Political Climate

In the past two years, climate change has gone from the back burner to the center stage. Why? It all started with a protest in House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s office in 2018. Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez teamed up with a then-obscure youth activist group called Sunrise Movement to launch the fight for a Green New Deal. It took a lot of planning, courage, and luck to make the protest happen. We bring you the inside story of the Pelosi sit-in on this special episode from Generation Green New Deal, a new podcast from Critical Frequency.Host Sam Eilertsen takes a look at how scrappy organizations led by teenagers and twenty-somethings have brought the U.S. closer than ever to addressing the issue that will define the future of humanity: climate change. This episode features Varshini Prakash and Sarah Duckett of Sunrise Movement and Waleed Shahid of Justice Democrats.Listen and subscribe to Generation Green New Deal on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Stitcher, Google Play or wherever you get podcasts!

Banks don’t just hold on to your dollars and cents, they also play a role in addressing the climate crisis. In the latest episode of Political Climate's DITCHED series, we take a closer look at the banking sector and what institutions like JP Morgan Chase, Bank of America, Wells Fargo and others can do to fight global warming.Patrick McCully, climate and energy director at the Rainforest Action Network, explains how activists are pressuring banks to clean up their act through initiatives like Stop the Money Pipeline. Plus, Joe Sanberg, founder of the financial firm Aspiration, explains how this traditional bank alternative is putting climate at the center of its business strategy. But first, we kick off the episode with Monica Medina and Miro Korenha, founders of leading independent environmental news platform Our Daily Planet, which Political Climate is thrilled to be partnering with to bring you the DITCHED podcast series!Recommended reading: Reuters: Fed moves closer to joining global peers in climate-change fight Ceres: Measuring and Addressing Climate Risk for Banks Fortune: How one of the world’s biggest banks plans to tackle climate change RAN: Banking on Climate Change 2020 Banking Dive: Aspiration CEO banks on customers' social conscience Episodes of DITCHED will air Mondays over the next several weeks. Listen and subscribe to Political Climate on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Stitcher, Google Play or wherever you get podcasts!

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.