Climate One

Making steel accounts for around 11% of global greenhouse gas emissions. But the industry could reduce that number by removing coal from the steel-making process entirely. Three of the U.S.’s last seven coal-based steel mills are situated along Lake Michigan. Together, these facilities produce nearly half of the steel made in the U.S., supplying skyscraper beams, car doors, and appliances across the country. And right now, in Northwest Indiana, a once-in-a-generation decision is on the table.

Nippon Steel, the owners of the Gary Works steel mill, can either extend the life of their aging blast furnaces for another 20 years and continuing coal-based production, or invest in cleaner, next-generation steelmaking. Other steelmakers have already moved towards decarbonization. Will Nippon switch to cleaner steelmaking for the next generation, or double-down on coal?

Guests:

Terry Steagall, Retired Steelworker, United Steelworker Union activist

Hilary Lewis, Steel Director, Industrious Labs

Roger Smith, Asia Lead, SteelWatch

Highlights:

00:00 – Introduction

1:55 Terry Steagall on the importance of the steel industry in northwest Indiana

4:31 Terry Steagall on relining blast furnaces

11:16 Terry Steagall on cleaner steel for the next generation

14:27 Hilary Lewis on steel industry emissions

19:36 Hilary Lewis on the realistic path to decarbonizing the steel industry

23:03 Hilary Lewis on the pressure facing the industry to make cleaner steel

27:57 Hilary Lewis on the industry’s move to southern states

34:01 Roger Smith on the scale of US Steel’s acquisition by Nippon Steel

36:58 Roger Smith on the “golden share” the Trump administration received

46:33 Roger Smith on the viable technology for cleaner steel

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

***

Join Climate One for an induction cooking demonstration night on July 21, at 6 p.m. at the Commonwealth Club in San Francisco. Come enjoy delicious food and wine, and learn about why cooking with magnets beats cooking with gas. 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.

***

Ad sales by ⁠⁠Multitude⁠⁠. Contact them for ad inquiries at ⁠⁠multitude.productions/ads⁠
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The “rights of nature” is the idea that if a corporation can have legal standing as a person, why can’t a river or a mountain? Thomas Linzey, one of the early architects of a legal framework for granting rights to nature, now believes that structure doesn’t go far enough: Even when ecosystems are granted rights, the land is still owned by someone or some entity, even if that is a land trust or conservancy.

Through Linzey’s work in collaboration with the Sacred Contract Coalition, a 30-acre mountain in Colorado was recognized in June 2025 as the first mountain to own itself. What could this mean for protecting other places?

Guests:

Thomas Linzey, Senior Legal Counsel, Center for Democratic and Environmental Rights

Crystal Wolfchild, Guardian of The Mountain

Kumu Ramsay Taum, Cultural Advisor

Highlights:

00:00 – Introduction

02:30 – Thomas Linzey on his career fighting projects on behalf of communities

05:40 – Linzey on why federal environmental laws don’t protect air, water, or communities

11:00 – Linzey explains rights of nature legal framework

16:30 – Successful rights of nature cases in other parts of the world

19:15 – Rights of nature is Western law catching up with Indigenous cosmovisions

21:45 – Going beyond the rights of nature to land that owns itself

35:00 – Crystal Wolfchild on what it means to be a guardian of the Mountain

40:30 – Wolfchild on what this case could mean for other places

44:00 – Ramsay Taum on incorporating Hawaiian sense of environmental responsibility with Western worldviews

50:45 – Taum on the connection between restoring sovereignty and the rights of nature

56:00 – How to respond to climate changes like rising sea levels

58:00 – Climate One More Thing

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

***

Join Climate One for an induction cooking demonstration night on July 21, at 6 p.m. at the Commonwealth Club in San Francisco. Come enjoy delicious food and wine, and learn about why cooking with magnets beats cooking with gas. 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.

***

Ad sales by ⁠Multitude⁠. Contact them for ad inquiries at ⁠multitude.productions/ads
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Summer is here, temperatures are rising — and so are electric bills. That also means many people are facing a severely overlooked issue: power shutoffs. According to a report by the U.S. Energy Information Administration, in 2024 utility companies disconnected U.S. households from electricity more than 13.4 million times due to a customer’s inability to pay. When that happens, people can’t turn on their lights, keep food refrigerated, or cool down the home. And regulations preventing shutoffs during extreme heat events are woefully inadequate. 

But when utilities help pay the upfront costs of efficiency upgrades, the customers and utilities can both save energy — and money. How do we protect the most vulnerable people from the dangers of home power shutoffs? 

Guests:

Jean Su, Energy Justice Director, Center for Biological Diversity 

Sanya Carley, Co-Director, Energy Justice Lab, University of Pennsylvania

Tamara Jones, Co-Executive Director, Clean Energy Works

Highlights:

00:00 Introduction    

4:15 Jean Su on topline takeaways from nationwide data

10:04 Jean Su on why utilities don’t cover the cost of non-payment 

12:55 Jean Su on polices to prevent shutoffs

16:16 Jean Su on the reality of underreported shutoffs 

22:17 Sanya Carley on what happens to a household when a shutoff occurs

25:15 Sanya Carley on seeking help after a shutoff

27:44 Sanya Carley on federal impact on shutoffs

29:56 Sanya Carley on what state legislatures can do 

35:25 Tamara Jones on working for justice

38:09 Tamara Jones on who is impacted by energy injustice

46:14 Tamara Jones on examples of where policy gets it right

50:56 Tamara Jones on what work needs to be done in policy and regulation

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

Join Climate One for an induction cooking demonstration night on July 21, at 6 p.m. at the Commonwealth Club in San Francisco. Come enjoy delicious food and wine, and learn about why cooking with magnets beats cooking with gas. 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.

***

Ad sales by Multitude. Contact them for ad inquiries at multitude.productions/ads
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Across the country, developers are racing to build huge new buildings to house computers to fuel the AI boom, creating an explosive demand for new energy. While some hyperscalers seek renewable energy, others are turning to fossil fuels. But concerns around high electric bills, air and noise pollution and water depletion have generated widespread community pushback against these giant facilities, and it seems opposing data centers is a bipartisan issue. Many cities and states are working to rapidly update zoning and other local regulations to respond to the dual pressures of developer interest and constituent backlash.

Since data center development isn’t slowing down, what policies or creative strategies can lessen the impacts for local communities and ratepayers?

Guests: 

KeShaun Pearson, Executive Director, Memphis Community Against Pollution 

Rebecca Egan McCarthy, Freelance Journalist

Jason Plautz, Reporter, E&E News and Politico

Astrid Atkinson, CEO, Camus

Highlights:

00:00 Introduction

3:15 KeShaun Pearson on updates to the Colossus data center pollution

6:18 KeShaun Pearson on state regulators allowing an expansion of gas turbines 

8:08 KeShaun Pearson on the effect of the pollution on the community

16:24 KeShaun Pearson on what he hopes the lawsuits can achieve 

19:38 Rebecca Egan McCarthy on Archbald and data center development 

22:26 Rebecca Egan McCarthy on who has the power to regulate data center projects

28:16 Rebecca Egan McCarthy on data center development outside of Archbald

30:21 Jason Plautz on changing attitudes toward data centers

34:32 Jason Plautz on where there is meaningful regulation happening

39:27 Jason Plautz on state level regulatory changes 

41:26 Jason Plautz on the pace of data center development

44:45 Astrid Atkinson on the effects of data center energy load on the grid

46:19 Astrid Atkinson on what flexibility means in the energy world

50:39 Astrid Atkinson on hyperscalers paying for their energy

55:22 Astrid Atkinson on how some policy changes can help communities 

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

---

Join Climate One for an induction cooking demonstration night on July 21, at 6 p.m. at the Commonwealth Club in San Francisco. Come enjoy delicious food and wine, and learn about why cooking with magnets beats cooking with gas. Tickets available at ⁠climateone.org/events⁠
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

More and more, conservative voices are making the case that the U.S. can’t achieve energy dominance without solar power. Even the leading industry trade group is changing its strategy.

Earlier this year, Politico reported that the American Clean Power Association launched the “American Energy First” campaign to engage Kellyanne Conway and conservative influencers like Katie Miller “to amplify the benefits of solar energy” and “note the harm that could result from reckless trade policy.” Meanwhile, conservative groups at the state and federal level are advocating for building out solar power in service of private property rights, economic development and national security.

Episode Guests:

Kelsey Brugger, Congressional policy reporter, Politico 

Skyler Zunk, Executive Director, Energy Right; Executive Director, America First Energy 

Lillian Floutsis, Indiana Senior Field Representative, Indiana Land and Liberty, Conservative Energy Network 

This episode also features a reported piece from David Condos of KUER.

Episode Highlights:

00:00 – Intro

03:00 – Kelsey Brugger explains American Clean Power memo about reaching out to conservative influencers

06:30 – Does this indicate an ideological shift on the right?

09:40 – How much can this effort shift views within the administration

14:00 – Kelsey Brugger on what this story says about how the clean energy industry is positioning itself

19:00 – Skylar Zunk shares rationale behind his “Make Solar Great Again” hats

23:40 – How America First Energy frames solar energy

32:00 – How approach to solar energy conversation differ in D.C. and Louisiana

36:50 – KUER’s David Condos reports on Utah communities moving toward renewable energy

43:00 – Lillian Floutsis shares story from Allen County, Indiana, about local debate around setbacks for solar energy development

48:00 – Floutsis on framing solar conversations in Indiana around property rights, economic development and national security

53:00 – Climate is usually not a part of these conversations

54:20 – Floutsis share solar success stories

57:50 – Climate One More Thing

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

---

Join us for our induction cooking demonstration night on July 21, at 6 p.m. at the Commonwealth Club in San Francisco. Come enjoy delicious food and wine, and learn about why cooking with magnets beats cooking with gas. 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.

***

Ad sales by Multitude. Contact them for ad inquiries at multitude.productions/ads
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices