The Climate Pod

How do we prevent future pandemics? As COVID-19 has continued to rage across the globe, Dr. Peter J. Hotez has been working tirelessly to answer that question - in addition to leading efforts to develop a COVID-19 vaccine and explain crucial details about the current pandemic to the public. In his new book, Preventing the Next Pandemic: Vaccine Diplomacy in a Time of Anti-science , Dr. Hotez explains the biggest drivers behind the spread of disease across the globe, including climate change, war and conflict, extreme poverty, and widespread science denial. This week, he joins the show to talk about the book and the power of vaccine diplomacy in the 21st century. He discusses the commonalities in fighting both climate denial and vaccine denial and what he hopes for in a post-COVID-19 pandemic world.  Peter J. Hotez, MD, PhD, is a professor of pediatrics and molecular virology and microbiology. He is the founding dean of the National School of Tropical Medicine at Baylor College of Medicine, where he is also the co-director of the Texas Children's Center for Vaccine Development. Buy Preventing the Next Pandemic: Vaccine Diplomacy in a Time of Anti-science Subscribe to our Substack newsletter "The Climate Weekly": https://theclimateweekly.substack.com/ As always, follow us @climatepod on Twitter and email us at theclimatepod@gmail.com. Our music is "Gotta Get Up" by The Passion Hifi, check out his music at thepassionhifi.com. Rate, review and subscribe to this podcast on iTunes, Spotify, Stitcher, and more! Subscribe to our new YouTube channel! Join our Facebook group. Check out our updated website!

This week, Tony Hiss joins the show to talk about his new book, Rescuing the Planet: Protecting Half the Land to Heal the Earth. Tony talks about the history of conservation biology and highlights several people who have led conservation efforts in North America over the last 100 years. Tony Hiss is the author of 15 books, including the award-winning book, The Experience of Place. Previously, Hiss was a staff writer at The New Yorker for more than thirty years and a visiting scholar at New York University for twenty-five years. Buy Rescuing the Planet Subscribe to our Substack newsletter "The Climate Weekly": https://theclimateweekly.substack.com/ As always, follow us @climatepod on Twitter and email us at theclimatepod@gmail.com. Our music is "Gotta Get Up" by The Passion Hifi, check out his music at thepassionhifi.com. Rate, review and subscribe to this podcast on iTunes, Spotify, Stitcher, and more! Subscribe to our new YouTube channel! Join our Facebook group. Check out our updated website!

This week, Cass Sunstein joins the show to discuss his new book, Averting Catastrophe: Decision Theory for COVID-19, Climate Change, and Potential Disasters of All Kinds. His book lays out how policymakers can make decisions that avoid our natural biases and result in better outcomes, especially in the face of catastrophic outcomes like those posed by the climate crisis. Cass Sunstein is a professor at Harvard Law School, Advisor of the World Health Organization, and Senior Counselor and Regulatory Policy Officer in the Department of Homeland Security. Previously, he was the Administrator of the White House Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs during the Obama Administration. Buy Averting Catastrophe: Decision Theory for COVID-19, Climate Change, and Potential Disasters of All Kinds Subscribe to our Substack newsletter "The Climate Weekly": https://theclimateweekly.substack.com/ As always, follow us @climatepod on Twitter and email us at theclimatepod@gmail.com. Our music is "Gotta Get Up" by The Passion Hifi, check out his music at thepassionhifi.com. Rate, review and subscribe to this podcast on iTunes, Spotify, Stitcher, and more! Subscribe to our new YouTube channel! Join our Facebook group. Check out our updated website!

This week, Parker Molloy, editor at large at Media Matters For America, joins the show to discuss how recent lies about Biden's climate plans became widespread on right-wing media outlets. We discuss the bogus origins of Biden's #Burgergate, how it took hold on Fox News, and why some mainstream media outlets accepted the false premise in their coverage.  Then, Tyler J. Kelley, a journalist who has written for the New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, and The New Yorker, talks about his new book Holding Back the River - The Struggle Against Nature on America's Waterways. We talk about the long, complex history of river management in America, how that's been impacted by climate change, how government leaders in The Netherlands have more effectively implemented adaptation measures, and the true stories of the people that are most affected by river flooding and the struggle of those attempting to manage our waterways.  Buy Holding Back the River - The Struggle Against Nature on America's Waterways  Subscribe to our Substack newsletter "The Climate Weekly": https://theclimateweekly.substack.com/ As always, follow us @climatepod on Twitter and email us at theclimatepod@gmail.com. Our music is "Gotta Get Up" by The Passion Hifi, check out his music at thepassionhifi.com. Rate, review and subscribe to this podcast on iTunes, Spotify, Stitcher, and more! Subscribe to our new YouTube channel! Join our Facebook group. Check out our updated website!

This week, Kate Aronoff, staff writer at The New Republic and author of the new book, Overheated: How Capitalism Broke the Planet- And How We Fight Back, joins the show to discuss neoliberalism’s influence over bad climate policy and how America can combat the climate crisis best by building a more democratic society that benefits the lives of everyone. We also talk about how a Green New Deal can create a just transition that helps build a larger, stronger coalition for Democrats. Buy Overheated: How Capitalism Broke the Planet- And How We Fight Back Subscribe to our Substack newsletter "The Climate Weekly": https://theclimateweekly.substack.com/ As always, follow us @climatepod on Twitter and email us at theclimatepod@gmail.com. Our music is "Gotta Get Up" by The Passion Hifi, check out his music at thepassionhifi.com. Rate, review and subscribe to this podcast on iTunes, Spotify, Stitcher, and more! Subscribe to our new YouTube channel! Join our Facebook group. Check out our updated website!

This week, Rep. Earl Blumenauer joins the show to discuss his new legislation to reinstate superfund taxes and make polluters pay for toxic cleanup. He discusses why eliminating tax breaks are essential to the cleanup of toxic and hazardous waste sites throughout the United States. Then, Dr. Robbie Shilliam discusses his new book Decolonizing Politics: An Introduction and how international political scholars need to recontextualize, reconceptionalize, and reimagine some of the most prominent political ideas to discontinue colonial logic and improve international relations for just policies.  Subscribe to our Substack newsletter "The Climate Weekly": https://theclimateweekly.substack.com/ As always, follow us @climatepod on Twitter and email us at theclimatepod@gmail.com. Our music is "Gotta Get Up" by The Passion Hifi, check out his music at thepassionhifi.com. Rate, review and subscribe to this podcast on iTunes, Spotify, Stitcher, and more! Subscribe to our new YouTube channel! Join our Facebook group. Check out our updated website! Further Reading/Watching/Listening: https://robbieshilliam.wordpress.com/  

This week, Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI) talks to us about dark money in politics, the biggest obstacles to passing big, bipartisan climate laws, and what he hopes President Joe Biden can accomplish during this term.  Then, Maurice Mitchell, National Director of the Working Families Party, joins the show to talk about centering racial and economic justice in infrastructure plans and how to build back to battle climate change.  Subscribe to our Substack newsletter "The Climate Weekly": https://theclimateweekly.substack.com/ As always, follow us @climatepod on Twitter and email us at theclimatepod@gmail.com. Our music is "Gotta Get Up" by The Passion Hifi, check out his music at thepassionhifi.com. Rate, review and subscribe to this podcast on iTunes, Spotify, Stitcher, and more! Subscribe to our new YouTube channel! Join our Facebook group. Check out our updated website! Further Reading/Watching/Listening: Coronavirus Is a Dress Rehearsal for Climate Change How Biden's $2tn infrastructure plan seeks to achieve racial justice Sen. Whitehouse Gives Presentation On 'Dark Money' Influence On Supreme Court Nomination Kurt Andersen on "Evil Geniuses" and The Unmaking of Environmental and Climate Protection‪s‬

This week, two expert guests, Professor Jeffrey Sachs and Yonah Freemark, join the show to talk about the American Jobs Plan and how we can better decarbonize our economy with smart infrastructure spending. Professor Sachs explains how to best aim spending plans to create sustainable jobs, build up a green economy, and reduce inequality in the process. Freemark tells us why transportation emissions keep increasing, how to get fewer cars on the road, and the importance of federal and local coordination on transportation plans.  About Our Guests:  Jeffrey Sachs is the Director of the Center for Sustainable Development at Columbia University, the President of the UN Sustainable Development Solutions Network, a commissioner of the UN Broadband Commission for Development, and an SDG Advocate for UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres. He is the author of several books including The End of Poverty, The Age of Sustainable Development, and The Ages of Globalization: Geography, Technology, and Institutions. He hosts the new podcast Book Club with Jeffrey Sachs. Yonah Freemark is a senior research associate in the Urban Institute’s Metropolitan Housing and Communities Policy Center, where he researches the intersection of land use, affordable housing, and transportation. You can read his recent Op-Ed "How to ensure Biden's climate-focused transportation plans turn out sustainable and equitable" in The Hill. You can follow his work at Urban.org or his blog The Transport Politic. Subscribe to our Substack newsletter "The Climate Weekly": https://theclimateweekly.substack.com/ As always, follow us @climatepod on Twitter and email us at theclimatepod@gmail.com. Our music is "Gotta Get Up" by The Passion Hifi, check out his music at thepassionhifi.com. Rate, review and subscribe to this podcast on iTunes, Spotify, Stitcher, and more! Subscribe to our new YouTube channel! Join our Facebook group. Check out our updated website!     

This week, Nathaniel Rich, award-winning journalist and author of Second Nature: Scenes From a World Remade joins the show to talk about what he's learned covering the scientists, politicians, and corporations that are reshaping our planet and its inhabitants for better and for worse.  About Our Guest: Nathaniel Rich is an award-winning journalist and author. In 2019, he wrote "Losing Earth: A Recent History", and his 2016 New York Times Magazine article "The Lawyer Who Became DuPont's Worst Nightmare" was turned into the feature film "Dark Waters". Buy Second Nature: Scenes From a World Remade Further Reading/Listening: Our conversation with Rob Bilott Our conversation with Zephyr Teachout Subscribe to our Substack newsletter "The Climate Weekly": https://theclimateweekly.substack.com/ As always, follow us @climatepod on Twitter and email us at theclimatepod@gmail.com. Our music is "Gotta Get Up" by The Passion Hifi, check out his music at thepassionhifi.com. Rate, review and subscribe to this podcast on iTunes, Spotify, Stitcher, and more! Subscribe to our new YouTube channel! Join our Facebook group. Check out our updated website! 

This week, Kim Stanley Robinson, renowned science fiction writer and author of "The Ministry For The Future," joins the show for a wide-ranging discussion on the systemic collapse that's led to the climate crisis, the power and importance of language and fiction in dissecting complicated policies and decisions, his problem with most economists, and what keeps him optimistic about what could happen in the future. He also tells us how the American leftist tradition helped shape his politics in the 1970s as a student and what it has been like writing fiction amid the parallel rise of neoliberalism over the course of his career.  About Our Guest: Kim Stanley Robinson is an award-winning novelist and New York Times bestseller. He has authored more than 20 books and won the Hugo, Nebula, and Locus awards. He is well known for his bestselling Mars trilogy and in 2008, he was named a “Hero of the Environment” by Time magazine. Buy The Ministry For The Future Further Reading/Listening: Our conversation with Dr. Stephanie Kelton on MMT Our conversation with Zachary Carter on Keynes and Climate Zachary Carter's New York Times OpEd Subscribe to our Substack newsletter "The Climate Weekly": https://theclimateweekly.substack.com/ As always, follow us @climatepod on Twitter and email us at theclimatepod@gmail.com. Our music is "Gotta Get Up" by The Passion Hifi, check out his music at thepassionhifi.com. Rate, review and subscribe to this podcast on iTunes, Spotify, Stitcher, and more! Subscribe to our new YouTube channel! Join our Facebook group. Check out our updated website!