The Long Arc of Climate Action with Gina McCarthy

The Long Arc of Climate Action with Gina McCarthy

From A Matter of Degrees by Dr. Leah Stokes, Dr. Katharine Wilkinson

March 26, 2026 · 34 min

About this episode

Gina McCarthy discusses her experiences and insights on federal climate action over the past two decades.

Gina McCarthy has been at the center of nearly every federal climate fight of the last two decades. She led the EPA during the Obama years. Then, under President Biden, she became the first ever White House National Climate Advisor. In this episode of A Matter of Degrees , we sit down with Gina for a sweeping conversation about the victories, the setbacks, and why the climate story is much longer than any single administration. We cover the collapse of the Waxman-Markey Bill, the strange victory of a Clean Power Plan that was stayed before it started, the rollercoaster of getting the Inflation Reduction Act over the finish line, and what it all means now, as we move to defend all of Gina's hard-won progress.

People in this episode

Hosts: Dr. Leah Stokes, Dr. Katharine Wilkinson

Guest: Gina McCarthy

Topics covered

  • climate action
  • federal policy
  • environmental history
  • climate change
  • government
  • legislation

Keywords

  • climate action
  • Gina McCarthy
  • EPA
  • Inflation Reduction Act
  • Waxman-Markey Bill
  • Clean Power Plan
  • climate policy

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: EPA, White House, Inflation Reduction Act

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