Climate One

How should Democrats campaign on climate? Some are quietly shelving climate-specific language ahead of the midterms in favor of terms like “energy crisis” and “affordability.”  But Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse of Rhode Island has been talking about climate change on the Senate floor for more than a decade, and he has no plans to stop now.  “The most important thing that can be accomplished on the climate front is to end the pollute-for-free business model of the fossil fuel industry. It is morally wrong, it is economically wrong, it is an environmental sin, and there's literally no merit to it, which is why the fossil fuel industry has to prop it up with all this dark money and lies,” he says. Plus, geothermal energy is having a moment – getting interest from data center developers and support from the Trump administration at a time when other renewable energy sources are getting the ax. What should we expect from the industry in the next five years? Guests: Sheldon Whitehouse, U.S. Senator (D-RI) Jamie Beard, Founder and Executive Director, Project Innerspace Highlights: 00:00 – Introduction 02:00 – Sen. Whitehouse on his “Time to Wake Up” speeches 05:40 – Influence of the Citizens United decision on bipartisan climate action 07:45 – Progress on permitting reform bill 12:50 – Climate hushing and its impact on the midtems 14:00 – People want to hear more about climate change 18:00 – Off-shore wind projects getting on the grid in Rhode Island 23:00 – Sen. Whitehouse on data centers and their impacts 27:30 – What’s possible if Democrats win big at midterms 34:40 – Jamie Beard gives update on the state of the geothermal energy industry 43:30 – The odd and complicated politics of Trump administration supporting geothermal 46:00 – Potential impact of Geothermal Energy Advancement Act 51:00 – Geothermal’s bigger price is heat, not electricity 58:00 – Climate One More Thing For transcripts, show notes, and related links, visit our episode page. *** Join Climate One for a town hall event on September 28 at 6 p.m. on navigating AI, climate, and the future of democracy. How do we ensure that AI and data centers serve the public good? How does a democracy function when AI is distorting our sense of shared truths? Tickets available at climateone.org/events  Also: We’ll be having an electric conversation on October 14 at 6 p.m. between PG&E CEO Patti Poppe and California State Senator Scott Wiener about energy affordability, outages, and whether cities like San Francisco are ready to break up with the investor-owned utility model. Tickets available at climateone.org/events  On October 20th at 6 p.m. join us, in partnership with The Redford Center, for a screening of the short film In Earth We Trust, followed by a conversation with the filmmaker, the film’s central figure, and other faith leaders. Tickets available at climateone.org/events  Support Climate One by going ad-free! By subscribing to Climate One on Patreon, you’ll receive exclusive access to all future episodes free of ads, opportunities to connect with fellow Climate One listeners, and access to the Climate One Discord. Sign up today. Ad sales by Multitude. Contact them for ad inquiries at multitude.productions/ads Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Growing power demands – coupled with increasingly frequent climate-driven disasters – have led even staunch environmentalists like NRDC head Manish Bapna to rethink their past opposition to nuclear power.  Three Mile Island didn't kill anyone or cause major public harm, but it fundamentally changed U.S. nuclear policy for 40 years. Why did an accident with a relatively contained consequence have such a chilling effect – and what’s really different today? With dozens of new, purportedly safer designs at various stages of development and construction around the world, is it time for all of us to give nuclear energy a fresh look? Guests: Manish Bapna, President and CEO, NRDC  Denia Djokić, Assistant Research Scientist, University of Michigan Josh Freed, Senior Vice President for Climate and Energy, Third Way Edwin Lyman, Director of Nuclear Power Safety, Union of Concerned Scientists  Highlights: 00:00 – Introduction  02:30 – Manish Bapna explains shift in posture on nuclear power 07:45 – Why permitting and transmission reforms are necessary 12:00 – Ed Lyman and Josh Freed share concerns about climate change but differ on the role of nuclear energy 16:15 – Ongoing risks of nuclear energy 20:30 – Supply chain concerns 25:00 – Discussion of radioactive waste handling 31:30 – Role of the Nuclear Regulatory Commission and its independence under the current administration 40:00 – Where nuclear fits into carbon-free future 43:00 – Denia Djokić on how new advanced designs differ from older reactor designs 49:30 – SMRs are not plug-and-play  53:30 – New nuclear can’t meet the speed demands of AI  55:30 – Additional considerations around nuclear energy 57:30 – Climate One More Thing For show notes, related links, and episode transcript, visit our episode page at ClimateOne.org *** Join Climate One for a town hall event on September 28 at 6 p.m. on navigating AI, climate, and the future of democracy. How do we ensure that AI and data centers serve the public good? How does a democracy function when AI is distorting our sense of shared truths? Tickets available at climateone.org/events  *** Also: We’ll be having an electric conversation on October 14 at 6 p.m. between PG&E CEO Patti Poppe and California State Senator Scott Wiener about energy affordability, outages, and whether cities like San Francisco are ready to break up with the investor owned utility model. Tickets available at climateone.org/events  *** Support Climate One by going ad-free! By subscribing to Climate One on Patreon, you’ll receive exclusive access to all future episodes free of ads, opportunities to connect with fellow Climate One listeners, and access to the Climate One Discord. Sign up today. *** Ad sales by Multitude. Contact them for ad inquiries at multitude.productions/ads Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices