Why climate funders don't fund housing policy, and why they oughtta

Why climate funders don't fund housing policy, and why they oughtta

From Volts by David Roberts

April 8, 2026 · 1h 6m

About this episode

The episode discusses the bias of climate funders towards electric vehicles over housing policy and the implications for climate advocacy.

This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.volts.wtf/subscribe Why do climate funders prefer cutting checks for electric vehicles over fighting for dense, transit-oriented housing? I talk to Ben Holland, who recently interviewed major climate foundations about their anti-urbanism bias, and returning guest Caroline Spears, who is working to pass climate-friendly housing policy at the state level. We discuss why obsessing over easily quantifiable emissions reductions is blinding the movement to massive, tractable wins, and why ignoring zoning reform is no longer an option for serious climate advocates.

People in this episode

Host: David Roberts

Guests: Ben Holland, Caroline Spears

Topics covered

  • climate funding
  • housing policy
  • urbanism
  • zoning reform
  • emissions reductions

Keywords

  • climate funders
  • housing policy
  • urbanism
  • zoning reform
  • emissions reductions

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: climate foundations, Volts

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