The Climate Pod

Latest Episodes:

Extraction And The Green Economy (w/ Thea Riofrancos) Oct 15, 2025

Show notes

The Climate Pod is going to be live in Chicago! Join us for our Chicago Climate Bash, the hottest comedy show on the planet! On Sunday, October 26th at 5 pm CT at The Lincoln Lodge, we're featuring an amazing lineup of great comedians and expert guests. There will be standup, panels, music, and more. This show is a live recording of The Climate Pod. Featuring Chad The Bird, Lucia Whalen, a very special guest, and more! Get your tickets now: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/chicago-climate-bash-tickets-1758346845749?aff=oddtdtcreator

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This week, we explore the complexities, concerns, and major issues surrounding the extraction of critical minerals for the green economy. Professor Thea Riofrancos, author of the book Extraction: The Frontiers of Green Capitalism, delves into the various problems with lithium mining and its implications for the global energy transition. She shares how lithium serves as a lens to explore broader issues of green capitalism, supply chains, and community-level organizing. We also talk about how to balance this with the urgent need to decarbonize transportation and energy sectors, emphasizing lithium's pivotal role in electric vehicles and grid balancing.

Riofrancos also explains how the history of extraction in Latin America helps shape the power dynamics in the region and what leaders learned from past efforts to protect natural resources. We explore the environmental and social impacts of mining in Chile, a major provider of copper and lithium, and the political shifts in recent years that are influencing resource governance.

We also discuss the role of private governance in the mining sector and talk abou the importance, and often absence, of public regulation and democratic processes in achieving sustainable and equitable resource management.

Thea Riofrancos is a political science professor at Providence College, and Strategic Co-Director of the Climate and Community Institute. Her research has been featured in essays in The New York Times, The Washington Post, N+1, and The Guardian.

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What Causes Societal Collapse? (w/ Luke Kemp) Oct 08, 2025

Show notes

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What has caused societal collapse throughout human history? Are those condition present today?

This week, we talk to author Luke Kemp in a thought-provoking conversations about one of the best books of the year, Kemp's Goliath's Curse: The History and Future of Societal Collapse. Kemp challenges conventional narratives by redefining civilization as a series of dominance hierarchies, or "Goliaths," that have historically led to societal downfall. He argues that these structures, characterized by inequality and concentrated power, have been precursors to collapse throughout history. And that's a big problem today.

In this episode, we discuss how today's unique conditions of global interconnectedness, technological complexity, and unprecedented environmental destruction make us more vulnerable than ever. He introduces the concept of "Death Star Syndrome," where our highly interconnected world, much like the fictional Death Star, appears robust but is susceptible to catastrophic failure from a single point of weakness. This vulnerability is exacerbated by modern existential threats like climate change, nuclear weapons, and AI, which are often viewed in isolation but are deeply interconnected through global systems of inequality and resource extraction. So what do we do about it?

We explore the potential of "deep democracy," collective action, elimination of existential threats, and emphasizing that empowering diverse groups with good information and resources that can lead to better decision-making and a more equitable future.

Luke Kemp is a research affiliate at the Centre for the Study of Existential Risk at the University of Cambridge. He has lectured in the fields of economics and human geography, and has advised the World Health Organization, the Australian Parliament, the UN Convention on Biological Diversity, and many other institutions. His research has been covered by media outlets such as The New York Times, theBBC, and The New Yorker.

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Remembering Jane Goodall Oct 03, 2025

Show notes

Dr. Jane Goodall died on Wednesday at the age of 91. After National Geographic published her groundbreaking work in 1963, she spent more than 60 years in the public spotlight as a prolific writer, speaker, and advocate for change. She founded the Jane Goodall Institute in 1977, which has grown into one of the largest advocacy and conservation organizations in the world and started the Roots & Shoots youth program, which has helped more young people get into conservation and environmentalism. She helped build a movement.

And she used her voice and platform to fight for climate action. In 2021, we had the chance to talk to Dr. Goodall about her climate advocacy. At the time, she was serving as an official COP26 Advocate. Today, we remember her life and legacy and replay our interview with Dr. Goodall.

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Tickets for our live show in Chicago on Sunday, Oct 26 at The Linclon Lodge are available now: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/chicago-climate-bash-tickets-1758346845749?aff=oddtdtcreator

The Democracy Crisis And The Climate Crisis (w/ Osita Nwanevu) Oct 01, 2025

Show notes

WE'RE DOING A LIVE SHOW IN CHICAGO! SUNDAY, OCTOBER 26! 5 PM! GET TICKETS NOW: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/chicago-climate-bash-tickets-1758346845749?aff=oddtdtcreator

Congress just rolled back major climate provisions despite a majority of Americans looking for more government action on climate at all levels of government. Why is the approach to the climate crisis in the United States so often out of step with what the public wants? Maybe the biggest issue is the underlining flaws in our democracy. As writer Osita Nwanevu argues, we've seen myriad ways in which democracy has eroded in recent decades, but many of the fundamental issues start with the nation's founding. Nwanevu joins the show to make the case for real democracy, explain what that looks like, and argue for a new American founding that strengthens our ability to govern ourselves in both the public and private spheres.

The interview with Osita Nwanevu starts at the 17:32 mark. Osita Nwanevu is a contributing editor for The New Republic and a columnist for The Guardian, writing about American politics and culture. Read his new book The Right of the People: Democracy and the Case for a New American Founding

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Related Episodes:

Adam McKay On 'Don't Look Up'

Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse on Dark Money And Climate Politics

Is A New Green New Deal Possible? (w/ Saikat Chakrabarti and Zack Exley) Sep 24, 2025

Show notes

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First, the conversation was centered on The Green New Deal. Then, Build Back Better, which turned into the Inflation Reduction Act. It was passed. A few years later, major climate provisions in the bill were repealed. It was fairly popular, but mostly unknown to the average American. So what have we learned? Is it possible to advance major climate policy in America? Our guests today say yes. And they have a new, comprehensive, ambitious plan at the core of their argument. Joining us is Saikat Chakrabarti, co-founder and president of New Consensus and candidate for Congress in the Democratic primary against Nancy Pelosi. Previously, he worked on the 2016 Bernie Sanders presidential campaign, co-founded Justice Democrats, and was the campaign manager and then Chief of Staff to Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez where he led the effort to draft and release the Green New Deal. We're also joined by Zack Exley, co-founder and the executive director of New Consensus. Previously, he co-founded Justice Democrats, led the national distributed organizing team on Bernie Sander's 2016 presidential campaign. and helped shape the U.S. Green New Deal. Zack also spearheaded online small-dollar fundraising at MoveOn.org and worked on the Howard Dean and John Kerry campaigns in 2004.

In this episode we explore why ambitious policy aims are so critical to the moment, what it means for democracy, how it will combat high electricity bills, and the lessons learned from the Green New Deal. Their plan is Mission For America, which focuses heavily on climate policy to organize a massive plan to grow jobs and lower prices. This is a great conversation.

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Read Mission For America

The Energy Transition Myth (w/ Jean-Baptiste Fressoz) Sep 20, 2025

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This is an episode that fundamentally challenges the way I've thought about tackling climate change. I've always understood the history of energy as a history of transition. We went from burning a lot of wood to then burning a lot of coal, then moving from coal to mostly oil, then oil plus gas. But our guest today, Jean-Baptiste Fressoz, says that thinking is totally wrong. Instead of undergoing a series of energy transitions, where one form of energy largely replaces the other, history shows much more addition to substraction. The result: we keep burning and consuming more and more and more of everything. He argues the very idea of transition is a lie. Jean-Baptiste Fressoz is a historian of science and technology. In his new book, More and More and More: An All-Consuming History of Energy, he argues not that an energy transition is impossible, but that we simply have never seen anything like it before. He notes that the relationship between different forms of energy is based on symbiosis, not competition, and as. a result greater consumption of all energy has just led to more of everything being used. So how did the idea of the energy transition take hold? Why is it still a salient concept in public energy discourse today? Jean-Baptiste explains. We also discuss how the fossil fuel industry has taken hold of this concept and used it to slow down action on climate change.

Jean-Baptiste Fressoz is a historian of science and technology at the Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique. He is the author of The Happy Apocalypse and The Shock of the Anthropocene. Read More and More and More.

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A Massive Climate Political Problem (w/ Nathaniel Stinnett) Sep 10, 2025

Show notes

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This week, Nathaniel Stinnett, founder and executive director of the Environmental Voter Project, is back on the show to explore one of the most frustrating obstacles to climate action: the lack of political engagement from many climate-concerned voters. Despite the growing awareness and concern about climate change, many voters that say they care about the issue still don't perceive it as a political problem. Nathaniel delves into the reasons behind this disconnect and shares insights from recent research that highlights the challenges and opportunities in mobilizing these voters.

Throughout the conversation, we explore the importance of voting as a tool for climate advocacy and why we need to stop putting so much faith and passion into individual politicians and focus instead on building real power for the movement. We also talk about the need to shift the narrative on systemic change, making voters feel more empowered and focused on collective action. You'll learn why we actually need to politicize climate change more, without making it more of a partisan issue. As always, Nathaniel's passion and expertise shine through as he offers practical advice for those looking to make a difference, whether by voting, volunteering, or simply spreading the word. I always enjoy our conversations.

Learn more about the Environmental Voter Project here. EVP's annual fundraiser will take place on Wednesday, September 17.

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How Inequality Blocks Climate Action (w/ Tony Juniper) Sep 05, 2025

Show notes

You can't talk about climate action without discussing inequality. Afterall, the effects of climate change are distributed incredibly unequaly. Furthermore, it's the people who are responsible for the least amount of carbon emissions that most often face the deadliest and most damaging consequences of the crisis.

On today's episode, we sit down with Tony Juniper, renowned environmentalist and author of Just Earth to explore the profound intersection of inequality and the climate crisis. As the climate emergency intensifies, the disparities between those who contribute the least to climate change and those who suffer the most from its impacts are only gettting worse. Juniper sheds light on how economic and social inequalities exacerbate inaction, creating a vicious cycle that hinders all global efforts to combat the climate crisis.

We delve into the historical context of these issues, examining how past and present policies and global agreements have shaped the current landscape. Juniper shares insights from his extensive career, highlighting the importance of integrating social justice into environmental strategies and where the movement has often fallen short in doing so. He argues that without addressing the root causes of inequality, efforts to mitigate climate change are doomed to fail.

In this conversation, Juniper provides a deeper understanding of the systemic changes needed to create a more equitable and sustainable world. From policy reforms to grassroots movements, he outlines actionable steps that individuals and communities can take to drive meaningful change based off what he's learned in his nearly 40-year career doing this work.

Tony Juniper CBE has spent decades fighting for major climate and environmental initiative. His career has included leading major environmental nonprofits, running global campaigns, and serving as a government advisor. He's an author and his books include the multi-award winning What Has Nature Ever Done For Us? and Harmony, which was co-authored with King Charles III. He has received many awards and widespread recognition for his environmental work and in 2017 he was appointed Commander of the British Empire (CBE) for services to conservation. He is now the Chair of the British Government's official conservation agency Natural England and a Fellow with the University of Cambridge Institute for Sustainability Leadership.

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Read Just Earth: How a Fairer World Will Save the Planet

20 Years After Hurricane Katrina, What Have We Learned About Disaster Response? Aug 27, 2025

Show notes

Five years ago, on the 15th anniversary of Hurricane Katrina, we looked back with Vann Newkirk II on the complexities of the disaster. Newkirk did a thorough recounting of Katrina for his narrative podcast series, Floodlines. Since that conversation, I've often wondered about the role of the federal government in the wake of these disasters. Have we learned much in the 20 years since Hurricane Katrina? Why is FEMA so critical when a disaster strikes a certain area? Are we better prepared now or in worse shape? How is the climate crisis impacting all of this?

To answer all these questions and more, I invited Samantha Montano, an associate professor of emergency management at Massachusetts Maritime Academy, on the show. She is also the author of the book, Disasterology: Dispatches from the Front Lines of Climate Change. In this conversation, we talk about the intricate processes behind emergency management, from the initial assessment of a disaster to the deployment of resources and personnel. She explains how FEMA collaborates with state and local agencies as well as nonprofits. Montano also sheds light on some of the strategies that drive successful recovery and resilience in communities affected by natural and man-made disasters and how Hurricane Katrina shaped her career.

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Read Disasterology: Dispatches from the Front Lines of Climate Change.

Bill McKibben On What The Climate Movement Needs To Do Now Aug 21, 2025

Show notes

This has been a rough year for the US climate movement. And few people have spent as many years or invested as much time in thinking about the climate movement than Bill McKibben, author of the first book on climate change, The End of Nature. In this perilous moment we find ourselves in, McKibben is finding some inspiration in the transformative potential of renewable energy and how it can help both power the planet and revitalize the climate movement. In his new book, Here Comes The Sun, he offers both the grim reality we face as warming worsens and the very real advances in clean energy that have suprised even him in the past couple of years.

We delve into the surprising trajectory of global warming estimates, the rapid advancements in solar technology, and the pivotal role of activism in accelerating the transition to clean energy. McKibben shares insights on the geopolitical implications of fossil fuel dependency and the liberating potential of renewable energy for communities worldwide, particularly in the Global South. We also explore the critical importance of storytelling, activism, and community engagement in shaping a sustainable future.

This is a great conversation for this dark moment.

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