The Green Blueprint

A version of this episode originally ran on Catalyst w/ Shayle Kann.Stock markets are in decline. Inflation is on the rise. Interest rates are up. Private tech companies are laying off workers.Is this the long-awaited market correction that never quite materialized during the bull market of the last 13 years?And what does it mean for climate tech?In this episode, Shayle talks to Saloni Multani, a partner at Galvanize Climate Solutions and former chief financial officer for Joe Biden’s 2020 campaign.Shayle and Saloni place the current moment in historical context. They cover the recent wave of low-cost capital that poured into climate tech and the low interest rates that gave renewables an advantage over fossil-fuel investments. The Carbon Copy is a co-production of Post Script Media and Canary Media.The Carbon Copy is supported by Nextracker. Nextracker’s technology platform has delivered more than 50 gigawatts of zero-emission solar power plants across the globe. Nextracker is developing a data-driven framework to become the most sustainable solar tracker company in the world – with a focus on a truly transparent supply chain. Visit nextracker.com/sustainability to learn more.The Carbon Copy is supported by Scale Microgrid Solutions, your comprehensive source for all distributed energy financing. Distributed generation can be complex. Scale makes financing it easy. Visit scalecapitalsolutions.com to learn more.

We’re more than three months into Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and you don’t have to look far beyond your local gas station to see the global impact – the average price of a gallon of gasoline topped $5 this week. The conflict has complicated the flow of energy at a time when supply chains were already jumbled up because of COVID. But it’s not just oil. The war is leaving its mark on all kinds of commodities – including the global supplies of minerals and metals.Geopolitical shifts are causing high spikes in prices of lithium and nickel, two key components of the lithium-ion batteries used in electric cars.But this supply mess could actually be boosting a positive trend in the battery space: Battery recycling. This week: Batteries are a pillar of the zero-carbon economy. But are they sustainable? And will technical advancements and geopolitical shifts alter the battery-based economy for the better?Guests: Julian Spector is a Senior Reporter with Canary Media. Check out his latest report on battery recycling. And you can access all of Canary’s recycling week coverage here.  The Carbon Copy is a co-production of Post Script Media and Canary Media.The Carbon Copy is supported by Nextracker. Nextracker’s technology platform has delivered more than 50 gigawatts of zero-emission solar power plants across the globe. Nextracker is developing a data-driven framework to become the most sustainable solar tracker company in the world – with a focus on a truly transparent supply chain. Visit nextracker.com/sustainability to learn more.The Carbon Copy is supported by Scale Microgrid Solutions, your comprehensive source for all distributed energy financing. Distributed generation can be complex. Scale makes financing it easy. Visit scalecapitalsolutions.com to learn more.

We're presenting a trailer for our newest show from Post Script Media, called Hot Buttons.The demand for sustainability has come for the fashion industry. Christina Binkley, Rachel Kibbe, and Shilla Kim-Parker are here to talk about it.Hot Buttons features weekly observations and lively debate about the future of the fashion industry as it reckons with its impact on the climate, natural resources, and worker rights. It's about the culture of fashion, the high-stakes decisions inside the industry, and how we rethink the very idea of growth.Subscribe to Hot Buttons on Apple, Spotify, or anywhere you get podcasts. Episodes drop every Thursday starting June 16.

Five years ago, Puerto Rico's grid was decimated by Hurricane Maria. Out of the destruction, many hoped that Puerto Rico's new grid could be built around solar and batteries – replacing centralized gas, coal, and oil plants connected with remote transmission lines.That’s not how the recovery played out. Today, Puerto Rico still relies heavily on centralized fossil fuels. And the island’s utility is still facing long blackouts and accusations of mismanagement.But a bottom-up movement has emerged supporting tens of thousands of rooftop solar and battery installations. These systems are being installed with minimal support from the government. Will this distributed energy help make Puerto Rico more resilient? Or will the island lock in more fossil fuels?We'll speak with Canary Media reporter Maria Gallucci, who just got back from a reporting trip there. Read her feature.The Carbon Copy is a co-production of Post Script Media and Canary Media.The Carbon Copy is supported by Nextracker. Nextracker’s technology platform has delivered more than 50 gigawatts of zero-emission solar power plants across the globe. Nextracker is developing a data-driven framework to become the most sustainable solar tracker company in the world – with a focus on a truly transparent supply chain. Visit nextracker.com/sustainability to learn more.The Carbon Copy is supported by Scale Microgrid Solutions, your comprehensive source for all distributed energy financing. Distributed generation can be complex. Scale makes financing it easy. Visit scalecapitalsolutions.com to learn more.

In December 2021, Senator Joe Manchin appeared on Fox News to announce that he would not vote for Joe Biden’s signature climate plan, Build Back Better. The reason he cited? A score given by the Congressional Budget Office.The Congressional Budget Office – or CBO for short – is the most important government agency you’ve never heard of. It acts as a budget referee, giving legislation a score on how it will impact the economy and the federal budget. Senator Chuck Grassley once called the CBO “God” on Capitol Hill. Its scores determine which legislation passes and which legislation dies. But there’s one big catch. The CBO is systematically leaving out the impacts of climate change and carbon pollution on the economy – and stacking the deck against climate legislation. Lawmakers have the power to change it. Will they?Guests:  Dr. Mark Paul is an assistant professor of economics and environmental studies at New College of Florida. You can read his article about the CBO in Noema. The Carbon Copy is a co-production of Post Script Media and Canary Media.The Carbon Copy is supported by Nextracker. Nextracker’s technology platform has delivered more than 50 gigawatts of zero-emission solar power plants across the globe. Nextracker is developing a data-driven framework to become the most sustainable solar tracker company in the world – with a focus on a truly transparent supply chain. Visit nextracker.com/sustainability to learn more.The Carbon Copy is supported by Scale Microgrid Solutions, your comprehensive source for all distributed energy financing. Distributed generation can be complex. Scale makes financing it easy. Visit scalecapitalsolutions.com to learn more.

In early May, a leaked draft opinion showed that the Supreme Court could soon overturn the 1973 Roe v. Wade decision. So what does abortion access have to do with climate change? This week, we explore the link between heat, pollution, and reproductive justice.In recent years, a strong and growing body of research shows that exposure to pollution and extreme heat increases the risk of stillbirth and preterm birth, particularly among Black parents. And restricted abortion access in a post-Roe America could further increase health risks and potential for criminalization.We spoke to one of the pioneering researchers in this field to understand the link between exposure to heat and pollution and adverse birth outcomes – and what can be done to solve it. Guests:  Alexandria Herr is a producer on our show. You can find her Atmos article on climate change and high risk pregnancy here. Eve Andrews is a staff writer at Grist. You can find her article with Naveena Sadasivam on pregnancy in pollution hot spots here. Dr. Rupa Basu is the chief of the air and climate epidemiology section at the California Office of Environmental Health Hazard Assessment. The Carbon Copy is a co-production of Post Script Media and Canary Media.The Carbon Copy is supported by Nextracker. Nextracker’s technology platform has delivered more than 50 gigawatts of zero-emission solar power plants across the globe. Nextracker is developing a data-driven framework to become the most sustainable solar tracker company in the world – with a focus on a truly transparent supply chain. Visit nextracker.com/sustainability to learn more.The Carbon Copy is supported by Scale Microgrid Solutions, your comprehensive source for all distributed energy financing. Distributed generation can be complex. Scale makes financing it easy. Visit scalecapitalsolutions.com to learn more.

We have a bonus episode from our friends at Drilled. The sixth season of Drilled is all about the natural gas industry. In the last decade, the climate movement has begun to reject the idea of natural gas as a "bridge fuel.” As that story has become tougher to sell, the gas industry has shifted from greenwashing to all-out war with environmentalists. The latest season of Drilled traces that shift, starting with the first gas ban proposed in Southern California and ending with the industry leveraging Russia's invasion of Ukraine to its benefit. In this episode, we head to the college town of San Luis Obispo, California, where in April 2020 mayor Heidi Hartman announced a plan to become the first city in Southern California to ban gas in new buildings. The region's utility SoCal Gas – the largest gas utility in the country – sprung into action, threatening among other things to bus in large numbers of protestors to crowd the town and city hall, just as the pandemic was taking hold in the U.S.Listen to Drilled anywhere you get podcasts.

Across California, oil wells pepper residential neighborhoods – often directly next to homes, schools, and businesses. These residential wells have been linked to a host of health problems, from asthma to cancer. And these problems disproportionately affect California’s communities of color. This week, producer Alexandria Herr goes on a crusade to prove that California is not the green state that everybody thinks it is. We’ll explore hidden oil wells, the history of redlining, and the oil boom during World War II, to understand why residential drilling in California looks the way it does today. Guests: Dr. David Gonzalez is a President’s Postdoctoral Fellow at UC Berkeley. Dr. Sarah Elkind is the president of the American Society for Environmental History. The Carbon Copy is a co-production of Post Script Media and Canary Media.The Carbon Copy is supported by Nextracker. Nextracker’s technology platform has delivered more than 50 gigawatts of zero-emission solar power plants across the globe. Nextracker is developing a data-driven framework to become the most sustainable solar tracker company in the world – with a focus on a truly transparent supply chain. Visit nextracker.com/sustainability to learn more.The Carbon Copy is supported by Scale Microgrid Solutions, your comprehensive source for all distributed energy financing. Distributed generation can be complex. Scale makes financing it easy. Visit scalecapitalsolutions.com to learn more.

A couple of weeks ago, Elon Musk offered around $44 billion to buy Twitter. A few days later, the CEO of the world’s biggest electric car company became the owner of one of the world’s biggest social media platforms. When news of the deal hit, investors got a little spooked. The share price of Tesla dropped by nearly 20% over the following week. Many industry observers began to wonder whether this was going to pose a major problem for the company.Among them was climate reporter David Ferris. Although many may regard these dramatic moves as simply part of the cost of investing in Musk’s company, David thinks this latest gambit unleashes a whole new set of financial, reputational and strategic risks.This week on The Carbon Copy: Elon Musk’s Twitter takeover has alarmed investors and consumers. Will his new shiny toy distract from Tesla’s mission-critical work?Guest: David Ferris is an energy and environment reporter at E&E News. You can read his recent reporting on Musk’s purchase here.We want to hear from you! Take our quick survey for a chance to win a $100 Amazon gift card. This will help us bring you more relevant content.The Carbon Copy is a co-production of Post Script Media and Canary Media.The Carbon Copy is supported by Nextracker. Nextracker’s technology platform has delivered more than 50 gigawatts of zero-emission solar power plants across the globe. Nextracker is developing a data-driven framework to become the most sustainable solar tracker company in the world — with a focus on a truly transparent supply chain. Visit nex​track​er​.com/​s​u​s​t​a​i​n​a​b​ility to learn more.The Carbon Copy is supported by Scale Microgrid Solutions, your comprehensive source for all distributed energy financing. Distributed generation can be complex. Scale makes financing it easy. Visit scale​cap​i​tal​so​lu​tions​.com to learn more.

A couple weeks ago, Canary Media’s Eric Wesoff found himself in the parking lot of a company called Auxin Solar. Auxin is a small American solar panel maker based in California. It manufacturers 150 megawatts of solar panels a year – 100 times less than the biggest solar manufacturers. Despite its size, Auxin Solar just filed a petition with the U.S. government that could shake up the solar industry in a big way.Auxin claims China is dodging U.S. tariffs by funneling products through other Asian countries like Malaysia, Thailand and Vietnam. And it wants the government to step in. And the complaint is already derailing large-scale solar projects.This week: how a solar trade war spanning three presidents is causing problems for a domestic solar market that relies heavily on overseas panels. Guest: Eric Wesoff is the editorial director for Canary Media. You can read his piece about Auxin Solar’s petition here.We want to hear from you! Take our quick survey for a chance to win a $100 Amazon gift card. This will help us bring you more relevant content.The Carbon Copy is a co-production of Post Script Media and Canary Media.The Carbon Copy is supported by Nextracker. Nextracker’s technology platform has delivered more than 50 gigawatts of zero-emission solar power plants across the globe. Nextracker is developing a data-driven framework to become the most sustainable solar tracker company in the world – with a focus on a truly transparent supply chain. Visit nextracker.com/sustainability to learn more.The Carbon Copy is supported by Scale Microgrid Solutions, your comprehensive source for all distributed energy financing. Distributed generation can be complex. Scale makes financing it easy. Visit scalecapitalsolutions.com to learn more.