Unpacking a Volatile Year in Climate and Energy

Unpacking a Volatile Year in Climate and Energy

From Political Climate by Political Climate

December 19, 2025 · 57 min

About this episode

The episode discusses the turbulent year in U.S. climate and energy policy with insights from Jane Flegal.

2025 has been one of the most turbulent years on record for U.S. climate and energy policy. The One Big Beautiful Bill is in; the Inflation Reduction Act is out. Clean energy grants have been canceled, permits delayed, and federal priorities reshuffled. At the same time, electricity demand is surging, consumers are worried about affordability, and trade disputes are disrupting supply chains. Amid all this volatility, has the clean energy transition stalled? To help make sense of it all, we’re joined by Jane Flegal, Executive Director of the Blue Horizons Foundation and former member of the Biden White House climate policy team, who brings a rare perspective spanning academia, philanthropy, government, and the private sector. In this episode, we step back to assess the major forces shaping climate and energy today and in the months ahead—including the federal policy reset, the AI-energy nexus, and contentious geopolitics. Plus, how advocacy needs to evolve in light of these shifts. Together with Jane, we unpack lessons learned from a wild year in climate and energy—and make some bold predictions about where we're headed next. *** Political Climate is hosted by Julia Pyper, Brandon…

People in this episode

Hosts: Julia Pyper, Brandon Hurlbut, Neil Chatterjee

Guest: Jane Flegal

Topics covered

  • climate policy
  • energy transition
  • federal policy
  • geopolitics
  • advocacy

Keywords

  • Inflation Reduction Act
  • clean energy
  • electricity demand
  • trade disputes
  • AI-energy nexus

Mentioned in this episode

Books & works: Political Climate

Places: U.S.

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