The Green Blueprint

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Why ‘maladaptation’ is getting so much attention Mar 22, 2022

Show notes

Climate researchers are increasingly using the term “maladaptation” to describe adaptation measures that bring unforeseen negative consequences to local communities.

From building levees that inadvertently increased flood risk in Bangladesh to a hydroelectric dam that cut off land access in Vietnam, examples of maladaptation are popping up all over the world.

In the U.S., Miami has invested hundreds of millions of dollars in stormwater pumps and elevated roads to combat flooding from rising seas. And it will need to invest billions more to save the city from chronic flooding. But the UN report says those early investments might have caused unintended impacts.

This week: the story of how Miami’s flood investments might be leading to maladaptation – and what other cities around the world can learn from it.

Guests: Alex Harris, climate change reporter for the Miami Herald; and Lisa Schipper, IPPC report author, and an environmental social science research fellow at the University of Oxford.

The Carbon Copy is a co-production of Post Script Media and Canary Media.

The Carbon Copy is supported by Atmos Financial. Atmos offers FDIC-insured checking and savings accounts that only invest in climate-positive assets like renewables, green construction and regenerative agriculture. Modern banking for climate-conscious people. Get an account in minutes at joinatmos.com.

The Carbon Copy is also supported by Climate Positive, a podcast from Hannon Armstrong, the first U.S. public company solely dedicated to investing in climate solutions. Climate Positive podcast features candid conversations with the leaders, innovators, and changemakers driving our climate positive future. Listen and subscribe wherever you get your podcasts.

Russia forces an abrupt climate shift in Washington Mar 11, 2022

Show notes

President Biden entered the White House promising to use climate solutions as his main tool for raising wages, revitalizing infrastructure, and tackling inequality.

But almost overnight, that framing changed from transforming the American economy to protecting consumers.

Gasoline prices are at their highest levels in US history because of supply disruptions caused by Russia's attack on Ukraine. And Biden’s latest decision to ban Russian oil reflects the shifting mood in Washington.

A geopolitical crisis is transforming the domestic conversation around energy in Washington. Security is the new lens.

How will it impact Biden's narrow chance to do something ambitious on climate change?

Guest: Maxine Joselow, a Washington Post journalist who anchors the Climate 202 Newsletter.

The Carbon Copy is a co-production of Post Script Media and Canary Media.

Russia’s war hits energy markets hard Mar 08, 2022

Show notes

The civilian and military death toll from Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine is growing daily. More than 1.5 million people have fled Ukraine for neighboring countries in the fastest refugee migration since WWII.

But the effects of this war aren’t just humanitarian; they’re economic. That’s because so much of it is tied up in global energy flows. Russia is one of the biggest fossil fuel producers in the world. Europe depends on Russia for 40% of its gas for heating and one quarter of its oil.

And since Russia is such a major exporter of oil and gas, its military actions are putting new pressures on a global supply chain already hurt by tight energy supplies driven by COVID-19 disruptions.

Europe, along with the rest of the world, is being forced to consider what a future without Russia’s fossil fuels could look like.

This week: a conversation with two experts watching the energy market’s impacts around the world.

Guests: Pierre Noël, Global Research Scholar at the Center on Global Energy Policy and Amy Myers Jaffe, Research Professor at the Fletcher School at Tufts University and Managing Director of the Climate Policy Lab.

The Carbon Copy is a co-production of Post Script Media and Canary Media.

Will truck lovers go electric? Mar 02, 2022

Show notes

Six out of seven car commercials during this year’s Superbowl touted electric vehicles (EVs). That’s up from zero EV ads just four years ago.

Ford, Chevy, GMC and Toyota are all betting big on electric, and they’re hoping electric models of their most popular light-duty trucks will entice a whole new class of drivers.

It’s led many car manufacturers and analysts to call 2022 “The Year of the Electric Truck.”

The question remains: will this big push toward electric overcome infrastructure shortcomings, battery range concerns and a deeply-ingrained diesel car culture, especially in rural areas?

This week: a conversation with a driver and a dealer about how the electric truck revolution might play out.

Guests: Christopher Preston, Professor of Environmental Philosophy at the University Of Montana; and Whitney Olson, Vice President of Bison Ford in Great Falls, Montana.

The Carbon Copy is a co-production of Post Script Media and Canary Media.

The military’s net-zero aspirations Feb 23, 2022

Show notes

Climate change is impacting people’s lives across the globe – from mass migrations to resource conflicts. For the US military, it’s become one of the nation’s top security risks.

After years of risk assessments, the military is now talking about how it intends to address those risks.

It all culminated in the military’s most ambitious plan to date: A new, comprehensive climate agenda that envisions microgrids on all Army bases, all-electric tactical vehicles, and a net-zero military by 2050.

This week: What does the Army's new net-zero plan reveal about how climate will influence America's national security strategy?

Guest: Erin Sikorsky, Director, The Center for Climate and Security.

The Carbon Copy is a co-production of Post Script Media and Canary Media.

Could a ‘green upheaval’ embolden Russia? Feb 15, 2022

Show notes

Note: this is a crossover episode between The Carbon Copy and Columbia Energy Exchange.

The conflict between Ukraine and Russia is intensifying. President Biden says that Putin could send troops into Ukraine any day.

Some NATO countries, including the US, are sending military equipment to Ukraine. But Germany is holding back. And that is partly because of fears over gas supply.

Jason Bordoff has been watching the diplomatic dance. And it is closely tied to the geopolitics of energy.

It reveals the tricky dynamics between Russia and the rest of Europe. Countries like Germany have invested vast amounts of money in renewables in the hopes of cutting dependence on imported fossil fuels. But they’re still deeply tied to Russia’s gas.

This week on The Carbon Copy: how a clean energy transition might actually strengthen petrostates like Russia, before finally changing who wields the power.

Guest: Jason Bordoff, Director of the Center on Global Energy Policy and host of Columbia Energy Exchange.

The Carbon Copy is a co-production of Post Script Media and Canary Media.

The Carbon Copy is also supported by Climate Positive, a podcast from Hannon Armstrong, the first U.S. public company solely dedicated to investing in climate solutions. Climate Positive podcast features candid conversations with the leaders, innovators, and changemakers driving our climate-positive future. Listen and subscribe wherever you get your podcasts.

Greenwashing at the Beijing Olympics Feb 09, 2022

Show notes

For the first time ever, the Winter Olympic games will rely entirely on artificial snow.

It’s a reality that could become more common as the planet warms. And it has environmental experts concerned.

Nearly 50 million gallons of water are being piped in to serve the Beijing games, possibly setting reserves in this water-stressed region back by hundreds of years.

Meanwhile, China says this year's event is the most environmentally-sound winter games ever. But there's no system to track those claims – and some researchers say the Olympic games are actually getting worse for the environment over time.

This week on The Carbon Copy: why claims about the sustainability of the Olympics are often greenwashing.

Guest: Christian Shepherd, China Correspondent for The Washington Post. Read his article about the winter games here.

The Carbon Copy is a co-production of Post Script Media and Canary Media.

The ‘white gold’ land grab for lithium in California Feb 02, 2022

Show notes

Batteries are everywhere. In our electronics, our power tools, our electric grid, and in our cars. And almost all those batteries use a lithium-ion chemistry.

To make an all-electric world possible, we're going to need a lot of lithium. Prices are up 400 percent over 2021. And demand is expected to increase fivefold over the next decade.

The Imperial Valley in southern California is home to the Salton Sea, a land-locked body of water that contains vast reserves of lithium. California Governor Gavin Newsom called the region the "Saudi Arabia of Lithium." If mined, it could completely reshape the global supply chain.

But locals who live near the Salton Sea – a region plagued by unemployment and pollution – worry that the rush to extract the resource won't benefit the people living there.

This week on The Carbon Copy: California has ambitious plans to fuel the global EV boom with the Salton Sea’s lithium. But will the people who need it most get left behind?

Guests: Independent reporter Aaron Cantú, who wrote about the Salton Sea’s Lithium industry here. And Luis Olmedo, executive director of Comité Cívico del Valle.

The Carbon Copy is a co-production of Post Script Media and Canary Media.

Support for Carbon Copy comes from Climate Positive, a podcast from Hannon Armstrong, the first U.S. public company solely dedicated to investing in climate solutions. Climate Positive podcast features candid conversations with the leaders, innovators, and changemakers driving our climate positive future. Listen and subscribe wherever you get your podcasts.

Why US carbon emissions are rising quickly Jan 26, 2022

Show notes

Note: this is a crossover episode between The Big Switch and The Carbon Copy. If you like what you hear, consider subscribing to both.

When Covid disrupted the economy and shifted energy use, it sharply brought down economy-wide carbon emissions. Many wondered: would the pandemic-related changes to our energy system help or hurt the path to a net-zero carbon economy?

Two years later, we have clearer data: a new report from the Rhodium Group on how emissions from fossil fuels have shifted since the pandemic started. In some cases, they've roared back faster than expected.

This week on The Carbon Copy: what the latest emissions data tells us about what has shifted -- and what hasn't -- across America's carbon-dependent economy.

Guest: Melissa Lott, Senior Research Scholar at Columbia University and host of The Big Switch.

The Carbon Copy is a co-production of Post Script Media and Canary Media.

Adam McKay on how to make a movie about climate change Jan 20, 2022

Show notes

Note: this is a crossover episode between Volts and The Carbon Copy. If you like what you hear, consider subscribing to both.

Pop culture is increasingly grappling with climate change themes. And some of it is appealing to wide audiences.

But Hollywood films with climate themes are often dystopic and heavy-handed. They fail to consider the forces causing it right now in nuanced ways.

So when David Roberts heard about a new Netflix film last December called Don't Look Up, he figured it would be more of the same. But he was delighted when screenwriter and director Adam McKay flipped the disaster-movie premise.

It worked. Don’t Look Up became one of the most popular movies ever on Netflix. And it sparked an overwhelming online response among climate scientists, culture writers, and audiences responding to the angst.

This week on The Carbon Copy: a conversation between David Roberts and Adam McKay about the inspiration, themes, and impact of the film. Will it convince Hollywood to approach climate differently?

Guest: David Roberts, founder of the Volts Newsletter & Podcast. Read his review of the film. Listen to the extended version of his interview with Adam McKay.

The Carbon Copy is a co-production of Post Script Media and Canary Media.

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