The Climate Pod

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Climate Film Club - "There Will Be Blood" (w/ Adam Nayman) Apr 26, 2023

Show notes

When Adam Nayman reflects on what makes There Will Be Blood so resonate, it's one of the central questions Paul Thomas Anderson's 2007 film asks that serves as a timeless themes in American culture. "What does it look like when you're appetite simply cannot be sated?" Nayman asks. "Your eyes are not bigger than your stomach. You literally need to have everything."

On today's show, Nayman, the author of Paul Thomas Anderson: Masterworks joins to break down the film. We discuss how Daniel Plainview reflects the feeling of living through the Bush Administration and War On Terror, why Paul Thomas Anderson uses our oil addiction as a motif in films, and what There Will Be Blood a mirror of a number of American businessmen throughout the country's history.

Adam Nayman is a contributing editor for Cinema Scope and writes for The New Yorker, The Ringer, Sight and Sound, Reverse Shot, and Little White Lies. He has written books on the Coen Brothers, Showgirls and the films of Ben Wheatley, and lectures on cinema and journalism at the University of Toronto and Toronto Metropolitan University.

Read Paul Thomas Anderson: Masterworks

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As always, follow us @climatepod on Twitter and email us at theclimatepod@gmail.com. Our music is "Gotta Get Up" by The Passion Hifi, check out his music at thepassionhifi.com. Rate, review and subscribe to this podcast on iTunes, Spotify, Stitcher, and more! Subscribe to our new YouTube channel! Join our Facebook group.

Upton Sinclair's "Oil!" New Edition (w/ Professor Michael Tondre) Apr 19, 2023

Show notes

In this installment of The Climate Pod's Climate Book Club (a new thing, maybe?), we revisit Upton Sinclair's 1927 classic Oil! with Professor Michael Tondre, who wrote the introduction to the recently released new edition of Sinclair's novel.

Michael Tondre is an Associate Professor at Stony Brook University and an expert in Victorian studies. In this conversation, we look back at the corruption in the fossil fuel industry that Sinclair explored in the early 20th century and how it remains relevant today. We also discuss the novel through our current understanding of the climate crisis and what Sinclair's work can teach us about the our fight for a better future.

Read the new edition of Upton Sinclair's Oil!

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What Does The IPCC Report Mean For Fossil Fuel Expansion? (w/ Greenpeace's Tim Donaghy and Data For Progress' Danielle Deiseroth) Apr 12, 2023

Show notes

The latest publication from the IPCC, AR6 Synthesis Report: Climate Change 2023, outlines a grim future if we don't decarbonize faster and prevent more unnecessary warming. In recent years, there have been major steps taken to accelerate decarbonization, including last year's Inflation Reduction Act passed in the United States to incentivize green energy investments. But even while carbon-free energy infrastructure continues to get a boost, new fossil fuel infrastructure isn't exactly slowing down either. And with the controversy over the Biden Administration's approval of ConocoPhillips' "massive" Willow oil drilling project on Alaska's North Slope, the question remains: why are fossil fuel projects still getting the green light?

To talk about the policy and politics behind fossil fuel expansion in the United States and across the globe, we've got two experts on today's show. Tim Donaghy, a Senior Research Manager for Greenpeace USA, and Danielle Deiseroth, Interim Executive Director at Data for Progress. We discuss the biggest takeaways from the IPCC report, the controversy behind the Willow Project, what voters want to see with energy expansion, and much more.

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Why We Need Fewer Cars (w/ Daniel Knowles) Apr 05, 2023

Show notes

There are an estimated 1.4 billion cars in use around the world. Despite the fact that cars and trucks are a major contributor to global warming, pollute the air, kill over 1.3 million people a year, and cost thousands to own, maintain, and drive each year, most modern societies are built in a way that makes it necessary to own a car. And while traffic seems to be an ever present problem in most cities, adding lanes and more roads has only exacerbated the problem.

Daniel Knowles, Midwest correspondent for The Economist, joined our show to talk about his new book "Carmageddon: How Cars Make Life Worse and What to Do About It" and explains that life doesn't have to be this way. In fact, cities like Amsterdam, Copenhagen, and Paris have shown that it's possible to reverse the reliance on cars while making it easier and more enjoyable to walk, bike, and take public transportation to just about anywhere you want to go. Solving the climate crisis requires solving the car crisis, and this book and conversation go a long way in helping you understand where it came from and how to fix it.

Buy "Carmageddon"

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'Extrapolations' Dorothy Fortenberry On Making Television About The Climate Crisis Mar 22, 2023

Show notes

On the new show, Extrapolations, dramatizing the climate crisis isn't just about showing the science unfold. As co-showrunner Dorothy Fortenberry explains on the show this week, making Extrapolations meant telling a wide-ranging, intergenerational story that touches on the politics, economics, technology, culture, and social issues that arise when the world warms. Fortenberry explains the approach the behind the show, how they made it, and what themes were most important to explore. Dorothy Fortenberry is a screenwriter and playwright. She has served as a producer and writer for The Handmaid's Tale.

Then, Brock goes to SXSW, where he talks to Greg Jackson, CEO of Octopus Energy, about climate tech innovation and what to watch for in 2023.

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How to Fix a Broken Planet (w/ Julian Cribb) Mar 15, 2023

Show notes

Julian Cribb's new book "How to Fix a Broken Planet: Advice for Surviving the 21st Century", explores the ten megathreats facing humanity today such as the climate crisis, the nuclear arms race, and unquenchable economic growth. Cribb joined the podcast to explain how all of these ten megathreats are connected to each other and how by allowing each to get worse, we're exponentially increasing the risk of wiping out human existence. Cribb then discusses his solutions for addressing all of these megathreats at the same time.

Buy "How to Fix a Broken Planet"

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Naomi Oreskes and Erik Conway Discuss 'The Big Myth' Mar 08, 2023

Show notes

How did Americans come to believe that markets were the answer to everything? Why don't people trust the government to efficiently allocate resources in a way that creates the greatest good? Who orchestrated this century-long con of the American people?

Dr. Naomi Oreskes and Dr. Erik Conway, co-authors of the eye-opening book "Merchants of Doubt", join the show to discuss their new book "The Big Myth: How American Business Taught Us to Loathe Government and Love the Free Market." Our conversation only scratches the surface of everything they uncovered while trying to get to the origin of the market fundamentalism myth that has dominated American popular culture for the last 100 years, and how that myth has led to the climate crisis we're facing today.

Buy "The Big Myth"

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Noah Hawley On Anthem, Fargo, And The Power Of Storytelling Amid Crises Mar 01, 2023

Show notes

As an award-winning director, producer, showrunner, television and film writer, and author of six novels, "Fargo" creator Noah Hawley isn't afraid to tackle some of the biggest issues we face. His most recent work, the novel Anthem, is no different. Billed as "an adventure that finds unquenchable lights in dark corners" and a "leap into the idiosyncratic pulse of the American heart," Anthem takes an unflinching look at our most challenging problems and the obstacles we encounter as a society as we attempt to address these crises.

In this wide-ranging conversation, Hawley talks about why he wanted to write Anthem, why climate change plays such a crucial role in his characters thoughts and the novel's environment, how we address conspiracy in our culture, the influence of Kurt Vonnegut, the battle of good and evil in Fargo, and much, much more.

Read Anthem here

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DOE Deputy Sec. Turk on Implementing the Inflation Reduction Act Feb 22, 2023

Show notes

As US Department of Energy Deputy Secretary Dave Turk told us, "2023 is the year of implementation!" That's why we had him on our show to discuss the Biden Administration's historic investments in clean energy technologies and the infrastructure required to ensure they're resilient, available to everyone, and deployed as rapidly as possible. We also discuss the latest nuclear fusion breakthrough and how the global energy crisis resulting from Russia's invasion of Ukraine will evolve in 2023. This is a wide-ranging and fascinating conversation with someone who has dedicated his career to deploying clean energy around the globe.

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Inside Minnesota's 100% Clean Energy Bill (w/ MN House Majority Leader Jamie Long) Feb 15, 2023

Show notes

After years of obstruction from their Republican colleagues, Minnesota Democrats used their state trifecta to pass one of the most aggressive clean energy bills in America. Last week, Minnesota Governor Tim Walz signed the 100% Clean Energy by 2040 bill which makes The North Star State one of just 5 American states with a goal of decarbonizing its electricity sector by 2040. We spoke with Minnesota House Majority Leader and chief author of the bill, Rep. Jamie Long, about how the bill came to pass, what Minnesota voters think of clean energy policy, and how other states can fill the void created by a federal government that's currently being held back from passing more climate legislation by Republicans unwilling to address the climate crisis.

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