Climate One

New York set some of the country's most ambitious climate goals, from slashing emissions to bracing for rising seas. But living in the city is freaking expensive. So what does it take for NYC to be affordable and climate-conscious?

In collaboration with Grist, we put that question to the city’s chief climate officer, a Grist reporter, and a grassroots leader during New York Climate Week. Listen as we discuss the places where climate, decarbonization, and affordability collide – and the ways people are working to make life better for New Yorkers while keeping both costs and carbon down.

Guests:

Daphany Rose Sanchez, Executive Director, Kinetic Communities Consulting

Jake Bittle, Staff Writer, Grist

Louise Yeung, NYC Chief Climate Officer

Jonathan Gilmour, Co-Executive Director, The Impact Project

Highlights:

00:00:00 Introduction

00:02:10 Jake Bittle on New York delaying climate goals

00:03:53 Daphany Rose Sanchez on the impact of delaying climate goals

00:05:31 Daphany Rose Sanchez on what’s missing in the affordability conversation

00:08:12 Jake Bittle on the affordability and climate connection

00:11:13 Daphany Rose Sanchez on the projects she’s excited about

00:14:37 Louise Yeung on the ability to address climate and affordability

00:18:25 Louise Yeung on the role of a public utility advocate

00:21:57 Louise Yeung on the battery powered food card pilot program

00:29:50 Louise Yeung on the challenge of implementing policy citywide

00:34:32 Louise Yeung on the headwinds facing climate work

00:37:23 Jonathan Gilmour on what motivated him to host community climate gatherings

00:40:34 Jonathan Gilmour on what people talked about at the community gatherings

00:43:21 Jonathan Gilmour on preserving climate data

00:48:38 Jonathan Gilmour improving the climate data that was preserved

For show notes, transcripts, and related links, visit ⁠ClimateOne.org.

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Join us, on October 14 at 6 p.m. for a conversation with PG&E CEO Patti Poppe on energy affordability, outages, and public outrage. Tickets available at climateone.org/events

On October 20 at 6 p.m. join us, in partnership with The Redford Center, for a screening of the short film In Earth We Trust, followed by a conversation with the filmmaker, the film’s central figure, and other faith leaders. Tickets available at climateone.org/events

Support Climate One by going ad-free! By subscribing to Climate One on Patreon, you’ll receive exclusive access to all future episodes free of ads, opportunities to connect with fellow Climate One listeners, and access to the Climate One Discord. Sign up today.

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How should Democrats campaign on climate? Some are quietly shelving climate-specific language ahead of the midterms in favor of terms like “energy crisis” and “affordability.” But Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse of Rhode Island has been talking about climate change on the Senate floor for more than a decade, and he has no plans to stop now.

“The most important thing that can be accomplished on the climate front is to end the pollute-for-free business model of the fossil fuel industry. It is morally wrong, it is economically wrong, it is an environmental sin, and there's literally no merit to it, which is why the fossil fuel industry has to prop it up with all this dark money and lies,” he says.

Plus, geothermal energy is having a moment – getting interest from data center developers and support from the Trump administration at a time when other renewable energy sources are getting the ax. What should we expect from the industry in the next five years?

Guests:

Sheldon Whitehouse, U.S. Senator (D-RI)

Jamie Beard, Founder and Executive Director, Project Innerspace

Highlights:

00:00 – Introduction

02:00 – Sen. Whitehouse on his “Time to Wake Up” speeches

05:40 – Influence of the Citizens United decision on bipartisan climate action

07:45 – Progress on permitting reform bill

12:50 – Climate hushing and its impact on the midtems

14:00 – People want to hear more about climate change

18:00 – Off-shore wind projects getting on the grid in Rhode Island

23:00 – Sen. Whitehouse on data centers and their impacts

27:30 – What’s possible if Democrats win big at midterms

34:40 – Jamie Beard gives update on the state of the geothermal energy industry

43:30 – The odd and complicated politics of Trump administration supporting geothermal

46:00 – Potential impact of Geothermal Energy Advancement Act

51:00 – Geothermal’s bigger price is heat, not electricity

58:00 – Climate One More Thing

For transcripts, show notes, and related links, visit our episode page.

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Join Climate One for a town hall event on September 28 at 6 p.m. on navigating AI, climate, and the future of democracy. How do we ensure that AI and data centers serve the public good? How does a democracy function when AI is distorting our sense of shared truths? Tickets available at climateone.org/events

Also: We’ll be having an electric conversation on October 14 at 6 p.m. between PG&E CEO Patti Poppe and California State Senator Scott Wiener about energy affordability, outages, and whether cities like San Francisco are ready to break up with the investor-owned utility model. Tickets available at climateone.org/events

On October 20th at 6 p.m. join us, in partnership with The Redford Center, for a screening of the short film In Earth We Trust, followed by a conversation with the filmmaker, the film’s central figure, and other faith leaders. Tickets available at climateone.org/events

Support Climate One by going ad-free! By subscribing to Climate One on Patreon, you’ll receive exclusive access to all future episodes free of ads, opportunities to connect with fellow Climate One listeners, and access to the Climate One Discord. Sign up today.

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As the 2026 midterms approach, voters are contending with concerns around affordability, the AI boom, and climate disruption in their daily lives. AI data centers have become the wild card in energy politics, driving up energy demand and utility bills, and playing a large role in a battleground House primary. A year after the One Big Beautiful Bill Act rolled back key parts of the Inflation Reduction Act, many climate advocates assumed the energy transition was stalled out, but new research suggests otherwise.

How will climate and energy shape the ballot box this year? And what's it like to campaign on those issues in a swing state?

William Lawrence, Candidate, US Congress MI-07; Co-founder, Sunrise Movement

Leah Stokes, Associate Professor, UC Santa Barbara; Author, “The Carbon Wave”

Lily Bermel, Visiting Fellow, Columbia Center on Global Energy Policy.

For show notes, related links, and episode transcript, visit our ⁠episode page⁠ at ClimateOne.org

Highlights:

00:00:00 Intro

00:03:25 William Lawrence on campaign messaging

00:05:48 William Lawrence on climate and data centers

00:08:05 William Lawrence on giving people more agency

00:13:21 William Lawrence on addressing decarbonization and affordability

00:16:41 Leah Stokes on rewriting narratives about having children in a climate crisis

00:18:55 Leah Stokes on what's driving climate hushing

00:26:36 Leah Stokes on working on climate policy and a high risk pregnancy

00:31:30 Leah Stokes on the trials and joys of working with others

00:36:17 Leah Stokes on what the future could hold after the midterms

00:39:42 Lily Bermel on the methodology of “Glass Half Full”

00:46:01 Lily Bermel on the other factors affecting solar and wind deployment

00:48:55 Lily Bermel on how energy could play into the midterm elections

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Join Climate One for a town hall event on September 28 at 6 p.m. on navigating AI, climate, and the future of democracy. How do we ensure that AI and data centers serve the public good? How does a democracy function when AI is distorting our sense of shared truths? Tickets available at ⁠climateone.org/events⁠

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Also: We’ll be having an electric conversation on October 14 at 6 p.m. between PG&E CEO Patti Poppe and California State Senator Scott Wiener about energy affordability, outages, and whether cities like San Francisco are ready to break up with the investor-owned utility model. Tickets available at ⁠climateone.org/events⁠

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Support Climate One by going ad-free! By subscribing to Climate One on ⁠Patreon⁠, you’ll receive exclusive access to all future episodes free of ads, opportunities to connect with fellow Climate One listeners, and access to the Climate One Discord. ⁠Sign up today⁠.

***

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Growing power demands – coupled with increasingly frequent climate-driven disasters – have led even staunch environmentalists like NRDC head Manish Bapna to rethink their past opposition to nuclear power.

Three Mile Island didn't kill anyone or cause major public harm, but it fundamentally changed U.S. nuclear policy for 40 years. Why did an accident with a relatively contained consequence have such a chilling effect – and what’s really different today? With dozens of new, purportedly safer designs at various stages of development and construction around the world, is it time for all of us to give nuclear energy a fresh look?

Guests:

Manish Bapna, President and CEO, NRDC

Denia Djokić, Assistant Research Scientist, University of Michigan

Josh Freed, Senior Vice President for Climate and Energy, Third Way

Edwin Lyman, Director of Nuclear Power Safety, Union of Concerned Scientists

Highlights:

00:00 – Introduction

02:30 – Manish Bapna explains shift in posture on nuclear power

07:45 – Why permitting and transmission reforms are necessary

12:00 – Ed Lyman and Josh Freed share concerns about climate change but differ on the role of nuclear energy

16:15 – Ongoing risks of nuclear energy

20:30 – Supply chain concerns

25:00 – Discussion of radioactive waste handling

31:30 – Role of the Nuclear Regulatory Commission and its independence under the current administration

40:00 – Where nuclear fits into carbon-free future

43:00 – Denia Djokić on how new advanced designs differ from older reactor designs

49:30 – SMRs are not plug-and-play

53:30 – New nuclear can’t meet the speed demands of AI

55:30 – Additional considerations around nuclear energy

57:30 – Climate One More Thing

For show notes, related links, and episode transcript, visit our episode page at ClimateOne.org

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Join Climate One for a town hall event on September 28 at 6 p.m. on navigating AI, climate, and the future of democracy. How do we ensure that AI and data centers serve the public good? How does a democracy function when AI is distorting our sense of shared truths? Tickets available at climateone.org/events

***

Also: We’ll be having an electric conversation on October 14 at 6 p.m. between PG&E CEO Patti Poppe and California State Senator Scott Wiener about energy affordability, outages, and whether cities like San Francisco are ready to break up with the investor owned utility model. Tickets available at climateone.org/events

***

Support Climate One by going ad-free! By subscribing to Climate One on Patreon, you’ll receive exclusive access to all future episodes free of ads, opportunities to connect with fellow Climate One listeners, and access to the Climate One Discord. Sign up today.

***

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While most Americans think of a truck or a sedan when they hear “electric vehicle,” a quiet revolution is happening in other countries on two and three wheels. In China and India, the electric vehicles doing the most to push out oil aren't cars – they're scooters, mopeds, motorcycles and the three-wheeled rickshaws and tuk-tuks that move people and packages through some of the world's busiest cities.

According to BloombergNEF’s EV Outlook report, 46% of global sales of two- and three-wheelers were electric last year. Collectively, they’re displacing more oil than cars. Electric delivery vehicles are also starting to show up in bigger U.S. cities. How might even greater adoption of “other” EV types benefit decarbonization?

Guests:

Aleksandra O'Donovan, Head of Electrified Transport, BloombergNEF

Samhita Shiledar, Principal, RMI

David Zipper, Contributing Writer, Bloomberg; Co-host, Look Both Ways

Highlights:

00:00 Introduction

02:37 Aleksandra O'Donovan on the BNEF 2026 EV Outlook

03:54 Aleksandra O'Donovan on adoption of electric two and three wheelers

08:40 Aleksandra O'Donovan on oil displacement from two and three wheelers

13:23 Aleksandra O'Donovan on what electric vehicle adoption means for emissions

18:36 Samhita Shiledar on the difference between US and Indian transportation

20:47 Samhita Shiledar on the reality of switching to electric vehicles for drivers

26:25 Samhita Shiledar on how the transition to EVs affects riders and consumers

33:04 Samhita Shiledar on the future of electric two and three wheelers

35:50 David Zipper on “car bloat”

41:37 David Zipper on what e-bike adoption rates in the US say about demand

47:47 David Zipper on golf cart adoption

For show notes, transcripts and related links, visit our episode page at ClimateOne.org

Join Climate One for a town hall event on September 28 at 6 p.m. on navigating AI, climate, and the future of democracy. How do we ensure that AI and data centers serve the public good? How does a democracy function when AI is distorting our sense of shared truths? Tickets available at climateone.org/events

***

Support Climate One by going ad-free! By subscribing to Climate One on Patreon, you’ll receive exclusive access to all future episodes free of ads, opportunities to connect with fellow Climate One listeners, and access to the Climate One Discord. Sign up today.

***

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