The Climate Realism Show

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Crazy Climate News of 2025 – The Climate Realism Show #186 Jan 09, 2026

Show notes

A year of crazy climate news comes to a close as Christmas and New Year’s approaches. What were the craziest of 2025? You’ll have to tune in to find out.

In our last episode of 2025, The Heartland Institute’s Jim Lakely, Anthony Watts, Sterling Burnett, and Linnea Lueken will share their picks for the craziest and most-significant stories in climate and energy this year. And, as usual, we will answer as many audience questions as we can.

Join us LIVE at 1 p.m. ET on YouTube, Rumble, X, and Facebook.

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STORIES COVERED ON THE SHOW

MANHATTAN CONTRARIAN (Francis Mention): The Electric Vehicle Collapse: Wow, That Was Quick!
https://www.manhattancontrarian.com/blog/2025-12-17-the-electric-vehicle-collapse-wow-that-was-quick

REUTERS: Wind and solar power frozen out of Trump permitting push
https://www.reuters.com/sustainability/climate-energy/wind-solar-power-frozen-out-trump-permitting-push-2025-12-10/

YALE360: Facing a Hostile Administration, U.S. Offshore Wind Is in Retreat
https://e360.yale.edu/features/east-coast-offshore-wind

WHITEHOUSE.GOV: Trump Ends Market Distorting Subsidies for Unreliable, Foreign-Controlled Energy Sources
https://www.whitehouse.gov/fact-sheets/2025/07/fact-sheet-president-donald-j-trump-ends-market-distorting-subsidies-for-unreliable-foreign-controlled-energy-sources/

ILLINOIS ENVIRONMENTAL COUNCIL: Gov. JB Pritzker set to approve energy bill boosting battery storage for renewables despite debate over costs
https://ilenviro.org/gov-jb-pritzker-set-to-approve-energy-bill-boosting-battery-storage-for-renewables-despite-debate-over-costs/

INSTITUTE FOR ENERGY RESEARCH: California Shuts Down Its Solar Thermal Plant 13 Years Early
https://www.instituteforenergyresearch.org/big-green/california-shuts-down-its-solar-thermal-plant-13-years-early/

In The Tank broadcasts LIVE every Thursday at 12pm CT on on The Heartland Institute YouTube channel. Tune in to have your comments addressed live by the In The Tank Crew. Be sure to subscribe and never miss an episode. See you there!

Climate Change Roundtable is LIVE every Friday at 12pm CT on The Heartland Institute YouTube channel. Have a topic you want addressed? Join the live show and leave a comment for our panelists and we'll cover it during the live show!

EPA Exits Climate Alarm Business - The Climate Realism Show #185 Dec 15, 2025

Show notes

The signs are all around us. The climate cult is losing its grip on our politics and culture. The UN’s climate conference, COP30 in Brazil, was a flop that even the alarmist cheerleaders in the legacy media could not ignore. A major paper justifying radical climate action was just retracted. The Sierra Club is shedding a shocking number of members. And when was the last time you saw climate alarmist propaganda shoved annoyingly into your favorite TV show or movie – which was very common not so long ago?

The Heartland Institute’s Jim Lakely, Anthony Watts, Sterling Burnett, and Linnea Lueken will be joined by special guest Jason Isaac, Founder and CEO of the American Energy Institute and a former state legislator in Texas. We will also cover some of the Crazy Climate News of the Week, including a new pro-coal movie with an unexpected twist, how to handle a climate crazed wife, a claim that living modern life causes $5 billion of climate damage an hour, and why Americans in blue states pay so much more for energy than those in red states.

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Stories we covered on this program:

1. QUEEN OF COAL
Daily Caller: Netflix To Platform Film About ‘Trans Woman’ Who Yearns For Coal Mines
https://dailycaller.com/2025/12/08/netflix-pump-show-trans-woman-who-yearns-coal-mines-home/

2. TAKE MY WIFE, PLEASE
How Can I Stop My Wife From Badgering Our Friends About Climate Change?
https://www.nytimes.com/2025/12/10/style/how-can-i-stop-my-wife-from-badgering-our-friends-about-climate-change.html

3. $5 BILLION OF DAMAGE PER HOUR
THE GUARDIAN: ‘Food and fossil fuel production causing $5bn of environmental damage an hour’
https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2025/dec/09/food-fossil-fuel-production-5bn-environmental-damage-an-hour-un-geo-report-

4. BLUE STATE ENERGY BLUES
INSTITUTE FOR ENERGY RESEARCH: Blue States, High Rates
https://www.instituteforenergyresearch.org/the-grid/blue-states-high-rates/

5. EPA EXITS ALARM BUSINESS
NY TIMES: E.P.A. Erases Mention of Humans Causing Climate Change From Some Web Pages
https://www.nytimes.com/2025/12/09/climate/epa-website-climate-change-causes.html

Good News: Climate Cult In Decline — The Climate Realism Show #184 Dec 05, 2025

Show notes

The Heartland Institute's Jim Lakely, Anthony Watts, Sterling Burnett, and Linnea Lueken will be joined by special guest and fan favorite Steve Milloy of Junkscience.com. We will also cover some of the Crazy Climate News of the Week, including an exodus from EPA, what climate policy failure looks like in graph form, perhaps the cringiest moment in COP history, and Donald Trump’s call to have those who have pushed climate alarmism investigated.

Join us LIVE at 1 p.m. ET on YouTube, Rumble, X, and Facebook.

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Foolish Fossil Fuel Phase-Out — The Climate Realism Show #183 (Guests: Tony Heller and Craig Rucker) Nov 27, 2025

Show notes

The latest annual UN climate conference, COP 30, is coming to a close. Already a failure, the delegates of doom who gathered in Brazil decided that they needed a serious goal to cap off the conference. What did they come up with? Nothing less than the coming up with a concrete roadmap for the complete phase-out of fossil fuels. They might as well have agreed on drawing out a roadmap to Neverland, because that’s just as likely to be found as a future with zero use of fossil fuels.

The Heartland Institute's Jim Lakely, Sterling Burnett, and Linnea Lueken will be joined by special guests Craig Rucker of CFACT, who just got back from COP 30 in Brazil, and Tony Heller, one of the most-popular and influential climate realism communicators in America. We will also cover also cover some of the Crazy Climate News of the Week, including an exodus from EPA, what climate policy failure looks like in graph form, perhaps the cringiest moment in COP history, and Donald Trump’s call to have those who have pushed climate alarmism investigated.

Join us LIVE at 1 p.m. ET on YouTube, Rumble, X, and Facebook.

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Worst COP Ever? — The Climate Realism Show #182 (Guest: Chris Martz) Nov 18, 2025

Show notes

Is COP30 shaping up to be the worst UN climate conference ever? The 30th Conference of the Parties is underway in the Brazilian jungle — some of which was cleared and paved to bring the private jet-set and bureaucrats into the venue. And just days in, the whole thing is already descending into chaos.

A large group of angry indigenous protesters have stormed the conference, furious that the agenda left them out. Poor planning and shoddy infrastructure have led to rain leaking through light fixtures, broken air conditioning, and even problems with something as basic as toilet paper disposal.

Maybe sensing this impending farce, at least 30 major countries — including the United States — have declined to send official government delegations. We’re only a few days in, and it’s already looking like the worst COP ever. That takes some doing.

On Episode #182 of The Climate Realism Show, we’ll break down what’s really happening at COP30 and what it reveals about the people who want to control every aspect of our lives to “save the planet.”

The Heartland Institute’s Jim Lakely, Anthony Watts, Sterling Burnett, Linnea Lueken and guest Chris Martz will also cover some of the Crazy Climate News of the Week.

Join us LIVE at 1 p.m. ET on YouTube, Rumble, X, and Facebook — and jump into the live chat!

Chapters:
00:55 Intro
02:35 Special Guest and Panel Introduction
04:17 Crazy climate news of the week
19:41 Democrats are getting quieter over Climate News?
29:35 COP 30: The Natives are Restless
36:09 COP Pledge Defeat the Deniers
51:49 The COP 30 Fall Out
1:07:03 Advisory Metals!
1:08:51 Q & A

Climate, Energy, and the Election— The Climate Realism Show #181 Nov 11, 2025

Show notes

Both Democrats and President Trump wanted to make Tuesday’s off-year elections the “Energy Election.” And it was not a good night for Republicans. Left-wing climate media say this is proof voters oppose Trump’s roll-back of “green” energy mandates and subsidies. Is there any truth to that? On Episode #181 of The Climate Realism Show, we’ll drill into that.

The Heartland Institute’s Jim Lakely, Anthony Watts, Sterling Burnett, and Linnea Lueken will also cover some of the Crazy Climate News of the Week, including giving up your pets to save the climate, whether we should be concerned about the “fastest glacier retreat in Antarctica in modern history,” and noticing that the EU has weakened its “climate target” just as the world flies to Brazil for the United Nations’ climate confab, COP30.

Join us LIVE at 1 p.m. ET on YouTube, Rumble, X, and Facebook.
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Chapters:
00:55 Why Friday is the best day of the week
03:02 Guest and Panel Introduction
4:30 Climate News of the week
13:46 Antarctic ice grows back?
22:22 The Guardians coping and grifting over the Climate as always
30:33 Bad Start for COP 30
42:33 Main Topic: Climate Energy & the Election
1:00:14 Advisory Metals
1:02:07 Q & A with Linnea

NEVERMIND: Bill Gates Recants Climate Doomerism — The Climate Realism Show #180 Nov 04, 2025

Show notes

After years of funding and fueling climate panic, Bill Gates has done an about-face. In a new 17-page memo released ahead of COP-30 in Brazil, Gates admits that rising temperatures will “not lead to humanity’s demise” and urges the climate community to drop its “doomsday outlook.” This marks a stunning shift for one of the world’s most prominent climate influencers and could signal a long-overdue return to honest, fact-based climate discussion.

In Episode #180 of The Climate Realism Show, hosts Anthony Watts, Linnea Lueken, and Jim Lakely break down what Gates’ reversal means for climate policy, science, and the green tech industry. They also cover the Crazy Climate News of the Week, including a new study showing wind turbines are even worse for birds than previously believed, claims that climate change is to blame for higher Halloween candy prices, and why attributing the intensity of Hurricane Melissa to global warming is misguided.

Join us LIVE at 1 p.m. ET on YouTube, Rumble, and X. Visit our sponsor, ADVISOR METALS: https://climaterealismshow.com/metals

Joe Rogan, Climate Realist — The Climate Realism Show #179 Oct 28, 2025

Show notes

Joe Rogan just hosted climate scientists Will Happer and Richard Lindzen — and the results were explosive. For more than two hours, they dismantled the core claims of climate alarmism in front of Rogan’s massive global audience.

Here is the link to the appearance on Joe Rogan: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Zt32chvO_iY&t

On Episode #179 of The Climate Realism Show, hosts Anthony Watts, Sterling Burnett, and Jim Lakely break down the biggest moments from the interview, play key clips, and welcome special guest Will Happer to discuss his firsthand experience on The Joe Rogan Experience.

What didn’t make it into the episode? How might Rogan’s reach shift the climate conversation for millions of listeners? We’ll explore that and more in what may be the most important climate discussion of the year.

Tune in LIVE at 1 p.m. ET on YouTube, Rumble, and X — and join us in the live chat!

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CHAPTERS
00:00 Intro
3:58 In Search Of ... Joe Rogan
13:08 CO2, Methane, and Temperature
28:15 Role of Money and Politics
39:59 Corruption of Science Journals
1:02:20 End of the Climate Cult?
1:08:33 Visit our Sponsor, Advisor Metals
1:10:24 Q&A
1:36:36 Wrap-up

The Global Climate Tax NARROWLY Avoided — The Climate Realism Show #178 Oct 21, 2025

Show notes

The United Nations narrowly avoided approve a new tax on carbon-dioxide emissions from shipping today. Their goal was to raise at least $10 billion a year and put it in a new “Net Zero Fund” to “mitigate negative impacts” on nations supposedly suffering because of climate change. Trump threatened nations who supported it with punitive tariffs, and the world backed down. But they will be back. An unelected United Nations wants to rule over the entire globe with the power to levy direct taxes as it sees fit. The United States—and every country that values representative democracy and individual liberty—must continue to oppose this with every tool at their disposal.

On Episode #178 of The Climate Realism Show, we’ll dig into this disturbing and likely illegal attempted UN power grab and cover the week’s Crazy Climate News. Is climate change giving dolphins Alzheimer’s? What the heck is “carbon butter,” and how does it taste? Is Bill Gates the most dangerous man on the planet? And the mother of all “children’s climate lawsuits” has just crashed and burned.

Join The Heartland Institute’s Anthony Watts, Sterling Burnett, Linnea Lueken, Jim Lakely, and special guest Steve Milloy of the E&E Legal Institute LIVE at 1 p.m. ET on YouTube, Rumble, and X.

Visit the sponsor of this program, ADVISOR METALS: https://climaterealismshow.com/metals

CHAPTERS
0:00 Intro of guests
4:30 We are giving Dolphins Alzheimer's?
10:30 I CAN believe It's Not Butter
16:55 Bill Gates: Bond Villain in Sweater
26:00 Climate Kids Lose in Court Again
34:18 Global Climate Tax Near Miss
45:39 Q&A
1:26:36 Close

Where Are All the Hurricanes? (Guest: Joe Bastardi) — The Climate Realism Show #177 Oct 14, 2025

Show notes

In September 2025, no hurricanes made landfall in the United States — the first time that’s happened in a decade. What’s going on with this year’s hurricane season? We ask WeatherBELL Analytics’ Joe Bastardi, one of America’s best hurricane forecasters, to share his insights.

In Episode #177 of The Climate Realism Show, The Heartland Institute’s Anthony Watts, Sterling Burnett, Linnea Lueken, and Jim Lakely also tackle the Crazy Climate News of the Week, including a misleading Bloomberg chart that “climate denialists can’t ignore,” how arson, not “climate change,” caused the Pacific Palisades fire, why the predicted increase in EF5 tornadoes never materialized, and how inhalers are now being targeted by climate activists.

Tune in LIVE at 1 p.m. ET on YouTube, Rumble, and X, and join us in the live chat.

Visit our sponsor, Advisor Metals: https://climaterealismshow.com/metals

CHAPTERS

00:00 Intro
3:35 Another Climate Nut Arsonist in CA
15:03 A Chart We Won't Ignore
24:42 Inhalers Cause Climate Change?
31:16 Strong Tornadoes Still Rare
39:29 NEW Climate at a Glance Book!
43:51 What Happened to All the Hurricanes?
59:12 Check Out Advisor Metals
1:01:01 Q&A
1:28:45 Closing thoughts

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