returning Trump administration. What are the most tactical policy moves? Who will be making decisions? How will the private sector respond? What role will the courts play?We hear from Josh Freed, founder of Third Way’s Climate and Energy Program. Podcast co-hosts Brandon Hurlbut, senior advisor at NGP Energy Technology Partners III, and Shane Skelton, energy policy consulting firm S2C Pacific, also weigh in. In the second half of the show (39:00), we discuss the ongoing health and environmental crisis in cities with high levels of lead poisoning. While it doesn’t appear in print, grassroots activists say tackling this issue is very much on the ballot this year. We speak to Michelle Mabson of Black Millennials for Flint about what she wants to see from political leaders. This is the fourth episode in our "Relief, Rescue, Rebuild" series supported by the think tank Third Way. The series theme song was created by @AYMusik.Recommended reading:  HuffPost: EPA Veterans Eyed As Potential Picks To Lead The Agency If Biden Wins E&E: House races to watch on energy, environment Third Way: The Election Climate Path to Zero Listen and subscribe to Political Climate on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Stitcher, Google Play or wherever you get podcasts!

At least 40 million Americans have already cast a ballot in early voting, with still more than a week until Election Day.  In this episode of Political Climate, we examine if environmental issues are mobilizing voters the way that analysts anticipated. Who are those voters and do they hold sway? We discuss with Nathaniel Stinnett, founder of the Environmental Voter Project, a non-partisan organization focused on identifying inactive environmentalists across the United States and turning them into reliable voters in every election. This year, the stakes are especially high. Control of the U.S. Senate is very much in play, while Joe Biden and Donald Trump duke it out for the White House with wildly different policy platforms. Could environmental voters tip the scales?We also consider how fracking and natural disasters are playing into the 2020 election cycle, as well as the rise of “big green” political donors. Plus, we check in on a Texas election bet. Recommended reading: WaPo: Early Voting Numbers So Far NPR: Wall Street Is A Big Source Of Campaign Cash For Democrats NYT: 'Climate Donors’ Flock to Biden to Counter Trump’s Fossil Fuel Money Guardian: Trump has made fracking an election issue. Has he misjudged Pennsylvania? NPR: MacArthur 'Genius' Brings National Attention To Local Fight Against Sewage Failures Listen and subscribe to Political Climate on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Stitcher, Google Play or wherever you get podcasts! Follow us on Twitter at @Poli_Climate.This episode is brought to you with support from Lyft. Lyft is leading the transition to zero emissions vehicles with a commitment to achieve 100% electric vehicles on the Lyft platform by 2030. Learn more at lyftimpact.com/electric.

There is a lot of money in American politics. Campaign spending in 2020 is expected to reach $11 billion dollars — making it the most expensive election in U.S. history. In light of these growing dollar figures, a group of billionaire donors from across the political spectrum say they’re laying down arms and joining forces to transform politics and tackle critical issues, such as climate change. The action plan is entitled: In This Together.In this episode, we speak to Dallas real estate scion and environmentalist Trammell S. Crow about why he and social entrepreneur Bill Shireman launched this new collaborative effort and how they plan to redirect billions in political spending toward solutions that can unite a governing majority of Americans, from left to right.**From now until November 3rd the Political Climate podcast will donate $2 for every new subscriber to the American Red Cross for every new subscription to the show! If you’re already a subscriber, share the podcast with a friend. To participate, simply have a new subscriber send a screenshot of their subscription on whichever podcasting platform they like best to politicalclimatepodcast@gmail.com. Or send us a message via Twitter or Instagram @poli_climate. That’s it!**Recommended reading: In This Together: How Republicans, Democrats, Capitalists and Activists Are Uniting to Tackle Climate Change and More Dallas Innovates: EarthX’s Trammell S. Crow Launches ‘World’s Only’ Environmental Conservation Streaming Platform The Hill: EarthX Founder Trammell S. Crow talks about EarthX and the 50th Anniversary of Earth Day Listen and subscribe to Political Climate on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Stitcher, Google Play or wherever you get podcasts! Follow us on Twitter at @Poli_Climate.This episode is brought to you with support from Lyft. Lyft is leading the transition to zero emissions vehicles with a commitment to achieve 100% electric vehicles on the Lyft platform by 2030. Learn more at lyftimpact.com/electric.

How do you elect political candidates who will make tackling climate change a priority? In this episode, we speak to two groups attempting to figure that out and put climate change at the center of races up and down the ballot. In 2018, Caroline Spears launched the Climate Cabinet Action Fund to offer bespoke climate data, policy ideas and messaging suggestions to candidates and lawmakers. The organization currently focuses on the state level, where races are low-budget but highly consequential. We speak to Caroline about the policy “menus” that Climate Cabinet creates for individual candidates, and dig into the role that special interests play in the election infrastructure of both the Republican and Democratic parties. Later in the show, we turn to Karyn Strickler, founder and president of Vote Climate U.S. PAC, a political action committee tracking key races in the U.S. House and Senate and ranking candidates based on their climate record. There are 26 days until the contentious 2020 election and climate issues could sway the outcome.**From now until November 3rd the Political Climate podcast will donate $2 for every new subscriber to the American Red Cross for every new subscription to the show! If you’re already a subscriber, share the podcast with a friend. To participate, simply have a new subscriber send a screenshot of their subscription on whichever podcasting platform they like best to politicalclimatepodcast@gmail.com. Or send us a message via Twitter or Instagram @poli_climate. That’s it!**Recommended reading: CNN: New climate group will offer district-specific policy 'menus' to every congressional candidate GTM: Virginia Mandates 100% Clean Power by 2045 Pew Research: How important is climate change to voters in the 2020 election? Climate Cabinet: The Divided States Of Climate Action Vote Climate U.S. PAC: 2020 Climate Change Voter’s Guide Listen and subscribe to Political Climate on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Stitcher, Google Play or wherever you get podcasts! Follow us on Twitter at @Poli_Climate.This episode is brought to you with support from Lyft. Lyft is leading the transition to zero emissions vehicles with a commitment to achieve 100% electric vehicles on the Lyft platform by 2030. Learn more at lyftimpact.com/electric.

President Donald Trump and former Vice President Joe Biden faced off in their first debate this week. To the surprise of many, Fox News moderator Chris Wallace asked the presidential candidates a series of questions on climate change.Energy and environmental issues got more air time on Tuesday night than at all 2016 presidential debates combined. On this week's episode of Political Climate, our hosts discuss takeaways from the debate (from snippets in between interruptions). Did Trump shift his tone on climate? Did Biden successfully sell his vision for a clean energy economy?Later in the show, we address what changes at the Supreme Court could mean for the future of climate policy and discuss prospects for clean energy legislation currently moving through the House and Senate. Plus, we ask: is there an electric vehicle that can accommodate three car seats? And more!Recommended reading: NYT: The Trump Administration Is Reversing 100 Environmental Rules. Here’s the Full List. PolitiFact: Fact-Check: Have Carbon Emissions Increased Under Trump? The Hill: House passes sweeping clean energy bill NRDC: House Bill Would Deliver Needed Steps Toward a Clean Economy GTM: Clean Energy Gets a Surprisingly Big Role in First Presidential Debate Listen and subscribe to Political Climate on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Stitcher, Google Play or wherever you get podcasts! Follow us on Twitter at @Poli_Climate.This episode is brought to you with support from Lyft. Lyft is leading the transition to zero emissions vehicles with a commitment to achieve 100% electric vehicles on the Lyft platform by 2030. Learn more at lyftimpact.com/electric.

Before the COVID-19 pandemic, more Americans worked in clean energy than there were school teachers in the country. The once booming sector is now experiencing hundreds of thousands of job losses as a result of the coronavirus recession. What will it take to not only get these jobs back but to grow the clean energy sector beyond where it was at the start of the year, putting the industry at the center of a U.S. economic recovery?In this episode of Political Climate, we speak to Ellen Hughes-Cromwick, former chief economist for the Obama Administration's Department of Commerce, as well as clean energy business leaders from Florida, Georgia and Pennsylvania to learn how the clean energy sector has been affected by COVID-19 and what it will take to reboot the industry.This conversation comes as bipartisan clean energy legislation is advancing in both the House and Senate. But prospects for a final bill remain uncertain as Republicans focus on nominating a new Supreme Court Justice following the death of Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg.This is the third episode in our "Relief, Rescue, Rebuild" series supported by the think tank Third Way. The series theme song was created by @AYMusik.Recommended reading:  Third Way: How Clean Energy Businesses Can Survive and Thrive After COVID-19 PV Tech: Lacklustre job growth leaves 14% of US’ clean energy workforce unemployed E&E News: Clean energy push caught in congressional chaos The Hill: House passes sweeping clean energy bill Verge: Democrats unveil new agenda for economic recovery and climate action A Green Economic Recovery: Global Trends and Lessons for the United States “Relief, Rescue, Rebuild” episodes will monthly on the Political Climate podcast feed. Listen and subscribe on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Stitcher, Google Play or wherever you get podcasts!Have a moment? Please leave us a review! You can also chat with us on Twitter @Poli_Climate.

“Climate change poses a major risk to the stability of the U.S. financial system and to its ability to sustain the American economy.” That’s the top line takeaway from a landmark new report from the Commodity Futures Trading Commission.While the core finding isn’t entirely new, the CFTC report carries weight. “Managing Climate Risk in the U.S. Financial System,” commissioned by a panel of President Trump appointed federal regulators, is the first comprehensive federal government study to focus on the risks climate change presents to Wall Street.Divya Mankikar is an investment manager at the California Public Employees' Retirement System, or CalPERS, where she works to shed light on integrating environmental, social and governance factors across the roughly 400 billion fund — the largest public pension fund in the U.S. She’s also a member of the subcommittee that authored the recently released CFTC climate risk report.In this episode, Divya outlines the report’s main findings and details how CalPERS and other large investors are acting on a growing body of climate risk information.This is the fifth episode in the Political Climate miniseries called DITCHED: fossil fuels, money flows and the greening of finance. Listen and subscribe to Political Climate wherever you get podcasts!Recommended reading: CFTC: Managing Climate Risk in the U.S. Financial System Responsible Investor: CalPERS says it plans to align with TCFD amid new California climate legislation Guardian: Investors that manage US $47tn demand world’s biggest polluters back plan for net-zero emissions Guardian: New Zealand minister calls for finance sector to disclose climate crisis risks in world first Catch all DITCHED episodes in addition to our regular Thursday shows! Listen and subscribe to Political Climate on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Stitcher, Google Play or wherever you get podcasts!This episode is brought to you with support from Lyft. Lyft is leading the transition to zero emissions vehicles with a commitment to achieve 100% electric vehicles on the Lyft platform by 2030. Learn more at lyftimpact.com/electric.

The youth climate movement has gained enormous momentum over the past few years. While progressive groups tend to be the most well known, conservative youth activists are also expanding their presence in American politics. The Republican Party stands to lose an entire generation of voters if it doesn’t embrace a more environmentally friendly agenda. We speak to Benji Backer, founder and president of the American Conservation Coalition, about what he thinks Republicans are getting right and wrong on climate heading into the 2020 election. Benji and a group of college-aged friends created The American Conservation Coalition in 2017 with a dream of making environmental issues nonpartisan again. The Republican-leaning group says it’s dedicated to mobilizing young people around climate action and environmental protection through common-sense, market-based and limited-government ideals — even if that means criticizing members of their own party. We talk to Benji about what young conservative climate activists want and debate Republicans’ existing track record on climate action.Recommended reading: Electric Election 2020 Road Trip Conservative climate group runs pro-environment ads on Fox News WaPo: In rare bipartisan climate agreement, senators forge plan to slash use of potent greenhouse gas The Atlantic: How a Plan to Save the Power System Disappeared Political Climate is produced in partnership with the USC Schwarzenegger Institute. Listen and subscribe on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Stitcher, Google Play or wherever you get podcasts!This episode is brought to you with support from Lyft. Lyft is leading the transition to zero emissions vehicles with a commitment to achieve 100% electric vehicles on the Lyft platform by 2030. Learn more at lyftimpact.com/electric.