Climate One

The war in Iran and closure of the Strait of Hormuz created a global energy supply crisis. And while gasoline prices didn’t reach the extreme highs some predicted a few months ago, the global markets are still in flux.

“What has been disrupted most is the confidence in the old energy system where you could reliably and affordably dig up a source of energy thousands of kilometers away from where you expected to ignite it and expect that process to be smooth,” says Gerald Butts, chairman of political risk consultancy the Eurasia Group.

What has the war in Iran meant for energy markets? How much have shortages and price spikes pushed more companies and countries toward renewable energy? As China reaps the benefits of decades of investment in clean tech and renewable energy, will the U.S. be left behind?

Guests:

Gerald Butts, Chairman and Senior Advisor, The Eurasia Group

Scott Marlow, Founder and CEO, Long Rows Consulting; Agricultural policy expert

Alex Wang, Law Professor, UCLA; Faculty Co-Director, Emmett Institute on Climate Change & the Environment

Highlights:

00:00 – Introduction

02:00 – Last decade of geopolitical turmoil on energy markets

07:00 – Responses of countries like Canada, China

13:30 – Risks of the U.S. being “Overpowered” according to The Eurasia Group

17:30 – Decarbonization is happening but it’s going to be slower than science demands

21:00 – How high diesel prices impact farmers

27:00 – How farmers cope with all the pressures of their business plus climate impacts

33:00 – We’re on the cusp in major change in how we farm in U.S. – Scott Marlow

42:00 – Alex Wang on China’s pivot towards pollution reduction and investments in clean tech

49:45 – How China flexed its oil demand during recent global energy crisis

54:00 – Last few months showcase two different paths towards energy supplies between China and U.S.

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

***

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

***

On November 5 at 5:30 p.m., join Climate One and the Children & Nature Network for an evening with Richard Louv, the internationally bestselling author of Last Child in the Woods. Tickets available at climateone.org/events

***

Support Climate One by going ad-free! Subscribe to Climate One on Patreon for exclusive access to all future episodes, free of ads. 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

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.

***

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.

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

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.

***

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.

Ad sales by Multitude. Contact them for ad inquiries at multitude.productions/ads

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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

***

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.

***

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

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

***

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.

***

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