Episodes

Many Americans are pessimistic about the U.S. election system. From skepticism around mail-in ballots and voting machines to coping with long lines and shuttered polling places, voter confidence has slumped. When it comes to ...

Some of the most influential people in energy policy are almost completely unknown to the public. The transition to wind, solar, and other efficient technologies has the potential to make electricity more reliable and afforda...

The midterm elections are less than a month away. Inflation, the economy, abortion access and election integrity are among voters’ top priorities this cycle, but how will they influence decisions on the ballot and, ultimately...

Clean energy is known to help grow economies and reduce carbon emissions. Can it also help strengthen democracies? That may seem like a tall order for a set of technologies. But when you consider how petro-dictatorships have ...

The Inflation Reduction Act has not only been signed into law, President Biden and Democratic leaders hosted a nearly full-day celebratory event at the White House last week to underscore passage of the historic bill. But the...

California experienced a record-setting heat wave in early September that brought the state’s electricity grid very close to failure and forced tough choices on customers trying to stay cool while complying with alerts to sav...

Many of our homes use fossil fuels to keep us warm, heat our water, and cook our food. But as the U.S. moves to decarbonize, there’s a push for homeowners to switch to electric appliances and systems. Now, with the Inflation ...

The Inflation Reduction Act has been aptly labeled a “climate bill,” but in many ways it’s an “American competitiveness bill.” Building and deploying clean energy technology within the U.S. is a major focus of the $450 billio...

Whiplash, anyone? After many months of intense negotiations and more than one derailment, the U.S. Senate recently passed the largest legislative investment in climate action in U.S. history. The Inflation Reduction Act of 20...

Have we entered a new era for nuclear power? Energy security needs, financial pressures, and climate concerns are driving renewed interest in nuclear power plants — particularly small modular reactors that are easier and chea...

How can you go solar when you can’t put panels on your roof? Don't worry, there is a way! Through shared solar arrays — a model known as community solar. In this Political Climate Newsflash episode, host Julia Pyper and produ...

The U.S. Supreme Court wrapped up its term last month with a series of high-profile and controversial decisions — including on the case West Virginia v. Environmental Protection Agency. In that opinion, a 6-3 majority determi...

As nations scramble to wean off of Russian energy, the U.S. has committed to supporting its European allies in their quest for energy security. At the same time, American consumers are confronting the highest rate of inflatio...

Despite remarkable breakthroughs in clean energy deployment, there has been little progress made on the thorny issue of what to do with solar panels, wind turbines, batteries and other equipment when they reach the end of the...

The hydrogen debate has evolved over the past two decades, shifting from how hydrogen could be used in the auto industry toward its potential use in hard-to-decarbonize sectors such as trucking, aviation, shipping and energy-...

Some of the most important news doesn’t make big, splashy headlines. That can be because developments unfold slowly or are super-wonky, or simply get overlooked in a busy news cycle. That’s why the Political Climate team is c...

Faced with record-high gas prices, more and more American consumers are looking to dump the pump. In the first three months of 2022, electric vehicle registrations shot up 60 percent, even as the overall car market shrunk. EV...

A major push is underway to onshore energy production and manufacturing in America now that Russia’s attack on Ukraine has highlighted the vulnerabilities of global energy supply chains. But the undertaking is complicated by ...

The Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act — a historic $1.2 trillion investment package, passed by Congress on a bipartisan basis — has received little fanfare since President Biden signed it into law last November. The bill...

The Paris Agreement of 2015 set the target of limiting global warming to 1.5°C above pre-industrial levels. This week’s release of the latest climate assessment report from the U.N. The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Chan...

Minerals and metals have a critical role to play in a low-carbon future — and a potentially controversial one, too. Conversations around extractive industries are complicated by supply chain issues, social impacts and nationa...

Russia’s brutal war on Ukraine has shone a spotlight on the complex web of energy, climate and geopolitical issues — and has arguably already changed the global energy landscape in profound and lasting ways. The crisis has re...

State legislatures around the country have a major impact on climate policy, and yet state political races often go unnoticed. Caroline Spears says that needs to change. Caroline created Climate Cabinet Action to help state l...

Senator Alex Padilla recently wrapped up his first year in the U.S. Senate as the first Latino to represent the state of California. It's been an eventful year, to put it mildly. On this episode of Political Climate , Sen. Pa...