Episodes

Are calls to action resonating with U.S. policymakers? Plus, an exclusive interview with Chilean President Sebastián Piñera.

Federal news tends to steal the limelight, but when it comes to spearheading innovative climate and energy policy states are really where the action is at. World leaders gathered at the United Nations Climate Action Summit earlier this week, where Secretary General Antonio Guterres called on countries to boost their commitments to fighting the climate crisis with concrete plans rather than platitudes. But while President Trump stopped by the summit on Monday, the U.S. was effectively absent fro...

Youth activists are spearheading a powerful political movement around addressing the climate crisis. Will 2019 be remembered as the year humanity turned a corner in the fight against climate change?

Who stood out at the CNN Climate Crisis Town Hall? How did conservatives react? Did general voters even care? Democratic presidential candidates covered a lot of ground over the course of the seven-hour climate policy telethon — from fracking bans to a new CarbonStar program, coal worker retraining programs to a major environmental justice fund. While there was widespread consensus on the need for climate action, some key differences also emerged between the contenders. We discuss the top take...

The Democratic presidential primary is heating up, so we break down where the candidates stand on climate. Labor Day Weekend typically marks a shift in a presidential campaign. Things get more serious and the field starts to winnow down. And sure enough, the number of Democratic contenders is starting to decline with Jay Inslee, John Hickenlooper and Kirsten Gillibrand stepping out of the race in recent days. In this episode of Political Climate, we examine how the remaining candidates stack ...

Former Senator Harry Reid explains why he believes ending the filibuster is necessary for the U.S. to pass critical legislation, including on climate change.

The Political Climate team sits down with NASA astronaut Scott Kelly to discuss technology, politics and the unique perspective that traveling to space offers on the climate crisis.

There were several moments of legitimate engagement on climate change at last week’s Democratic presidential debates. But did any of it resonate with voters? In this episode, we break down the key points candidates made on stage in Detroit — from promoting direct air capture to climate justice — with help from Jigar Shah, president and co-founder of Generate Capital and co-host of the Energy Gang podcast. Plus, top Republican pollster, Frank Luntz, gives Senate Democrats a lesson on climate ch...

Environmentalists don’t show up to vote as often as the overall population in an election. What gives?

We speak to billionaire climate activist Tom Steyer about why he's making a bid for president and using "emergency powers" to combat climate change.

What is going on in Washington D.C.? A Democrat feud, controversial tweets, and very little action on climate policy.

Winners and losers in the first round of Democratic debates.

We often can’t see or feel air pollution — and yet, it is taking a toll. In this episode, we hear stories of how people around the world are calling attention to this invisible killer.

Democrats are dominating the public dialogue on climate change. That is just a fact. And yet, things aren’t entirely black and white — or blue and red.

We are losing the fight against climate change, warns UN Secretary General António Guterres on this week's episode of Political Climate.

We speak to teen climate activist Greta Thunberg and former California governor Arnold Schwarzenegger about the climate crisis at the R20 Austrian World Summit in Vienna.

The Arctic is warming twice as fast as the rest of the planet, which is opening up new shipping routes and increasing access to fossil fuel reserves, while also threatening ecosystems and fueling geopolitical tensions. Are we approaching the end of the polar peace zone?

House Democrats disinvited former Congressman Carlos Curbelo from a climate change hearing this week, just days before the Florida Republican was scheduled to testify. Did the Dems prioritize politics over finding climate solutions? In this episode we're joined by Curbelo, a strong advocate for a national carbon tax, to get his view of what happened (15:15). Plus co-hosts Shane Skelton and Brandon Hurlbut spar over what this political play says about the future of climate action in the U.S. We...

Democrats came together last week to present a united front on tackling climate change, and pass the first meaningful climate bill in the House of Representatives in nearly a decade. But will it matter before 2020?

Democratic Presidential hopeful Beto O’Rourke unveiled a comprehensive climate change plan this week that seeks to achieve net-zero carbon emissions in the U.S. by 2050. The $5 trillion proposal is the most detailed climate plan announced by a 2020 presidential candidate to date. But the policy wasn't even a day old when the Sunrise Movement, a youth-led climate group backing the progressive Green New Deal, slammed O'Rourke for not being more ambitious. O'Rourke isn't the only Democratic polit...

Political Climate sits down with Green New Deal architects Rhiana Gunn-Wright, Demond Drummer and Zach Exley for an in-depth interview on the sweeping -- and evolving -- plan to address both climate change and economic inequality. Plus, we discuss rapper and comedian Lil Dicky's new song: "Earth."

What do bodybuilding and gerrymandering have to do with the fight against climate change? Arnold Schwarzenegger explains in an exclusive Political Climate interview. The former California governor and global environmental leader has been tackling the related issues of climate change and pollution for years by working across the political aisle. In this episode (13:30), Schwarzenegger explains why he still believes in working with people of all political stripes. The show kicks off with a look ...

Political Climate is back after a four-month hiatus, with some news!

The Political Climate partial shutdown comes to an end on April 8. Climate politics are evolving rapidly as the 2020 election looms large. The bipartisan podcast team will be back to discuss all of the latest twists and turns in an exciting new season.