Political Climate

Deep-seated racial justice issues have been brought to the fore in recent weeks by a series of nationwide protests over police violence. These protests are taking place in the midst of a global pandemic, which has exposed, and in many cases worsened, long-standing issues of racial inequality. 

The energy and climate space is not immune to racial discrimination. But some politicians have questioned whether this is the right moment to talk about issues such as pollution, calling it a misplaced political move.

Mustafa Santiago Ali has been on the frontlines of the fight for environmental justice since he was a teenager and throughout his 24 years at the EPA. Now, as vice president of environmental justice, climate and community revitalization for the the National Wildlife Federation, Ali says he’s hopeful this historic moment will accelerate equitable energy solutions.

On this episode, Ali connects the dots between the clean air, affordable energy and the racial justice movement. We also discuss the implications of recent environmental rollbacks by the Trump Administration and take a hard look at how the clean energy industry can promote greater diversity. 

Plus, we discuss Republican approaches to combatting inequality, teeing off of comments made by Representatives John Shimkus (R-Illinois) and David McKinley (R-West Virginia) at this week’s House Energy and Commerce Committee hearing on the disproportionate impact of COVID-19 on frontline communities — where Ali testified.

Recommended reading:

• The Hill: Trump's latest environmental rollback threatens minority communities, experts warn
• Politico: California lawmakers rebuke top regulator who invoked 'I can't breathe' in air quality fight
• HuffPost: Solar Power Has A Diversity Problem
• GTM: ‘We Too Must Improve’: Clean Energy Industry Looks Into Mirror on Racial Inequity
• Political Climate: Fighting Energy Injustice and Coronavirus in African American Communities

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!

Democrats are beginning to rally around a progressive, three-part climate platform that prioritizes environmental justice. But will Joe Biden fully embrace it? If so, could it sway the 2020 election? Or will few voters care in this turbulent year?

On this episode of Political Climate, we speak to Maggie Thomas, political director at Evergreen Action, a new group created by former Jay Inslee campaign staffers to promote a comprehensive climate plan for Democrats.

We discuss how the left came to unite around the concept of pursuing rapid decarbonization through sector-specific standards, large-scale public investments, and a commitment to justice and equity (as Vox's David Roberts first reported). We also learn how Thomas and her colleagues crafted Inslee’s environmental justice plan — a plan that’s all the more relevant in light of recent protests. 

Plus, we get a read on the most politically attractive elements of the crystalizing climate platform. Are there policies that progressive Bernie Sanders supporters, moderate Biden fans and perhaps even some Republicans could support?

Recommended reading:

• Evergreen Action Plan
• Vox: At last, a climate policy platform that can unite the left
• Vox: Joe Biden has a chance to make history on climate change
• Medium: A Week of Podcasts for the Advocate New to Climate Justice
• WaPo: I’m a black climate expert. Racism derails our efforts to save the planet.

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 also supported by the nonprofit environmental forum EarthX. The EarthxOcean virtual event takes place June 9-June 11. Tune in to learn about protecting ocean life support systems. Register at www.earthx.org/earthxocean.

Buckle up. Electric vehicle sales are expected to take a big hit this year amid the current health and economic crisis. Industry analysts say the long-term prospects for EVs remain strong, but the jury’s still out on how quickly the market will rebound.  

The EV market outlook could have a major impact on the U.S. economy overall. Boosting government investment in clean transportation is being championed by advocates and several lawmakers as a way to put Americans back to work and build out of the coronavirus downturn. The EV growth trajectory will also have a direct impact on whether or not the U.S. will be able to achieve the goal of net zero emissions by 2050.

In the sixth episode of Political Climate's monthly “Path to Zero” series, supported by the public policy think tank Third Way, we discuss what it will take to decarbonize the transportation sector, with a focus on accelerating the adoption of electric vehicles. 

We speak to Democratic Congresswoman Debbie Dingell, representative for Michigan's 12th congressional district, about what it will take to reboot the American automotive industry and get the U.S. EV market back on track coming out of the economic recession.

We also speak to James “Jim” Chen, vice president of public policy at the high-profile electric vehicle startup Rivian. The Detroit-based company set out on a mission to “keep the world adventurous” by building rugged, long-range, high-performance electric trucks and SUVs. Rivian’s R1T and R1S have generated a lot of fanfare (and raised a lot of money). But are electric adventure vehicles really going to make a dent in reducing transportation emissions?

Plus, Political Climate co-host Brandon Hurlbut describes what he likes about driving electric and the killer deal he got on his EV purchases. 

Recommended reading:

• Detroit News: Rep. Dingell aims to jump-start Washington electric-vehicle debate
• Politico: The One-Woman Campaign to Get Michigan Back for the Dems
• Verge: Rivian races ahead of other EV startups with $1.3 billion in new funding
• Axios: These electric vehicle companies have the best shot at surviving
• GTM: 4 Takeaways From Amazon’s Huge Electric Delivery Van Order

Political Climate is produced in partnership with the USC Schwarzenegger Institute.

“Path to Zero” is created in partnership with the public policy think tank Third Way. Episodes air monthly on the Political Climate podcast feed. Listen and subscribe on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Stitcher, Google Play or wherever you get podcasts!

The skies may look clearer these days. But don’t get too excited. Levels of smog and other short-lived climate pollutants (remember HFCs?) are still high and climbing.

The good news: there’s a long track record of international cooperation to get these harmful pollutants in check. The challenge: finding the political will to eliminate them entirely.

Short-lived climate pollutants include black carbon or soot, methane, hydrofluorocarbons and tropospheric ozone, or what we think of as city smog. In addition to heating up the atmosphere, they dirty our air, make people sick and affect the ozone layer.

In this episode, we speak to legendary environmental litigator, professor, author and advocate Durwood Zaelke about why the world needs to prioritize non-carbon dioxide greenhouse gases and what’s being done to curb them (with support from both sides of the political aisle).

Zaelke is the founder and President of the Institute for Governance & Sustainable Development in Washington, DC and Paris, where he focuses on fast mitigation strategies to protect the climate. He’s received numerous awards for his work on the Montreal Protocol and his efforts to enact the Kigali Amendment to phasedown HFCs for climate protection.

Recommended reading:

• NPR: Traffic Is Way Down Because Of Lockdown, But Air Pollution? Not So Much
• The Hill: Trump drags feet on climate treaty, and Republicans aren’t happy
• The Guardian: Study finds shock rise in levels of potent greenhouse gas
• Short-Lived Climate Pollutants

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 Eavor, the first truly scalable form of clean baseload power. Learn more at eavor.com.

This episode is also supported by the nonprofit environmental forum EarthX. The EarthxOcean virtual event takes place June 9-June 11. Tune in to learn about protecting ocean life support systems. Register at www.earthx.org/earthxocean.

Late last year, the European Union introduced a $1 trillion plan to reach carbon neutrality by 2050 and achieve a just transition away from polluting technologies.

Europe’s Green Deal enjoys strong backing from many of the EU’s top political figures. But it faces pushback from coal-heavy member states. Implementation of the Green Deal has now been further complicated by the urgent need for governments to respond to the coronavirus pandemic.

On this episode, we bring you a conversation with EU Ambassador to the U.S. Stavros Lambrinidis about the implications of COVID-19 for Europe’s energy and climate agenda.

Not only that — we also discuss the fallout from plummeting oil prices, what to do with stranded fossil fuel assets, the outlook for a U.S. green recovery plan, and corporate clean energy commitments amid coronavirus with a stellar panel of experts from Google, The Aspen Institute and elsewhere. This episode you'll also hear from:

• Nikos Tsafos, senior fellow at the Center for Strategic and International Studies
• Kevin Book, managing director of research at Clearview Energy Partners
• Marsden Hanna, head of sustainability and climate policy for the government affairs team at Google
• Greg Gershuny, executive director of the Aspen Institute's energy and environment program

Political Climate host Julia Pyper moderates this conversation, which originally took place as a virtual event hosted by the EU Delegation to the U.S.

Recommended reading:

• GTM: Moonshot Moment: Europe Announces Green Deal
• GTM: EU Green Deal Should Be Canceled Because of Coronavirus, Czech PM Says
• Euractiv: EU leaders back ‘green transition’ in pandemic recovery plan
• Virtual event: How COVID-19 affects the climate and energy agenda

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 Eavor, the first truly scalable form of clean baseload power. Learn more at eavor.com.

Are progressive ideas on how to tackle climate change a political poison pill? New opinion polling challenges this commonly held assumption.

On this week's episode of Political Climate, we discuss how data is helping decode where the American public stands on progressive issues with Julian Brave NoiseCat, vice president of policy and strategy at the left-wing think tank Data for Progress.

We dig into new polling on the Green New Deal and passing a green stimulus bill in response to COVID-19. We also look at public views on nationalizing the U.S. oil and gas industry and potential Democratic picks for vice president.

Plus, Julian puts a question to co-host Shane Skelton about the Republican response to climate change. As always, we end with our segment “Say Something Nice.”

Recommended reading:

• Politico: What AOC Gets that Bernie Didn’t
• Data for Progress: Voters Want a Green Stimulus
• Data for Progress: The Coronavirus Pandemic Has Made Voters More Supportive of the Green New Deal
• Data for Progress: Nationalize the Fossil Fuel Industry
• No Place Like Home

Political Climate is produced in partnership with the USC Schwarzenegger Institute. Find us on Twitter @Poli_Climate! Tweet at our hosts at @JMPyper @BrandonHurlbut @ShaneSkelton.

Listen and subscribe to Political Climate on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Stitcher, Google Play or wherever you get podcasts!

African Americans are struggling with a disproportionate death toll from COVID-19 and severe financial strain from the economic downturn. This crisis has exposed preexisting racial disparities created by deep-seated social, economic and political factors. 

These same underlying issues make African Americans more vulnerable to health damage from pollution, as well as from heat waves, storms and other effects of climate change. 

Meanwhile, African Americans are missing out on wealth creation opportunities in the clean energy economy, which could be an effective solution to some of these underlying issues — bringing jobs and environmental benefits to communities that need it the most.

In this episode of Political Climate, the fifth in our "Path to Zero" series with Third Way, we look at how COVID-19 and climate change are affecting Black communities, and how these issues can be tackled in tandem. 

We speak to Jared DeWese and Akunna Cook at Third Way about the multiple crises facing Black Americans today. We also hear from Naomi Davis, a grassroots leader and green village builder in Chicago’s Southside, who succeeded in shaping a landmark clean energy bill in Illinois. 

Finally, we speak to Tony Reames, assistant professor at the University of Michigan School for Environment and Sustainability, about the issue of “energy injustice.” We also discuss takeaways from preliminary research on how African Americans are thinking about climate and energy issues in 2020.

Recommended reading:

• National Geographic: African Americans struggle with disproportionate COVID death toll
• NYT: New Research Links Air Pollution to Higher Coronavirus Death Rates
• Quartz: The overwhelming whiteness of US environmentalism is hobbling the fight against climate change
• ISEA: Future Energy Jobs Act Workforce Development Programs
• HuffPost: Solar Power Has A Diversity Problem

Political Climate is produced in partnership with the USC Schwarzenegger Institute.

“Path to Zero” is created in partnership with the public policy think tank Third Way. Episodes air monthly on the Political Climate podcast feed. Listen and subscribe on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Stitcher, Google Play or wherever you get podcasts!

John Kerry isn’t pleased. 

As the world celebrates the 50th anniversary of Earth Day, the former senator and secretary of state says a profound lack of leadership is causing the United States to fall behind on climate action and clean energy innovation.

In this episode of Political Climate, we speak to Secretary Kerry about his outlook on combatting climate change. We get his views on abolishing the Senate filibuster, decarbonizing the power grid, the future role of fossil fuels, American leadership (or lack thereof) on the international stage, and more.

We also get an update on Kerry’s World War Zero coalition. The initiative was launched last year with a high-profile cast of founding members to mobilize mass action to combat the climate crisis. The coalition's main goal is to host more than ten million “climate conversations” in 2020 with citizens from across the political spectrum. Has the star-studded effort been successful so far?

Finally, we turn to a brief interview with Tia Nelson, environmental leader, climate program director at the Outrider Foundation and daughter of former Senator and Governor Gaylord Nelson, the founder of Earth Day.

Nelson was 13 years old on April 22, 1970 — the first Earth Day ever. We get her thoughts on how the environmental movement has evolved over time. 

Recommended reading:

• WaPo: John Kerry: Why I’m an optimist this Earth Day
• WBNS: Arnold Schwarzenegger, John Kerry, John Kasich hold town hall on climate change at Otterbein
• Heated: A conversation with John Kerry
• Isthmus: Earth Day turns 50
• When the Earth Moves Film

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 by the nonprofit environmental forum EarthX. The Earthx2020 Conference and Film Festival is being held virtually from April 22-27 to mark the 50th anniversary of Earth Day. Find more information at www.earthx.org!

The 2020 election is crawling forward amid the coronavirus pandemic. Former Vice President Joe Biden has become the presumptive nominee for the Democratic Party, with Senator Bernie Sanders announcing his withdrawal from the race.

With the primary settled, the next question is: can Biden win over Bernie’s climate supporters? And how much do these supporters matter?

Speaking of support, clean energy stakeholders say they're in dire need of government help. Industry researchers project that the clean energy sector could lose more than a half million jobs — or 15 percent of its total workforce — in the coming months if no additional policy actions are taken by Congress.

More than 106,000 workers already lost their jobs in the month of March alone, according to a new analysis by Environmental Entrepreneurs, the American Council on Renewable Energy, E4TheFuture and BW Research. In light of these numbers, will a Republican-led Senate step in to save the clean energy workforce?

We discuss on this week’s episode of Political Climate.

Recommended reading:

• Axios: Biden and Sanders vow joint climate work as part of endorsement
• NYT: Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez Has Never Spoken to Joe Biden. Here’s What She Would Say
• GTM: Virginia Mandates 100% Clean Power by 2045
• The Atlantic: Coronavirus Killed the Policy Primary
• E2: 106,000 Jobs in Clean Energy Lost in March Due to COVID-19 Economic Crisis

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 by the nonprofit environmental forum EarthX. The Earthx2020 Conference and Film Festival will be held virtually from April 22-27 to mark the 50th anniversary of Earth Day. Find more information at www.earthx.org!

The coronavirus outbreak continues to loom large over the world. Across the globe, countries face major challenges as consumer demand contracts, employee payroll is cut, and capital shrinks as billions of people remain in quarantine. 

The combination of an economic downturn, cheap oil and gas, and global supply chain disruptions will have big consequences for clean energy markets and climate action in the U.S and abroad. But is it all bad news?

In this episode, we bring you a conversation on the implications of COVID-19 for climate and clean energy with four expert voices. Drawing on data and experience, speakers weigh in on the future of sustainable finance, low-carbon technology deployment, and government stimulus efforts.

This discussion was recorded earlier in the week at virtual event presented by the Atlantic Council's Global Energy Center and moderated by podcast host Julia Pyper.

Joining her this episode are:

• Ethan Zindler, Head of Americas at Bloomberg New Energy Finance
• Rachel Kyte, former CEO and Special Representative of the UN Secretary-General for Sustainable Energy for All and Dean of The Fletcher School at Tufts University
• Rich Powell, executive director of the ClearPath Foundation
• Adnan Amin, former Director-General of the International Renewable Energy Agency and Distinguished Fellow and the Atlantic Council's Global Energy Center

Recommended reading:

• GTM: Coronavirus Derailed COP26 Talks, But Not Europe’s Appetite for Climate Action
• Vox: How the Covid-19 recession could become a depression
• CNN: Here's what America's oil CEOs discussed with Trump
• Atlantic Council: COVID-19: Clean energy and climate impacts

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 by the nonprofit environmental forum EarthX. The Earthx2020 Conference and Film Festival will be held virtually from April 22-27 to mark the 50th anniversary of Earth Day. Find more information at www.earthx.org!

Climate change didn’t stop while the world turned its attention to combating the coronavirus. Will leaders seize the moment to tackle more than one crisis?

The $2 trillion Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act offered no explicit support for the energy sector. Will Congress use the next stimulus bill to accelerate the green economy as part of the COVID-19 recovery? If so, when and how? Or will climate friendly stimulus measures fall by the wayside for now?

Plus, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency announced it will allow companies to break pollution laws during the pandemic and did not set a timeline to start implementing the laws again. We discuss how this compares to the crisis response of past administrations.. 

We end with some tips on how to weather through COVID-19 and related economic troubles, including a breakdown of the financial support available to cleantech startups under the recently passed CARES Act.

Recommended reading:

• E&E News: Does climate change still matter in the election?
• The Guardian: Trump administration allows companies to break pollution laws during coronavirus pandemic
• Medium: A Green Stimulus to Rebuild Our Economy
• Wired: The Analogy Between Covid-19 and Climate Change Is Eerily Precise
• The Guardian: Polar ice caps melting six times faster than in 1990s

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 by the nonprofit environmental forum EarthX. The Earthx2020 Conference and Film Festival will be held virtually from April 22-27 to mark the 50th anniversary of Earth Day. Find more information at www.earthx.org!

Labor groups and environmentalists have a complicated relationship.

Efforts to mitigate climate change stand to create new employment opportunities in a thriving, low-carbon economy. But they also stand to eliminate many unionized jobs, particularly in the fossil fuel industry.

So how can organized labor and the environmental movement work together to promote a just and sustainable society? We discuss in a candid conversation with Lee Anderson, director of government affairs at the Utility Workers Union of America, and Anna Fendley, director of regulatory and state policy at the United Steelworkers.

We also explore how policymakers can support blue collar workers and expand job prospects, while dramatically cutting down carbon emissions. Does the prospect of another economic stimulus bill in response to COVID-19 present an opportunity to accelerate America's blue-green economy?

This is the fourth episode of Political Climate’s monthly “Path to Zero” series, brought to you by the public policy think tank Third Way. The series explore how people are being affected by the transition to cleaner energy resources, and the economic challenges and opportunities created in the process. It examines the technologies and policies we will need to implement to drive down carbon emissions, and the politics driving this dialogue. Listen and subscribe to all “Path to Zero” episodes here!

Recommended reading:

• Solidarity for Climate Action
• Politico: Energy Issues in Stimulus Limbo
• A Green Stimulus to Rebuild Our Economy

Political Climate is produced in partnership with the USC Schwarzenegger Institute.

“Path to Zero” is created in partnership with the public policy think tank Third Way. Episodes air monthly on the Political Climate podcast feed. Listen and subscribe on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Stitcher, Google Play or wherever you get podcasts!

With cases recorded in more than 140 countries, the novel coronavirus has become a global health crisis. 

In the U.S., bars and offices have been closed, conferences cancelled and kids kept home from school in an attempt to slow the spread. President Trump has declared a national emergency and invoked the Defense Production Act to accelerate the virus response.

So why aren’t we reacting as swiftly to climate change -- another human-propelled global catastrophe that could harm human health and wellbeing for generations to come?

These threats are not the same, but they do share certain attributes. We discuss with risk and behavioral scientist Sweta Chakraborty, founder of Adapt to Thrive and co-host the live weekly radio show “Risky Behavior.”

Recommended reading:

• NBC: Me, worry? For coronavirus, it depends on your politics
• GTM: For Wind and Solar Sectors, Biggest Coronavirus Risk May Be a Damaged Economy
• GreenBiz: COVID-19 and climate change: A healthy dose of reality
• London Real: Jonathan Haidt - Climate Change Ideology

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 by the nonprofit environmental forum EarthX. Looking for a new activity? Challenge yourself to take on the 50 for 50 Challenge — 5 Pledges x 10 Actions = 50 Ways to Protect our Planet in honor of Earth Day's 50th anniversary. Sign up at www.earthx.org!

It's been pretty hard to miss the latest news. Coronavirus spreads! Oil prices plummet! Stock market crashes!

What does all of this have to do with climate and clean energy? A lot, actually.

On Monday, oil prices had their worst day since the 1991 Gulf War, falling 24 percent to around $34 per barrel. So how did we get here? And what does the combination of rock bottom oil prices and the coronavirus mean for clean energy?

We break it down on this episode of Political Climate in an interview with David Livingston, senior analyst at the political risk consultancy Eurasia Group with a focus on energy and global macroeconomics.

Recommended reading:

• E&E News: EVs, shale and Trump: 5 takeaways from the oil crash
• WaPo: White House likely to pursue federal aid for shale companies hit by oil shock, coronavirus downturn
• GTM: Coronavirus May Challenge Solar Industry’s Tax Credit Strategy

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 by the nonprofit environmental forum EarthX. This April marks the 50th anniversary of Earth Day, and there’s no better way to celebrate than at the EarthX Expo, Conference and Film Festival in Dallas, Texas. This event is for everyone, including you! Visit earthx.org to learn more and register.

Joe Biden had a super, Super Tuesday. We discuss the results and what they mean for climate in the 2020 Democratic Primary. We also touch on the sweeping Senate energy bill that could come to a vote any day now.

Plus, there was another big winner this week! We share the results of our policy bracket competition from last week’s Decarb Madness episode.

In the latter half of this show (26 min), we discuss how to pick the best policies for decarbonizing the U.S. economy with experts at the think tank Energy Innovation who created the policy simulator we used to evaluate last week’s policy brackets.

If you haven’t heard the Decarb Madness episode yet, we recommend going back to give it a listen.

Recommended reading:

• WaPo: Sweeping Senate Energy Bill Could Come to a Vote This Week
• GTM: Sweeping Senate Energy Bill Could Come to a Vote This Week
• Energy Innovation: A Policy Pathway To Reach U.S. Net Zero Emissions By 2050
• Decarb Madness: How Would You Build a Policy Bracket to Decarbonize the Power Sector?

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 by the nonprofit environmental forum EarthX. This April marks the 50th anniversary of Earth Day, and there’s no better way to celebrate than at the EarthX Expo, Conference and Film Festival in Dallas, Texas. This event is for everyone, including you! Visit earthx.org to learn more and register.

Welcome to Decarb Madness! The policy bracket game for energy wonks who don’t want to play with our future. 

With March Madness just around the corner and a climate crisis closing in, Political Climate challenged four energy experts to build their ideal policy bracket for decarbonizing the electricity sector.

For the third episode in our “Path to Zero” series, contestants were asked to select five federal-level policies that they think will win the day — both in terms of carbon reductions in 2050 and political feasibility.

Decarb Madness 2020 features Jesse Jenkins, assistant professor of mechanical and aerospace engineering Princeton University, and Leah Stokes, assistant professor of political science at the University of California, Santa Barbara. Political Climate co-hosts Brandon Hurlbut and Shane Skelton also gave it a shot.  

In round one, each player explains why they made their respective policy picks. Following that, host/referee Julia Pyper steps in to explain how each bracket ranks on emissions reductions using the Energy Policy Simulator, a computer model developed by the nonpartisan climate policy firm Energy Innovation.

In round two, each contestant makes the case for why their policy bracket is the most politically and technologically feasible. And then you come in! As soon as you hear this episode, head over to the Political Climate Twitter page @poli_climate and vote for whose bracket you think is the best. We will announce the winner on our next show.

Game on.

Recommended reading:

• Policy list
• Jesse's policy bracket
• Leah's policy bracket
• Brandon's policy bracket
• Shane's policy bracket

Political Climate is produced in partnership with the USC Schwarzenegger Institute.

“Path to Zero” is created in partnership with the public policy think tank Third Way. Episodes air monthly on the Political Climate podcast feed. Listen and subscribe on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Stitcher, Google Play or wherever you get podcasts!

Is the United States positioned to lead long-term as the global energy mix continues to shift?

Fossil fuels have shaped the geopolitical map over the last two centuries. Now, the rapid deployment of renewables has set in motion a global energy transition that could have profound geopolitical consequences.

In this episode of Political Climate, we speak to Daniel Simmons, assistant secretary for the Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy, about how the U.S. Energy Department is thinking about intersection of geopolitics and cleantech.

We also discussed the DOE’s new Energy Storage Grand Challenge and how the agency is deploying capital to support clean energy innovation more broadly under President Trump — and how the DOE is defining “clean energy innovation” under President Trump.

Plus, we hear from Matt Myers, vice president of EarthxCapital. He’s just launched a new, bipartisan initiative with the DOE’s Office of Technology Transitions to address commercialization barriers for cleantech solutions. We’ll learn more about it. 

Finally, the Political Climate crew couldn’t ignore the latest news. So we also touch on this week’s fiery Democratic debate and Jeff Bezos’ new $10 billion commitment to fund climate action. 

Recommended reading:

• Washington Examiner: Bloomberg: US can't afford to ban fracking 'for awhile'
• GTM: What Would It Take for the US to Become an Energy Storage Manufacturing Powerhouse?
• Report: Bridging the U.S. Environmental Technology Gaps to Market

Political Climate is produced in partnership with the USC Schwarzenegger Institute.

Listen and subscribe to the Political Climate podcast via Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Stitcher, Google Play, Overcast or any of these other services. Find us on Twitter @Poli_Climate! Follow our hosts at @JMPyper @ShaneSkelton and @BrandonHurlbut.

This episode is brought to you by the nonprofit environmental forum EarthX. This April marks the 50th anniversary of Earth Day, and there’s no better way to celebrate than at the EarthX Expo, Conference and Film Festival in Dallas, Texas. This event is for everyone, including you! Visit earthx.org to learn more and register.

We’re off to the races! The Democratic primary started slow off the blocks in Iowa, but the nomination process is now well underway following the New Hampshire vote.

What have we learned so far in this election? Where have we seen climate and energy play in? And what’s to come next?

On this week’s episode of Political Climate, we discuss the latest developments in arguably the most consequential ⁠— or at least the most contentious ⁠— election in U.S. history. Plus we touch on a handful of energy policy updates.

Recommended reading:

• The Nation: Climate Is on the Ballot in New Hampshire
• GTM: Time to Reinvent BP, Says New CEO
• NYT: In Crucial Pennsylvania, Democrats Worry a Fracking Ban Could Sink Them
• Earther: The Trump Administration Is Withholding Almost $1 Billion in Renewable Energy Funding

Political Climate is produced in partnership with the USC Schwarzenegger Institute.

Listen and subscribe to the Political Climate podcast via Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Stitcher, Google Play, Overcast or any of these other services. Find us on Twitter @Poli_Climate! Follow our hosts at @JMPyper @ShaneSkelton and @BrandonHurlbut.

This episode is brought to you by the nonprofit environmental forum EarthX. This April marks the 50th anniversary of Earth Day, and there’s no better way to celebrate than at the EarthX Expo, Conference and Film Festival in Dallas, Texas. This event is for everyone, including you! Visit earthx.org to learn more and register.

What the heck happened in Iowa? Democratic co-host Brandon Hurlbut shares a first-hand account of the caucus reporting glitch and top voter issues in the first state to hold a presidential nominating contest. We look at where climate ranked.

Meanwhile in the capitol, House Democrats have unveiled draft legislation and policy roadmap to reach net zero emissions by 2050. Is this the kind of bold climate leadership that advocates have been calling for? And are there proposals in the CLEAN Future Act that Republicans could back? Co-host Shane Skelton argues that there are.

Not to be left out, House Republicans are floating their own climate plan that focuses on planting trees, removing plastic pollution and funding clean energy innovation. But is it the kind of innovation that the planet needs or is it a smokescreen? A good first step or pure optics?

We discuss what innovation means to Republicans and where there's common ground with Democrats on this week's episode of Political Climate!

Recommended reading:

• WaPo: Climate change among top concerns for Iowa Democratic caucus-goers
• NPR: Iowa Farmer Says He's Disenchanted With President Trump
• E&C: E&C Leaders Release Draft CLEAN Future Act
• Axios: What’s in Republicans’ new climate-change push
• Vox: “Innovation”: the latest GOP smokescreen on climate change policy
• NRDC: Promising Bipartisan Movement

Political Climate is produced in partnership with the USC Schwarzenegger Institute.

Listen and subscribe to the Political Climate podcast via Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Stitcher, Google Play, Overcast or any of these other services.

Find us on Twitter @Poli_Climate! Follow our hosts at @JMPyper @ShaneSkelton and @BrandonHurlbut.

Science tells us we must reach net zero emissions by 2050 to stave off the most devastating impacts of climate change. But do we have all of the technologies we need to do it?

In the second episode of Political Climate's “Path to Zero” series, we put that question to physicist, professor, Nobel Laureate, and former U.S. Secretary of Energy Steven Chu.

Under his leadership, the DOE launched several new initiatives to help put the United States at the forefront of cleantech development, including the creation of Energy Innovation Hubs and the Advanced Research Projects Agency – Energy, or ARPA-E. Chu also oversaw $90 billion in Recovery Act funding for strategic clean energy investments.

Together these measures helped jumpstart America’s modern green economy. But what now? Do we have what we need to reach net zero?

Find out in this episode of “Path to Zero” series, presented with support from Third Way — a leading public policy think tank based in Washington, DC that champions thoughtful and data-driven climate solutions to put the United States on the fastest and fairest path to net-zero emissions by 2050.

“Path to Zero” episodes will air monthly on the Political Climate podcast feed. Episode one "The Urgency of Reaching Net Zero" is available here. Subscribe on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Stitcher, Google Play or wherever you get podcasts!

Recommended reading:

• The Atlantic: The 'Silent Green Revolution' Underway at the Department of Energy
• The Onion: Hungover Energy Secretary Wakes Up Next To Solar Panel

Political Climate is produced in partnership with the USC Schwarzenegger Institute.

Listen and subscribe to the Political Climate podcast via Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Stitcher, Google Play, Overcast or any of these other services.