The climate messaging war returns. Does it matter if we can’t build?
About this episode
The episode discusses the political implications of climate change messaging and the challenges of building necessary infrastructure for the transition.
A familiar debate is reemerging in US politics: is it helpful or damaging to talk about climate change? It broke into the open when the New York Times published an op-ed from Matthew Huber arguing that Democrats should avoid talking about climate change. His case: climate carries far too much political baggage for working class voters that Democrats are trying to win back. It sparked a conversation over whether "climate hushing" is a savvy political strategy or a dangerous concession. This week, we take the debate head-on. Guest co-host Jane Flegal joins us to talk about the latest version of this argument, and whether dropping the climate frame is a smart tactical pivot. Then we turn to a more fundamental problem. Even if we land on the perfect climate frame, it may not matter if the U.S. can't actually build the infrastructure the transition requires. A sweeping new essay in American Affairs argues that both parties have become functionally obstructionist — and that “ideologically portable” obstruction has become a feature of American governance. We close with a look at an opening in philanthropy. Nan Ransohoff published a piece this month arguing that AI company wealth is…
People in this episode
Hosts: Stephen Lacey, Jigar Shah
Guest: Jane Flegal
Topics covered
- climate change
- politics
- infrastructure
- philanthropy
- obstructionism
- climate messaging
Keywords
- climate change
- political strategy
- infrastructure
- philanthropy
- obstructionism
- climate messaging
- working class
- AI wealth
Mentioned in this episode
Organizations: New York Times, American Affairs, Latitude Media
More episodes of Open Circuit
- The biggest utility merger in US history?
- Crypto’s bare-knuckle politics come to climate
- Can data centers regain their social license? A former Microsoft exec weighs in
Explore listener stats, chart rankings, contacts and more on the Open Circuit podcast page.